Not only have vacation homes been a benefit for owners in escaping the stresses of life, those recently selling are pocketing some impressive gains on the way out of the closing. As usual, I invoke the TINSTAANREM axiom — There Is No Such Thing As A National Real Estate Market or a National Economy. The …Read more
Technology continues to be a market-leading growth industry, attracting the best of the best workers given potential financial rewards. Some of the major technology hubs, however, rank among the most expensive places to live. Those cities costs often overwhelm even the higher tech incomes. While San Francisco and San Jose were the original tech meccas …Read more
Everyone’s top-10 list of anything ranked will vary since we all have differing wants, needs, likes and dislikes. Whenever any top-10 list is presented, prior to trusting the rankings, always focus on the selection, inclusion and exclusion criteria. A good example of personal preference is my own avoidance of cold climates and weather. As stated …Read more
The U.S. population is always in flux from people moving to new destinations. According to a study of U.S. Census Bureau data, each year: 2 percent of people in the U.S. move to a different county 3 percent relocate to a different state Those in college and career bound move more often Millennials move almost …Read more
Cheap energy prices and lifestyle are once again leading to a move back to ‘burbs’ in America. Front and back yards are back in style for some, along with landscaping, vegetable gardens and trees. There are tens-of-thousands of Millennials in hot pursuit. As a result, demand is robust in many of the U.S. suburban housing …Read more
An estimated 40 million Americans move at least once each year, making up roughly 14 percent of the U.S. population. Trends in moving have been towards warmer climates, more affordable destinations and to where there are jobs. Many trends have been ongoing for 50 years or more. In the last quarter of 2017, San Francisco …Read more
Jobs are everything to an economy. Period. My favorite economic axiom! The ultimate demand for real estate is driven by people with money in their pockets – hence the focus on jobs. The demand for almost all real estate is local in nature (forgoing natural resources and geographic factors). Where robust job growth is found, …Read more
Back in the 1960s and 1970s there was magic in the word MILLION. Median home prices were less than $30,000. When I graduated with a Master’s degree in 1978 there were just 450,000 Millionaires in the country. There are almost 11 million today. Things change. So does the impact of some words. Many people now …Read more
There are only two things that are inevitable – death and taxes. Good news is this blog is about the latter of the two. Just as there are a number of things that can impact health, there are also multiple taxes that cannot be avoided. While property taxes are the primary revenue source for state …Read more
There was much debate and rhetoric regarding the potential impact on higher-valued homes arising from passage of the Tax Cut and Jobs Creation Act of 2017. The thought was that by cutting the allowable interest deduction from $1 million of total loans on the primary and secondary home(s) to $750,000, along with limiting a total …Read more