Hard Money Blog

Happy Holidays avoid the line with the human marshmallow!

by Glen | Nov 17, 2021

I hope each of you and your families have a happy and healthy holiday season. For all of you traveling this holiday season have safe travels and pack your sense of humor especially if you are behind this guy. I’d like to give an official shout out to Matt Botten (pictured above). He didn’t want to pay the baggage fee so decided to wear all his clothes on his trip home . Imagine being behind him going through security, you think removing your shoes is an ordeal, how about 10 jackets and 8 pairs of pants!

Zillow quits I buying says it model doesn’t work. 18k houses to sell

by Glen | Nov 11, 2021

Real-estate firm Zillow Group Inc. is exiting from the home-flipping business, saying Tuesday that its algorithmic+ model to buy and sell homes rapidly doesn’t work as planned. Zillow has about 18 thousand houses it will be looking to sell. What does this mean for...

Will inflation increase real estate prices? Is this cycle different?

by Glen | Nov 2, 2021

In my blogs I have talked about how typically when we have large inflation this will drastically slow the real estate market as interest rates rise. With all the craziness from the Covid bump occurring could just the opposite occur? Will inflation actually increase...

McDonald’s is raising the cost of houses; you will pay allot more!

by Glen | Oct 26, 2021

Retail giants, fast-food chains, and ride-hailing companies are offering higher wages and cash payments. Referral and signing bonuses, rarely needed before to fill entry-level, low-wage jobs, are now commonplace. How will McDonald’s impact real estate prices? Will...

Zillow stops buying houses: red flags for housing market

by Glen | Oct 23, 2021

Zillow claims that ‘operational capacity constraints’ has caused the hiccup in its home-buying business, but some analysts argue that bigger issues may be afoot. Why is Zillow abruptly pulling back from their ibuyer program after recently announcing a huge funding...

Jobs report disappoints, mortgage interest rates have jumped 30%

by Glen | Oct 14, 2021

Happy Fall, it is hard to beat this time of year with snow up top and changing leaves in the valleys (do you know where I took this pic?) Yields for U.S. government debt posted the biggest weekly jump in months on Friday, as a selloff in bonds that commenced...

Rents accelerate 13%, is this a warning sign?

by Glen | Oct 7, 2021

Would-be home buyers priced out of the sales market are finding little consolation when they turn instead to the single-family rental market. Prices are soaring there as well. What is causing the large surge in rents? How is this related to housing prices? Will the...

How does a China real estate blow up impact U.S real estate?

by Glen | Sep 29, 2021

First I hope everyone is having a good fall. It is crazy how quickly the year has gone by. It has been quite the ride with last week no exception as the stock market plunged. The key culprit that started the stock market saga is the impending blow up of Evergrande,...

Inflation cools, what does this mean for real estate?

by Glen | Sep 21, 2021

Prices for an array of consumer goods rose less than expected in August in a sign that inflation may be starting to cool, the Labor Department reported Tuesday. The consumer price index increased 5.3% from a year earlier and 0.3% from July. Is inflation really...

Is the Fed stoking another real estate price bubble?

by Glen | Sep 14, 2021

Investor Peter Boockvar, the chief investment officer at Bleakley Advisory Group, is sounding the alarm on a housing price bubble brought on by the Federal Reserve’s Covid pandemic policies which have stimulated so much demand that the supply side can’t keep up. What...

Department of Justice nixes realtor pact, Biden DOJ going after realtor commissions

by Glen | Sep 9, 2021

Last year the Department of Justice and the National Association of Realtors reached a historic pact to clear up any antitrust issues and provide greater transparency to consumers about commissions and increase competition among brokers. Everyone thought the deal was...

Home-Working Boom Risks Loss of 6 million Professional Jobs; 4 impacts on real estate

by Glen | Aug 31, 2021

The Tony Blair institute recently did a study in the UK regarding remote work and ultimately the impact on employment numbers. What did the UK study predict regarding employment? How will this impact the US labor force? What will be the impact on real estate be? ...

China deflates tech stocks (1 trillion lost), what does this mean for US real estate

by Glen | Aug 24, 2021

In recent months, China's tech industry has suffered a palpable chill. Since February, shares of overseas-listed Chinese tech firms have lost a staggering $1 trillion in value, according to Goldman Sachs analysts. The fear is spreading after China's clampdown...

Consumer sentiment falls to 10 year low; not for what the media is saying. Impact on real estate?

by Glen | Aug 21, 2021

U.S. consumer sentiment fell in early August to the lowest level in nearly a decade as Americans grew more concerned about the economy’s prospects. It was the lowest reading for the measure since 2011. A sudden drop of this magnitude is extremely rare for the index. ...

Jobs report exceeds. Will 30-year rates hit 4.5%? What should you do?

by Glen | Aug 10, 2021

An unexpectedly strong jobs number for July has bolstered the case for investors who believe Treasury yields will head higher over the rest of the year. Goldman, BofA, and Blackrock are predicting a 50% rise in treasuries by year end. What does this mean for mortgage...

Pres Biden implements new eviction ban until October 3, Is this a gift for property owners?

by Glen | Aug 6, 2021

In a last-ditch effort, President Biden implemented another eviction moratorium until October 3rd. What does this mean for real estate property owners? Will this ban hold up in court? Could this moratorium be a good thing for property owners? What is...

Economic binge continues but consumer sentiment falls, impact on real estate

by Glen | Jul 27, 2021

U.S. consumer sentiment fell sharply and unexpectedly in early July to the lowest level in five months. Consumers’ complaints about rising prices on homes, vehicles, and household durables reached an all time record. Just 30% of all consumers cited favorable home...

Seismic shift in the consumer spending: Who wins?

by Glen | Jul 20, 2021

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...

Will the fed stop buying your mortgage?

by Glen | Jul 13, 2021

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...

Home rents jump highest in 15 years

by Glen | Jul 7, 2021

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...

Is there a real estate bubble brewing?

by Glen | Jun 24, 2021

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...

The Fed surprises the markets – rates jump

by Glen | Jun 17, 2021

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...

CPI soars, mortgage payments could rise 33%, what should you do?

by Glen | Jun 10, 2021

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...

Is inflation “transitory”, the answer to this question will predict real estate’s future

by Glen | Jun 2, 2021

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...