Market & Trends
The world of real estate investing moves quickly. Catch the must-know news, market information, and trends for the industry here.
Back To: All Topics
Market & Trends
The world of real estate investing moves quickly. Catch the must-know news, market information, and trends for the industry here.
Back To: All Topics
As New Home Lots Shrink, Investors Should Question a Yard’s Value
As lot sizes for new homes remain relatively small by historical norms, the amount of yard space most developers are allotting for new homes is shrinking. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC), median lot size fell below 8,600 square feet in 2015 and has remained there ...
New Data Reveals the Most Valuable Remodeling Projects, Upgrades
As the home-remodeling boom maintains momentum, Houzz.com estimates more than half of all homeowners will either begin or continue a home renovation project for the remainder of 2018. Homeowners are opting to spend a median dollar amount of $10,000—a number actually down slightly from the year prior. But homeowners do ...
Think Realty-sponsored NASCAR driver Jennifer Jo Cobb featured in video game
Jennifer Jo Cobb, American NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver, is represented in “NASCAR Heat 3,” a video game by Monster Games and published by 704Games. The third game in the popular NASCAR Heat series became available September 7, 2018 at retailers Best Buy, Walmart, Target, Game Stop and through ...
The 5 Least Affordable Cities for Middle Class Households
Some of the most attractive metro areas in which to live are completely inaccessible to middle-class homeowners, a trend which is becoming more pronounced. Families paying over 30 percent of their incomes toward housing are considered “cost-burdened” by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Furthermore, cities in ...
Facebook Buying Up Real Estate in the Bay Area
Facebook is getting plenty of negative attention from the media and investors, but they continue to expand their real estate in the Bay Area. This comes in the wake of ongoing issues with speculation that the company’s user growth may have hit a wall. However, that does not appear to ...
Five Financial Benefits of Owning Residential Real Estate Investments
For the last 25 years, I have been helping families and individuals identify goals, establish a plan and determine a clear vision of their financial future. While a financial plan is a future road map that is normally put into writing, it is also a guideline that is used to ...
How Much Longer Can Atlanta’s Hot Housing Market Last?
This past July, Atlanta, Georgia’s housing market posted a historic high when the metro area’s median home price exceeded a quarter of a million dollars for the first time in history. Where does this latest real estate benchmark leave Atlanta-area investors? To answer this question, we must examine not just ...
More Digital Mortgage Opportunities
In a growing world of technology, borrowers are looking for more digital mortgage opportunities. In the 21st Century, consumers can buy just about anything from a device. Now, they’re looking to expedite the process for one of their biggest purchases. Henry Cason, SVP of digital products for Fannie Mae’s Single-Family ...
One-Third of Homeowners Have “Neighborhood Regret”
You’ve heard of buyer’s remorse—now there is a more specialized form of angst for homebuyers: “neighborhood regret.” According to a study from Trulia, 36 percent of recently relocated Americans say they would have moved to a different neighborhood if they could do it again. Homebuyers in metro areas feel particularly regretful, ...
Housing Dollar Value Varies Widely Across Country
“A dollar today isn’t what it used to be, particularly when it comes to real estate,” says Zillow Senior Economist Aaron Terrazas. This comes from a recent report from Zillow Research regarding home values around the country. However, according to the study, a dollar can buy nearly 20 times more ...
Think Realty Magazine September 2018
+ WHAT'S INSIDE Think Realty | How Much Longer Can Atlanta's Hot Housing Market Last? •Out of the Ordinary Design Point | Renovation Rockstar (Multifamily Edition): The Park at LeBlanc •Vinyl Flooring Decisions Made in the Field • Tuned Into the Market • How the Latest Kitchen Cabinetry Trend Could ...
The 5 Best College Towns for Real Estate Investors
Most investors think of college towns as good places for real estate investments because they tend to have relatively affordable housing, a steady stream of potential tenants and buyers, and are somewhat recession-resistant. However, as CNBC Money reporter Sarah Berger put it, “Some college towns make for much savvier investments ...
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 ...
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 ...
