Amazon is venturing into the real estate business. The retail giant announced an alliance with the nation’s largest brokerage, Realogy. It’s a deal that will help sell homes, and get them equipped with smart home technology. The announcement sent Realogy’s battered stock soaring, and is probably shaking up a few real estate competitors, like Zillow.

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Real Estate: Realogy Shakes Up Industry with Amazon Alliance

Don’t get caught off guard by market crashes that can take all your money down with them. And don’t miss out on markets where you can build wealth practically overnight. Real Estate News for Investors with Kathy Fettke is the premiere source for savvy real estate investors who want to stay up-to-date on new laws, regulations, and economic events that affect real estate. Topics include: market trends, economic analysis that affects housing prices, updates on the best rental markets for investing in single-family rentals or multi-unit rentals, turn-key housing standards, the fate of the highly revered 1031 exchange and other tax law affecting investors, self-directed IRA investing and 401k changes, where rents and property values are rising or falling, flipping risks, new Dodd-Frank rules regarding private lending and financing standards, areas with job losses vs job growth, areas that are overbuilt or over-supplied versus areas with low supply and high demand, and how to avoid real estate scams.

We'll bring you the latest reports from organizations like the National Association of Realtors, Realty Trac, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Zillow, Trulia, Redfin, Rent Range, Property Radar, the Norris Group, Peter Schiff, Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad, Suse Orman, Bigger Pockets, Dave Ramsey and more. And we'll help you interpret the data in terms that make sense for your real estate goals, and portfolio. Grow and protect your wealth by staying on the forefront of economic data analysis, expert opinions, innovative investing strategies and profitable investment opportunities. We'll share all the top real estate news stories and the best trade secrets investors should know, so you can stay ahead of the curve and make fully informed real estate decisions.

Host Kathy Fettke is Co-CEO of the Real Wealth Network, author of Retire Rich with Rentals and host of the Real Wealth Show on iTunes. She brings decades of media and real estate investing experience, offers her own viewpoints on particular topics, and taps into her network of real estate experts for real world news updates created just for investors like you. Get the real news on real estate on Real Estate News For Investors podcast!

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In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending May 4th, 2024… why the Fed is holding firm on interest rates, what economists are saying about consumer spending, and why a NY landlord may be forced to live in one of his poorly maintained buildings.   Hi, I'm Kathy Fettke and this is Real Estate News for Investors. If you want more helpful information about real estate, the housing market, and rental property investment, please sign up for a free RealWealth membership at newsforinvestors.com. And please remember to subscribe to this podcast!   We begin with economic news from this past week. The big headline came from the Federal Reserve. Members of the Federal Open Market Committee decided to keep short-term rates right where they are, saying there’s a “lack of further progress” on inflation. The federal funds rate has been within a range of 5.25 and 5.50% since July of 2023. There had been hope for a rate cut this spring but inflation has been inching higher instead of lower since the beginning of the year. The Fed wants to see a more sustainable decline toward the Fed’s 2% target before it initiates a rate cut.   During his post-meeting speech, Fed Chief Jerome Powell emphasized that “inflation is still too high” and that the data has not given the central bank confidence that inflation is moving sustainably toward the target rate. But he did offer some assurance that it’s unlikely that the Fed would be hiking rates at the next meeting. That triggered a lot of joy on Wall Street and a big stock rally. The Dow was up as much as 500 points at one point...    Links:   1 - https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/01/fed-rate-decision-may-2024-.html   2 - https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/01/fed-meeting-today-live-updates-on-may-fed-rate-decision.html 3 - https://www.marketwatch.com/story/feds-bowman-says-shes-still-willing-to-raise-rates-10c39c38?mod=mw_rss_topstories   4 - https://www.marketwatch.com/story/jobless-claims-inch-up-to-208-000-layoffs-still-extremely-low-7020b3f1?mod=economic-report   5 - https://www.marketwatch.com/story/home-prices-hit-new-all-time-high-case-shiller-says-in-the-face-of-economic-uncertainty-98aa35cc?mod=economic-report   6 - https://www.marketwatch.com/story/construction-spending-posts-bigger-than-expected-drop-e0f15c88?mod=economic-report   7 - https://www.freddiemac.com/pmms   8 - https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/01/starbucks-mcdonalds-yum-earnings-show-consumers-pulling-back.html   9 - https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/03/jobs-report-april-2024-us-job-growth-totaled-175000-in-april.html   10 - https://www.bisnow.com/new-york/news/multifamily/new-yorks-worst-landlord-indicted-on-80-counts-124094

The Real Estate News Brief: Fed’s Forecast on a Rate Cut, Consumer Pullback Arrives, Odd Punishment for NY Landlord

NASA’s chief is worried about the possibility of a lunar land grab by China. China announced the launch of a test flight just this past week with plans to put boots on the moon’s surface in the near future. One big concern is that China is not part of an international lunar cooperation agreement, and may try to lay claim to an area believed to have water.   Hi I’m Kathy Fettke and this is the Real Estate News for Investors. Before we get started, I want to let you know we released a handful of new tickets for this weekends live event near San Francisco. I'll be giving my housing forecast for 2024 -2025 and we'll also have 5 property teams from some of the fastest growing markets in the country, including Dallas, Jacksonville Fl, Cincinnati, and San Antonio. They will give an update on their markets and present available rental properties that cash flow with property management in place. Some of the lenders are offering rates under 5% so come check it out. Again that's May 4th near the San Francisco Airport. Go to newsforinvestors.com under the Connect tab and Live Events. And if you haven't yet subscribed to our podcast, click here to subscribe on your favorite platform.    Now back to our story… China just announced the launch of an unmanned test mission to the dark side of the moon. The spacecraft will be guided by a satellite because that side of the moon permanently faces away from earth. The lander will collect rocks and soil and, with the help of a satellite, will depart from the moon for a return trip to earth...   Links:   1 - https://qz.com/nasa-bill-nelson-china-moon-landing-change-artemis-1851441860   2 - https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2024/04/29/asia-pacific/china-mission-moon-hidden-side/

Lunar Land Grab: Will the Moon Be Off-Limits if China Gets There First???

A federal agency is suggesting that lenders foot the bill for title insurance instead of home buyers. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says that home buyers are paying way too much for something that protects lenders. But skeptics are pushing back, saying if lenders are forced to pay, a change in the rules won’t have the desired result and won’t do much for housing affordability.   Hi! I’m Kathy Fettke and this is the Real Estate News for Investors. Before we continue, please take a moment to sign up for a free RealWealth membership. You’ll have access to a valuable educational resource and there’s no cost or obligation to join. You can sign up at newsforinvestors.com. And if you haven't yet, subscribe to this podcast on your favorite platform so you won't miss an episode.    Now, back to our story about title insurance, which is required by lenders to verify ownership and whether there are any liens on the property. It typically costs about $2,000 for a median-priced home. But according to Rocket Mortgage, it can vary from state to state and can range from half-a-percent to 1%. So let’s say you’re buying a $500,000 home and you need title insurance. If it costs half-a-percent of the home price, that’s $2,500, and at 1%, $5,000.    As reported by The Real Deal, buyers often overlook the cost of title insurance so it comes as a surprise. And here’s the rub, if there’s no loan, owner’s title insurance only costs about $200, which is what the CFPB is concerned about – that homebuyers are being overcharged for title insurance...   Links:   1 - https://therealdeal.com/national/2024/04/19/consumer-bureau-pushes-for-title-insurance-reform/   2 -  https://www.nationalmortgagenews.com/news/what-happens-if-the-cfpb-makes-lenders-pay-title-insurance

Home Buyers Off the Hook for Title Insurance?

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending April 27th, 2024… the Fed’s preferred inflation report casts another shadow over a near-term rate cut, housing takes a bigger bite out of the GDP, and the court ruling that could prevent a controversial but popular law that allows single-family lot splitting in California.   Hi, I'm Kathy Fettke and this is Real Estate News for Investors. If you want to know more about investing in rental properties, we are holding a live event on May 4th near the San Francisco airport. You can find out more about the event at newsforinvestors.com. And don’t forget to click the subscribe button for this podcast! Now back to our News Brief…   We begin with economic news from this past week. The all-important PCE inflation report came out and confirmed once again that it’ll take a bit longer to get inflation back down to the 2% level. The Federal Reserve’s preferred Personal Consumption Expenditure index shows a .3% increase in prices last month which increases the yearly rate of inflation from 2.5% to 2.7%. The core rate which excludes prices for energy and food was also up .3% with a yearly rate that was unchanged at 2.8%. The report makes it more likely that the Fed will not be cutting interest rates in the near future...    Links:   1 - https://www.marketwatch.com/livecoverage/march-pce-report-hot-inflation-reading-forecasted-after-gdp-data/card/prices-rises-sharply-again-pce-shows-and-signals-progress-on-slowing-inflation-stalls-ybnTskvnrmraHcqNYnbW?mod=home-page   2 - https://www.marketwatch.com/story/sales-of-new-homes-rebounded-in-march-26f52aec?mod=economic-report   3 - https://www.marketwatch.com/story/pending-home-sales-see-unexpected-jump-in-march-despite-rising-mortgage-rates-cb4eaecc?mod=mw_latestnews   4 - https://www.freddiemac.com/pmms   5 - https://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com/markets/mortgage-rates-04252024   6 - https://eyeonhousing.org/2024/04/housing-share-of-gdp-surpasses-16-for-first-time-since-2022/   7 - https://therealdeal.com/la/2024/04/25/la-court-nixes-california-sb9-allowing-home-lot-splits/ 

The Real Estate News Brief: Disappointing Inflation Report, Housing Share of the GDP, CA Judge Strikes Down Single-Family Lots Splits

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending April 20th, 2024... you’ll hear what the Fed Chief said about “higher for longer,” (he didn't say that on 4/20 but that would have been funny!) why Moody’s is offering an upbeat prediction about rate cuts, and how renters feel about homeownership.   We begin with economic news from this past week and more talk about what’s next for interest rates. Fed Chief Jerome Powell spoke out last Tuesday, saying that recent data shows a lack of progress in reducing inflation to the Fed’s 2% goal, and that Fed officials need to have more confidence that that is happening before they cut rates. He said that inflation “declined significantly during the second half of last year” but he added: “The recent data have clearly not given us greater confidence and instead indicate that it’s likely to take longer than expected to achieve that confidence."...   ...If you’d like to learn more about investing in real estate, I encourage you to sign up for a free RealWealth membership and come to our live event in San Francisco on May 4th. We’ll have five property teams giving presentations about their markets and their inventory of for-sale rental homes. We are also hosting a cocktail party in the evening for an opportunity to meet other investors and have some fun! Go to newsforinvestors.com for more information about membership and our live event.   That’s it for today. You can read more about the stories in this episode by following links in the show notes at newsforinvestors.com. And please remember to subscribe to this podcast, and leave a review!   Thanks for listening!   Links:   1 - https://www.marketwatch.com/story/feds-powell-says-likely-to-take-longer-to-meet-conditions-to-cut-interest-rates-72c65044?mod=federal-reserve   2 - https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/19/feds-goolsbee-says-more-sniffing-may-be-needed-before-rate-cuts-.html   3 - https://www.marketwatch.com/story/feds-goolsbee-says-progress-on-inflation-has-stalled-makes-sense-to-wait-on-interest-rates-8f17e77b?mod=search_headline   4 - https://www.globest.com/2024/04/18/moodys-there-will-be-rate-cut-of-up-to-75-bps-this-year/   5 - https://www.marketwatch.com/story/jobless-claims-flat-at-212-000-and-still-no-sign-of-rising-layoffs-226f55bf?mod=economy-politics   6 - https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/19/something-strange-has-been-happening-with-jobless-claims-numbers-lately.html?__source=iosappshare%7Ccom.apple.UIKit.activity.Message   7 - https://www.marketwatch.com/story/home-sales-get-hammered-by-higher-mortgage-rates-but-one-region-is-holding-up-b75ed6d5?mod=economic-report   8 - https://www.marketwatch.com/story/housing-starts-plunge-in-march-amid-housing-shortage-b489170a?mod=economic-report   9 - https://www.marketwatch.com/story/builder-confidence-index-stalls-in-april-as-mortgage-rates-hit-7-buyers-are-back-on-the-fence-waiting-for-interest-rates-to-fall-one-builder-says-de04d6e9?mod=economic-report   10 - https://www.freddiemac.com/pmms   11 - https://www.nar.realtor/magazine/real-estate-news/mortgage-rates-jump-above-7-percent-setting-new-high-for-2024   12 - https://www.globest.com/2024/04/16/more-renters-give-up-on-home-ownership/

Real Estate: Realogy Shakes Up Industry with Amazon Alliance

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