Many people claim real estate investors cause homelessness by owning rentals and charging rent, however, they can play a significant role in preventing homelessness by implementing various strategies that promote affordable housing, stability, and supportive services. Real estate investors also provide rentals which are the next step from homelessness as most people in a dire … Read more
There are many pros and cons to investing in a small town as opposed to a larger town. I have many properties in small towns and larger towns and personally, I think the small towns are overlooked based on the many advantages they have. Some of the major differences in small towns are the taxes, … Read more
I (Mark Ferguson) will hold 4 in-person masterminds in Colorado in 2024. I love doing these because it gives people from all over the country a chance to meet, learn about each other’s business, give advice, get advice, and think outside the box. I attended a mastermind like this a few years ago and loved … Read more
The United States, as has most of the world, has made stricter and stricter building codes over the years. However, the United States does not have any national building codes the states or local cities make their own rules. I have found the states or areas with the strictest building codes also have the highest … Read more
With interest rates rising over the last year, it has made it tougher and tougher for real estate investors and owner-occupied home buyers. People need places to live whether they are rentals or personal houses and higher rates make those properties much more expensive unless someone is paying cash. While higher rates make it tougher … Read more
A lot of people including Jerome Powell who runs the Federal Reserve assume high interest rates will make housing cheaper. They believe that higher rates make houses less affordable and therefore, prices will decrease. There are many things wrong with this line of thinking, but they are missing an incredibly important concept. High rates may … Read more
Return on equity (ROE) and return on investment (ROI) are two important financial metrics that are used to measure the profitability of a rental property, a business, or another type of investment. Both metrics are expressed as a percentage, and they both measure the amount of profit that is generated from a given amount of … Read more
I have owned rental properties for more than 13 years and being a landlord was one of the best choices I ever made but it is not easy. There are many aspects to owning rentals from finding good properties, to financing them, to managing them. Many people may think the hardest part of being a … Read more
Home prices have increased significantly in many areas of the US in the last five years. But, the highest appreciating states may surprise you. California is often thought of as a highly appreciating state but did they even make the list? Alabama is often considered as a state with low home prices but how did … Read more
Many people have speculated that a recession and rising unemployment could cause more foreclosures which could then cause a housing crash. If there is a recession and more unemployment that cause foreclosures it is important to know how long foreclosures take in order to get an accurate idea of when those foreclosures may hit the … Read more
I saw the news about the new FHFA lending fee structure for Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae and thought, as usual, things were being blown out of proportion. Then I saw the table for the new fees and I could not believe how they have made it more expensive for high-down-payment borrowers than low-down-payment borrowers. … Read more