Weekly Digs – And we’re back!

Mortgage Rates increase, just as home sales regain their momentum. The sales of previously owned U.S. homes increased in August, adding to recent signs of recovery in the housing market. And the Fed is continuing to cut interest rates due to the U.S. – China trade war and a gloomy outlook for the global economy. This and more news in the first October edition of the Weekly Digs!

From Realtor.com’s Latest News

• Mortgage Rates Increase, Just as Home-Sales Activity Regains Momentum
  • Mortgage rates rose on a weekly basis for the second week in a row, potentially threatening to put a damper on home sales just as the real-estate market’s outlook was brightening.
• U.S. Existing-Home Sales Rose in August
  • Sales of previously owned U.S. homes rose in August, adding to recent modest signs of recovery in the housing market.
• Fed Cuts Rates By Quarter Point, But Faces Growing Split
  • The Federal Reserve voted to cut interest rates by a quarter-percentage point for the second time in as many months to cushion the economy against a global slowdown amplified by the U.S.-China trade war.
• Home-Building Activity Soars 12% to the Fastest Pace in More Than a Decade
  • Permits to build new homes rose 8% to a seasonally-adjusted annual pace of 1.42 million, the fastest pace since 2007.

From Spark Rental’s Latest Blog Posts

• Are US Housing Markets in a Real Estate Bubble in 2019?
  • Remember 2008? It represented the second-largest recession we’ve lived through, junior only to the Great Depression. Since the 2008 housing bubble and subsequent collapse, many Americans continue living with a sense of fear about the economy and the housing market…
• Driving for Dollars & How to Find Motivated Sellers
  • When Deni and I poll new real estate investors about their greatest challenges, two answers pop up again and again: coming up with a down payment and finding good deals on real estate. So we talk about those two challenges a lot 😊 But the thing about finding deals is…
• 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…
• Cats vs. Dogs: Should I Allow Pets in My Rental Property? (Infographic)
  •   Pet lover? So are we! There are some great reasons to allow pets in your rental property… and some risks. What are the pros and cons of allowing pets in your rental? Is renting to tenants with cats better than allowing dogs? What are the risks of each? Most…

From Bigger Pockets’ Top Popular Posts

• Which Politician Pitched a 25% Tax on Flipping Houses?
  • By Andrew Syrios
• How to Generate $10,000 in Passive Income Monthly Without Quitting Your Day Job
  • By Paul Moore
• Borrower Beware: Not All ‘Private Money Lenders’ Are Created Equal
  • By Jay Hinrichs

From PM Insider’s Latest Posts

• Green Landscaping Isn’t Limiting Multifamily Sustainable Practices To The Indoors
  • The perfect time to leave a truly green mark on an apartment’s landscape is during the renovation. Property rehabilitation can not only upgrade the look and feel inside but improve out-of-date landscapes with a more modern – and sensible – look that’s environmentally pleasing. Previous perceptions that green landscapes are boring and costly are being[…]
• Lending a Helping Hand with Student Housing Turn
  • Just about any student housing operator will gladly take a helping hand during spring and fall semester turns. That’s when, amid a flurry, students move-in en masse to their new living quarters just before classes begin. It’s the peak of peak season. Lines form to the right. RealPage’s student team was more than happy to[…]
• 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[…]

From Reddits /r/RealEstate Subreddit

• FTC halts ‘misleading’ real estate seminars with HGTV stars
  • current score on reddit: 310
• Signed termination papers, seller’s realtor instead sent us their own version of termination paper for us to sign.
  • current score on reddit: 140
• Married but I’m the only one on mortgage – Wife is concerned – Pros/Cons
  • current score on reddit: 95