Articles
Ready to get your read on? Dive into the article archive to help you build wealth through real estate investing. We feature top subject matter experts exploring every facet of the industry.
Articles
Ready to get your read on? Dive into the article archive to help you build wealth through real estate investing. We feature top subject matter experts exploring every facet of the industry.
The Most Underwater and Equity Rich U.S. Housing Markets
More than 5.2 million (5,206,446) U.S. properties were seriously underwater (where the combined balance of loans secured by the property was at least 25 percent higher than the property’s estimated market value) at the end of Q1 2018, down by more than 291,000 properties from a year ago — the ...
Buyers Undeterred by Wildfires
Historically, the occurrence of wildfires has dampened home-value appreciation in the immediate area of the fire. This holds true even in neighborhoods with no evacuations or property damage. However, the 2018 wildfire season appears to be a different case entirely. According to a new study released by University of Las ...
Luxury Vinyl Tile Producers Push for Tariffs
Real estate investors like luxury vinyl tile (LVT) for many reasons, but affordability and durability top the list. But if two LVT manufacturers who recently testified in Washington, D.C. get their way, the affordability aspect may disappear. Even with a price increase, some experts believe the benefits may well outweigh ...
32,000 Smart Homes Susceptible to Hacking
According to reports from security and risk management data provider CSO, some 32,000 smart homes can be “easily hacked” by “cyberthugs [who] could gain complete access to a home.” Once inside, hackers can manipulate entertainment systems, voice assistants, household devices, and even physically open smart doors. Avast blogger and IT ...
Top Cities for Housing Market Stability
SmartAsset’s 2018 list of the top cities for growth and stability in housing was recently published. Typically when a housing market appreciates, often property owners start fearing the wors. They wonder when the correction will come. According to quarterly data from 1993 to 2017, certain cities were most likely to ...
Flood Risk Hurts Home Values in Multiple States
Living near the water has traditionally been a pleasant dream for home-buyers, but research from a nonprofit group evaluating the impact of rising sea levels indicates home values may be suffering as buyers start avoiding the water. First Street Foundation (FSF) is a group based around the cause of advocating for ...
Think Realty to educate, inspire real estate investors in Atlanta
Think Realty will hold a Conference and Expo, September 22 and 23, at the Westin Buckhead Atlanta. The event will focus on creating personal freedom and purpose through real estate investing. Ken and Anita Corsini, HGTV’s “Flip or Flop Atlanta” stars, are the Saturday morning keynote speakers. The day will ...
Economists Say New-Home Sales Hit 9-Month Low
When you see headlines about home-sales volumes hitting nine-month lows, read carefully. Likely, the article is referring to new-home sales, or the number of newly built, single-family homes. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), sales in this sector are at their lowest level since last October. Furthermore, existing-home ...
Most Millennials Could Not Qualify for a Mortgage
One third of millennials who do not have a mortgage could use their prime credit score and this could help them qualify for one. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and Experian data, only about one in six millennials has a mortgage. Of the remaining 85% of the ...
Finding the Sweet Spot for Your Paid Search Campaign
If you’re going after the online market for your real estate investing business, paid search is going to be part of the conversation. Don’t waste your money by failing to put in a little bit of “grunt work” (it’s research, folks!) on the front end. Whether you are a real ...
3 Simple Stories About Effectively Negotiating with Buyers & Sellers
If you want to effectively communicate and negotiate with buyers and sellers in your real estate business, you have to ask yourself something harsh: “Who cares?” This is the first thing I say to myself whenever I am getting ready to speak to anyone in my real estate or public ...
Young Americans Push Homeownership Rates Up
U.S. homeownership added one-tenth of a percentage point during the second quarter of 2018, pushing the rate to 64.3% at the end of June 2018. Analysts credit young Americans—under 35 years old—for the slight bump in the homeownership rate. This is especially because this population’s ownership rate rose by 1.2% over ...
Latest Spec Houses Include Shark Ponds, Tequila Freezers
Real estate developers catering to the wealthiest buyers on the planet are taking their spec houses—custom homes with extravagant features commanding astronomical price tags—to new levels. In fact, one Los Angeles development company recently created a spec house with an open shark tank with stepping stones. The “shark house” is ...
Foreclosure Rates Rise in Nearly Half of Metro Areas
Nearly half of all metro areas tracked by ATTOM Data Solutions saw a rise in foreclosure starts this summer. 96 of the 219 (44%) metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) measured by the housing data giant posted year-over-year increases in foreclosure activity. Month-over-month, national foreclosure activity increased in July as well, with ...
Building the Best Real Estate Postcard Possible
Postcard marketing is one of the most tried-and-true Newsletter Sign Up Interstitial strategies in real estate. Even with today’s massive array of digital options, many investors opt to designate a significant amount of their business budget to hard-copy mailings. If you are going to print and mail postcards, however, you ...
HUD Accuses Facebook of Housing Discrimination
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has accused Facebook of housing discrimination. HUD alleges “Facebook unlawfully discriminates by enabling advertisers to restrict which Facebook users receive housing-related ads based on race, color, religion, sex, familial status, national origin, and disability.” The complaint continues, alleging the social media ...
3 Countertop Options from the Field
Nearly all real estate professionals will tell you that the kitchen (followed by the master bedroom or suite) will make or break every sale you make – and a good number of rental agreements as well. However, they are less likely to agree on what the kitchen should look like, ...
Investing in mortgage notes has made many people very wealthy and created cash flows for them that come in every month. I think of notes as cash-flow machines that you build, plug in, and then they produce income for you for years. The best news? There is no limit to ...
U.S. Commerce Dept. Warns Housing Inventory Still Short
If the goal of homebuilding is to cool rising prices, the slight uptick in new home inventory this past July won't do the trick. According to the U.S. Commerce Department, total housing starts in single- and multi-family building rose nearly 1% in July to a seasonally adjusted rate of 1.17 ...
How to Identify the Best Secondary Markets for Investment
Eight years into a recovery that has seen property values soar to all-time highs, the real estate market is growing nervous about how long the good times can last. The economy is fast approaching its post-World War II record of 120 months without a recession and acquisition yields are at ...
Porch.com Releases New Home Predictions
According to home services network Porch.com, certain things will be very different by 2036 regarding new home construction. The company’s research team released a study forecasting some basic details about houses built over the next 20 years, and while a port for your flying car is not included in the ...
Stock Markets Punish Redfin for “Cooling” Housing Trends Comment
After Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman predicted a national slowdown in housing could continue, his company’s stock suffered an immediate setback. The markets punished Kelman for his prediction and Redfin stock fell more than 22% last Friday. Redfin, a technology-based real estate firm engaging in traditional brokerage activities, has only been ...
Residential Real Estate Indicators You Must Know
Now is the time to buy residential real estate. I have been in the real estate investing business for more than 20 years, and all the signs are there: The stock market is near all-time highs Debt market yields are still historically low Supply and demand factors in residential rentals ...
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Offer Mortgage Moratorium to Fire Victims
As California's wildfires continue to spread, more homeowners face the destruction of their homes. Just this Sunday, the Mendocino Complex fires (formerly the River and Ranch fires), consumed 8,000 acres. Prior to that, they had burned over 336,000 acres. Today they're 70% contained, and the California Department of Forestry and ...
Top Neighborhood Names for Wealthy Homeowners
The top neighborhood names in the country tend to have certain words in common. According to a new study from Porch.com, the name of a neighborhood can attract wealthier homeowners. “Whether it makes sense or not, the names and identifiers of our American communities and housing developments often say more ...
