Weekly Digs — When I dip, you dip, we dip

Across the board, home sales have dropped in September. New home sales dropped 1% in September, while existing-home sales dipped 2.2% in the same month. High prices and slim inventory appear to be weighing in on the housing market. We also explore buying your first rental property with no money down, renting to college students, and more below the fold.

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From Realtor.com’s Latest News

• Mortgage Rates Rise to Highest Level Since August
  • Despite the increase in interest rates, affordability may be improving for home buyers.
• New-Home Sales Drop Nearly 1% in September, Coming Off Previous Month’s Near-Record Sales Levels
  • The median price of newly-built homes decreased in September, suggesting that builders may be constructing more affordable homes.
• Regulator Says Government Will ‘Wipe Out’ Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Shareholders If Needed
  • Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mark Calabria’s comment came during a congressional hearing regarding the Trump administration’s housing finance reform plans.
• U.S. Existing-Home Sales Declined 2.2% in September
  • Sales of previously owned U.S. homes declined in September, a sign that high prices and slim inventory continue to weigh on the housing sector.

From Spark Rental’s Latest Blog Posts

• How Much Can Landlords Charge for Rental Application Fees in Each State?
  • Remember when you had to meet prospective rental applicants at the property with a stack of paper rental applications and pens in hand? Your applicant completed each line and checked each box on the spot to hand back to you. Once they were done, you collected the…
• How to Buy Your First Rental Property with No Money Down
  • Most people are surprised at the economics behind rental property returns versus stocks’ returns over the last 145 years. How can rental properties perform better than stocks, but have lower volatility and risk? Doesn’t high-return mean high risk? The answer is…
• Renting to College Students 101: Pros, Cons, & What Landlords Need to Know
  • One of the most common questions among real estate investors is “Where should I purchase rental properties?” They typically mean the context of finding neighborhoods and the best cities for real estate investing. But before asking where, it often helps to decide who…
• Buy and Hold Real Estate Strategy: Pros, Cons, and Maximizing Your Income
  • Looking for an investment strategy that helps you create ongoing passive income? Income streams that will keep coming in for the rest of your life? That’s the beauty of the buy-and-hold real estate strategy: you put in the work and money once, and give yourself the…

From Bigger Pockets’ Top Popular Posts

• How to Retire Early (From Someone Who Did at Age 27)
  • By Brandon Turner
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• 3 Ways to Advertise Medium-Term Rentals
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From PM Insider’s Latest Posts

• Going Beyond the Basics of Training: How to Develop a Future for Today’s Employees
  • Millennials are America’s future. They are close to overtaking Baby Boomers as the largest living generation and are on track to being the most educated, according to Pew Research Center. Millennials also dominate the U.S. workforce at 56 million strong, based on the latest U.S. census data. Experts say that this generation wants to be trained and[…]
• Acing the Senior Living Market
  • The senior living market has become more competitive than ever. The National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care reported that occupancy fell to eight-year lows at one point last year. Operators face workforce challenges and aging in place is becoming more desirable. Whether independent living, assisted living or memory care, senior housing properties are being[…]
• Is Your Website Senior and ADA Friendly?
  • According to AARP, Baby Boomers spend about $3 trillion annually and a whopping 78 percent are online, where they’re buying $7 billion in goods and services. As of 2017, they spent more time online than Millennials. It’s likely their time spent online will continue to grow, and they have the resources to support an increasing number of online[…]
• Turning a Bad Turn Day into a Good One with Technology
  • Hours upon hours and days upon days can be spent planning and executing student housing lease-ups. Vendor schedules must be coordinated, leases approved, apartments assigned and roommates matched. Property management technology can assist but the sweat of the brow is often necessary. Most of all, listening to students and parents as they embark upon one[…]

From Reddits /r/RealEstate Subreddit

• Update to Buyer making unreasonable demand 9 days before closing
  • current score on reddit: 192
• The real “Money Pit” has closed
  • current score on reddit: 133
• Are there any ELI5 resources for first time home buyers? And first time “adulters” in general?
  • current score on reddit: 120