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