According to a recent Well’s Fargo economic report: the forecast for the level of services spending is expected to swell to more than four and a half years of typical spending packed into nine months. What does this transition from goods to services mean for real...
The Federal Reserve has bought $982 billion of the mortgage bonds since March 5, 2020. As Federal Reserve officials discuss how to eventually scale back their easy-money policies, they are debating whether to start by reducing purchases of mortgage-backed securities...
I have been saying for months that rent growth would accelerate. The numbers are in and according to Corelogic, Single-family rents were up 5.3% year over year in April, rising from a 2.4% increase in April 2020. Nationally, rent growth exceeded pre-pandemic rates...
As I look around the real estate market, you cannot help but notice the craziness. On my personal house in Colorado, my value is up around 50% in two years. These same trends are unfolding throughout the country, with appreciation hitting records. Is the real...
With the craziness in the market, I at least wanted to ease everyone into it with a relaxing picture 🙂 I wrote last week about rate increases coming down the pipe, but like everyone else I was surprised by the last federal reserve meeting and how quickly they changed...
Consumer prices jump 5% in May (CPI); this is the highest movement since 2008. What does this mean for interest rates? Before getting into the details, I can quickly tell you with 100% certainty, the only way for mortgage rates to go is up. Why are mortgage rates...
The federal reserve on multiple occasions has called the recent spike in inflation “transitory” yet inflation just rose to its highest level since 1982. Will inflation increase over the short term and then fall to a much lower level in the future? Why is the answer...
A few months ago, Zillow agreed to buy ShowingTime, the largest and most widely used platform by realtors to schedule residential tourings and provide feedback to the listing agents. The platforms is integrated with most multiple listing services throughout the...
Your taxes will increase $775 Billion dollars according to an analysis by Bloomberg. President Biden has rolled out his proposed tax plan with three major pillars that will impact real estate pros. 1) Elimination of the 1031 exchange provision (or such a low cap...
Inflation alert: It is usually not a good sign when Fed Vice Chairman Richard Clarida said after the consumer price index report “I was surprised”. I am not sure what rock people are living under, but everything has increased in price from gasoline to restaurant...
President Biden has proposed an increase in long term capital gains from their current 15-20% to 43% for the wealthiest. This would be the highest tax paid on income. What is in the new proposal? What does this proposal mean for real estate? How will the 1031...
Do residential rental properties with one to four units and second-home mortgages carry more risk? Apparently so says the U.S. Treasury Department. Such loans underwritten by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will end up costing you more under restrictions quietly announced...
For years Zillow has been buying houses, but they have refused to use the Zestimate as their purchase price. The cards have now turned with Zillow announcing that the “Zestimate” is now the price they will pay for your house. How will this change allow Zillow to...
There is a tidal wave of distressed homeowners who will need help,” Dave Uejio, the CFPB’s acting director, said in a statement; companies “that are unable to adequately manage loss mitigation can expect the bureau to take enforcement or supervisory action.” At the...
I am always amazed at how out of touch our elected officials are with what happens in the real world. The new tax plan circulating through Congress is no exception with the supposed target high net worth taxpayers, but middle class, small business...
For the first time in a year, since Covid-19 began spreading across the United States forcing Americans to stay home, retail alcohol sales have fallen almost 2%. Why the change in alcohol sales? No, people are not consuming less alcohol. What does this mean...
We are now well over a year into the pandemic and forbearance/eviction moratoriums abound with property owners and lenders essentially “stuck” with limited or no cash flow. Unfortunately, many in Washington and local governments do not fully understand how real...
Before getting into the details, I can quickly answer the first question with 100% certainty. Will Mortgage rates rise substantially in 2021? Yes they already have and will go even higher! Why are mortgage rates rising while the federal reserve pledges to keep rates...
As a result of the current loose monetary policy and additional stimulus coming down the pipe, “imbalances” within the economy are starting to form. BofA predicts a 10% drop in stock prices. What are other experts saying on the stock market? How will this impact...
The statistics are staggering. Violent crime in Atlanta is up over 30% from 2019. Unfortunately, this is not unique to large cities. According to Crime data from Denver Police there have been 44 homicides this year so far, that is up from 31 at the same time last...
I took this pic of a bear in my backyard staring at me while I was sitting on the porch, it was a good reminder.... 1.9 trillion is a huge number flowing through to the economy in one fell swoop. What do both Republican and Democratic economists agree on regarding...
10 million Americans are behind on their mortgage payments, with the majority of these late payments occurring in FHA loans. At the same time Millions are out of work, yet house prices are increasing in most markets. What was in the new forbearance agreement? How...
Within the new proposed Covid relief proposed by the president is a requirement that the minimum wage increase nationally to fifteen dollars an hour. What impact will this have on housing affordability? How will this increase in minimum wage affect commercial and...
There has been a flurry of good news with stocks reaching records, talks of more stimulus, and vaccines rolling out. Small stocks like Gamestop and AMC have been off the charts minting new millionaires every day. What does all this mean for real estate? How will...
