Updates on the Housing Market

Greetings, and Happy March! There is no denying that the housing and rental markets have been shifting. This month’s newsletter provides a look at the past, as well as some predictions for what’s to come in 2023. But first, a word from our sponsor…

READ: Over the last six months, apartment rent has decreased in every major metropolitan area of the U.S. Cities like Seattle, Boston, and Las Vegas have seen a fall between 6-8%. This is the first time in five years that rent fell every month for six continual months. After a two year steady increase following the pandemic, this is good news for renters. According to The Wall Street Journal, projections from CoStar Group, a leading provider of analytics in real estate, estimate that nearly half a million new apartments will become available this year. With steep mortgage rates, rentals have been in high demand. The combination of low inventory in the housing market, and more choices for renters it will become more difficult for landlords to raise rent. Anyone facing a lease renewal will likely find many options.

WATCH: Have you ever heard the term “rent-burden?” It’s been used to term a household spending 30% or more of their income on rent alone. Watch Travis from Real Estate Mindset give his insight and predictions on where the market stands currently. The data from this Federal Reserve Bank depicts the increase of renting a primary residence in a number of specific metropolitan areas as well as the U.S. average and the Consumer Price Index (CPI) measure of inflation. If you want to read more, Forbes weighs in a little more on the rental housing market.

LISTEN: The On The Market Podcast discusses “a historic amount” of new construction coming on the market in 2023, along with rent predictions and other factors that are causing the housing market to fluctuate. They predict that overall rent prices will stabilize by the end of the year.

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Bonnie Martinek

Administrative Assistant
Bonnie (Ben’s mom!) is a mother of 9 and a grandmother of 17. She has lived in rural Indiana her whole life and has a master’s degree in Special Education. In her own words, she’s done a little bit of everything but is a master of none (teaching, construction, manager of a corn maze, CNA, farm work, cashier, auto bodywork, and the list goes on!). Widowed in 2019, she is reinventing herself through her work in the day-to-day operations of Bona Fide Finance and client relations. Bonnie loves getting to know our clients and is happy to serve them well!

Deb Martinek

Relationships Specialist

Deb has been with Bona Fide Finance since its inception in 2015 and long before that with her support of Ben studying for the CFP designation and the dream of starting the business of helping individuals and families meet their financial goals.

She fills the Relationships Specialist role – Deb is typically the first encounter our new clients have as she walks them through our service offerings and introduces them to the map of financial literacy.

She has a bachelor’s degree from Ball State University and a master’s degree from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. Deb lives in Bismarck with Ben and their two young daughters, is a card-carrying member of the CDL club (read more about those adventures here) and is happiest reading an epic novel, solving a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle, or working in her kitchen where she can serve love to the people in her life through quality food (clients enjoy her holiday shipment of homemade goodies each December!).

Ben Martinek

CFP®, EA, CSLP®, RICP®, Founder and Advisor

Ben Martinek, CFP®, EA, CSLP®, RICP®, is the founder and lead advisor at Bona Fide Finance, an independent, fee-only firm dedicated to helping doctors, young professionals, and growing families take control of their financial future. With a deep understanding of student loan debt—having tackled his own—Ben specializes in guiding clients through debt repayment strategies, smart investing, and comprehensive financial planning so they can build wealth with confidence. Ben’s passion for financial planning comes from his desire to provide honest, objective advice tailored to each client’s unique situation. He loves seeing the impact of his work, whether it’s helping a family pay off student loans years ahead of schedule, setting up an early retiree for financial freedom, or giving clients the peace that comes from knowing their finances are in order. His clients appreciate his thoughtful, high-touch approach, often saying that working with him has changed their lives.

Before launching Bona Fide Finance in 2015, Ben’s career path was anything but conventional. The fourth of nine children, he grew up in rural Indiana and initially pursued a path in academia, earning a B.A. in philosophy and classical languages, followed by a master’s degree in philosophy. Along the way, he explored careers in construction and truck driving—logging over 600,000 miles across the U.S. with his wife, Deb—before finding his true calling in financial planning.

Now based in Bismarck, North Dakota, Ben and Deb stay busy raising their two daughters, Edith and Virginia. Since their truck-driving days, Ben is happiest on a long road trip—preferably behind the wheel of his TDI Volkswagen Jetta. He enjoys sailing on Lake Sakakawea, camping in their vintage ’90s pop-up camper, and smoking a pipe by the grill. A lover of strategy board games, he favors Clans of Caledonia (mostly because Deb refuses to play Risk with him). When he’s not working with clients, he can be found smoking meat, gardening, hiking, or diving into The Lord of the Rings or Dune. Ben also serves on the school board for his daughters’ Montessori school and is actively involved in pre-marriage ministry in the Bismarck Diocese.