April 2019 News Brief
Residential
Why The Stage Is Set For A Stronger Spring Home-Buying Season
So far in 2019, we’ve seen mortgage rates decline and wages rise – both trends work to boost house-buying power and fuel greater market potential for home sales, setting the stage for a stronger than expected spring home-buying season.
By: Mark Fleming, First American Economic Center, March 21, 2019
Read more: https://blog.firstam.com/economics/why-the-stage-is-set-for-a-stronger-spring- home-buying-season?
5 Tips For Troops and Vets Buying Their First Homes
A recent report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau indicated that active-duty troops and veterans buying their first homes are forgoing conventional real-estate loans and other government- funded mortgage options in favor of VA loans.
By: Joshua Axelrod, Military Times Reboot Camp, March 14, 2019
Read more: https://rebootcamp.militarytimes.com/transition-tips/ transition/2019/03/14/5-tips-for-troops-and-vets-buying-their-first-homes
New Tools to End Buyer-Seller Battles
Home inspections are often a major bone of contention between buyers and sellers.
By: Lew Sichelman, UExpress, March 15, 2019
Read more: https://www.uexpress.com/housing-scene/2019/3/15/new-tools-to- end-buyer-seller-battles
Getting a Mortgage Becomes Easier for the Self-Employed
Americans who are self-employed and freelance or contract workers have long had to struggle to qualify for a mortgage compared with those with W-2 forms or pay stubs that lenders can use to verify their incomes.
By: REALTOR® Magazine, Daily News, March 18, 2019
Read more: https://magazine.realtor/daily-news/2019/03/18/getting-a-mortgage- becomes-easier-for-the-self-employed
How Remote Online Notarization is Driving the Future of Identity Verification
In the future, the majority of transactions for America’s most important
economic sectors will occur online.
By: Andrew MacDougall, Notarize, March 12, 2019
Read more: https://www.alta.org/news/news.cfm?20190312-How-Remote-Online- Notarization-is-Driving-the-Future-of-Identity-Verification
Commercial
Commercial Real Estate Faces Cap On Interest Expense
As part of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, CRE companies now face a cap on the amount of interest expense they can deduct from their annual taxes.
By: Benjamin Paltiel, Bisnow, March 20, 2019
Read more: https://www.bisnow.com/new-york/news/commercial-real-estate/interest- expense-limitations-could-hit-cre-harder-than-any-other-industry-97951
Shared Economies and the Real Estate Implications of the USMCA
This article explores what opportunities the revised NAFTA agreement,
USMCA—The U.S.–Mexico–Canada Agreement— offers for North American businesses and commercial real estate developers.
By: Gregory Healy, Colliers International, March 21, 2019
Read more: https://knowledge-leader.colliers.com/gregory-healy/shared-economies-and-the- real-estate-implications-of-the-usmca
Emphasizing Patience, the Fed Keeps Rates Steady
For the first time in five quarters, the Federal Reserve didn’t raise short-term interest rates following its regular meeting.
By: Al Brooks, J.P. Morgan, Commercial Banking Insights, March 20, 2019
Read more: https://www.jpmorgan.com/commercial-banking/insights/fed-keeps- rates-steady
More than 5,800 Stores are Closing
in 2019 as the Retail Apocalypse Drags On
Forward-thinking building owners and developers are using social media sites like Instagram to attract increasingly tech-savvy workforce and residents.
By: Urvashi Verma, In-Building Tech, March 21, 2019
Read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/stores-closing-in-2019-list-2019- 3?utm_content=buffer3beb7&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_ campaign=buffer-insider-main
Commercial Real Estate Owners are Leveraging Social Media to Attract Tenants
Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ether continue to dominate the headlines;
but these tokens could not exist without blockchain.
By: Eric Sherman and Marion Harris, Commercial Observer, February 13, 2019
Read more: https://inbuildingtech.com/commercial/commercial-real-estate-social- media
