Weekly Digs – And we keep falling further

This week in real estate investing news: The Trump Administration is trying to privatize Fannie Mae and Freddie Mack — the two large government sponsored mortgage companies. And mortgage rates are CONTINUING to fall, as the Fed is aiming to push them even lower! These and more interesting stories below.

From Realtor.com’s Latest News

• Trump Administration Aims to Privatize Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
  • After years of bipartisan talk of abolishing the firms, Treasury launches process to diminish government control over time.
• Mortgages Rates Fall Again—and the Fed Could Push Them Even Lower
  • People looking to take out a new home loan can reasonably expect mortgage rates to move downward in the coming weeks.
• Get Ready for Bigger Home-Price Increases Next Year, Except in These Two States
  • The latest Case-Shiller report shows that June saw the slowest pace of home-price growth since 2012, but predicts it will pick up in 2020.
• Mortgage Rates Fall Again as the Peak Home-Buying Season Begins to Draw to a Close
  • Rates are approaching the lowest level in three years, but are they stimulating Americans’ interest in buying homes?

From Spark Rental’s Latest Blog Posts

• How Much Emergency Fund Should I Have as a Property Owner?
  • Just 40% of Americans could cover an emergency expense costing $1,000, per a 2019 study by Bankrate. The other 60% would be up the creek without a paddle. Because emergencies do happen, and not just to other people, either. Three out of ten Americans say they or an…

From Bigger Pockets’ Top Popular Posts

• 7 Reasons NOT to Invest in Section 8 Properties
  • By G. Brian Davis
• How Accurate Are Zillow Zestimates? I Tested the Home Valuation Tool Post-Upgrade
  • By Andrew Syrios
• No Money Down Loans: How Do They REALLY Work?
  • By M. Ian Colville

From PM Insider’s Latest Posts

• Overcoming Risk in Affordable through a Learning Management Platform
  • The path to a successful career in the Affordable Housing industry doesn’t always start in a college or university classroom. Only a handful of the 80 or so institutions that offer undergraduate, graduate and doctorate degrees in real estate or residential property management focus on the Affordable side. The truth is that most people who manage properties[…]
• Industry First: A Centralized Portfolio Reporting and Analysis and Platform Addressing All Asset Types
  • RealPage Asset and Investment Management (AIM) aggregates and clearly presents property performance and valuation data to owners, asset managers, investors, and operators. Until now, pulling together data across a diverse portfolio in a form suitable for analyzing performance, valuation, cash flow, and other metrics has involved a confusing, time-wasting jumble of software solutions and manual[…]
• 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[…]

From Reddits /r/RealEstate Subreddit

• My father once told me a 4 BR is easier to sell than a 2BR, but old school ideologies don’t necessarily apply anymore. Should I be looking at the most house I can afford or the least house that fills my needs? There is something to be said for not having to AC 1200 sq ft of unused space.
  • current score on reddit: 131
• Seller wants to live in the house for 7 days after closing. Refusing remedy and possibly any compensation for our mortgage while he’s there. More info in comments.
  • current score on reddit: 104
• Realtor won’t take no for an answer!
  • current score on reddit: 99