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 

Grey-House

Consumer Reports Releases Top Exterior Paint Colors for 2018

Consumer Reports released it's "Hottest Exterior Paint Colors of 2018" which outlines this year's most attractive exterior colors as well as which brand carries them and which sheen works best for the outside of a home. The company scored paint colors and manufacturers based on attractive shades, price point, and durability.  ...
Phoenix

Phoenix Area Flipping Data Illuminates National Trends

A recent report from ATTOM Data Solutions about national flipping trends stated that about one in every 10 homes in Phoenix, Arizona metro area market is a flip.  Only five markets posted higher numbers than this. Even though Phoenix is a hot spot for flippers, it is not necessarily a ...
Multifamily-Unit

Rental Concessions Increasing in Today’s Multifamily Market

Rental rates keep rising nationally, but renters are getting more bang for their buck these days due to an increase in rental concessions. According to a report from CoStar, an increasing number of developers are offering concessions to new and renewing residents in order to keep occupancy up. Lynn Bora, ...
retail real estate

3 Crucial Questions to Ask Before Investing in Hyper-Localized Housing Markets

Thanks to the overwhelming presence of technology in our lives today, real estate markets are becoming hyper-localized. I tend to blame our reliance on web-based social networks. After all, we can now poll our 500 closest friends about the relative merits of a neighborhood, a local middle school, or even ...
middle market commercial real estate

The Advantages of “Middle Market” Commercial Real Estate

Everyone likes a trophy, and glamorous properties in big cities have certainly benefited from the recent strong real estate market. But much less attention has been paid to the resurgence of “middle market” commercial properties. We’ll explore here the opportunities offered by smaller-value transactions in areas not considered “gateway” markets ...
Hurricane Season

Hurricane Season Begins with 7 Million Homes at Risk

The official start of hurricane season was June 1 this year, and in preparation, CoreLogic released a memo on the topic. “This year, nearly 7 million homes are at risk of a hurricane storm surge,” CoreLogic analysts wrote. Their analysis was based on data from 2017 and forecasts from the ...
First-Time-Homebuyer

First-Time Homebuyers Make Up Nearly Half Q1 Freddie Mac Financing

According to Freddie Mac’s first-quarter home lending data, nearly half of all borrowers who took out home mortgages during the first three months of this year were first-time homebuyers. Those borrowers’ median age is 32, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Freddie Mac chief economist Sam Khater called ...
For Rent Sign

Changes in Rental Rates Spark Investor Interest

National rental rates increased by two percent in May 2018 over May 2017, the slowest rate of increase since 2010. However, reported RentCafé analysts, rents still rose in 79 percent of the country’s largest metro areas, were unchanged in 17 percent of those areas, and fell in only four percent ...
Bandit Signs

California Agent Fined for Use of Bandit Signs

Most real estate investors have used a bandit sign or two in their real estate investing. These signs, which tend to populate nearly every high-traffic corner over most weekends in most areas of the country,are a low-budget, high-return advertising option and also are a great source of real estate deal ...
Phishing-Scam

Fake NAR Emails Could be a Phishing Scam

If you get an email from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) this week, be sure to look for the logo before you respond. The association issued a warning yesterday that NAR members are receiving “suspicious emails” designed to appear as if they are from the NAR (they are not) ...
Hawaii-Volcano

Lava-Buried Hawaii Homes Built Despite Volcano Risk

One of the most affordable places to live in Hawaii is no longer the bargain it has been for nearly 80 years. According to the Wall Street Journal, multiple subdivisions built in the Lower Puna area of the Big Island are now threatened by the Kilauea volcano’s ongoing eruption, which ...
3 Things a Blueprint Can Tell You About Your Investment Property

3 Things a Blueprint Can Tell You About Your Investment Property

Although many real estate investors choose to leave the complicated lines, measurements, and extremely fine print of blueprints to their contractors, engineers, and architects, sometimes a quick look at a property’s inner workings can tell you a lot about how a potential project might go. At times, a blueprint can ...
Think Realty Magazine June 2018

Think Realty Magazine June 2018

+ WHAT'S INSIDE Think Realty |  News & Events •Don’t Let Travel Deter Your Long-Distance Investments Design Point |  Renovation Rockstar: Panama City A-Frame Commercial Investing |  Keeping Complex Housing Issues Simple •Behind the Scenes: Commercial Conversion •Commercial Real Estate Value Factors You See Every Day •When Two Worlds Collide ...
AirBnB

Fannie Mae Testing Airbnb Income Based Mortgage Loans

Fannie Mae is working with three lenders to evaluate the integrity of mortgage refinance loans underwritten with consideration of a primary residence’s Airbnb income. This is the first time Airbnb income has been a factor in refinance applications. Quicken Loans conceived the program. The project is in the pilot stages ...
Amazon HQ2

ATTOM Data Ranks Amazon HQ2 Candidates by Real Estate Market

20 major metro areas are waiting for the Amazon HQ2 announcement with baited breath. Amazon told NBC News in mid-May that it had completed its tour of the “short list” of contenders for its second headquarters, dubbed HQ2. Based on this information (and little else, since Amazon required all 20 ...
Idaho Home Build

Idaho and Utah Building More Homes than Any Other State

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Idaho and Utah are building new housing at a faster pace than any other states in America. The Census data, spanning July 1, 2016 to July 1, 2017, showed Idaho with an increase of 1.7 percent in new construction of single-family homes, condominiums, and ...
San Antonio TX

Home Prices Likely to Surge in the South

According to Census data, certain cities in the south and on the west coast will likely see surging home prices to accompany surging population numbers in the coming months. “Supply is at record lows and prices continue to climb,” observed one Phoenix broker, Tucker Blalock. in response to the data ...
for rent sign

California Draws Battle Lines in Rent Control Conflict

The battle lines have been drawn in the war over California rent control. Tenant advocates announced recently they have enough signatures for a ballot initiative to repeal the Costa-Hawkins Act, which could open the floodgates for extreme rent control in California and put some landlords right out of business. Why ...
Landscaping

These Outdoor Property Investments Garner Strong Returns

According to the National Association of Landscape Professionals and the National Association of Realtors, some of the strongest returns on outdoor investments come from the smallest projects. The duo’s “2018 Remodeling Report” indicated the most substantial financial payout at resale comes from a relatively inexpensive investment: standard lawn care service ...
Federal-Reserve

New Projections for Rise in Interest Rates in 2018

At the beginning of 2018, most experts agreed that the Federal Reserve would almost certainly raise interest rates four times over the course of the coming year, a move that could have taken mortgage interest rates from near-historic lows back to still-relatively historic lows, but slightly higher. After the Fed’s ...
Retail Real Estate

Consumer Preferences Continue to Drive Retail Real Estate

“The days of plug-and-play retail are gone,” said Naveen Jaggi, president of retail advisory services at Jones Lang Lasalle (JLL), during a recent presentation at the company’s RECon event in Las Vegas. Jaggi issued the clear warning during a panel on the retail industry, but he added, “We’ve spent too ...
Foreclosure sign

Zillow Predicts Next Recession to Begin in 2020

Zillow’s 2018 Home Price Expectations Survey revealed a troubling timeline for the next recession, as more than half the experts who participated in the study said they believe the next recession will begin in 2020 and a fifth of those stating it will begin early that year. About a quarter ...
Health-Focused Residential Development Gains Interest

Health-Focused Residential Development Gains Interest

For the first time in U.S. history, today’s younger generations have shorter life expectancies than that of their parents, and many architects and urban planners believe the solution lies in health-conscious development ...
Key on desk

HUD Removes Access to Fair Housing Data Tool

HUD has announced it will “withdraw” access to a crucial data-submission tool used in AFFH reporting ...
Texas mailbox

Top Five “Most Prosperous Cities” in the United States

According to RentCafe, which releases an annual prosperity report naming the top 20 most prosperous cities in the country each year, a metro area needs to be “capable of progress,” active and vital, have momentum to “keep itself on the radar,” and sustain a growing population in order to be ...