Reading opinion articles about the future of the housing market is always interesting. On the one hand, some people argue that home prices will peak in 2016, so investors should be wary. Meanwhile others claim that the market won’t reverse itself quite yet, and will continue to grow until at least 2019. So who’s right? What can we expect in the next 12 months? Well even though some things are...
Rental markets will stay strong While first time home ownership will rise in 2015, thanks to households headed by 30-somethings bankrolled by greater job security and rising confidence in the housing market, younger Millennials leaving college dorms and their parent’s homes will keep the rental market robust. Americans in their 20s strongly prefer to rent in urban centers close to jobs and...
With the New Year approaching, consumers, investors, industry experts, and policy makers alike all cast a critical eye toward the 2015 real estate market. 2015 marks nine years since the housing bubble peaked before crashing, and three years after home prices hit a record low post-recession. This recovery has been a slow one, and 2015 will continue the trend of slow growth, but the market is...
I really like my landlord. I live in a tight rental market dominated by student housing. The unique challenges and joys of renting primarily to college students leaves some property managers and owners overwhelmed, particularly during turnover and at the beginning of leasing season. Finding a landlord in such a busy market who has the time, will, and resources to give individual attention to...
I am a professional blogger. This means, I write for all sorts of vectors. I am well versed in branding and marketing. Branding is something that I believe is a very important business move, and it’s something that is universal. You are your brand, when you run a business and the image you present is important. This is something that can help to foster a great deal of trust in you as a business...
Money talks, and when it does, we listen. So we’ve all, undoubtedly, heard the sound of circulating cash. As the dollar moves between buyer and seller, an anticipatory “Cha…” sets the buck in motion, while a conclusive “…Ching” finalizes the exchange. “Cha-Ching!” – the chime of money in motion and growing prosperity. However, once the drowning noise of collection agencies disrupt the harmonious...
Here at RentPost, we’ve been tracking the movement of capital towards rental investments for a long time now. There have been many signs that the rent industry is the next booming sector in real estate (and with some luck, that boom won’t turn into a bubble). But this month, some new insight has come out on just how strong this market can ride. Data tracker CoreLogic released a...
The number of seniors applying for reverse mortgages is going up, according to a new study by MetLife. The study finds that not only is that number going up, but seniors are demanding reverse mortgages at younger ages. The average age of seniors using reverse mortgages is 73, but 46% of homeowners considering it are under age 70. Essentially, more seniors are asking for reverse mortgages earlier...
The housing market is still struggling to gain a good pace. That’s a nice way of saying the market is still doing poorly. And as another sign of the bad conditions, mortgage rates have reached historic lows. 15-year fixed-rate mortgages averaged 3.13% last week, a new record low. And the average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell to 3.88%, less than 1% from the record low. The low...
Mortgage Finance Act of 2011 – legislation submitted by Sen. Johnny Isakson with little chance of passing congressional scrutiny; the act is, unfortunately, an example of political showmanship, appealing to public opinion on a critical policy issue. Furthermore, the Act clutters the congressional to-do list, regarding housing reform.
Make waves and the voters will take notice?
As short-term political motivation sullies the sanctity of central banking, presumptuous open market meddling, unrestrained by the boundaries of logic, makes a ticking time bomb of Federal Funds. It’s time we meditate on circumstance, accounting for the rational and the hardly so. Let’s see: inflation without spending? A stagnant, yet expanded money supply? At what point did capitalism become so...
I was just speaking with a property manager, and somehow we ended up having a lengthy discussion about the seemingly accelerated effect that technology has on business and life in general. Before dismissing this as “duh," (for lack of a better term)…[re]consider a few specific words I included in this otherwise over-generalized statement: “…accelerated effect that technology has on business..."...
Today we field a great question from one of our RentPosters in California. It’s a great opportunity to discuss the ins and outs of condo investments, the current real estate market, and the future of the U.S. economy. Read closely, you will not want to miss this one, as we review the economic forecast for the coming decade. “J” from California writes: Tony, I am a very...
Tenants, Managers, and Owners: We’d like you to share your RentPost experience with the world. Software advice will display your RentPost thoughts to all interested eyes. See what others are saying, and make a comment yourself. Don’t hold back, and be honest. We love our users, and work tirelessly every day of the week to provide an important business solution, so please take a moment...
Home ownership is the pinnacle of the American Dream. Our current housing crisis illustrates the societal and institutional failure of protecting individuals trying to obtain this goal. Homeowners facing financial difficulty are frequently unable to negotiate with their mortgage servicers, and often times must file for bankruptcy in a desperate last attempt of maintaining their home. Due to...
The trend is to leave all fingers pointed to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two government sponsored companies who repurchase and are in control of nearly 90% of the mortgages in our country. In essence, they are the driving forces behind mortgage lending in this county. However, to blame mortgage repurchasers is a very superficial approach, and shows a very superficial understanding of the...
Today the Witt leaves rent’s history for a spell, and the Rent Lobster makes a dash from advice to bring a more interactive piece regarding real life experiences to assist both tenants and landlords. Naturally, tenants only speak of landlords when angered, seldom giving any praise. However, this is to be constructive on both ends as we all seek to improve in the ever growing world of rent...
Okay – it’s time for a look our country’s current political and economic environment, anticipating how they are going to affect YOU as a landlord, tenant, or homeowner in the very near future. It’s a shaky situation that was touched briefly on previously with an article regarding the way Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac operate to facilitate home purchases in this country. However, legislation may be...
Be you a seller, landlord, manager, tenant, or investor, it’s a looming thought: “when will the real estate market pick up? Though your reasons to pursue the answer may differ, it is, regardless, a common theme. So, our aim today is to help you grasp the fundamental economics behind the United States real estate market, while displaying the importance of the information to you...
OK, so I figured we would start this off a bit lighthearted with an excellent snapshot posted up at one of our favorite sites, failblog.org. So, I think this should be pretty self-explanatory, but apparently someone at this apartment complex has confused HI-FI with WI-FI/Wifi/wifi/WIFI. What a WI-FI fail! While we have definitely seen our fair share of apartment complex fails over the years...