The past two years have been anything but “normal” for real estate investors, and many have learned to adapt or fear missing out. Several factors converged to create the “perfect storm” for a competitive real estate market leading into 2022. Low interest rates made homeownership more attractive to more buyers, and the low inventory helped elevate prices. The pandemic continued to impact market in several ways, including an increase in working from home, an eviction moratorium, and a … Read More
A Lesser-Known Source of Funding for Real Estate Investments
Some real estate investors who have missed out on investment opportunities in the past due to lack of funding are learning they have the money – in their retirement accounts. By John Bowens Ohio resident David had grown frustrated during the past few years after having a couple of potential … Read More
Construction During Covid-19
Dear Customers, We're reaching out to our clients to offer some perspective on the state of construction amid the COVID-19 crisis. First and foremost, we recommend transitioning any ongoing meetings that may have previously been face-to-face to video conferencing. We interact with hundreds of … Read More
Walkthrough Guide for Project Owners
How can I get the most out of a contractor visit? One of the most important parts of picking a contractor or architect is the site visit. (Throughout this article we use the word contractor but almost all of the below applies to meeting an architect as well.) The site visit serves many … Read More
Construction Bids: A Guide
You can think of a bid as a precursor to an agreement between you and your contractor — it lays out all of the items, labor, and prices that your contractor is committing to deliver. So getting bids — and reviewing them well — is a crucial part of hiring a contractor. Unfortunately, the process … Read More
BuildZoom and InterNACHI – Partnership Announcement
BuildZoom and InterNACHI are excited to announce a new partnership to provide exclusive access to BuildZoom’s database of over 185 million building permits for Residential and Commercial properties. This solution is being used by Property Inspectors as a reliable tool to reveal a property’s … Read More
What’s Up With Construction Costs?
After falling or remaining flat for three decades, real construction costs have increased sharply since the mid-2000s. The rise was driven by both material and labor costs. Construction costs are lowest in the South, and are highest in the expensive coastal cities and in remote locations like … Read More
Disparity In Departure: Los Angeles Region Supplement
This study was published jointly by BuildZoom and the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coachella_Valley [dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Bay Area is undoubtedly at the forefront of a housing affordability crisis that is pricing a growing number … Read More
Eleven US Detention Centers Undergoing Major Upgrades
Incarceration rates are higher in the US than any other country worldwide and sixteen states have more prisoners than they have capacity for. Some states have responded by investing millions into renovating and expanding existing detention centers as well as building new facilities. Based on … Read More
Opportunity Zones: Implications for Real Estate Development
What is the Opportunity Zones program? When the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was enacted in December 2017, a new program was created with the goal of spurring economic development in low-income communities struggling with inadequate capital inflows. The program — called Opportunity Zones — aims to … Read More
Disparity in Departure: Who Leaves the Bay Area and Where Do They Go?
This study was published jointly by BuildZoom and the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley. Key Takeaways The San Francisco Bay Area exchanges people of all income levels with all parts of the country, but the origins and destinations of those coming and going differ … Read More