Real Estate Tops Best Investment Poll for 7th Year Running

Roz Drayer

Every year, Gallup conducts a survey of Americans to determine their choice for the best long-term investment. Respondents are asked to select real estate, stocks/mutual funds, gold, savings accounts/CDs, or bonds. For the seventh year in a row, real estate has come out on top as the best long-term investment. Gallup explained: “Real estate remains the most favored investment to Americans,…

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The Shocking News in the Unemployment Report

Roz Drayer

Last Friday, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released their May Employment Situation Summary. Leading up to the release, most experts predicted the unemployment rate would jump up to approximately 20% from the 14.7% rate announced last month. The experts were shocked. The Wall Street Journal put it this way: “The May U.S. jobless rate fell to 13.3% and employers added 2.5…

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Home Prices: It’s All About Supply and Demand

Roz Drayer

As we enter the summer months and work through the challenges associated with the current health crisis, many are wondering what impact the economic slowdown will have on home prices. Looking at the big picture, supply and demand will give us the clearest idea of what’s to come. Making our way through the month of…

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Economists Forecast Recovery to Begin in the Second Half of 2020

Roz Drayer

With the U.S. economy on everyone’s minds right now, questions about the country’s financial outlook continue to come up daily. The one that seems to keep rising to the top is: when will the economy begin to recover? While no one knows exactly how a rebound will play out, expert economists around the country are becoming more aligned…

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Housing Market Positioned to Bring Back the Economy

Roz Drayer

All eyes are on the American economy. As it goes, so does the world economy. With states beginning to reopen, the question becomes: which sectors of the economy will drive its recovery? There seems to be a growing consensus that the housing market is positioned to be that driving force, the tailwind that is necessary. Some may…

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Will Home Values Appreciate or Depreciate in 2020?

Roz Drayer

With the housing market staggered to some degree by the health crisis the country is currently facing, some potential purchasers are questioning whether home values will be impacted. The price of any item is determined by supply as well as the market’s demand for that item. Each month the National Association of Realtors (NAR) surveys “over 50,000 real…

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Why Home Equity Is a Bright Spark in the Housing Market

Roz Drayer

Given how we have seen more unemployment claims than ever before over the past several weeks, fear is spreading widely. Some good news, however, shows that more than 4 million initial unemployment filers have likely already found a new job, especially as industries such as health care, food and grocery stores, retail, delivery, and more increase…

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Uncertainty Abounds in the Search for Economic Recovery Timetable

Roz Drayer

Earlier this week, we discussed how most projections from financial institutions are calling for a quick V-shaped recovery from this economic downturn, and there’s research on previous post-pandemic recoveries to support that expectation. In addition, we noted how there are some in the business community who believe we may instead be headed for a U-shaped recovery, where…

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Will This Economic Crisis Have a V, U, or L-Shaped Recovery?

Roz Drayer

Many American businesses have been put on hold as the country deals with the worst pandemic in over one hundred years. As the states are deciding on the best strategy to slowly and safely reopen, the big question is: how long will it take the economy to fully recover? Let’s look at the possibilities. Here are…

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The Latest in Celebrity Real Estate Ventures

Roz Drayer

Jessica Chastain, star of Zero Dark Thirty and countless other feature films, recently invested in a $5.1 million, 3,200 square foot co-op in New York City’s historic Osborne building. With 4 bedrooms and 3.5 baths, the home was previously owned by the renowned composer of West Side Story, Leonard Bernstein. Previously residing in a Greenwich…

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