Real Estate News: Real Estate Investing Podcast

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending December 26th, 2020, mortgage rates hit another all-time low, new stimulus help for renters and landlords, best grocery store for home values, and reports on the GDP, the job market, consumer spending, and new and existing home sales. www.NewsForInvestors.com Links: 1 - https://www.marketwatch.com/story/historic-increase-in-u-s-gdp-in-third-quarter-revised-to-33-4-annualized-rate-11608644494?mod=economy-politics 2 - https://www.marketwatch.com/story/jobless-claims-fall-to-3-week-low-of-803-000-before-christmas-but-they-still-high-11608731267?mod=economic-report 3 - https://www.marketwatch.com/story/consumer-spending-drops-0-4-in-november-11608731509?mod=economic-report 4 - https://www.marketwatch.com/story/consumer-confidence-tumbles-in-december-to-lowest-level-since-lockdown-11608650517?mod=economic-report 5 - https://www.marketwatch.com/story/u-s-consumer-sentiment-deteriorates-in-late-december-11608736845?mod=economy-politics 6 - https://www.marketwatch.com/story/new-home-sales-fall-as-buyers-begin-to-get-cold-feet-in-an-expensive-market-2020-12-23?mod=economic-report 7 - https://www.marketwatch.com/story/existing-home-sales-fall-in-november-as-buyers-struggle-to-find-properties-to-purchase-2020-12-22 8 - http://www.freddiemac.com/pmms/ 9 - https://www.marketwatch.com/story/this-is-just-slowing-the-clock-on-evictions-congress-will-extend-eviction-moratorium-fund-emergency-rent-assistance-with-new-stimulus-dea-11608553279 10 - https://magazine.realtor/daily-news/2020/12/23/the-supermarket-effect-on-home-values

The Holidays are celebrated in many ways. But one theme that seems to cross over all belief systems is that this time of year is a time of giving, giving to those you love and also giving to those less fortunate than you. While this altruistic behavior stems from religion, it's also an important ingredient for success. www.NewsForInvestors.com Links: 1 - https://www.realwealthnetwork.com/real-wealth-foundation/ 2 - https://www.operationsmile.org/ 3 - https://mentorsinternational.org/ 4 - https://www.yocinc.org/ 5 - https://www.habitat.org/ 6 - www.ProfitPurposeConsulting.com

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending December 19th, 2020... single-family rent growth picks up, remote work migration could surge, a creative new venue for indoor restaurant dining, and reports on the job market, residential construction, and another new low for mortgage rates. www.NewsForInvestors.com

Tis the season for a more than a normal amount of Christmas decorating. With pandemic stay-at-home orders and curfews, demand is skyrocketing for Christmas trees, holiday lights and other decorations. It's a way to shake off the pandemic gloom, and bring an otherwise difficult year to a close with a few festive memories. www.NewsForInvestors.com

There's a home equity bonanza going on right now. Over the last year, the value of mortgaged homes has gone up $1 trillion. CoreLogic research shows the year-to-year increase is 11% from the third quarter of 2019 to the third quarter of 2020. That's great news for borrowers, especially those at risk of foreclosure because of the pandemic. www.NewsForInvestors.com Links: 1 - https://www.corelogic.com/insights-download/homeowner-equity-report.aspx 2 - https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/10/housing-is-doing-something-it-hasnt-done-since-the-bubble-achuthan.html 3 - https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/11/household-net-worth-hits-new-record-of-123point5-trillion-amid-stock-market-surge.html

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending December 12th, tenants who owe back rent, CEO 2021 forecast, tiny home popularity, NAR'S new non-profit, and reports on unemployment, inflation, consumer sentiment, and mortgage rates. www.NewsForInvestors.com Reference Links: 1 - https://www.marketwatch.com/story/jobless-claims-surge-to-3-month-high-coronavirus-trigging-more-layoffs-11607607903?mod=economic-report 2 - https://www.marketwatch.com/story/u-s-job-openings-rose-in-october-but-layoffs-rose-even-faster-as-coronvirus-started-to-surge-11607526990?mod=u.s.-economic-calendar 3 - https://www.marketwatch.com/story/consumer-prices-climb-in-november-cpi-shows-but-inflation-still-low-11607612244?mod=economic-report 4 - https://www.marketwatch.com/story/consumer-sentiment-jumps-in-december-on-democratic-euphoria-after-biden-win-11607700242 5 - http://www.freddiemac.com/pmms/ 6 - https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/12/07/unemployed-debt-rent-utilities/ 7 - https://magazine.realtor/daily-news/2020/12/08/ceos-anticipate-business-returning-to-pre-pandemic-levels 8 - https://www.housingwire.com/articles/tiny-homes-are-big-winners-in-2020/ 9 - https://magazine.realtor/daily-news/2020/11/23/nar-launches-the-american-property-owners-alliance

Airbnb made big headlines as it re-launched its plan for an IPO. The home-sharing company started trading on December 10th as ABNB on the NASDAQ. But that's only half the story for Airbnb. It also announced Airbnb.org to help relief workers and medical staff find shelter during a crisis, like the pandemic... www.NewsForInvestors.com Links: 1 - https://news.airbnb.com/airbnborg/ 2 - https://www.airbnb.org/ 3 - https://www.reuters.com/article/global-aid-airbnb/update-1-airbnb-nonprofit-to-focus-on-finding-housing-for-disaster-pandemic-workers-idUSL8N2IO55G 4 - https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/12/10/airbnb-stock-market-debut/

If you are interested in Opportunity Zones, you should expect some changes to the program under the new Biden Administration. The program is getting bi-partisan support, but Joe Biden and his team feel it's not doing enough to help distressed neighborhoods. The Biden website talks about reforming Opportunity Zones, to make sure they provide benefits to the local community and not just the investors getting the tax breaks. www.NewsForInvestors.com Links: 1 - https://www.nreionline.com/investment/cre-pros-laud-biden-s-proposed-changes-opportunity-zone-program 2 - https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/The-Impact-of-Opportunity-Zones-An-Initial-Assessment.pdf 3 - https://joebiden.com/racial-economic-equity/

In this week's Real Estate News Brief, the FHFA extends the moratorium on evictions and foreclosures, and reports on unemployment, pending home sales, construction spending, mortgage rates, homeownership affordability for renters, Airbnb IPO plans, and the surging demand for build-to-rent homes. www.NewsForInvestors.com

Co-living appears to be doing quite well, despite the pandemic. A new report from Cushman & Wakefield shows a rent collection dip toward the beginning of the pandemic, and a rebound from there. Even though we're still dealing with the pandemic, co-living companies are moving forward with plans for major expansions across the U.S. www.NewsForInvestors.com

California voters approved a real estate measure that will help older homeowners, but it could have a big downside for their children. Proposition 19 allows seniors, the disabled, and disaster victims to take their low property tax base with them to a new home. But it also reduces that protection for their heirs. www.NewsForInvestors.com

In this episode, reports on the GDP, unemployment, consumer spending, home sales, home prices, and consumer confidence. Also - mortgage rates, conforming loan limits, mortgage activity, the importance of friendly neighbors, and real estate gratefulness. www.NewsForInvestors.com

The Department of Housing and Urban Development is proposing a change to flood insurance rules that could bring costs down. The proposal would allow borrowers with government-backed loans to buy flood insurance from private companies instead of the National Flood Insurance Program. www.NewsForInvestors.com

As the coronavirus pandemic gets worse, some states are beginning to implement new restrictions and lockdowns on non-essential services. That's reigniting a battle on whether real estate should be considered "essential." Here are a few talking points in defense of the industry. www.NewsForInvestors.com

The Federal Reserve and the Treasury are at odds over the need for economic relief, while unemployment claims rise. Good news on the housing market and mortgage rates, although NAR warns about high home prices. The latest rent collection numbers, and a few words of wisdom from Jamie Dimon about the traits of a successful leader. www.NewsForInvestors.com

With Joe Biden set to become the 46th President in January, there's plenty of talk about how his policies will impact housing. This is especially important as the red hot housing market becomes less affordable for both owners and renters, and builders are unable to fill the inventory gap. Biden's plan includes a $15,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers, expansion of the Section 8 voucher program, and billions of dollars for new construction, renovations, and energy retrofits. www.NewsForInvestors.com

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending November 14th, 2020… homebuyers on pause, big earnings for a cloud-based national realty, and a fraud warning for landlords and property managers. We begin with economic news that was impacted by a tense political standoff over the presidential election and a surging number of coronavirus cases. Home buyers hit the pause button, and consumer confidence fell to a three-month low, but the housing market is still booming. www.NewsForInvestors.com

Hubzu's new mobile app, Homesnap's new home pricing tool, SafeShowings expansion in California, and a mysterious money-raise for a tech venture by ex-Zillow execs. Hubzu is making it easier to have on-the-go access with a new mobile app. The online marketing platform gives users a way to find and bid on residential real estate auctions that include foreclosures, short sales, and retail sales. The app will give users mobile access with iOS and Android phones. www.NewsForInvestors.com

It's the first time since the Great Depression that a majority of adults are living with Mom and Dad. Blame it on the pandemic, college closures, and job losses. A study by Pew Research shows that 52% of young people are living with one or both parents.

The latest economic news on economic policy, the job market, construction spending, mortgage rates, California rent control, zombie foreclosures, and a builder's effort to reduce his carbon footprint. We begin with economic news from this past week and another vote by the Federal Reserve to leave overnight interest rates right where they are, near zero. Board members met for their monthly meeting in the midst of a contentious presidential election. It now appears that former vice president Joe Biden will be our next president, although President Trump's team is calling for recounts and litigation. www.NewsForInvestors.com

Several housing organizations filed a lawsuit accusing Redfin of a modern-day form of redlining. At issue is the level of service that Redfin offers to different communities and whether minority communities are being shortchanged. Redfin denies any discriminatory practice, saying decisions are based on legitimate business reasons. www.NewsForInvestors.com

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending October 31st, 2020... a report on the strength of the economic rebound, a forecast on 2030 home prices, and the primary reason that people are looking for new homes. It's been a volatile week for the stock market as investors worry about the pandemic and the presidential election, but there are some strong economic reports to share, including one on the third quarter GDP. www.NewsForInvestors.com

New California law gives owners, tenants, non-profits, and local governments a chance to outbid investors who buy foreclosures. It also bans the "auction bundling" of foreclosed homes, and prevents foreclosure blight with big fines. www.NewsForInvestors.com

The Mortgage Bankers Association is forecasting another busy year for lenders. It's predicting that American home buyers will be taking out a record number of home loans in 2021 while refinancing activity slows down. www.NewsForInvestors.com

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending October 24th, 2020... the home buying frenzy continues, the government extends its forbearance program, and the Federal Reserve talks about the possible issuing of digital currency. www.NewsForInvestors.com

A company that helps people live "off-the-grid" in floating sea pod homes is now offering a different kind of live-work-play experience. Ocean Builders is converting a former cruise ship into a floating condominium complex off the coast of Panama for digital nomads, expats, researchers, start-ups, and crypto businesses. And you can own one for as little as $25,000. www.NewsForInvestors.com

California voters will tackle three thorny real estate issues on November 3rd. One will raise taxes on a significant group of taxpayers, while another will provide a property tax reprieve, and a third will allow new rent control measures for virtually all rental properties, including single-family homes. In this episode, you'll hear more about Propositions 15, 19, and 21 in the 2020 California election. www.NewsForInvestors.com

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending October 17th, 2020, mortgage rates hit a new low, the pandemic migration hits 16 million, and condos are headed for a comeback. We begin with economic news from this past week that shows mixed results. On the employment front, jobless claims surged to a 7-week high. www.NewsForInvestors.com

If you're thinking about hosting a Halloween party at the end of the month, you won't be able to do it at an Airbnb. Airbnb announced a ban on one-night whole house reservations for Halloween weekend. It's not only a way to keep peace with the hosts and with neighbors, but a way to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. www.NewsForInvestors.com

The federal government issued new guidelines on the CDC eviction moratorium. It clears up some questions that legal experts have been debating on what landlords can and can't do including when eviction proceedings can begin. While it clarifies certain aspects of the moratorium for property owners, some scholars say it may also make it more confusing. www.NewsForInvestors.com

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending October 10th, 2020... Fed Chief calls for more stimulus, the job market recovery cools off, and a haunted house appears on Zillow. We begin with economic news from this past week, and comments from Fed Chief Jerome Powell about the need for more stimulus. In a speech to the National Association for Business Economics, he said it's better for Congress to offer too much support than too little. www.NewsForInvestors.com

The Small Business Administration says it has begun PPP loan forgiveness after some frustrating delays. The Paycheck Protection Program was introduced in April, and tens of thousands of small business owners have been waiting to have those loans forgiven. Banks say the process for converting loans into grants has been complicated, but the SBA says it now expects to move quickly on the approval and payoff of those loans. www.NewsForInvestors.com

There's a new twist on the old timeshare. It's a start-up called Pacaso that takes the timeshare model and expands it to something closer to owning your own single-family vacation home. Instead of owning a second home and all the costs that go along with it, Pacaso finds co-owners to share the expense. Scheduling for use of the home is flexible, and allows for much greater access than a timeshare. And, Pacaso takes care of all the management. www.NewsForInvestors.com

Home buyers searching for affordable markets may be changing the political landscape. A new Realtor.com analysis shows that blue state home buyers are searching for new homes in red states. It's unclear if these search results represent actual migrations, but they could indicate a shift in voter preferences for several important swing states. And that could have an impact on the upcoming presidential election. www.NewsForInvestors.com

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending October 3rd, 2020... the sale of new homes hit a big milestone in September, small business owners are feeling optimistic about survival, and why the daily commute could be gone for good. We begin with economic news from this past week that has been overshadowed by news that President Trump tested positive for the coronavirus. www.NewsForInvestors.com

Official reports on consumer prices show that inflation is on the low side, but the true cost of living feels a little different. The cost of things that people are actually buying have risen sharply during the pandemic -- things like food, cleaning products, used cars, medical care, and real estate. Although the Fed feels that we're likely to see an extended period of low inflation, some economists say "inflation is already here." At least one financing expert is also predicting that this low mortgage rate bonanza is about to end. www.NewsForInvestors.com

Many people have reported an unusual side effect of the pandemic. They say they've been having more intense dreams than normal, and can often remember them when they wake up. Sleep experts call them "quarandreams." And oddly enough, many of them are focused on "real estate." Sleep experts say it's not surprising that people are dreaming more vividly right now. It could be due to more stress because of the virus, more time to sleep without interruption, or less noise to interfere with sleep. Or maybe something else entirely. But the real estate-focused subject matter may be something to pay attention to because a house often represents our current emotional state. And according to experts, dreams are a way we send a message to ourselves about what we may want or need. In this case, Realtor.com teamed up with author and sleep analyst, Layne Dalfen, to come up with a list of common real estate dreams and what they might mean. www.NewsForInvestors.com

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending September 26th, 2020... home sales hit new highs, remote workers head south, and a new color-of-the-year for your wall. We begin with economic news from this past week, and testimony from Fed Chief Jerome Powell that rattled stock investors. As you know, Wall Street doesn't like uncertainty, and that's what Powell dished up for members of Congress last Tuesday. www.NewsForInvestors.com

The presence of a Whole Foods on the ground level of an apartment building provides a big bump in rental rates for landlords. There's a new study that shows renters will pay a premium to live so close to a high-end grocery store. The so-called "premium grocer effect" also applies to single-family neighborhoods with an impact on home prices and equity, if there's a favorite grocery store nearby. www.NewsForInvestors.com

Existing home inventory is down. It's gotten much worse since the start of the pandemic. Realtor.com says there are almost 400,000 fewer homes on the MLS than there were at the same time last year. The lack of inventory is pushing home prices higher, and reducing the number of days it takes to sell a home. That's pushing many homebuyers and investors into the new home market. www.NewsForInvestors.com

The pandemic has turned many office employees into remote workers, and for some, that could mean the freedom to move to a new, less expensive location. Some businesses are even encouraging employees to move, with a bonus. But there is a catch. Employees who move to a place with a lower cost of living, may also get a pay cut, and that's not sitting well with some of them. Payment processing company Stripe is one company that is encouraging employees to move. It has offices in 16 cities around the globe and almost 3,000 employees. It's giving $20,000 to employees who move from some of the bigger cities like San Francisco, New York, and Seattle, but is also telling them they'll get a 10% pay cut. The pay cut will correspond to a lower cost of living in the city they move to. www.NewsForInvestors.com

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending September 19th, 2020... the Federal Reserve offers an improved 2020 forecast for U.S. economic growth, empty nesters are getting their adult kids back, and the Detroit rental market has gotten "wacky." We begin with economic news from this past week, and an update on economic policy from the Federal Reserve. The Fed said in a statement it expects to keep short-term bank rates near zero until the end of 2023, and that inflation would have to rise above 2% for "some time" before rates are increased. www.NewsForInvestors.com

A decline in rent growth for single-family homes brought on by the pandemic appears to have stabilized. The CoreLogic Single-Family Rent Index shows that it moved higher in July at a year-over-year rate of 1.7%. It had sunk to 1.4% in June. While that's good for the nation, metros vary and some have more catching up to do than others. The pandemic swept across the country in February, forcing businesses to close and leaving a huge number of people unemployed. Many single-family landlords lowered their rents to keep tenants in place. That brought a steady rate of rental increases in the SFR marketplace to a much lower level. According to data from CoreLogic, they were rising at an average of 2.9% during the first quarter of the year. From there, they slide to 1.7% in May and then 1.4% in June. www.NewsForInvestors.com

There was a slight uptick in foreclosure filings in the U.S. as the pandemic continues and an agreement on a new stimulus to help ailing homeowners has stalled. Real estate data firm CoreLogic released a report that shows serious delinquencies spiked in June. Without government assistance or major job market improvement by the end of the year, those delinquencies could turn into foreclosures. The CoreLogic report shows that 2.9% percent of U.S. home loans were overdue by 90 to 119 days in June. That's the highest they've been in 21 years, according to CoreLogic's chief economist Frank Nothaft. He says: "If there are new government programs, maybe that alleviates some of the risks, but given what we know today, we could be looking at a serious delinquency rate that is four times higher at the end of 2021 than it was before the start of the pandemic." www.NewsForInvestors.com

A national eviction ban is now in place that protects tenants for the rest of the year without offering any help for landlords. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced it as an emergency health measure to prevent the further spread of COVID-19. But it does little to solve the problem of unpaid rent for landlords, who have bills to pay, or tenants, who face a giant balloon payment when the moratorium expires. The CDC order went into effect on September 4th and runs through December 31st. That gives tenants a four-month reprieve from their rent obligations, if they don't have the means to pay. Local eviction bans that provide equal or greater protection for tenants take precedence, so properties already covered by a COVID-19 eviction ban, are likely exempt from the national ban. www.NewsForInvestors.com

Corporate landlords are defying the federal eviction ban with a surge in new filings. According to one report, institutional landlords filed more than 900 eviction cases in eight metro areas during the week after the ban was announced. The ban attempts to protect tenants who can't pay their rent because of the pandemic, but the moratorium is not preventing landlords from challenging tenant claims about their finances. The Private Equity Stakeholder Project was already tracking evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic before the CDC announced a national moratorium on evictions, and that in early August, the big landlords had only filed 165 eviction claims. The organization attempts to connect investors with the people and communities that are impacted by private equity investments. www.NewsForInvestors.com

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending September 12th, 2020... mortgage rates dipped into record territory once again, apartment rent collection numbers, and a housing market that is on a "sugar high." We begin with economic news from this past week, and a mixed report on the job market. The number of people applying for jobless benefits rose slightly this last week. Continuing claims were also slightly higher than they were the week before. But, the government reported a 1.4 million increase in newly created jobs, and an unemployment rate that fell from 10.2% to 8.4%. www.NewsForInvestors.com

The pandemic is not dampening enthusiasm for Crystal Lagoons. In fact, the Crystal Lagoons company says it's expanding its model for lagoons built for public access, and expects post-pandemic demand to rise. It says people will want to enjoy a vacation-like atmosphere without going on a plane. At Real Wealth, we are looking forward to the 2020 opening of a lagoon connected with one of our developments in Florida. We've been excited about Crystal Lagoons since they were first introduced several years ago as a way to create a tropical beach paradise of any size on just about any piece of property in the world. They change the real estate concept of location, location, location to "wherever you want to build," because these lagoons "create" a location. www.NewsForInvestors.com

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending September 5th, 2020... upbeat reports on new jobs and unemployment, another nationwide eviction moratorium, and a pandemic-inspired boom in the purchase of second homes. We have the latest economic news from this past week, and some good news about the job market and residential construction. But, overshadowing those headlines is an announcement from the federal government for a new nationwide eviction moratorium. www.NewsForInvestors.com

Some California landlords say a new tenant protection law increases their risk of foreclosure, although the new law is better than the one it replaces. Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB-3088 on August 31st just hours before previous eviction moratoriums expired. Because it includes an emergency clause, it went into effect right away, protecting tenants for another five months. Newsom approved the COVID-19 Tenant Relief Act of 2020 after "feverish" negotiations by lawmakers and landlord groups. They hammered out AB-3088 as a compromise bill while the clock ticked down on the deadline. Without a deal, the Sacramento Bee says as many as four million California tenants would have been at risk of eviction, for unpaid rent. www.NewsForInvestors.com