Blog by Paul Cantor

This past week was the second week of earnings season resulting in a roughly flat finish for the stock market with bonds edging modestly lower.  So far, approximately 20% of corporations have reported their second quarter earnings and they have mostly exceeded expectations as the economy contin...
23.07.18 04:25 PM - Comment(s)
Despite a lack of housing inventory and fierce competition in the real estate industry, there are a lot of people who still want to be Realtors. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs in real estate are expected to continuously grow by 6% through 2026. That means seasoned Realtors an...
17.07.18 04:23 PM - Comment(s)
Trade tensions and inflation data dominated investor sentiment creating increased volatility in the stock market.  Stocks got off to a good start last Monday primarily due to a lack of any bad news over the prior weekend.  Stocks then fell on Wednesday when trade tensions surfaced on news ...
16.07.18 09:14 PM - Comment(s)
This past holiday-shortened week was good for both the broad stock market indexes and mortgage bonds as both asset classes finished the week moderately higher.  Trading volumes were lower than usual due to the 4 th of July holiday, although active investors had to wade through ongoing news of ...
09.07.18 05:34 PM - Comment(s)
Semantics are alive and well with real estate. You either buy, or you invest. Right? Well, let’s admit there is a slight nuance here. You plan to  live in what you “buy,” but the idea of investing carries the connotation of renovating and making a quick buck. Today’s consumers are much mor...
05.07.18 01:12 PM - Comment(s)
When we think of new home designs, we generally don’t think of what apartments look like or live like inside. Two different animals, right? But the truth of it is, although single-family and multifamily builders are not so much siblings as second cousins, there is a lot that is similar about them, ...
04.07.18 01:09 AM - Comment(s)
The stock market ended the week moderately lower on continuing trade tensions primarily between the U.S. and China.  The Energy Sector was a notable exception as oil prices reached new four-year highs following a lower than expected U.S. oil inventory report and news the U.S. State Department w...
02.07.18 05:53 PM - Comment(s)
It’s happening right under our noses, but few of us know it. The newest commercial parking facilities are being designed with autonomous cars in mind — the ones that drive themselves. Some developers are even going so far as to explore ways to repurpose existing parking garages. The question follow...
26.06.18 01:24 PM - Comment(s)
Big demand. Small inventory. Spring homebuyers are pounding the pavement at a furious pace, but the pickings are getting ever slimmer, according to news reports.   Spring is traditionally the busiest time of year to buy a home, but this year listings are getting snapped with lightning speed as ...
26.06.18 02:27 AM - Comment(s)
Although the Nasdaq Composite Index set a new all-time high last Wednesday, the three major stock indexes finished the week lower amid escalating trade tensions primarily between the U.S. and China and the U.S. and the European Union.  The Trump Administration wants to level the playing field w...
25.06.18 05:26 PM - Comment(s)
In addition to some generally positive economic news, there were three major events affecting the financial markets this past week.  There was an historic initial summit between the U.S. and North Korea over denuclearizing the Korean peninsula; a 25 basis point rate hike by the Fed; and further...
18.06.18 07:16 PM - Comment(s)
It’s terrifying but it’s true. One minute you think you own a property and the next, it has been recorded in someone else’s name. Fraud in real estate is alive and well, with authorities all over the country saying homes are illegally taken without owners’ consent.   Because of the ever-growing...
12.06.18 01:24 AM - Comment(s)

There are few more interesting real estate investments than home flipping — seeing an older or run-down piece of property find a fairy godmother to make it beautiful again and then being sold in several months’ time. According to a report in Realtor.com, home flipping activity is increasing across t...

11.06.18 10:44 PM - Comment(s)
The major stock market indexes made a solid advance during the week amid strong jobs and economic data resulting in lower bond prices and rising yields.  Tuesday, the ISM Non-manufacturing Index showed a greater than forecast expansion in the services sector with a reading of 58.6 in May from 5...
11.06.18 06:22 PM - Comment(s)
The major stock market indexes were “mixed” for the week with the Dow Jones Industrial Average modestly lower while the Nasdaq Composite and S&P 500 Indexes posted moderate gains.  Early in the holiday-shortened week, investors had to navigate political unrest in Italy and Spain as well as ...
04.06.18 04:41 PM - Comment(s)
The dictionary’s definition of the word incentive reads “a thing that motivates or encourages one to do something.” It’s also a word used by new home builders to encourage buyers to use their preferred lender by tying a certain amount of “play money” to the equation. These are funds can be applied t...
03.06.18 02:55 PM - Comment(s)
Okay. It may sound bureaucratic and boring. But there are a number of precautionary contractual conditions for any purchase agreement recommended by the Realtor community that protects homebuyers from liability as well as poor decision-making. And no matter how competitive the bidding for a home, th...
30.05.18 04:21 AM - Comment(s)
The major stock market indexes managed to grind out some marginal gains as investors reflected on a torrent of uncertain geopolitical news centered on U.S.-China trade negotiations and the U.S.-North Korea summit “canceled” last Thursday by President Trump.  Still, White House press secretary S...
29.05.18 04:09 PM - Comment(s)
For decades, now, we have been dealing with humans being replaced by streamlined processes or machines that end up making them dispensable. But what about eliminating the friendly face at the front door there to appraise your home? It appears appraisers may no longer be required to get formal proper...
28.05.18 01:39 AM - Comment(s)

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