Home builder confidence increased in April to an index reading of 63, which was one point higher than for March and the highest reading in six months. Analysts said that April's reading revealed more about housing market conditions in the past six months than it was an indicator of future market conditions. November's builder confidence reading was the lowest since housing markets tanked in 2008, Builder confidence recovered over the past few months despite headwinds including higher materials costs and shortages of labor and buildable lots. Home Builder Confidence Holds Steady Despite Headwinds NAHB Housing Market Index readings over 50 indicate that most home builders are confident about … [Read more...]
Can You Really Buy Off-Planet Real Estate?
Real estate agents are constantly looking for new listings, which will attract potential buyers. We no longer need to limit our search for good listings to planet Earth because Mars is now for sale. Although this may sound a bit far-fetched at first, it is not such a strange concept if you consider the serious efforts being made to colonize Mars with the commercial efforts by companies like Space X. There is a company, called Lunar Land, which is already selling acres of land on Mars as a novelty. Historical Precedent Off-planet land sales have already had considerable success for those crazy enough to sell titles to land on the Moon. Lunar Embassy, which started in 1980, claims to have sold … [Read more...]
FOMC Minutes Reveal Fed Policymakers U-Turn
Members of the Federal Reserve's Federal Open Market Committee voted to hold the target range of the federal funds rate to its current range of 2.25 to 2.50 percent. The minutes of the most recent Committee meeting cited softening domestic and global economic conditions as reason for not raising the target federal funds range. While labor markets remained strong, the minutes noted that household spending and business investment slowed in the first quarter of 2019. FOMC members expected Gross Domestic Product growth to slow as compared to its 2018 pace. While current inflation and the national unemployment rate fell in line with the Fed's dual mandate of seeking maximum employment and price … [Read more...]
Real Estate Investing 101: Identify Your Investing Style
Are you just starting on your real estate investing journey? Many newcomers are surprised to learn that there's more to making money on the real estate market than buying and selling. These are some of the most popular strategies real estate investors use to create profits. Which one is right for you? Buy And Hold Buy and hold investors play the market like stocks. They buy properties when prices are low, then hold them until values are high. During the holding period, some investors choose to offer their properties as rentals. Apartment buildings are also a popular option for buy and hold investors, as these properties are always in demand. Buy and hold investors might run into problems … [Read more...]
