The January Zillow Real Estate Market Reports show that national home values decreased 0.5 percent to $146,200 from December to January. On an annual basis, this represents a 4.6 percent decline (see Figures 2 and 3).

New to this report is the Zillow Rent Index (ZRI), which is the rental counterpart to the Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), tracking the median rent of all homes in a given geography. This new index allows us to compare the rental performance between different areas, down to the ZIP code level (click here for details on the ZRI methodology). The ZRI data shows that, while national home values have fallen over the past year, rents have appreciated 3 percent over the same period (see Figure 1). Nearly 70 percent of the metropolitan areas covered by the ZRI showed year-over-year gains. By contrast, only 7.3 percent of the metros covered by the ZHVI experienced increases in home values.

US Zillow Home Value Index

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It is crucial to learn about section 8 rentals most especially if you are a property manager or landlord in the United States who is looking forward to have an expanded pool of tenants. Section 8 is a program of the government as an aid scheme for people with lower income. The government pays sizeable portion of their rent monthly by providing them with section 8 housing vouchers. The vouchers will usually be paying 60-70% of their monthly rent while the tenant will have to pay for the rest. Also known as housing choice voucher program, Section 8 is a great help for low earning individuals who want to give their families with a decent dwelling place.

If you are a landlord who wants to apply to join this program, the agency will be sending home inspectors to your property to ensure that it meets the standard health and safety codes. But you have to understand that as a landlord of section 8 rentals, the decision of the rent to set is not yours to make. It is the government that will decide on the fair market rate for your property.

Being a landlord of section entitles you with many benefits. Primarily, you get the chance to expose your rental property to a huge pool of tenants who are earning low. If people with less disposable income find your property appealing, chances are you will find a suitable tenant very easily and quickly.
Another attractive benefit of being a landlord of section 8 is you get a substantial part of the rent that the government will take good care of. Whatever happens, you are rest assured that you will get more than half of the rent in hand. In the some cases where your tenant is not able to pay the rent, you can claim the loss of the rent from the government. In the event that a tenant causes damage to your property, the repair bills will also be shouldered by the government. On top of all that, section 8 rentals is actually effective in terms of reducing risks of financial loss from not paying the rent.

There are a lot of landlords who participate in the section 8 rentals program of the government in providing homes for low wage earners. Aside from the rewarding feeling of having to help these people, you also get the chance to generate positive cash flow monthly and you have nothing to worry about tenants who are not paying because the government will take care of such matters.

  
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