Real Estate News: Real Estate Investing Podcast

The housing affordability crisis has prompted a lot of speculation that short-term rentals are to blame. Critics argue that they decrease the amount of available housing and contribute to higher home prices and higher rent levels. But a new study concludes that those concerns are unfounded. It’s a first-of-its-kind analysis commissioned by VRBO to quantify the impact of short-term rentals on the cost of housing. www.NewsForInvestors.com

In this week's Real Estate News Brief… a new limit for conforming loans, the upcoming Silver Tsunami, and what millennials are willing to give up for a single-family home. www.NewsForInvestors.com

If you’re looking for a really hot housing market, you’ve got a few good options in Texas. Both Dallas and Houston are booming right now. The business-friendly Lone Star state has some of the strongest job growth in the country, and that’s boosting demand for housing, including rentals. As it stands, more than half of the residents in each city are renters. www.NewsForInvestors.com

There’s now strong proof of something known as the “Amazon effect.” That’s what happens when a big company like Amazon moves into an area, creates thousands of new jobs, and launches the housing market into the stratosphere. The result is clearly seen when you look at the housing market in Arlington, Virginia, which is Amazon’s new East Coast home base, and compare that to Queens, New York, which pushed Amazon away. www.NewsForInvestors.com

In this week's Real Estate News Brief... we look at a surge in single-family rents, millennials who think they’ll be lifelong renters, and retirees who are more interested in “upsizing.” www.NewsForInvestors.com

Single-family build-to-rent homes are becoming more common. With a sustained demand for rentals and a lack of housing in many markets, many builders are choosing to build homes designed as rentals. So what’s the market look like for build-to-rent homes? And where is that market headed in the coming years? www.NewsForInvestors.com

Keeping a for-sale home out of the public eye is about to become more difficult. The National Association of Realtors just passed a new rule that bans “whisper listings.” According to Mansion Global, NAR may be doing this to help boost inventory at a time when we’re short on supply. But some real estate agent says it will eliminate an important home pricing strategy and the ability to give their clients privacy. www.NewsForInvestors.com

A new survey provides a snapshot of the people who’ve been buying and selling homes. Some of the top findings include an increase in older or “move up” buyers and a decrease in first-time buyers. It also shows that younger buyers frequently need help with down payments.  The National Association of Realtors conducts this survey once a year. This year’s survey covers a period of time from July 2018 to June of this year and was recently released during an annual convention. www.NewsForInves

In this week's Real Estate News Brief… what’s ahead for new home sales, which lenders borrowers like the most, and why a real estate license may be your ticket to happiness. www.NewsForInvestors.com

California’s landmark mandate for rooftop solar panels on all new homes may have a big loophole. The requirement is set to take effect on January 1st, but the utility district in Sacramento wants to expand an exemption that allows for the use of off-site solar farms. Critics say it will reduce the benefits of the mandate, but the proposal is getting support from home builders who want the option to keep construction costs down. www.NewsForInvestors.com

This is the year that baby boomers will pass the torch to millennials as the largest living adult generation. They will also be passing along trillions of dollars to their millennial heirs in what’s being called the Great Transfer of Wealth. A new report looks at a growing population of millennial millionaires, and how they will spend and invest their money, where they will live, and what kind of properties they will buy, along with other key features of the millennial mindset. www.NewsForInvestors.com

In this week's Real Estate News Brief... why the current market is great for sellers, what is happening with apartment rents, and how Apple is partnering with California on affordable housing. We begin with economic news from this past week. The latest report on the trade deficit shows that it was down almost 5% to a 5-month low in September. It fell from $55-billion to $52.5 billion. The shrinking trade deficit is mostly due to the U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods.

We’ve heard the advice for years — that clearing brush and creating fire breaks will protect homes from wildfires. But a new look at recent California wildfires shows that fuel breaks are doing very little to protect homes because the fires are wind-driven. And you can’t block the wind. That’s led to one fire expert’s advice to place more importance on fire-proofing your home. www.NewsForInvestors.com

A San Francisco start-up called Doorstead is hoping to take over the property management industry. It’s promising a risk-free experience for landlords by giving them rent guarantees. That means landlords will collect rent whether tenants are in place or not. It’s something that might help landlords sleep at night, but one of our Real Wealth Network Directors, Tim Horvath, says they may offer a false sense of security. www.NewsForInvestors.com

In this week's Real Estate News Brief... what the Fed says about future rate cuts, why California home insurance rates could skyrocket, and a new report that says most brokers “hide” their commission rates. www.NewsForInvestors.com