Editorial Staff
Completed foreclosures continue to decline, new study says
Completed foreclosures continued to decline in December 2014 to 39,000 for the month, down 5 percent from November and down almost 14 percent year-over-year, according to a a release of a new study from CoreLogic. The 12-month sum of completed foreclosures for 2014, at 563,294, is at its lowest point ...
5 red flags to help you avoid becoming a victim of real estate investment fraud
A caution on real estate investment scams, typically spread by word-of-mouth, has been issued in a release by The Florida Office of Financial Regulation. “Real estate investment scams typically spread by word-of-mouth and require consumers to invest large sums of money in investment properties. This type of scam promises a ...
Renters say they will not spend more on rent despite increasing rental rates
While rents continue to rise around the country, the rate of growth is slowly decreasing. According to CoStar, the real estate industry's leading provider of information, analytics and online marketplaces, the average cost of rent nationwide increased by 0.64 percent to $1,194 a month in the fourth quarter of 2014—down ...
Mortgage rates remain steady, but worry over increase remains
Mortgage rates were little changed, with the benchmark 30-year fixed mortgage rate holding at 3.80 percent, according to a release of Bankrate.com's weekly national survey. The 30-year fixed mortgage has an average of 0.30 discount and origination points. The survey is complemented by Bankrate's weekly Rate Trend Index, in which ...
Second best year on record in 2014 for Texas real estate
The Texas housing market closed out 2014 with one of the highest fourth-quarter single-family home sales volumes in Texas real estate history, according to a release from the Texas Association of Realtors. "A dip in mortgage interest rates below four percent in the last half of 2014 created an ideal ...
Economy will drag housing upward in 2015 says Fannie Mae
Driven by strengthening private domestic demand, economic growth is expected to accelerate modestly this year and drag last year's unspectacular housing activity upward, according to a release by Fannie Mae's Economic & Strategic Research (ESR) Group. The economy is expected to climb to 3.1 percent in 2015, up from the ...
Many lower-end sellers now in a position to put homes on the market
Many homeowners in the bottom third of their markets are finally in a position to sell, just in time for Millennials to enter the housing market in greater numbers in 2015, Zillow Real Estate Market reports predicts in the release. Homes in the bottom third of home values bottomed out ...
Affinity Media Group acquires Personal Real Estate Investor Magazine
Affinity Media Services (AMS), a division of real estate investment market leader Affinity Enterprises Group (AEG), announced Friday that it has entered into an asset purchase agreement with NEXZUS Publishing Group, the publisher of Personal Real Estate Investor Magazine, PREI Investor Review Series and The Invaluable Investor Study; and promoter ...
Flipping slightly edges out buy-to-rent investing when buying at auction new study says
A new study shows a slight inclination for real estate investors to lean toward flipping rather than buying to rent, although investor intent varies by the type of auction and the investor's individual profile and business model. The nationwide survey of real estate investors bidding on properties at auction in ...
Rehabs, gurus and tenants: the top 5 real estate investing blogs of 2014
Here are the top 5 real estate investing blogs of 2014 as selected by the users of our website: The 7 best renovations for your rental properties The two biggest variables in rental property ownership are dealing with vacancies and how long it takes you or yourproperty manager to ...
Consumers not ready to move on housing despite improving economy
Americans are becoming more optimistic about the economy, but consumer confidence toward the housing market is lagging, according to results from Fannie Mae's December 2014 National Housing Survey. Likely bolstered by a strengthening employment sector, the share of consumers who believe the economy is headed in the right direction improved ...
2015 real estate outlook from Local Market Monitor
By Ingo Winzer Local Market Monitor Despite low interest rates, low inflation, and an economy that has steadily expanded, new and existing home sales - and therefore mortgage and home equity lending - have languished. Part of the reason is a high level of consumer debt that keeps many potential ...
4 predictions for real estate and investors in 2015
Home value growth will slow to around 3 percent per year instead of the 6 percent seen recently, and that will make real estate less attractive to many investors, says Stan Humphries, chief economist for Zillow. “It's been a tough market for home buyers," Humphries said in a story in ...
HomeVestors reaches 60,000 home-purchase milestone
HomeVestors continued as the leader in home buying in the U.S., passing the milestone of 60,000 homes purchased since the company was founded, according to a release. The company also reported a surge in new company franchisees during 2014 passing the mark of more than 500 in 41 states. Co-Presidents ...
5 real estate investors indicted for bid rigging at foreclosure auctions
A federal grand jury in San Francisco has returned a nine-count indictment against five real estate investors for their role in bid rigging and fraud at real estate foreclosure auctions in the east bay area of California, according to a release from the FBI. The indictment charges northern California real ...
One in seven home appraisals have been inflated, according to new research
One in seven home appraisals done between 2011 and 2014 were inflated by 20% or more, according to data collected by Digital Risk Analytics, a subsidiary of Digital Risk, LLC, and provided to the Wall Street Journal. The mortgage-analysis and consulting firm, based in Maitland, Fla., was hired by some ...
Home prices continue slow down through August
Data through August 2014, released today by S&P Dow Jones Indices for its S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices continue to show a deceleration in home price gains. The 10-City Composite gained 5.5% year-over-year and the 20-City 5.6%, both down from the 6.7% reported for July. The National Index gained 5.1% annually ...
Texas wins in the top markets to watch in 2015 for real estate investors
A new survey, looking at the top locations for real estate investment prospects in 2015, has Texas cities topping the list, according to 1,000 leading real estate experts, investors, fund managers, developers, property companies, lenders, brokers, advisers, and consultants who participated in the study. According to Emerging Trends in Real ...
Tight credit supply for borrowers will be fixed, Watt says
Mel Watt, federal housing financing agency director, said in a speech Monday that Fannie Mae , Freddie Mac and lenders had reached an agreement in principle that could expand access to mortgages for many Americans which is good news for real estate investors. Meanwhile mortgage data and analytics firm RiskSpan ...
High student loan debt stopping some young people from real estate purchases
A new study shows that high student loan debt is stopping many young people from buying houses or investing in real estate as more than 50% of those ages 20 to 29 have student loan debt averaging more than $25,000, indicating they may continue to have to rent housing for ...
Almost two million homes gained equity and emerged from “underwater” in the last year
A new analysis shows nearly 950,000 homes returned to positive equity in the second quarter of 2014, bringing the total number of mortgaged residential properties with equity in the U.S. to more than 44 million, according to a release from CoreLogic on PRNewswire.Nationwide, borrower equity increased year over year by ...
New moving trends study may help investors know where jobs and top rental markets will be
Moving trends studies can help show real estate investors where rental property and jobs may be in more demand, and a new one just released shows Chicago, Washington, D.C., Atlanta and Dallas were the most popular moving destinations this summer, according to a release from PRNewswire of a study of ...
A majority of Americans see owning a home as a safe investment new poll says
Despite periods of volatility in the real estate market over the past few years, over seven in ten Americans (72%) see owning a home as a safe investment, according to a new Harris Poll released by PRNewswire. Majorities agree on this point across generations, albeit with considerable shifts from one ...
3 ways to diversify your real estate investing portfolio
Every discussion involving real estate investing usually centers around the concept of diversification. It is universally accepted as the golden rule of real estate investing, and the best way to protect against fluctuation. Diversifying your portfolio in the stock market protects investors in case one sector, or type of investment ...
Home prices nationwide increase 7.4% year over year new report says
Home prices nationwide, including distressed sales, increased 7.4 percent in July 2014 compared to July 2013, according to a new report from CoreLogic.This change represents 29 months of consecutive year-over-year increases in home prices nationally. On a month-over-month basis, home prices nationwide, including distressed sales, increased 1.2 percent in July ...
