In case you haven’t noticed… the housing market is making a recovery. Most investors still shudder at the thought of investing in real estate again, but it’s time to reconsider. But before we get into more reasons why we think now’s the time to buy real estate-related investments (and our favorite investments in this industry)… let’s take a quick look down memory lane. To a time when real estate used to be the absolute darling of the markets. Rallying behind one of Mark Twain’s many droll quotes – “Buy land, they’re not making it anymore” – people in the newly minted twenty-first century pounced on whatever property they could get their hands on, refusing to learn the lessons of even the recent past. Read More...

Home prices are rising at the fastest rate in seven years, with some communities seeing double-digit gains, as buyers are returning to a market where the number of properties for sale is in short supply. Prices increased 9.3% in February from a year earlier while mortgage-interest rates hovered near record lows, according to the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller index that tracks home prices in 20 major metropolitan areas. All 20 cities posted year-over-year gains for the second consecutive month, which hasn't happened since 2005, before the crash. Read More...

If you are thinking about building a new home you're onthe right track.  Motgage rates are still historically low and existing home prices are rising.  That combination is powerful when it comes to deciding when to build.  The question doesn't seem to be if rates are going to rise the question seems to be when and how fast.  The following graph found on Mortgage-X.com is a snapshot of rates since 1992. Read More...

The U.S. housing market has broken out of a deep slump, and prices are shooting up faster than anyone thought possible a year ago. For many homeowners, that is a cause for celebration. But the speed at which prices are rising is prompting murmurs of concern that the Federal Reserve's campaign to reduce interest rates could be giving the housing market a sugar high.  Prices of existing homes rose 10% in February nationally from a year ago. They have been rising during the seasonally slow winter months—and they show signs of jumping further as the spring buying season gets under way. What's going on?  Read More...