Real Estate News: Real Estate Investing Podcast

You may not need to live near the beach to go surfing. The joy of surfing on a perfect wave can now be found at public “wave resorts” that are popping up around the world. One that will break ground this year is headed for the Southern California desert near Palm Springs in the Coachella Valley. And, it’s not the only one in the planning stages for this region. www.NewsForInvestors.com

In this week's Real Estate News Brief... the economy gets political with more calls for a Fed rate cut, real estate regains top ranking as an investing favorite, and an update on national vacancies and zombie foreclosures. www.NewsForInvestors.com

Oregon has become the first state in the nation to eliminate single-family zoning. State lawmakers passed the legislation to help increase the housing supply and affordability. It’s a concept that is gaining momentum in cities and states across the nation, but is also threatening the American Dream of owning a home that’s surrounded by a yard, and maybe a white picket fence. www.NewsForInvestors.com

As experts attempt to predict the impact of a trade war on the economy, most agree that there will be both upsides and downsides for real estate. Here’s a summary of recent developments on the trade war. During trade talks, China refused a deal on U.S. agricultural products. That triggered an order from President Trump to impose an additional 10% tariffs on the remaining $300 billion worth of Chinese goods not yet subject to tariffs...

In this week's Real Estate News Brief... new trade war repercussions, a big dip in mortgage rates, and disappointing news for Equifax data breach victims. We don’t have a lot of economic reports from this past week, but there sure is a lot happening with the trade war and potential impacts on our economy. The situation with China has escalated rapidly -- first with failed trade talks, then with President Trump’s call for new tariffs on Chinese goods.

The use of “smart windows” is about to blast off. These windows have wifi-connected glass that can do all sorts of things, like adjust from clear, for a beautiful view, to frosted, for privacy. They can even call police if a burglar breaks in. And the companies making these windows are installing them on buildings around the world. Analysts say the use of this smart glass is about to experience revolutionary growth over the next ten years. www.NewsForInvestors.com

The Federal Reserve Bank announced plans to create a real-time payment system to make check-cashing and other transactions faster. It would be an upgrade from the current Fed system which is slow to settle a transaction and would be run like a utility. It would also compete with a network recently launched by six big banks called The Clearing House. Critics say the Fed system would be redundant and would interfere with the private sector effort that’s already underway. www.NewsForInvestors.com

Just after the Federal Reserve announced a quarter percent rate cut, President Trump announced more tariffs. This sparked fear on Wall Street of an escalating trade war, which sent the S&P and NASDAQ Composite tumbling down, marking their worst week of the year. Trump announced that starting September 1, $300 billion worth of Chinese goods, ranging from toys to iPhones, will be slapped with a 10% tariff. This is on top of the existing 25% tariff on $250 Billion worth of imports.

The Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rates by a quarter point yesterday, the first time since the 2008 financial crisis. This marks a dramatic shift in monetary policy. But President Trump argued that it wasn’t enough to support his administration's trade wars and currency battles. Just after the Federal Reserve changed course from tightening the money supply, to lowering rates in an effort to encourage more spending, the President offered more criticism to Fed Chair Jerome Powell.

In this week's Real Estate News Brief... we’ll find out why the dramatic drop in the GDP, how many U.S. households have “no” mortgage, and what Google is doing to make Bay Area housing more affordable. We begin with economic news from this past week that shows a rebound in new home sales. After two month of declines, they rose 7% in June to an annual rate of 646,000. That’s 4.5% higher than June of last year, mostly due to lower mortgage rates. Get the full scoop at: www.NewsForInvestors.com

Rental demand is soaring among renters who feel it’s more affordable to rent than to own. Freddie Mac says that attitudes about homeownership are changing due to the high cost of housing, and that 82% of those surveyed feel that renting is less expensive. Some 4,000 households contributed to the Freddie Mac survey called “Profile of Today’s Renter and Owner.” One of the key findings it that a majority of renters don’t ever see themselves as homeowners. www.NewsForInvestors.com

Amazon is venturing into the real estate business. The retail giant announced an alliance with the nation’s largest brokerage, Realogy. It’s a deal that will help sell homes, and get them equipped with smart home technology. The announcement sent Realogy’s battered stock soaring, and is probably shaking up a few real estate competitors, like Zillow. www.NewsForInvestors.com

The U.S. housing market lost a lot of foreign buyers in the last year. The National Association of Realtors reports a stunning 36% drop in home sales to foreign buyers from April of last year to March of this year. It’s the result of a variety of factors both here and abroad. We’ll take a look at why that number is down, who’s still buying, and where. www.NewsForInvestors.com

In this week's Real Estate News Brief... we’ll tell you how much U.S. rents have risen, which cities are the best for tech jobs, and what Google is launching to help you connect with like-minded people. We begin with economic news from this past week and signs that the central bank is ready for a rate cut. www.NewsForInvestors.com

Harvard’s annual in-depth analysis of the housing market shows some positives and some negatives for the real estate industry. Although the number of renter households fell again in 2018, supply remains tight and rental demand remains strong. That’s also pushing rents higher and vacancy rates lower. Affordability remains a problem for many renters, but the number of cost-burdened rental households has ticked down slightly. www.NewsForInvestors.com