Why Now is The Perfect Time to Invest in Real Estate!

The Cities Where Rent Is Rising Fastest

Your landlord will probably never lower your rent—but at least you can take solace that rents aren't rising as quickly as they used to.  Rents for single-family homes are likely to rise by 1.7 percent in the year ending August 2017, according to new data from Zillow. That continues the trend of slower rent growth during the current calendar year, and it marks a big shift from 2015, when rents in San Francisco, among other cities, jumped by more than 10 percent. – From Bloomberg

Why Now is The Perfect Time to Invest in Real Estate

If you have been on the fence about getting into real estate investing, now may be the best time to take that first dive into this business. Real estate has seen its highs and lows over the past decade. Due to the subprime mortgage housing crisis, many investors jumped ship when it came to this business, and ever since then, there still seems to be whispers of hesitation to enter back into this market. – From HousingWire

5 Ways to Troubleshoot Your Home Search

Ready to buy a home, but just can't seem to find what you're looking for? You may need to adjust your approach. The home-buying process can take some interesting twists and turns. If you find yourself missing out on homes when they hit the market, or you can’t find the exact home you want, you might need to adjust your criteria. Here are some areas to troubleshoot and pivot your search. – From Zillow

4 White Lies That Can Help You Buy a Home--and Are OK to Tell

In real estate, there are ways to tiptoe around the truth to get what you want. We're not saying you should outright lie, but a few fibs are just part of the game. Here's what info to gently spin so the ball stays in your court. – From Realtor.com

Mortgage Lenders Taking Broader Look at Borrowers’ Credit History

Borrowers seeking home loans should know that many mortgage lenders recently began scrutinizing more detailed credit data. Fannie Mae, the government-controlled mortgage-financing giant, has revised its risk-assessment software to include an expanded version of a borrower’s credit report. The reports now include more details about how the borrower has paid credit-card bills over the previous two years. – From The Seattle Times

8 Ways To Get A Deal During Real Estate’s Off-Season

The holiday season can seem to go by at warp speed with all the shopping, traveling, baking, and gift wrapping that goes on … in addition to everyday life. So selling or buying a home probably isn’t at the top of your (and most people’s) to-do list. That means low inventory but also mild competition, which presents an opportunity for the savvy buyer in cold-weather markets like Syracuse, NY. Here are eight tips from real estate agents on how to get a great deal on a home during the winter. – From Trulia

Completed Foreclosures Down 42% Year over Year: CoreLogic

In total, there were 37,000 completed foreclosures in August, down from 64,000 the year before. The country's foreclosure inventory meanwhile posted its largest year-over-year decline since January 2015, according to CoreLogic chief economist Frank Nothaft. "Foreclosure inventory fell by 30% from the previous year, the largest year-over-year decline since January 2015," Nothaft said in a news release. "The large decline in the distressed inventory has been one of the drivers of steady home price growth which helps Americans increase their home equity to support increased spending or cushion future economic risk." – From National Mortgage News