Watch, listen, read, and follow the latest and greatest in real estate insights—February 23, 2018, edition.
WATCH: Homeowners are using rental income earned through Airbnb to refinance their mortgages
Being called either a “marriage made in mortgage heaven” or a “risk to the still-recovering mortgage market,” a new program by Fannie Mae allows borrowers to use the rental income as part of the income qualification to refinance their home loans.
Proponents argue that underwriting criteria are still strict and still includes credit score and loan-to-value on the home. But critics wonder if this is a slippery slope for some homeowners.
Watch the full video here.
LISTEN: BiggerPockets Podcast 267: From Professional Soccer Player to Rental Property Investor with Nat Borchers
Released weekly on Thursdays, the BiggerPockets Podcast is hosted by Joshua Dorkin and Brandon Turner. It features off-the-cuff interviews with investors of various backgrounds, niches, and experience levels.
How does a world-class soccer star set himself up for a lifetime of financial freedom? Rental properties! That’s the story on today’s episode of The BiggerPockets Podcast, where the hosts sit down with Nat “The Beard” Borchers to learn how he built a sizable portfolio of rental properties while traveling the country (and the world!) as a professional athlete. Nat shares his humble “hammer-swinging” beginnings, as well as the systems that today allow him to live a life of freedom while others manage his units.
Listen to the full podcast here.
READ: Best buy cities: where to invest in housing in 2018
As home prices continue to grow and the number of available homes continues to shrink, it’s no easy feat to find the right place for your buyers. But if you can’t find that sweet spot in your own town, perhaps it’s time to branch out.
Local Market Monitor, which tracks more than 300 housing markets across the country, has a list of 20 markets where growth is high—but it appears to be sustainable, making these cities a good place to hang your hat.
Orlando leads the way, with home prices increasing 9 percent in 2017, hitting an average of $247,550. Other cities on the list: Austin, Seattle, Sacramento, Provo-Orem, among others. Read here for the full list.
FOLLOW: 10 best real estate Instagram accounts to follow in 2018
If you’re a real estate agent, you are probably already on Facebook—and it is a great platform to connect with potential buyers and sellers, highlight listings, and share relevant news. But as the average age of Facebook users continues to rise, you might be missing out on potential clients if you haven’t branched out onto other social sites. Instagram, for instance, is not only easy to use, but because it is photograph-based, it’s a natural for real estate agents.
Make 2018 the year you hop on Instagram. And be sure to follow the accounts in this article.
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