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In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending March 6th, 2021… new concerns about inflation, signs of a job market rebound, and gender bias in the mortgage market.    We begin with economic news from this past week, and a stock market roller coaster that had real estate investors breathing a sigh of relief. Many of the high-flying tech stocks went south in response to concerns about inflation after Treasury yields spiked  a few times. Economists are also worried that the $1.9 trillion fiscal stimulus package that Congress is trying to pass will overheat the economy, and that recent signs of inflation are just the beginning.   www.NewsForInvestors.com   Links:   1 - https://www.marketwatch.com/story/powell-sends-warning-to-markets-that-fed-doesnt-want-persistent-tightening-in-financial-conditions-11614879804?siteid=bnbh   2 - https://www.marketwatch.com/story/u-s-economy-adds-379-000-jobs-in-february-as-hiring-speeds-up-11614951413?mod=home-page   3 - https://www.marketwatch.com/story/u-s-unemployment-cla

Selling a home is about to get cheaper as the result of an antitrust lawsuit. Because of a settlement between the National Association of Realtors and the Department of Justice, the fees that sellers pay to buyers will be publicly displayed on listing pages. Redfin is already doing it in many markets, and other real estate websites are expected to follow suit in the coming months. That kind of transparency typically results in more competition and lower rates. www.NewsForInvestors.com  

A Texas judge has ruled the CDC’s nationwide eviction moratorium is unconstitutional. It’s been in effect since last spring because of the pandemic, and has put some landlords in a tough spot because they can’t afford to support tenants who aren’t paying rent. The ruling stopped short of an injunction, and it’s now being appealed by the Department of Justice. www.NewsForInvestors.com  

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending February 27th, 2021... a Fed update on economic policy, an FHFA reprieve for tenants and homeowners, and a rise in demand for rural land.   We begin with economic news from this past week, and comments from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. He told Congress that there are signs the economy is recovering but that substantial improvements are still needed in the job market, and that inflation needs to get closer to the 2% mark.   www.NewsForInvestors.com  

California landlords may face a new excise tax. AB 1199 would impose a tax on landlords to pay for the privilege of renting or leasing property in California. Some people feel it’s an end run to the failed Proposition 15 in the last election which would’ve eliminated Prop 13 protections for commercial property. AB 1199 would also create a public registry of rental property information including the names of the individual property owners. www.NewsForInvestors.com Access over 500 Free Webinars here!   Links:   1 - https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB1199   2 - https://californiaglobe.com/section-2/proposed-excise-tax-intentional-effort-to-subvert-the-will-of-california-voters/ 3 - https://californiaglobe.com/section-2/excise-tax-on-ca-property-owners-for-renting-or-leasing-property-in-new-bill/  

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending February 20th, 2021… how rents are doing in smaller markets, whether Opportunity Zones are turning profits, and an easy place to find flood risk data for individual properties. www.NewsForInvestors.com  

Every year, California residents face a profusion of new laws, and this year, there are several new laws that will have a big impact on real estate. I’ve covered a few of them before, but they are important enough to mention again along with a few others for our California listeners and for people interested in what California is doing as a potential trend-setter for other states. www.NewsForInvestors.com  

The numbers keep going up for the housing market. Redfin reports that competition is so fierce among buyers that a majority of homes are going under contract within two weeks. That’s also driving home prices to new record highs. Redfin reports that median asking prices are up 10% from a year ago, to a new all-time high of $334,770. It also says that median sale prices are up 15% year-over-year to $318,750. www.NewsForInvestors.com  

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending February 13th, 2021... new comments from the Fed Chief on the risk of inflation, a new extension for government forbearance programs, and a forecast on homebuyer demand. We begin with economic news from the past week, and Fed Chief Jerome Powell’s commentary about inflation. He spoke before the Economic club of New York saying he doesn’t expect a big jump or a sustained increase in inflation right now. He says: “Inflation has been much lower and more stable over the past three decades than in earlier times. In the 1970’s, when inflation would go up, it would stay up.” www.NewsForInvestors.com  

Will it be another great year for single-family homes? After a surge in demand for single-family homes last year, the big question on many investor minds is whether this is “a fad or a real trend.” The Urban Land Institute and PWC just published a yearly report on real estate trends, with some insights on where the single-family market may be headed. www.NewsForInvestors.com Link: https://www.pwc.com/us/en/asset-management/real-estate/assets/pwc-emerging-trends-in-real-estate-2021.pdf  

With eviction moratoriums in place for nearly a year now, one might assume that investing in rental property would not be prudent. If people lose their jobs and can't pay rent, how can the landlord pay for their bills like the mortgage, property taxes and insurance? Yet, in spite of these unprecedented challenges, some metro areas have actually seen rents rise - according to a recent CoreLogic report that tracks rent collections. www.NewsForInvestors.com  

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending February 6th, 2021... new record-highs for Houston real estate, good news about renter credit scores, and a big “first” for the 3D printing of homes. We begin with economic news from this past week and the latest job market reports. New applications for unemployment benefits fell to their lowest level in nine weeks. The government says that 779,000 people filed for state unemployment benefits during the last week of January. www.NewsForInvestors.com    

Realtors are expecting another “booming” year for Central Florida real estate. 2020 was better than they expected and they say it looks like 2021 will follow along that path. Inventory is tight, but some economists expect more existing homes to hit the market, once the pandemic is under control. Builders are also working to fill the inventory gap in the for-sale and rental markets.   www.NewsForInvestors.com  

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending January 30th, 2021… the Fed’s latest policy decisions, more good news about home sales, and a Zillow forecast on home values. We begin with economic news from this past week, and another meeting of the Federal Reserve that ended with no policy changes and signs that short-term interest rates will stay right where they are for several years. The Fed also said it has no plans to taper its monthly purchase of $120 billion in bonds until it sees “substantial further progress” in a job market recovery, along with inflation that sits above 2% for some amount of time. www.NewsForInvestors.com  

Remote workers may face a surprise tax bill if they live and work in different states. With the rapid expansion of the remote workforce and the ability to live anywhere, remote workers who cross state lines may owe taxes in more than one state. And a recent survey shows that most workers don’t realize that. www.NewsForInvestors.com Links:   1 - https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/27/unexpected-state-tax-could-be-around-the-corner-for-remote-workers.html   2 - https://abcnews.go.com/US/working-home-due-covid-double-tax-hit/story?id=74864155

We have some year-end totals for the number of home loans that are past due, and at risk of foreclosure. A new report by Black Knight shows that 2020 ended with almost 3.4 million loans in some stage of delinquency, and that seriously delinquent loans were up 250%, but they are well off their pandemic peaks. There’s also new data on places where foreclosures are already rising, and many of those locations are in California. www.NewsForInvestors.com Links:   https://www.blackknightinc.com/black-knights-first-look-at-december-2020-mortgage-data/   https://www.housingwire.com/articles/2020-ends-with-3-4-million-loans-in-delinquency/   https://www.attomdata.com/news/market-trends/figuresfriday/top-10-u-s-zip-codes-where-foreclosure-filings-are-on-the-rise/  

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending January 23rd, 2021… another extension for the Federal eviction ban, homebuilder Lennar to become a single-family landlord, and no more free rental listings on Zillow. We begin with economic news from this past week, and the likely return of former Fed chief Janet Yellen as the new U.S. Treasury Secretary. The Senate Finance Committee approved her nomination on Friday the 22nd. The Senate is expected to vote today, and if confirmed, she'll be the first woman to lead the department in its more than 230-year history. www.NewsForInvestors.com Links:   1 - https://www.marketwatch.com/story/yellens-nomination-to-be-u-s-treasury-secretary-advances-on-unanimous-committee-vote-11611328550?mod=bnbh_mwarticle   2 - https://www.marketwatch.com/story/jobless-claims-drop-to-still-high-900-000-in-last-full-week-of-trump-presidency-11611236766?mod=economic-report   3 - https://www.marketwatch.com/story/new-home-construction-activity-soars-to-highest-level-in-over-a-decade-as

The vaccine rollout is underway, and people in real estate are speculating on how it will help or possibly hurt some aspects of the housing market. 2020 was of course a very difficult year for many sectors of the economy, but not housing. What changes can we expect in the coming year? www.NewsForInvestors.com Links: 1 - https://www.realtor.com/news/trends/vaccines-housing-market/    

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending January 16th, 2021... a new COVID relief bill that extends the federal eviction moratorium, proposes more rental assistance, and authorizes new stimulus checks, plus bitcoin fortunes at risk over lost passwords, and reports on unemployment, inflation, consumer sentiment, and mortgage rates. www.NewsForInvestors.com  

Buying a condo in some fun-filled tourist destination could disqualify you from an FHA loan.   Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have both announced that certain condo buildings may be disqualified for FHA loans if there are too many short-term rentals in the complex, even if the condo “you” are buying won’t be used in that manner.    www.NewsForInvestors.com