Affordable Housing A comprehensive study conducted by Highland Cabinetry identified the top states for home resale across the U.S. and uncovered the key economic factors important for success in this competitive market. introduction: Highland Cabinetry's latest study delves into the intricacies of home flipping and reveals that Arizona is a leading state for home flipping. The study evaluates key criteria such as renovation costs, sales rates and return on investment to determine the most favorable environment for real estate investors. Key findings: Arizona emerges as a standout state for home flippers, boasting an overall score of 72. With average renovation…
Author: Private Lending Agent
Public Savings Fund Account: Introduced in 1968 under the National Savings Institute of the Ministry of Finance, the Public Savings Fund (PPF) scheme was introduced to encourage long-term savings and investment for retirement planning. Regarded as a prudent financial instrument for individuals averse to high-risk investments, the PPF scheme offers a combination of safety, reasonable returns and tax benefits, making it an attractive option for those looking for a reliable avenue to accumulate retirement savings. Since the plan is mandated by the government, it is backed with guaranteed returns to safeguard the financial needs of ordinary investors. Moreover, funds invested…
Cash is no longer trash, but investors hoping to get out of money market funds and into other assets like stocks and bonds in time for the Fed to cut interest rates may be regretting not acting sooner. Playing it safe doesn't necessarily mean just holding money market funds or government bonds. “There are other ways to maintain higher quality and earn more basis points than money market funds,” says Jerome Schneider, portfolio manager and head of short-term and low-duration portfolio strategies at Pimco. He compares a typical money market fund, which returned about 5.1% in 2023, to an ultra-short-term…
Contrary to expectations, commercial real estate has not seen a major crash. Foreclosures continue to rise, but many owners are managing to navigate the high interest rate environment. However, the combination of high interest rates, limited financing sources, and lack of supply has significantly reduced sales volume. This has led to increased competition among brokers for each transaction. Unlike buyers' markets of the past, sellers are not discounting as much as they should, instead pushing prices to the limits of what is financially viable. As a result, brokers are restructuring their organizations to become more streamlined and efficient, and many…
ORLANDO, Fla. — For three months, a woman was unable to access her new bank account or the $5,000 she had deposited there.”They didn't even tell me why my account was blocked,” social media influencer Rich Journey said.She helps people find money-making opportunities on TikTok, but was frustrated that she couldn't access her Citibank account.Gunman shot dead by police while trying to board a flight at Melbourne airport”One day I was shopping at Target, it was the first time I'd ever used my card to make a purchase, and the cashier said, 'Oh no, your transaction didn't go through,'” she…
AMHERST, N.Y. — In 1983, the United States was in the midst of the Cold War, Philips introduced the compact disc, and “Return of the Jedi” became a box office hit. It was also the year that New York state set the minimum interest rate that counties must charge on delinquent property taxes at 12 percent, based on the federal prime rate at the time. State Sen. Sean Ryan (D-Buffalo) noted that while the rate hasn't exceeded 12 percent since October 1984, the law hasn't changed. “Interest on delinquent taxes was just created to encourage people to pay their taxes,”…
Akshay Bhatia enters the weekend with a chance to win his second consecutive tournament. After last week's Travelers Championship, the lanky left-hander will play again at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in 2024. Following an eight-under 64 on Friday, Bhatia is at 13 under and tied with Englishman Aaron Rai, who fired two birdies late in the round to move into a tie for the lead with Bhatia.”For me, when I know I'm playing well, I feel like I can hit all the golf shots I need to hit to get a good golf score,” Bhatia said. “It might be a…
The week started off with no interest rate movements at all, but by Friday things had changed dramatically — at least compared to an exceptionally quiet week prior. But overall, it was just one of several weeks of short-term volatility fuelled by Friday's unexpected spike in interest rates. Incidentally, the fact that this week's interest rate spike occurred over the weekend means that Freddie Mac's weekly mortgage rate index failed to detect the change. More timely daily data shows that average mortgage rates are trending slightly higher this week, not lower. The most eagerly awaited data was the May PCE…
Dive Overview: Moody's said the work-from-home trend is likely to drive commercial real estate vacancy rates to a peak average of 24% in 2026, four percentage points higher than in the first quarter of this year. Rising vacancy rates could erode commercial real estate value by up to $250 billion by 2026, Moody's CRE economists Tom LaSalvia and Todd Metcalf said in response to questions via email on Friday. “Many industries do not appear to be seeing a significant impact on productivity” from working from home, they said, but acknowledged that research on the issue has produced mixed results. “Without…
Mortgage interest rates forecast for July: Slight declineMortgage rates are expected to fall slightly in July as inflation eases.I'm not talking about a sudden drop in interest rates. Imagine a gentle slope, like the uneven floor of a 150-year-old house, on which a dropped marble rolls slowly.Mortgage interest rates appear to have peaked in May of this year. Although it won't be clear until the end of December, they have been trending downward. According to Freddie Mac's weekly survey, the average interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was 7.22% in the first week of May. It fell to 6.86%…