Real Estate & Investment Perspective by Karen Lee Bertiger

2021/08/012024/08/05

2024 Retirement Update (Since 2021)

Tried to retire, but it’s not taking hold…if you need the advice of an experienced professional, let me know. I am not a member of any REALTOR organization. What you are hearing about the new required practice changes for REALTORS take effect on August 17, 2024. In some instances, practice changes for REALTORS took effect on August 1, 2024.

The largest uproar over their practice changes are requirements for buyers to sign “showing agreements” for VIRTUAL or IN PERSON property showings.

2021 (Original Post)

It’s been a monster 3 years. Trying to recover from losing a large number of family members (before the pandemic) with the inability to travel for funerals beginning (just after losing a son) and then dealing with everything this pandemic has dished out, as well as reaching full retirement age in the middle of this mess, well let’s just say that I’m retired.

2024/08/052024/08/05

JOBS are the Key to a Healthy Economy

AND a healthy real estate market. Along with inventory & interest rates. The FED can’t build homes. They do set interest rates. They will raise interest rates in an attempt to reduce inflation, but they do not control excessive government spending (proximate cause.) We are now facing two pivot points – a large private sector full-time job loss (recession indicator) & explosive inflation that wages cannot keep pace with. The RATE of inflation has come down, but PRICES WILL NOT REVERT. Along with the increase in residential home prices, it now costs more to rebuild a property (which is why insurance costs are exploding.) Increases in values are causing increases in property taxes. Theoretically, if you have an increase in VALUES your property tax rate SHOULD GO DOWN TO PRODUCE THE SAME AMOUNT OF REVENUE. However, if you are not watching your local authorities, they will increase your TAX RATE as well as your ASSESSED VALUE.

2024/08/042024/08/04

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2024/08/032024/08/03

You Need to Know This

If someone told you to buy real estate in recent years & that you could refinance when rates came down, they did you a disservice. There is no guarantee anyone can give you on interest rates. What IS known, is the past trajectory of residential real estate prices. Since the Great Recession bottom (2012) the long term trajectory has been UP.

LONG TERM, you are well served to get on the asset ownership ladder. For most people, their equity in their home becomes a valuable asset to help with their retirement. If you think you don’t have the ability to find an affordable property to call home, you may be cheating yourself.

Don’t believe me? Ask me for the charts from reputable sources, which prove the point. In addition, I can offer you up to date info on a daily or weekly basis to help you make your best decisions. I’m going to post it so you can see…

2024/08/03

WOW! Interest Rates Take a Deep Dive!

Let’s keep an eye on the economy – we have a bifurcated situation where those who have assets appear to be doing much better than those who do not. If you’re in debt, there are ways to reduce it to improve your cash flow, using a HELOC or Line of Credit. Contact me for information & links to educational content you may not be aware of. No obligation. It’s a pro bono service for anyone…

2023/08/222024/08/03

Real Estate Brokerage in 2023

It’s no secret that the industry seems like it’s imploding. The Federal Reserve’s interest rate increases are creating havoc. Including “owners’ equivalent rent” in a lagging CPI Index is non-sensical. No one pays themselves rent when they’re already typically paying a mortgage payment. My guess is they will keep raising rates until the entire economy is paused because most won’t be able to afford the essentials, also known as food, shelter & clothing (add gasoline & utilities, too!)