Is It Better to Rent or Buy?

The choice between buying a home and renting one is among the biggest financial decisions that many adults make. But the costs of buying are more varied and complicated than for renting, making it hard to tell which is a better deal. To help you answer this question, our calculator takes the most important costs associated with buying a house and computes the equivalent monthly rent.

TransUnion: 1.5M hit by mortgage crisis can re-enter housing market in next 3 years

More than 1.5 million homebuyers negatively impacted by the financial crisis could potentially re-enter the mortgage market in the next three years, according to a new study from TransUnion.

Sales of new single-family houses in May 2015 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 546,000, which is up 2.2% from April, according to estimates released jointly today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. — From Housing Wire

3 ways to tame student loan debt and afford a mortgage

It’s no secret that student loans can make buying a home a challenge. But what exactly is the problem, and how can buyers overcome it? The problem is that student loans can be included in the buyer’s debt-to-income ratio, or DTI. — From Bankrate

Warren Buffett stars in animated series aimed at teaching kids to be billionaires

Forget Sesame Street. Welcome to Warren’s World. As in Warren Buffett, the investment guru who chairs Berkshire Hathaway BRK.A, -0.36% and sits atop a $70 billion fortune. Already known as one of the most famous investors in the world, the Oracle of Omaha has become celebrated of late among the grade-school set for his work with the Secret Millionaires Club, an animated program that teaches kids about finance. — From Market Watch

70 million Americans teetering on edge of financial ruin

In the past few years, the job market has vastly improved and home prices have rebounded — yet Americans are becoming even more irresponsible when it comes to saving for emergencies. According to a survey of 1,000 adults released by Bankrate.com on Tuesday, nearly one in three (29%) American adults (that’s roughly 70 million) have no emergency savings at all — the highest percentage since Bankrate began doing this survey five years ago. What’s more, only 22% of Americans have at least six months of emergency savings (that’s what advisers recommend) — the lowest level since Bankrate began doing the survey. — From Market Watch

5 Things You Should Learn About a Neighborhood When Investing

Where real estate investment is involved, the options are virtually endless. After all, there are markets all over the country (and the world) in which to strategically build up passive income. Some investors favor big, glamorous markets while others are content with single-family homes in less lauded areas.

Home Sales Are Way Up (Again), and First-Time Buyers Are Driving the Market

In what the National Association of Realtors® called “an encouraging sign” for the housing market, first-time home buyers helped push home sales in May to their highest level since May 2009.

5 Ways to Use Real Estate Investing to Teach Your Kids About Finance

It’s never too early to start imparting wise money ways to the next generation. Teaching children about money can be a challenge. Ask me how I know this! I have five children, and several already have a firm grasp on the concept of spending money. I am having a little more difficulty helping them grasp the saving, investing and growing concepts…

4 Buyer Beliefs that are Hard to Break

The vast amount of online home buying “education” can have its drawbacks. Yes, the Internet is chock-full of all sorts of information that can help homebuyers learn about the process. The down side is the online search experience can cause many homebuyers to develop all sorts of dangerous pre-conceived notions about the home buying process.

CFPB Director Richard Cordray said in a prepared statement: “The CFPB will be issuing a proposed amendment to delay the effective date of the Know Before You Owe rule until Oct. 1, 2015. We made this decision to correct an administrative error that we just discovered in meeting the requirements under federal law, which would have delayed the effective date of the rule by two weeks. We further believe that the additional time included in the proposed effective date would better accommodate the interests of the many consumers and providers whose families will be busy with the transition to the new school year at that time.”

Rainier Title has been working towards the TRID implementation for over a year and felt prepared for August 1st. However, with the proposed delay we will be taking this opportunity to continue our education and training of TRID. While we believe that we have been proactive and ready for this change, there are still so many unknowns that will have to be addressed at the time of implementation. The industry should still prepare for 45-60 days for transaction to close due to the new timing parameters of the forms.

We’re working hard to be ready for all changes!

Strong consumer spending and the rise in housing construction activity are currently the prime factors for the incredible rebound of the U.S. industrial real estate sector, and experts say as home buying continues to increase, so will demand for warehouse space. — From NRE Online

To Buy or Not to Buy: That Is the Developer’s Question

As land costs continue to rise in urban areas, developers are focused more than ever on assessing the financial viability of their potential projects at a very early, pre-acquisition stage. Savvy developers recognize that developing a conceptual design and associated conceptual budget at the very beginning of the due diligence stage enables the development team to quickly assess the design and construction cost aspects of the potential development—and, if need be, look at design alternatives that will adjust the cost. Because survey after survey has indicated that the current trend of increased costs for site acquisitions and project development is prevalent, engaging a qualified builder with demonstrated project-specific experience, local knowledge, and strong estimating and pre-construction capabilities is key to receiving reliable data and feeling confident about the pro forma that is created. — From NRE Online