A few months ago, Zillow agreed to buy ShowingTime, the largest and most widely used platform by realtors to schedule residential tourings and provide feedback to the listing agents. The platforms is integrated with most multiple listing services throughout the...
Hard Money Blog
1031 exchange eliminated; what will happen to real estate values and rental rates?
Your taxes will increase $775 Billion dollars according to an analysis by Bloomberg. President Biden has rolled out his proposed tax plan with three major pillars that will impact real estate pros. 1) Elimination of the 1031 exchange provision (or such a low cap...
Inflation jumps to highest levels since 1982
Inflation alert: It is usually not a good sign when Fed Vice Chairman Richard Clarida said after the consumer price index report “I was surprised”. I am not sure what rock people are living under, but everything has increased in price from gasoline to restaurant...
Long term capital gains, 43.4%, impact on real estate & 1031 exchange
President Biden has proposed an increase in long term capital gains from their current 15-20% to 43% for the wealthiest. This would be the highest tax paid on income. What is in the new proposal? What does this proposal mean for real estate? How will the 1031...
Loan costs for second homes, rentals to spike under new Fannie/Freddie rule
Do residential rental properties with one to four units and second-home mortgages carry more risk? Apparently so says the U.S. Treasury Department. Such loans underwritten by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will end up costing you more under restrictions quietly announced...
Zillow gets into the dating game: Your Zestimate is now a cash offer
For years Zillow has been buying houses, but they have refused to use the Zestimate as their purchase price. The cards have now turned with Zillow announcing that the “Zestimate” is now the price they will pay for your house. How will this change allow Zillow to...
Mortgage Firms Warned to Prepare for a ‘Tidal Wave’ of Distress
There is a tidal wave of distressed homeowners who will need help,” Dave Uejio, the CFPB’s acting director, said in a statement; companies “that are unable to adequately manage loss mitigation can expect the bureau to take enforcement or supervisory action.” At the...
New Proposed tax plan will hit property owners and cost you millions.
I am always amazed at how out of touch our elected officials are with what happens in the real world. The new tax plan circulating through Congress is no exception with the supposed target high net worth taxpayers, but middle class, small business...
Alcohol sales decline for first time since pandemic, Huge impact on real estate, the pandemic trade is over
For the first time in a year, since Covid-19 began spreading across the United States forcing Americans to stay home, retail alcohol sales have fallen almost 2%. Why the change in alcohol sales? No, people are not consuming less alcohol. What does this mean...
Unintended consequence of Forbearance/Eviction moratoriums Wall street the new landlord
We are now well over a year into the pandemic and forbearance/eviction moratoriums abound with property owners and lenders essentially “stuck” with limited or no cash flow. Unfortunately, many in Washington and local governments do not fully understand how real...
10 year treasury soars, mortgage payments could rise 33%, How high will rates go?
Before getting into the details, I can quickly answer the first question with 100% certainty. Will Mortgage rates rise substantially in 2021? Yes they already have and will go even higher! Why are mortgage rates rising while the federal reserve pledges to keep rates...
BOA predicts a housing “mother of all asset bubbles”
As a result of the current loose monetary policy and additional stimulus coming down the pipe, “imbalances” within the economy are starting to form. BofA predicts a 10% drop in stock prices. What are other experts saying on the stock market? How will this impact...
Urban Real Estate: Violent crime skyrockets; gentrification reverses.
The statistics are staggering. Violent crime in Atlanta is up over 30% from 2019. Unfortunately, this is not unique to large cities. According to Crime data from Denver Police there have been 44 homicides this year so far, that is up from 31 at the same time last...
Impact of 1.9 trillion stimulus on real estate: Larry Summers is worried should you be?
I took this pic of a bear in my backyard staring at me while I was sitting on the porch, it was a good reminder.... 1.9 trillion is a huge number flowing through to the economy in one fell swoop. What do both Republican and Democratic economists agree on regarding...
Biden halts foreclosures for 18 months, house prices up; no impact on “credit score”, but can’t get credit?
10 million Americans are behind on their mortgage payments, with the majority of these late payments occurring in FHA loans. At the same time Millions are out of work, yet house prices are increasing in most markets. What was in the new forbearance agreement? How...
How does a national $15 min wage impact real estate?
Within the new proposed Covid relief proposed by the president is a requirement that the minimum wage increase nationally to fifteen dollars an hour. What impact will this have on housing affordability? How will this increase in minimum wage affect commercial and...
“this time is different” Vaccines rollout, good news abounds, 75% probability you are wrong
There has been a flurry of good news with stocks reaching records, talks of more stimulus, and vaccines rolling out. Small stocks like Gamestop and AMC have been off the charts minting new millionaires every day. What does all this mean for real estate? How will...
Work from home impact on real estate values; pay cuts coming, 75% want to return
Over 50% of workers are 100% remote with another 20% sometimes working remotely due to the pandemic. Will this trend reverse this year with the rollout of the vaccine? How will this impact real estate in the short term and long term? What will be the primary driver...
Danes get 20 year mortgages at 0% what does this mean for the US market?
Denmark, the country with the longest history of negative central bank rates is offering homeowners 20-year loans at a fixed interest rate of zero. This is very similar to the zero percent financing on cars in the US except you are buying a house. What does this...
5 Permanent Changes to real estate from Coronavirus
The Coronavirus has impacted businesses throughout the economy and real estate is not immune from the radical changes caused by social distancing and lockdowns. How will the real estate industry adapt to the changes? What does this mean for the future of real...
Treasury yields jump to highest since March. What does the GA senate race mean for real estate?
Happy new year to everyone. It is crazy that we are still talking about the election … it seems like it is never ending. Fortunately the Georgia senate runoffs were the last of this cycle. As Georgia flipped Democratic, treasury rates jumped to their highest since...
CoStar buys Homesnap: Why this reshapes residential real estate
I was amazed that there hasn’t been much fanfare about Costar’s recent purchase. Costar is the largest commercial property data company (Loopnet, Costar, Apartment.com, etc…) with a market cap of 35 billion dollars. The Homesnap purchase is an indicator of things...
2021 real estate predictions: What happens to residential and commercial values and interest rates
What a year 2020 has been! The pandemic struck, unemployment has hit records, there was a nice rebound in the summer, and recently a downward trend due to the spike in Coronavirus cases. What does 2021 hold for the economy, interest rates, and residential and...
Happy Holidays: I met the modern “Griswold’s”
I wanted to wish everyone a Happy and Healthy holiday season. With all the craziness going on, it is still nice to relish in the “creativity” of our fellow Man/Woman. As I am driving down the road, ironically not far from where the real Christmas Vacation was filmed...
Zillow buys ShowingTime, what does this acquisition mean for real estate?
A few months ago, Zillow agreed to buy ShowingTime, the largest and most widely used platform by realtors to schedule residential tourings and provide feedback to the listing agents. The platforms is integrated with most multiple listing services throughout the...
1031 exchange eliminated; what will happen to real estate values and rental rates?
Your taxes will increase $775 Billion dollars according to an analysis by Bloomberg. President Biden has rolled out his proposed tax plan with three major pillars that will impact real estate pros. 1) Elimination of the 1031 exchange provision (or such a low cap...
Inflation jumps to highest levels since 1982
Inflation alert: It is usually not a good sign when Fed Vice Chairman Richard Clarida said after the consumer price index report “I was surprised”. I am not sure what rock people are living under, but everything has increased in price from gasoline to restaurant...
Long term capital gains, 43.4%, impact on real estate & 1031 exchange
President Biden has proposed an increase in long term capital gains from their current 15-20% to 43% for the wealthiest. This would be the highest tax paid on income. What is in the new proposal? What does this proposal mean for real estate? How will the 1031...
Loan costs for second homes, rentals to spike under new Fannie/Freddie rule
Do residential rental properties with one to four units and second-home mortgages carry more risk? Apparently so says the U.S. Treasury Department. Such loans underwritten by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will end up costing you more under restrictions quietly announced...
Zillow gets into the dating game: Your Zestimate is now a cash offer
For years Zillow has been buying houses, but they have refused to use the Zestimate as their purchase price. The cards have now turned with Zillow announcing that the “Zestimate” is now the price they will pay for your house. How will this change allow Zillow to...
Mortgage Firms Warned to Prepare for a ‘Tidal Wave’ of Distress
There is a tidal wave of distressed homeowners who will need help,” Dave Uejio, the CFPB’s acting director, said in a statement; companies “that are unable to adequately manage loss mitigation can expect the bureau to take enforcement or supervisory action.” At the...
New Proposed tax plan will hit property owners and cost you millions.
I am always amazed at how out of touch our elected officials are with what happens in the real world. The new tax plan circulating through Congress is no exception with the supposed target high net worth taxpayers, but middle class, small business...
Alcohol sales decline for first time since pandemic, Huge impact on real estate, the pandemic trade is over
For the first time in a year, since Covid-19 began spreading across the United States forcing Americans to stay home, retail alcohol sales have fallen almost 2%. Why the change in alcohol sales? No, people are not consuming less alcohol. What does this mean...
Unintended consequence of Forbearance/Eviction moratoriums Wall street the new landlord
We are now well over a year into the pandemic and forbearance/eviction moratoriums abound with property owners and lenders essentially “stuck” with limited or no cash flow. Unfortunately, many in Washington and local governments do not fully understand how real...
10 year treasury soars, mortgage payments could rise 33%, How high will rates go?
Before getting into the details, I can quickly answer the first question with 100% certainty. Will Mortgage rates rise substantially in 2021? Yes they already have and will go even higher! Why are mortgage rates rising while the federal reserve pledges to keep rates...
BOA predicts a housing “mother of all asset bubbles”
As a result of the current loose monetary policy and additional stimulus coming down the pipe, “imbalances” within the economy are starting to form. BofA predicts a 10% drop in stock prices. What are other experts saying on the stock market? How will this impact...
Urban Real Estate: Violent crime skyrockets; gentrification reverses.
The statistics are staggering. Violent crime in Atlanta is up over 30% from 2019. Unfortunately, this is not unique to large cities. According to Crime data from Denver Police there have been 44 homicides this year so far, that is up from 31 at the same time last...
Impact of 1.9 trillion stimulus on real estate: Larry Summers is worried should you be?
I took this pic of a bear in my backyard staring at me while I was sitting on the porch, it was a good reminder.... 1.9 trillion is a huge number flowing through to the economy in one fell swoop. What do both Republican and Democratic economists agree on regarding...
Biden halts foreclosures for 18 months, house prices up; no impact on “credit score”, but can’t get credit?
10 million Americans are behind on their mortgage payments, with the majority of these late payments occurring in FHA loans. At the same time Millions are out of work, yet house prices are increasing in most markets. What was in the new forbearance agreement? How...
How does a national $15 min wage impact real estate?
Within the new proposed Covid relief proposed by the president is a requirement that the minimum wage increase nationally to fifteen dollars an hour. What impact will this have on housing affordability? How will this increase in minimum wage affect commercial and...
“this time is different” Vaccines rollout, good news abounds, 75% probability you are wrong
There has been a flurry of good news with stocks reaching records, talks of more stimulus, and vaccines rolling out. Small stocks like Gamestop and AMC have been off the charts minting new millionaires every day. What does all this mean for real estate? How will...
Work from home impact on real estate values; pay cuts coming, 75% want to return
Over 50% of workers are 100% remote with another 20% sometimes working remotely due to the pandemic. Will this trend reverse this year with the rollout of the vaccine? How will this impact real estate in the short term and long term? What will be the primary driver...
Danes get 20 year mortgages at 0% what does this mean for the US market?
Denmark, the country with the longest history of negative central bank rates is offering homeowners 20-year loans at a fixed interest rate of zero. This is very similar to the zero percent financing on cars in the US except you are buying a house. What does this...
5 Permanent Changes to real estate from Coronavirus
The Coronavirus has impacted businesses throughout the economy and real estate is not immune from the radical changes caused by social distancing and lockdowns. How will the real estate industry adapt to the changes? What does this mean for the future of real...
Treasury yields jump to highest since March. What does the GA senate race mean for real estate?
Happy new year to everyone. It is crazy that we are still talking about the election … it seems like it is never ending. Fortunately the Georgia senate runoffs were the last of this cycle. As Georgia flipped Democratic, treasury rates jumped to their highest since...
CoStar buys Homesnap: Why this reshapes residential real estate
I was amazed that there hasn’t been much fanfare about Costar’s recent purchase. Costar is the largest commercial property data company (Loopnet, Costar, Apartment.com, etc…) with a market cap of 35 billion dollars. The Homesnap purchase is an indicator of things...
2021 real estate predictions: What happens to residential and commercial values and interest rates
What a year 2020 has been! The pandemic struck, unemployment has hit records, there was a nice rebound in the summer, and recently a downward trend due to the spike in Coronavirus cases. What does 2021 hold for the economy, interest rates, and residential and...
Happy Holidays: I met the modern “Griswold’s”
I wanted to wish everyone a Happy and Healthy holiday season. With all the craziness going on, it is still nice to relish in the “creativity” of our fellow Man/Woman. As I am driving down the road, ironically not far from where the real Christmas Vacation was filmed...