The Weekly Digs – To rent or to buy, that is the question

This week in real estate investing: The ongoing trade war with China is STILL affecting mortgage rates (but that may be to your benefit). Also, in this real estate market is it better to rent or to buy? Find this and more interesting stuff below.

From Realtor.com’s Latest News

• Mortgage Rates Fall Sharply as Trade Concerns Mount—but Many Would-Be Borrowers Are Likely to Miss Out
  • Mortgage rates dropped significantly over the past week as concerns related to the ongoing trade dispute with China and the overall health of the economy dominated headlines.
• Consumer Watchdog Blasts Government’s Loan Sales Program: ‘No Rules’ to Help People Save Their Homes
  • People are being hurt by federal government loan-sale programs, consumer advocates say.
• One-Third of Mortgage Borrowers Are Missing This Opportunity to Save $2,000
  • Consumer advocates have an important recommendation for first-time buyers to take advantage of an opportunity to save on housing costs.
• Trump Administration Reducing the Size of Loans People Can Get Through FHA Cash-Out Refinancing
  • Cash-out refinances have grown in popularity in recent years in tandem with ballooning home values across much of the country.

From Spark Rental’s Latest Blog Posts

• Should I Pay Off My Mortgages or Invest in New Rental Properties?
  • You have $15,000 set aside, and you have a few rental properties. Should you aim to pay off a mortgage or invest in a new rental property? The answer, of course, is it depends. But it’s an easier question to answer than you think. Here’s what you need to know to…
• The Best Cities for Real Estate Investing in 2019, by 8 Metrics & Maps
  • What are the best cities for real estate investing in the US? Sure, it’s subjective. And yes, it depends on what kind of investing you’re doing. But that doesn’t mean that some cities don’t have better fundamentals for rental investing. In our hunt for the best cities…
• How to Get a Mortgage for an LLC-Owned Rental Property
  • When new investors start looking into buying real estate, one of their most common questions is: “How do I get a mortgage for an LLC-owned rental property?” Spoiler alert: it’s easier than you think. In fact, it’s one of the easiest things to learn as a new investor…
• How One Single Mom Went from 0 to 6 Rentals in One Year
  •   It’s hard being a single parent. You’re constantly triaging all the demands on your time. You have a full-time job, full-time parenting responsibilities, and of course you have to manage a household entirely on your own. And that’s before you even think about…

From Bigger Pockets’ Top Popular Posts

• Does It Make More Sense to Rent or Buy in Today’s Real Estate Market?
  • By Ashley Wilson
• This One Thing Separates the Rich From the Poor
  • By Brandon Turner
• I Desperately Wish I Knew THIS Before Investing in Real Estate
  • By Engelo Rumora

From PM Insider’s Latest Posts

• Smart Home Technology: Managed versus Unmanaged Systems
  • Smart home technology is hardly vanilla these days. For an apartment community to provide residents with amenities like smart locks, smart thermostats, lighting and shades accessible through their smartphones, finding the right recipe may be akin to having too many cooks in the kitchen. The answer is boiling down to managed and unmanaged smart community[…]
• RealWorld 2019: Reliving the Magic
  • Taking a break from the glitz of Las Vegas, RealWorld 2019 captured the magic, imagination and inspiration known for one of America’s top vacation destinations in July. RealPage greeted customers and industry leaders for three days in Orlando and demonstrated how its software changes how people experience, utilize and monetize rental space for working, living[…]
• NMHC Toolkit Designed to Stimulate Affordability in Apartment Industry
  • The multifamily housing industry has reached the point of crisis in many communities where rent rises have surpassed households’ pay raises, straining affordability. Attempts – some of them successful – to enact rent control have cast a dark cloud, and leaders argue that mandatory limits to price increases aren’t a viable solution, now or tomorrow.[…]
• Feeling Good Inside
  • The multifamily industry impacts millions of lives every day. As such, it is in society’s best interest that multi-family professionals do what they can to create healthy indoor environments within their communities. Residents receiving the full benefit of healthy indoor air is a win for everyone. Residents benefit when apartment communities in deregulated energy markets[…]

From Reddits /r/RealEstate Subreddit

• Chinese buyers pull back from U.S. housing market, hurting home sales
  • current score on reddit: 352
• Redfin to display Realtor commissions on Redfin listings
  • current score on reddit: 204
• Lazy Condo Associations – THE WORST – A Rant
  • current score on reddit: 155

Sign up for weekly Real Estate Investing news. Be a part of the most informed Real Estate professionals