Families are facing much bigger rent checks this year — especially those living in cities in the South and West.
Rent prices have been rising across the country, but rents for single-family homes in these two parts of the country increased the most in the last year, according to a report from RentRange.
“The biggest increases were in the areas where the [housing] market was most depressed,” said CEO Wally Charnoff.
As you have probably heard, China seems to be on the edge of a significant crash. This has prompted questions of how to predict and prepare for the next real estate market crash in the US. We've had a couple of suggestions that tracking NODs (Notice of Default – the first step in the foreclosure process) would be a good indication. We have no crystal balls but here are our thoughts.
There is probably no single, reliable technique for predicting the next real estate market crash because each crash has a different cause. More than once we've been asked if tracking NODs would be a good predictor of a coming crash. I believe tracking NODs will tell you what has already happened as opposed to what is going to happen.
There are more renters now than in the history of the United States. Unfortunately, we’re also in “the worst rental affordability crisis that this country has ever known,” per the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. That's a bad combination.
Let’s take a look at what happened…
When people ask, “Is it still a good idea to buy real estate now?”, there are often two underlying problems. First, is a loss of direction. Second, “The Stock Market Mentality.” Put simply, in the stock market, timing is all important. If you don’t sell today, tomorrow your stock may be worth 50% less. If you don’t buy today, tomorrow it may cost 50% more. Fun, adventure and excitement. Keep away from it.
