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The Supreme Court has said “no” to a New York rent control case that could have influenced rent control laws across the country. Two landlord groups had hoped the high court would void a law approved in 2019 on the grounds that it contributes to an unconstitutional taking of property. The lawsuit had the backing of other real estate organizations, but the lower courts ruled that states have the right to regulate the relationship between landlords and tenants, and that’s the way the law currently stands...   ...That’s it for today. For more information on this topic, check for links in the show notes at newsforinvestors.com. You can also sign up for a free RealWealth membership at our website to learn more about the world of real estate, and how to build a cash-flowing portfolio of rental properties. And please don’t forget to subscribe to this podcast, and leave a review!   Thanks for listening! Kathy Fettke   Links:   1 - https://www.bisnow.com/national/news/multifamily/supreme-court-rent-control-120891   2

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending September 20th, 2023... what the Fed’s favorite inflation gauge says about August, how U.S. real estate values are setting new records, and why the typical American can’t afford to buy a home in 99% of the nation.   We begin with economic news from this past week that ended with a last minute scramble to avoid a government shutdown. Congress passed a stopgap funding measure with just minutes to spare. That extends the current deadline for another 45 days and gives lawmakers time to hammer out their differences...   ...For many consumers, housing affordability has gotten so bad that the typical American cannot afford to buy a home in 99% of the nation. Real estate data firm ATTOM analyzed median home prices over the last year in 575 U.S. counties, and determined that homes became unaffordable when buyers had to pay more than 28% of their paycheck for the home. If you include insurance and property tax, the buyer would need to devote 35% or more to that home, a

It was one year ago that New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a $250 million lawsuit against former president Donald Trump, accusing him of fraudulent business practices. Just this week, a New York judge has ruled that Trump is guilty of fraud in the building of his massive real estate empire. The judge claims that the he inflated the value of his assets and his own net worth as he negotiated real estate deals and asked for bank loans. The case will still be heard in court, but if this ruling sticks, it could have major implications for Trump’s financial world and a huge lesson for any investor who might consider adding a few zeros onto an asset valuation. Judge Arthur Engoron issued the ruling on Tuesday, September 26th. It comes in conjunction with a lawsuit against Trump by New York Attorney General Letitia James. The lawsuit claims that Trump and several of his family members committed “numerous acts of fraud and misrepresentation” and that Trump “inflated his net worth by billions of dollars.”

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending September 23rd, 2023... the Fed’s forecast on inflation, future rate hikes and the GDP, why remote work is good for the environment, and calls for a major shake-up at NAR.   We begin with economic news from this past week and a message from Fed Chief Jerome Powell. He announced the result of the committee’s September meeting, saying there would be no rate hike at this time, but a majority of Fed officials expect the need for one more quarter-point hike this year. The range is currently 5.25% to 5.5%. 12 Fed officials foresee another hike while seven don’t see them going any higher. Only “one” Fed official expects the need to raise rates above 6% next year...   ...That’s it for today. You can read more about the stories in this episode by following links in the show notes at newsforinvestors.com. And please remember to subscribe to this podcast, and leave a review!   If you’d like to know more about creating a financial safety net with real estate, please sign

The market for existing homes is so tight that even the big landlords are having a tough time finding them, but the new rental real estate playbook is all about build-to-rent homes. It’s no secret that renters want the single-family lifestyle, and builders are pumping tens of thousands of new rental homes into the market, with the biggest BTR boom in the South from Texas to Florida.   According to stats from RealPage, more than 104-thousand BTR units are under construction across the nation right now. As of September of this year, more than 61,200 of them are in the Southeast section of the US , about 28-thousand five-hundred are in the Western half of the US, almost 13-thousand are in the Central states, and close to 17-hundred are in the Northeast. The RealPage definition of single-family includes fully detached, semi-detached, row homes, duplexes, quadruplexes, and townhomes... At RealWealth, we recently launched a new build-to-rent fund for investors over the Texas border in Oklahoma. It’s a pre-boom are

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending September 16th, 2023... two more reports on inflation just ahead of this week’s Fed meeting, single-family versus multi-family rent growth, and why two background check companies were fined $5.8 million. We begin with economic news from this past week and another round of inflation reports for the month of August. The Consumer Price Index showed an increase in overall inflation but a drop in the core rate which eliminates pricing for energy and food. The overall CPI rose an unexpected .6%, mostly due to a surge in energy prices. That brought the yearly rate up from 3.2% to 3.7%. But when you strip the numbers down to the core rate, inflation was only up .2% and that small increase lowered the annual core rate from 4.7% to 4.3%... ...That’s it for today. You can read more about the stories in this episode by following links in the show notes at newsforinvestors.com. And please remember to subscribe to this podcast, and leave a review!   If you’d like to know

The Australian real estate tycoon who became notorious for his comments about millennials wasting money on avocado toast, is making new waves with comments about employee attitudes. Tim Gurner spoke out at an Australian Financial Review conference and told his peers that they have to “kill” this feeling of superiority among employees and to do that, employees, and the economy in general, would need to feel some pain....   ...You’ll find a link to the Fortune article in the show notes at newsforinvestors.com. And please remember to subscribe to this podcast, and leave a review!   If you’d like to learn more about how to become your own boss through real estate investing, be sure to check out the RealWealth website, and sign up for free. Members will get complete access to all our information, resources, and experienced investment counselors, with no cost, and no obligation to buy anything.   Links:   1 - https://fortune.com/2023/09/13/australia-real-estate-ceo-tim-gurner-pain-in-economy-avocado-toast/

More big landlords and property managers are getting hauled into court over alleged rent-fixing. I recently reported on a lawsuit against RealPage and institutional landlords who use the company’s YieldStar rent-setting platform. Now there are similar allegations against Yardi Systems and 18 property management companies.  Seattle-based law firm Hagens Berman filed the lawsuit accusing Yardi and the property management firms of a scheme to fix apartment rents nationwide. The attorneys say that the companies used Yardi’s RENTmaximizer tool to automatically raise rents so they wouldn’t compete with each other. That eliminated the need for discounts and other move-in deals to entice tenants... ...You can read more about the Yardi lawsuit by following a link in the show notes at newsforinvestors.com. And please remember to subscribe to this podcast, and leave a review!   You can find out more about the business of single-family rentals at RealWealth.com. Sign up for free and enjoy a wealth of information about ho

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending September 9th, 2023... we’ll tell you the mortgage rate buyers are waiting for, the homebuying expectations for millennials, and a new super low 1% down payment program.   Economic News   We begin with economic news from this past week, and comments from three Federal Reserve Bank Presidents about the possibility of more rate hikes. New York’s Bank President, John Wiliams, spoke at a conference and said that monetary policy is in a good place right now with the desired effects. But, he says: “Going forward, we will have to keep watching the data… and asking ourselves the question ‘is this sufficiently restrictive, do we need to maybe raise rates again?” He also says that worries about a recession have essentially vanished, although he expects the unemployment rate to hit 4% in the coming months. It’s currently at 3.8%.... ...That’s it for today. You can read more about the stories in this episode by following links in the show notes at newsforinvestors.com.

Are you thinking of buying land as a place to build your dream home or to own as an investment opportunity? With such a tight inventory of already-built homes, land sales are increasing across the country and so is a real estate scam known as title fraud. According to an attorney for the National Association of Realtors, title fraud has become a more popular tactic among real estate fraudsters than wire fraud. (1)   We’re seeing more and more headlines about land that’s being sold without the property owner’s knowledge, and warnings from various authorities and real estate professionals about title fraud. It’s also being called “vacant land fraud” and “seller impersonation fraud” according to one story out of Nevada. (2) The Nevada Division of Insurance and the Nevada Real Estate Division have been warning residents about this kind of scam...   ...You can read more about this topic and the precautions you can take to prevent it from happening by following links in the show notes at newsforinvestors.com. And p

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending September 2nd, 2023... what the Fed’s favorite inflation gauge is telling us about July, the home buying slowdown among investors, and plans for a brand-new bustling city in the San Francisco Bay Area.   We begin with the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge showing a slight uptick in July. The Personal Consumption Expenditure price index rose 3.3% compared to the previous year. That’s up from 3% in June. The core rate which excludes food and fuel was also up from 4.1% in June to 4.2% in July. The report is fuel for the Fed’s next meeting when officials will decide on whether to hike short-term rates once again...   You can read more about these stories by following links in the show notes at newsforinvestors.com. While you are there, be sure to sign up for a free RealWealth membership. You can learn more about how and where it makes sense for you to invest. You can also look at sample rental properties, get your questions answered by experienced investment c

Like any industry, there are plenty of stories within the real estate world about lawsuits, fraud, and scandalous behavior. Some of the latest headlines include the resignation of the president of the National Association of Realtors in the midst of a scandal, a huge class-action price-fixing lawsuit against RealPage and some of the nation’s biggest landlords, and a real estate influencer in Philadelphia accused of swindling starry-eyed first-time real estate investors. I thought I’d dedicate this episode to those stories and a few others... If you’d like to learn more about real estate investing without breaking any laws, please sign up as a RealWealth member. Membership is free and will give you full access to our website and resources, including our property teams and our investment counselors. You can also catch up on any episodes you’ve missed and find links to our sources at newsforinvestors.com. And please remember to subscribe to this podcast, and leave a review!   Thanks for listening. I'm Kathy Fett

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending August 26th, 2023… tough talk on inflation from the Fed Chief, when and why we might see a surge in home prices, and what Texas is doing to manage a booming economy north of Dallas.   We begin with economic news from this past week and comments from Fed Chief Jerome Powell. He delivered the keynote address at the Kansas City Fed’s annual retreat in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He reiterated previous sentiments about making progress on inflation, but says it’s still too high and the central bank plans to “keep at it until the job is done.” He said: “We are prepared to raise rates further if appropriate, and intend to hold policy at a restrictive level until we are confident that inflation is moving sustainably down toward our objective” – which is 2%...    ...The North Texas area is becoming a global technology hub as semiconductor companies move into the area. That’s creating tens of thousands of jobs, and with all those jobs, a surge in housing demand. We are capi

Building a small rental unit on your property is a great way to create passive income, but housing experts say that accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, can also help solve the nation’s housing crisis. And there are a growing number of states that are allowing them. Plus, three states are actually paying people to build them!   California was the first to legalize ADUs back in 1982 The law allowed homeowners to build a second unit but local governments hampered the effort with restrictions. Some municipalities charged hefty “impact fees” or imposed complicated and expensive permitting requirements. There may have also been restrictions on renting the units if the owner didn’t live on the property and problems qualifying for a loan to build an ADU...   If you live in a place that allows ADU’s, It’s now time to check your yard for space to build an ADU that can bring you some passive income! You can also find out how to become a landlord at our RealWealth website. Membership is free! You can also catch up on any

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending August 19th, 2023... what economists say the Fed will do next, a new record high for U.S. home values, and the cities with the biggest need for new housing.   We begin with the results of a poll among economists on whether the Fed is through with rate hikes. Reuters polled 110 economists for their opinion on what the Fed will do next. 90% of them believe the Fed will keep interest rates right where they are. About 80% don’t think we’ll see another rate hike for the rest of the year. And, a slight majority are anticipating a rate cut by March...   Please sign up for free membership at our RealWealth website if you’d like to learn more about how and where to invest in real estate. You can also catch up on any episodes you’ve missed at newsforinvestors.com. And please remember to subscribe to this podcast, and leave a review!   Links:   1 - https://www.reuters.com/markets/rates-bonds/fed-done-hiking-slim-majority-economists-say-no-rate-cut-through-march-2023-08-

In addition to the tragic loss of lives in the Maui wildfire, residents and insurance companies are assessing property losses which are currently coming in at about $3.2 billion. But it won’t just be Maui residents paying for this fire. Insurance companies will be raising rates for everyone to help cover their losses.   Hi, I'm Kathy Fettke and this is Real Estate News for Investors. If you like our podcast, please subscribe and leave us a review.   As reported by Barron’s, insurance companies won’t have any problem paying claims for fire losses in Maui. The U.S. property and casualty industry is well-capitalized with about $980 billion at the end of last year. That’s according to the Insurance Information Institute. The Institute’s Janet Ruiz told Barron’s: “The Hawaii insurance market is stable. Insurance companies are prepared to handle catastrophes.”   Property Insurance Rates    But analysts and industry experts say insurance companies are already raising rates as natural disasters cause more and more da

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending August 12th, 2023... you’ll hear what Fed officials are forecasting for housing inflation, why a New York judge tossed an Airbnb lawsuit, and the top ten cities for build-to-rent single-family homes.   Hi, I'm Kathy Fettke and this is Real Estate News for Investors. If you like our podcast, please subscribe and leave us a review.   Economic News   We begin with economic news from this past week that features two reports on inflation. The Labor Department reported that the Consumer Price Index was slightly higher in July than it was in June, although the reported figure for both months was .2%. The slight increase was enough to bring the yearly rate up a tiny bit, from 3% to 3.2%, but as MarketWatch reports, the fluctuation may not be enough to worry the Fed. The core rate, which eliminates prices for food and fuel, was also up .2% with an annual rate that was down slightly from 4.8% to 4.7%.   According to Fed researchers, housing costs account for 90% of the

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending August 5th, 2023... the government’s debt rating get a downgrade, typical mortgage payment rises, and wind risk data is now available on a popular listing website.   Hi, I'm Kathy Fettke and this is Real Estate News for Investors. If you like our podcast, please subscribe and leave us a review.   Economic News   We begin with economic news from this past week that features a downgrade on U.S. government debt. The Fitch credit rating agency lowered the U.S. government’s debt rating one notch, from AAA to AA+ saying the downgrade reflects “expected fiscal deterioration” that includes a rising amount of government debt and repeated problems with “governance” because of all the debt-ceiling battles in Congress.   The government still has a triple-A rating from Moody’s but now has “two” AA+ ratings. The S&P had downgraded U.S. government debt to a AA+ rating 12 years ago, in 2011.   As for what kind of debt we can expect in the future, a strategist at Bank of

The Federal government announced a plan to make it easier for builders to get new housing on the market. It’s part of the Biden administration’s Housing Supply Action Plan. This program, announced on July 27th, would reduce land use and zoning restrictions, increase financing for affordable energy efficient housing, and promote the conversion of under-used commercial space into homes.   Hi, I'm Kathy Fettke and this is Real Estate News for Investors. If you like our podcast, please subscribe and leave us a review.   Oversized Demand, Limited Supply   The housing crisis is the result of an oversized demand for housing, a limited supply of affordable homes, and a whole lot of rules and regulations that make it difficult to build more homes. Each city and municipality has zoning rules and land use policies that lean toward low-density housing, like single-family detached homes.   The new program will provide $85 million in funding to help communities increase their housing density. For communities that can ident

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending July 29th, 2023… the Fed’s latest rate hike, how the central bank’s economic forecast has changed, and good news about the dreaded IRS “knock on the door.”   Hi, I'm Kathy Fettke and this is Real Estate News for Investors. If you like our podcast, please subscribe and leave us a review.   Economic News   We begin with economic news from this past week and a Fed meeting that resulted in yet another rate hike. The Federal Reserve raised the benchmark rate a quarter point, to a range of 5.25% to 5.5%. That’s the highest it’s been in 22 years.    In a news conference after the meeting, Fed Chief Jerome Powell said that inflation has moderated somewhat, but the 2% target is still a ways off. He wouldn’t say whether Fed officials are leaning toward another rate hike in September. He said it would be a meeting-by-meeting data-driven decision.   A few of the other highlights from the Fed Chief’s press conference:   1 - The central bank is no longer expecting a r