This week’s question comes from Rodney through Tony’s Instagram direct messages. Rodney, like many investors, has been told that you need twenty percent down to buy a rental property. Rodney wants to know the best way to fund a property without breaking the bank. He’s asking: Should I save for a down payment or is there a way to get a rental without the twenty percent down? It’s not uncommon for real estate investors to get into deals with far less than 20% down. But, for a beginner, th ...read more

Tamara Gustavson — daughter of B. Wayne Hughes, the late self-storage titan who donated a record $400 million to USC — is asking $127.5 million for her prized Malibu estate. It’s a massive sum, and one that showcases the dramatic surge of Southern California’s luxury market since the turn of the century. Records show Hughes bought the property for $20 million in 2003. At $127.5 million, it’s the fourth-priciest property on the market in L.A. County, but in a community as affluent as ...read more

The median home price in Orange County reached $1 million last month, becoming the first Southern California county to ever hit that pricey mark and underscoring just how expensive the region has become. The threshold was crossed when the Orange County median sales price for new and existing houses, condos and townhomes rose from $985,000 in February to $1,020,000 in March, according to data released this week by researcher DQNews. It constitutes a 22% jump in median price from a year prior. ...read more

When Chantal Arnoult moved with her family to France in 2008, she had no idea she would return to Los Angeles four years later, divorced and unable to afford the home that she and her then-husband had purchased for $395,000 in 2002. “I was broke, with two kids and no job,” she said. “I had a long-term renter, so I stayed with my sister and then rented another place. When I refinanced the house, I still couldn’t afford the mortgage, so I rented my house on Airbnb for five years. My kids ...read more

The Queen of Pop is trying her hand at flipping a house. A year after buying The Weeknd’s Hidden Hills mansion for $19.3 million, Madonna is shopping it around for $26 million. Interior photos are scarce, so it’s unclear how many changes Madonna made to justify a $6.7-million price increase. The only confirmed upgrade is the barn, which the pop star turned into a gym and Pilates studio. Spanning three acres, the amenity-loaded compound offers plenty to do both inside and out. The estate� ...read more

On Wednesday, March 16, 2022, the Federal Reserve announced it would be raising interest rates for the first time since 2018. While the 25 basis point hike (one basis point=0.01%) was largely expected, the underlying shift in Fed policy will impact the housing market, and real estate investors should understand and pay attention to it.  In this article, I will provide a brief overview of what the Fed is doing, why they are doing it, and how it could impact real estate investors.  At the ...read more