The Real Estate News Brief: Rate-Cut Hopes Deflate, Price Impact on Construction, Property Tax Sticker Shock

In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending April 15th, 2024... why the latest inflation reports could postpone the Fed’s rate-cutting plan, how inflation continues to impact construction costs, and why homeowners are getting sticker shock from property tax bills.   We begin with economic news from this past week that was dominated by two of the latest inflation reports. The Consumer Price Index or CPI came out on Wednesday and the Producer Price Index or PPI came out on Thursday.   Unfortunately for everyone wanting a great inflation report, the March CPI was hotter than expected. It rose .4% in March for an annual rate of 3.5%. That’s up from 3.2% last month. That is not what the Fed wants to see as it decides to lower the Federal Funds rate...   ...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. We are also encouraging all of our listeners to sign up for a free RealWealth membership. As a member, you’ll get updates on what’s new for the housing market and for real estate investors. Our big focus right now is a live event on Saturday May 4th in San Francisco. We’ll have six property teams giving presentations on their markets and the kind of rental properties available. We are also hosting a cocktail party in the evening to give people an opportunity to share their real estate investing stories and get to know one another. You can find out more about that at newsforinvestors.com. Just click on Connect and then Live Events. Subscribe to the podcast here.    Thanks for listening! Kathy Fettke   Links:   1 - https://www.marketwatch.com/livecoverage/cpi-report-for-march-dow-futures-steady-ahead-of-key-inflation-data/card/inflation-rises-sharply-again-in-march-cpi-shows-and-may-raise-doubts-about-fed-rate-cut-Foz2wKLnfXjobHHolAdz   2 - https://www.cnbc.com/2013/02/20/producer-price-index-cnbc-explains.html   3 - https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/10/hot-inflation-data-pushes-markets-rate-cut-expectations-to-september.html   4 - https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/05/fed-governor-bowman-says-additional-rate-hike-could-be-needed-if-inflation-stays-high.html   5 - https://www.constructiondive.com/news/producer-price-construction-input-march/712981/   6 - https://www.marketwatch.com/story/fed-officials-back-cautious-approach-to-further-shrinking-of-its-balance-sheet-minutes-show-4fed157d?mod=federal-reserve   7 - https://www.marketwatch.com/story/jobless-claims-retreat-again-to-211-000-in-another-sign-of-labor-market-strength-ac68c1cc?mod=economic-report   8 - https://www.freddiemac.com/pmms   9 - https://www.forbes.com/advisor/taxes/property-taxes-surge/   10 - https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/09/why-new-build-homes-can-lead-to-a-property-tax-surprise.html