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In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending January 6th, 2024... why economists are getting a more hawkish message from the Fed, what Zillow is listing as the hottest housing market in 2024, and the top growth states according to U-Haul.   If you happen to be in the SF Bay area on Jan 20th, I'd love to meet you at our live event. You can get the details at GrowDevelopments.com under the event tab. I'll be giving my 2024 Economic forecast, plus I'll share about our newest syndication - a home development project in Klamath falls, OR, and I'll also be explaining what a syndication is. You can get the details at grow developments.com...   ...If you’d like to learn how to invest in real estate, sign up for a free membership at RealWealth.com. You’ll have access to hundreds of webinars and educational articles along with data on various growth markets, sample properties, property teams, our investment counselors, and a recommended list of real estate professionals.   I also encourage you to subscribe to thi

In this Real Estate News Brief for the final two weeks of 2023... you’ll hear the results of the last inflation report along with a few predictions for 2024 and some surprising data on the number of investors buying real estate in the Dallas area.   We begin with a report on the Personal Consumption Expenditures index which is the Fed’s favorite inflation gauge. It shows the PCE dipped .1% in November for an annual rate of 2.6%. The core rate went in the opposite direction with a .1% increase for an annual rate of 3.2%. The core rate eliminates prices for food and gas. If you look at the data for “just” the last six months, the core rate was just 1.9% which is below the Fed’s target rate. Economist Andrew Hunter told CNBC: “Adding in the further sharp slowdown in rent inflation still in the pipeline, it’s hard to see any credible reason why the annual inflation rate won’t also return to the 2% target over the coming months.”...   That’s it for today. You can read more about the stories in this episode by fol

Happy New Year! And welcome to the 9th year of Real Estate News for Investors. I'm Kathy Fettke, and I want to take this moment to thank you for being a loyal listener. And a shout out to some of our very kind recent reviews. Thanks Chris W Ball for saying this show  "is the most relevant, factual and considerate real estate information I get all week." and to Johnny Mously who said, "Love the news. The podcast gets to the current points. I admire her unbiased opinions. This show needs to be on autoplay every week." I appreciate that and yes, back when I worked at CNN, Fox and ABC, we were absolutely not allowed to have bias. We were required to present both sides of any story. Those were the days! Anyway, as we head into 2024, I wanted to share some exciting news on new technologies that can help drive your real estate business to greater success. As daunting as learning new technologies may seem to some of us, according to JLL.com, the real estate industry is going through a massive digital transformatio

Rental application fraud has always been a problem, but there’s a new trend on social media to share techniques for duping your future landlord. Deceptive tenants are learning from people boasting about their success at scoring luxury apartments with fake documents… and sharing tips on how to create them.  Bisnow published an extensive report on the problem just recently. It’s called “How Renters Are Using TikTok, X to Defraud Landlords at Luxury Apartments.” But it isn’t “just” luxury apartments. It could be an apartment where there’s a lot of competition among tenants, so the less worthy ones give themselves a phony upgrade... ...The NAA says that many of this fraud cases involve professional criminals, but easy-to-follow instructions on social media, the most unassuming rental applicant could suddenly become a fraudster. The NAA published a great article on how landlords can protect themselves. You’ll find a link to that article in the show notes at newsforinvestors.com, along with links to the other artic

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending December 16th, 2023… why homebuyers are happy about the Fed’s rate hike decision, how inflation is losing its battle against the Fed, and what Redfin says about the 2024 Housing Market.   We begin with economic news from this past week, and a Fed decision that spread some holiday joy among homebuyers. Fed officials held their December meeting and announced that short-term lending rates would remain where they are, between 5.25% and 5.5%. And the forecast for next year is looking even better...   ...That’s it for today. You can read more about the stories in this episode by following links in the show notes at newsforinvestors.com. And please remember to subscribe to this podcast, and leave a review!   If you’d like to know more about how to buy real estate as an investor, sign up for a free RealWealth membership at newsforinvestors.com. It’ll take just a minute to sign up and will give you access to our entire website. That includes hundreds of webinars, data

The Federal Reserve has put a little joy into the hearts of homebuyers this Holiday season. The December FOMC meeting closed with no rate hike, and instead hints of rate cuts next year. That drove the stock market up, with bond yields and mortgage rates coming down... ...And if you want even lower rates, the San Antonio and Jacksonville property teams listed on the Real Wealth website offer investor loans under 5%. Check it out at newsforinvestors.com. And if you want to better understand why home prices went up in 2023 in spite of rates reaching nearly 8%, check out my 2023 Housing in Review webinar under the Learn tab at newsforinvestors.com. You can read more about what the Fed is doing with rates and the impact on the housing market by following links in the show notes at newsforinvestors.com. I also encourage you to sign up for a free membership at RealWealth if you want to know more about how you can invest in real estate. It only takes a few minutes to sign up and will give you access to our housing

There’s a new effort in Congress to keep big landlords from owning single-family homes. Democrats in the Senate and House introduced legislation that would ban hedge funds from owning rental homes and force them to sell off what they have over ten years. But that bill and a second one both appear to target any large real estate investor, not just hedge funds.   The legislation is called the “End of Hedge Fund Control of American Homes Act of 2023.” It was introduced by Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon and by Representative Adam Smith of Washington. If passed, hedge funds would be unable to purchase any more single-family rentals, and would have to sell at least 10% of what they own per year, to American families. That would create a 10-year phase out of hedge fund ownership after which they’d be completely banned from owning them.   As reported by Fast Company, the legislation doesn’t just refer to hedge funds, but to real estate investment trusts or REITs as well as corporations that own single-family rentals.

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending December 9th, 2023… the latest big drop in mortgage rates, what Redfin is predicting for 2024, and another reason to live, work, visit, or invest in North Texas.   We begin with economic news from this past week. Several financial institutions are predicting a noticeable economic slowdown in the fourth quarter. BofA is forecasting a GDP of just 1%. Goldman and the Atlanta Fed lowered their GDP estimate to 1.4 for Q4.. This follows a revised GDP of 5.2% in Q3, according to the Commerce Department.   The job market is still strong however with a surprise decline in the unemployment rate in October. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says it fell from 3.9% to 3.7%. In November, U.S. companies added another 200,000 jobs which is a 50,000 month-over-month increase...   Redfin Predicts a Better Year for Homebuyers ...Many of our RealWealth investors are taking advantage of that growth curve by investing in our North of Dallas Rental Fund. We have been buying fixer uppe

New York landlords are hoping to resolve unpaid rent issues without going to housing court. It’s a plan that could save time and money for both tenants and landlords, but tenant advocates are fighting against the proposal, claiming it will cause more harm than good. Landlords say tenant groups are angry because they weren’t consulted before it was proposed to officials. But, there’s a reason for that which I’ll share with you.   New York is not known as a landlord-friendly state and is one of the proving grounds for rent regulation, usually favoring the tenant. In this case, the landlord group “Community Housing Improvement Program,” which is also known as CHIP, presented a plan that would give tenants the option for mediation after meeting with a financial advisor. If that isn’t okay with the tenant, then the case goes to housing court...   ...You can read more about New York rent issues, by following links in the show notes for this podcast at newsforinvestors.com. If you want to learn more about all aspec

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending December 2nd, 2023... what the Fed thinks of the latest inflation report, how much home you can buy with a conforming loan in 2024, and where you’ll find a hot housing market and mushrooming population growth...   ...I’m excited to share this next story with you about a Texas market that is expanding rapidly. It’s an area north of Dallas, in Collin County, which is attracting businesses and new residents at a very fast pace. According to the Texas Demographic Center, the county’s population is expected to double by the year 2060.   Why are people and businesses flocking to this area? One - Texas is a business-friendly state, and two - there is no state income tax. The good news there. As Collin County Commissioner Susan Fletcher says: “With an average of 100 people per day, these new residents don’t just bring their cars, they also bring additional need for services and facilities impacting all areas of county government.”   This headline confirms what our Re

When asked how much money a person needs to be wealthy the magic number is currently about $2 million. But many people who have far less than that say they already feel wealthy today, for other reasons. So what’s the catch? According to a Charles Schwab survey, there’s more to “wealth” than a dollar sign. Earlier this year, Schwab conducted its seventh annual Modern Wealth Survey. It took place in early March with about 1,000 participants. While all those people suggested an average $2.2 million to be wealthy, almost half of them said they feel wealthy with just $560,000 because of other non-financial assets... ...If you’re not a member, please take a moment to sign up. It’s free and will help guide you toward the kind of financial freedom that you need to reach your goals. Just go to newsforinvestors.com. You’ll also find a link in the show notes for the Charles Schwab story. And don’t forget to subscribe to this podcast and leave a review!   Thanks for listening! Kathy Fettke   Links:   1 - https://pressroo

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending November 25th, 2023... you’ll find out why many Americans are choosing to rent, why apartment landlords are offering more concessions, and a trend reversal for home size.   We begin this episode with a few economic reports that were released before the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday. The weekly unemployment report shows a drop in the number of people filing for benefits. New jobless claims were down 24,000 to a total of 209,000. It was the first time in eight weeks that initial claims were down. The number of ongoing claims also fell slightly to 1.84 million. As MarketWatch reports, the job market remains strong in spite of the Federal Reserve's efforts to slow down the economy by increasing the cost of money through higher interest rates. This supports the belief that rates will be higher for longer, at least until initial jobless claims increase substantially...   ...That’s it for today. You can get more details on these stories by following links in the

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending November 18th, 2023... you’ll hear about two great inflation reports, a big tax break for Texas property owners, and the latest on the former 4% withdrawal rule for retirees.   We begin with economic news and two great inflation reports from this past week. The government released the latest CPI and PPI reports for October. The Consumer Price Index was “flat” for the month and that brought the annual rate of inflation down from 3.7% to 3.2%. When you strip away prices for food and fuel for the core rate, the numbers still suggest inflation stickiness. The core rate was up .2% with a slight decrease in the annual rate. It’s now at 4%. But, it’s a soft inflation reading overall...   ...That’s it for today. You can read more about the stories in this episode by following links in the show notes at newsforinvestors.com. And please remember to subscribe to this podcast and leave a review. You can also learn more about creating a portfolio of rental properties by s

Buying a new home might get you a nice interest rate from a builder offering buydowns, but what about the purchase of an existing home? If you find the right deal and a seller who has financial flexibility, you might be able to negotiate seller financing at a lower interest rate. It’s a strategy that has been more common among investors, but some realtors say they are seeing more of these deals as buyers try to lower their monthly mortgage payments...   ...You’ll find links on this topic in the show notes at newsforinvestors.com. You can also learn more about creative financing and real estate investing as a RealWealth member. It’s free to sign up. Just hit the “Join Now” button. Members get full access to our website with educational information on the housing market and real estate investing. You’ll also have access to property teams and other real estate professionals including our experienced investment counselors.   And please remember to subscribe to this podcast, and leave a review!   Thanks for l

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending November 11th, 2023... how many home buyers are lowering their payments, what the IRS will let you contribute to your retirement accounts in 2024, and the new IRS tax brackets that are going higher thanks to inflation... ...If you’d like to know more about how to buy rental properties in today’s tough market, please sign up for a free RealWealth membership. It’s quick and easy to sign up and will give you complete access to our website where you’ll find webinars, rental market data, sample properties, and our experienced investment counselors who can answer your questions for free. For links go to the show notes at www.newsforinvestors.com.   That’s it for today! Thanks for listening. Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a review!  -Kathy Fettke   Links:   1 - https://www.cnbc.com/2023/11/09/powell-says-fed-is-not-confident-it-has-done-enough-to-bring-inflation-down.html   2 - https://www.marketwatch.com/story/jobless-claims-dip-to-217-000-and-point-to-

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending November 4th, 2023... where the Fed stands on short-term rates, what the Fed is expected to do next, and how mortgage rates are creating an economic “ripple effect.”   We begin with economic news from this past week. The headline event was the Fed’s monetary policy meeting. As many economists expected, Fed officials kept the short-term Federal Funds rate unchanged at 5.25% to 5.5%. That’s a 22-year high. Fed Chief Jerome Powell said that he expects the economy to soften in the coming months which will help lower inflation. And he appeared to suggest in his comments that the rate-hiking cycle is over although further rate hikes haven’t been ruled out...   ...That’s it for today. If you want to read more about these topics, check for links in the show notes at newsforinvestors.com. And please remember to subscribe to this podcast, and leave a review! We always invite you to join RealWealth as well. It’s free to join and can help launch you on a path to financi

Many investors are wondering what the most worrisome near-term risks are in today’s economy. Twenty-five of the nation’s most informed professionals have offered their opinions in a survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. There are a number of risk factors that made the list, but, unsurprisingly, inflation and the possibility of more rate hikes that could trigger a recession continue to be a top concern.   The survey was taken a few weeks ago, from August 10th through October 4th. Among the people providing their opinions were brokers, analysts, academics, researchers, advisory professionals, and investment fund managers. Their responses indicate that persistent inflation and the Fed’s monetary tightening policy is at the top of the list because there’s a chance that further rate increases could trigger a recession...   ...The full report has much more information. If you’d like to check it out, look for a link in the show notes at newsforinvestors.com. As always, we invite you to sign up for a free R

NAR plans to appeal a verdict in a case that many say will weaken the association’s grip on the real estate industry. NAR and several other defendants were convicted of conspiring to keep brokerage commissions artificially high. Many industry experts are now speculating on how this will change the way homes are bought and sold. But NAR said in a news release that this case is far from over.   The class-action lawsuit included more than 260,000 people who sold homes in Missouri, Kansas, and Illinois between 2015 and 2022. They objected to the commissions sellers were required to pay for agents on both sides of the deal. The fee is typically 5 or 6% of the sales price with the seller’s agent handing over half of that fee to the buyer’s agent. Many of the rules for this process are imposed by NAR.   After a two week trial in Kansas City, Missouri, the jury handed over a guilty verdict against NAR, Keller Williams, and HomeServices of America along with two of its subsidiaries. The judge also slapped them with $1

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending October 28th, 2023... inflation is still simmering, homebuyers come on strong in September, and the “Survive to 2025” mess from one real estate group.   We begin with economic news from this past week that was highlighted by a report on inflation. The Personal Consumption Expenditures price index, or PCE, rose more than expected in September. The government reported a .4% increase which translates into an annual rate of 3.4%. That’s still uncomfortably higher than the Fed’s 2% target. The core rate was up .3% for an annual rate of 3.7%. The core rate omits prices for food and fuel, which can be volatile. The PCE is the Fed’s preferred inflation tracker and is sure to be discussed during the Fed’s next policy meeting. MarketWatch reports that economists and investors are predicting that the Fed will “not” increase rates this time around...   ...That’s it for today. You’ll find links to the full articles in the show notes at newsforinvestors.com. If you want to

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending October 21st, 2023... the mortgage rate milestone we didn’t want to see, proof that the laws of supply and demand are functioning in the housing market, and why five million U.S. homes are vacant in the midst of a housing crunch. We begin with economic news from this past week. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell spoke at the Economic Club of New York and said that inflation is still too high. But he acknowledged progress and says it’s still too early to know how the rate hikes will fully impact the economy. He didn’t say whether he was leaning toward the need for more rate hikes, but he did suggest they were possible. He says that officials will be keeping an eye on incoming inflation data but some analysts are speculating that we won’t see a new rate hike in November, and the chance of a rate hike in December is not that likely... ...That’s it for today. We’ll post links in the show notes to the original articles at newsforinvestors.com. You can also joi