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 

New York Mayor Proposes Fine for Retail Landlords with Vacancies

New York Mayor Proposes Fine for Retail Landlords with Vacancies

New York City mayor Bill de Blasio is worried about storefront vacancies in his city, and he believes a “vacancy tax” on the property owners might solve the problem. “I am very interested in fighting for a vacancy fee or a vacancy tax that would penalize landlords who leave their ...
"Best States" Ranking Released for 2018

“Best States” Ranking Released for 2018

Iowa, a Midwest farm state in the heart of the United States and host of the winter caucuses, takes first place in U.S. News’ recent “Best States” rankings, which assess and rank how well states perform in serving their citizens’ needs. The study considers health care, education, opportunities, the state’s ...
A Surprising New Trend in New Construction

A Surprising New Trend in New Construction

Apparently, no one is calling them “ranch homes” anymore, but that’s what they are. Furthermore, one-level homes are gaining popularity in the homebuying market once again, and developers are taking note. According to Builder Magazine, one-level, ranch-style houses are once again in demand after decades of buyers requiring multiple levels ...
Fleeing NYC Zillow

The New York Real Estate Market Already in a Correction

In a city renowned for skyscraper-high real estate prices, property values in many of those skyscrapers are falling. According to a report from Stribling & Associates, median sales price for a New York, New York, apartment has fallen more than eight percent since the first quarter of 2017. Average sales ...
Stock Market Volatility Could Stall Loan Demand

Stock Market Volatility Could Stall Loan Demand

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), total mortgage application volumes are falling. Those applications, which include applications for home purchases and refinancing, fell 3.3 percent last week compared to the week previous even though interest rates remained relatively low. Mike Fratantoni, chief economist for the MBA, blamed stock market ...
Consumer Buying Patterns Continue to Hurt Traditional Shopping Malls

Consumer Buying Patterns Continue to Hurt Traditional Shopping Malls

Vacancy rates in large U.S. shopping malls are rising, prompting some analysts to speculate that a shift in shopping mall space usage is coming. As an increasing number of “anchor stores,” such as J.C. Penney and Sears, close their doors across the country, large malls are finding new uses for ...
Renovation Rockstars: Fire Recovery Rehab

Renovation Rockstars: Fire Recovery Rehab

When Vernon Vaughan of FairAndFastHomebuyers.com first spotted the promising address on Hubzu.com, he believed he was investigating the purchase of a vacant lot. “I swung by the property on the way to the movies with my twin boys and was very surprised to find a house!” he recalled. “I made ...
5 Markets Where the Middle Class Can Still Afford a Home

5 Markets Where the Middle Class Can Still Afford a Home

If your real estate strategy relies on middle-class buyers being able to afford your properties, then you might want to take a closer look at these metro areas. As the housing affordability crisis looms as the next big issue for our national housing market, an increasing number of would-be homebuyers ...
Appraiser’s Board to Ease Certification Requirements

Appraiser’s Board to Ease Certification Requirements

Property appraisers no longer need a college degree in order to receive their certification, and they do not have to put in nearly as many hours as they used to in order to obtain and maintain that certification, either. According to a recent announcement from the Appraisal Foundation’s Appraiser Qualifications ...
Key

Affordability Still Out of Reach for Median Wage Earners

ATTOM Data Solutions, released its Q1 2018 U.S. Home Affordability Report, which shows that median home prices in Q1 2018 were not affordable for average wage earners in 304 of 446 U.S. counties analyzed in the report (68 percent). The report determined affordability for average wage earners by calculating the ...
Think Realty Magazine April 2018

Think Realty Magazine April 2018

+ WHAT'S INSIDE Think Realty |  News & Events •Member Benefits: Barnett Renovation Rock Stars |  Bread-and-Butter House with a Surprise • Fire Recovery Rehab Cover Feature |  Perfecting the Art of Anticipation Housing News Report |  Finding the Next Reno •The Distressed Discounts Dozen •How Blockchain Could Transform Property ...
paint

America’s Changing Paint Perspective

Conventional wisdom states that real estate investors should stick with neutral paint colors when rehabbing properties to rent out or sell at retail, but it may be time to revisit that time-honored axiom. According to a study released by Think Realty benefit provider Sherwin-Williams, a little more vibrancy in your ...
home equity

Investors Benefit from Home Equity Increases

According to CoreLogic’s recently published Home Equity Report, borrowing money to buy a home is paying off for homeowners these days. In 2017, homeowners with mortgages gained more than $15,000 in home equity, the highest growth in home equity in four years. That equates to a cumulative equity in mortgaged real ...
privacy

Is Your Seller Violating Privacy Laws?

According to reports from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), an increasing number of home sellers are using their home surveillance systems to monitor showings while they are out. While the desire to see how a showing went firsthand is natural, it could be hurting their chances at selling for ...
texas

Why Texas is Best State for Tax Investors

Dallas, Texas – “Texas is a redeemable tax deed state, and that is the best structure of any state. I’m not just saying that because I’m here in Texas!” began Arnie Abramson, founder of Texas Tax Sales Resource Group in his educational session on Saturday, February 24, 2018, at the ...
loan originations

Loan Originations Down 19 Percent in Q4 2017

ATTOM Data Solutions, released its Q4 2017 U.S. Residential Property Loan Origination Report, which shows more than 1.9 million (1,903,364) loans secured by residential property (1 to 4 units) were originated in Q4 2017, down 20 percent from the previous quarter and down 19 percent from a year ago. 818,158 ...
landlords

3 Tech Hacks for Active Landlords

Dallas, Texas – Sometimes, the simplest things can have the biggest impact, especially when it comes to saving time and money as an active landlord. Active landlords, also referred to as “DIY landlords” by the property managers who specialize in serving them, such as Linda Liberatore of Secure Pay One, ...
credit secret

The Credit Secret They Don’t Want You to Know

Dallas, Texas – A simple error on a loan application can cause banks and other sources of credit to simply toss your application out without ever evaluating your creditworthiness. “I remember when I first realized there was a game afoot with the credit industry,” said Merrill Chandler, founder, CEO, and ...
mack brown

Mack Brown Opens Dallas Conference with Insight

Dallas, Texas – When former head football coach of the Texas Longhorns football team Mack Brown entered the main presentation hall at the Think Realty National Conference & Expo in Dallas, Texas, the room erupted in cheers. Brown, who is credited with revitalizing not one but two major college football ...
market

Real Estate Market Weaker in Some Areas

According to national housing experts, the spring housing market will likely be the indicator for 2018 regarding whether the market is heading into a slowdown. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), about 40 percent of the entire year’s sales during a typical year happen from March through June ...
lead generation

2 Questions to Optimize Lead Generation

Dallas, Texas – One of the best ways to generate solid lead generation for your real estate investing business is to get out “in the field” and talk to sellers directly. Especially in highly competitive real estate markets like Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), which recently hosted the Think Realty National Conference ...
mission statement

HUD Mission Statement Change Proposed

According to a spokesman for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the department may adjust its mission statement in the coming months. The statement currently reads: “HUD’s mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality and affordable homes for all. HUD is working to strengthen the ...
financing

3 Things to Know About Owner Financing

Dallas, Texas – As mortgage rates rise and credit requirements on traditional mortgages from conventional lenders remain stringent, creative financing is becoming increasingly common in the real estate space. One of the most common forms of creative financing, seller-financing or owner-financing, is also one of the most attractive options because ...
market

Market for Student Housing Could be Softening

Student housing may be one of the most reliable investment options in real estate, thanks to a largely recession-proof tenant population and increasing student populations on most college campuses. However, in 2017, many analysts said that the market might have become oversaturated thanks to an enthusiastic 2016, wherein investors spent ...
Flipping Increases to 11-Year High in 2017

Flipping Increases to 11-Year High in 2017

ATTOM Data Solutions, released its Q4 and Year-End 2017 U.S. Home Flipping Report, which shows that 207,088 U.S. single family homes and condos were flipped in 2017, up 1 percent from the 204,167 home flips in 2016 to the highest level since 2006 — an 11-year high. The 207,088 homes ...