Does Your Listing Have Enough Walls?

Does Your Listing Have Enough Walls? Image courtesy of Geerati / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Home owners and businesses have pronounced a strong desire for open floor plans—areas where fewer walls give a greater sense of spaciousness—over the past decade or more. But some British architects are suggesting that the trend may change soon as home owners in the near future require more walls.

In a recent article in Dezeen, several architects and designers forecast the end of the open-plan era. They say mobile technology is increasing the desire for more privacy. The desire for what is being called “fragmented” spaces comes from the increase in those who are working from home and a desire to have private screen time with phones or laptops. The trend may be more evident in business spaces, as backlash increases against open offices with a lack of privacy and, some say, focus.

Architects forecast a layout that might include studies and television rooms instead of large lounges. Also, split-level floors and sliding partitions may be used more often to help divide open spaces without closing them off entirely.

“Modern technology has consequences to our traditional living patterns and routines, and we are adapting to what is on offer,” Mary Duggan with Duggan Morris Architects in London told Dezeen. “Like it or not, there is greater independence between family members and more out-of-sequence operations. They need a suite of spaces to accommodate this, so our plans are starting to fragment. Broken-plan is a term we are using a lot at the moment. It deliberately challenges open-plan living, encompassing all family activities and allowing them to function in tandem.”

Still, she says there is demand for kitchen and dining spaces that have large countertops built to entertain guests. “The idea of having big theater rooms where families can cook and eat and talk are a constant part of the sequence,” she says.

Source: “Smartphones and Tablets Spell the End for Open-Plan Living, Say UK Architects,” Dezeen Magazine (Nov. 12, 2015)

New School Tech and Old School Attitude

New School Tech and Old School Attitude. Image courtesy of adamr / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Door knocking is old school. It’s personable, but best practices in real estate are changing with the integration of technology, according to a panel of top agents from around the country speaking at the 2016 REALTORS® Conference & Expo Friday. To help them succeed in the evolving environment, attendees crowded into the session, “More Listings, Better Leads, Increased Conversions: A Panel of Top Agents.”

Panelists Tristan Ahumada of Keller Williams/Tristan and Associates, Westlake Village, Calif.; Syreeta Saunder-Keys of The Keys2Day Team/Keller Williams Realty, Columbia, Md.; Kevin Markarian of Marker Real Estate, San Francisco; and Tracey Velt, editor-in-chief of REAL Trends, joined speaker Max Pigman, senior vice president and chief ambassador for realtor.com®, for a review of the tools they use to stay on top.

The agents discussed websites and programs they use to their advantage, praising sites such as realtor.com® as a consistent source for quality leads. Lead conversion programs like Fivestreet and Follow Up Boss give their brokerages a boost in customer connections, they said. The programs send an automated message to prospective customers any time of day, whether it be an e-mail or text message. Ahumada cited texting as one of his favorite methods of communication, calling it quick and user friendly. A timely initial response is key, the panelists agreed.

The main takeaway: Gravitate toward technologies that are user-centric and facilitate quick response times.

Kevin Markarian also emphasized that attendees must practice accountability and diligence. Once he gets a customer, he said, he sets up a one-on-one meetings with members of his team, whom he refers to as his “business partners.” The term business partners, he said, gives customers a sense comfort no matter whom they are meeting with.

In the end, old school techniques still matter; it’s a people business, after all. But to remain competitive, brokers and agents who haven’t explored and integrated new customer management tools may find themselves left behind.

—REALTOR® Magazine

Mortgage Rates are Inching Up

Mortgage Rates are Inching Up. Image courtesy of ddpavumba / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is getting closer to moving over 4 percent, as mortgage rates climb for the second week in a row. Freddie Mac reports that fixed-rate mortgages are rising in anticipation of a possible rate increase by the Federal Reserve and a recent strong jobs report.

“A surprisingly strong October jobs report showed 271,000 jobs added and wage growth of 0.4 percent from last month, exceeding many experts’ expectations,” says Sean Becketti, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “The positive employment reports pushed Treasury yields to about 2.3 percent as investors responded by placing a higher likelihood on a December rate hike. Mortgage rates followed, with the 30-year jumping 11 basis points to 3.98 percent, the highest since July. There is only one more employment report before the December FOMC meeting, which will have major implications on whether we see a rate hike in 2015.”

Freddie Mac reports the following national averages with mortgage rates for the week ending Nov. 12:

• 30-year fixed-rate mortgages: averaged 3.98 percent, with an average 0.6 point, rising from last week’s 3.87 percent average. Last year at this time, 30-year rates averaged 4.01 percent.
• 15-year fixed-rate mortgages: averaged 3.20 percent, with an average 0.6 point, increasing from last week’s 3.09 percent average. A year ago, 15-year rates averaged 3.20 percent.
• 5-year hybrid adjustable-rate mortgages: averaged 3.03 percent, with an average 0.4 point, climbing from last week’s 2.96 percent average. A year ago, 5-year ARMs averaged 3.02 percent.
• 1-year ARMs: averaged 2.65 percent, with an average 0.2 point, increasing from 2.62 percent last week. A year ago, 1-year ARMs averaged 2.43 percent.

Source: Freddie Mac

One of the Top Fears Holding Renters Back

One of the Top Fears Holding Renters Back. Image courtesy of nenetus / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The possibility of losing a down payment is one of the biggest hurdles holding some would-be buyers back, according to a newly released Harris Poll on behalf of ValueInsured Inc. of more than 2,000 Americans.

More than three in five renters — 63 percent — said they would be more likely to purchase a home sooner if they had the option to buy down payment protection, the survey showed. More than three in 10 home owners and more than half of millennial home owners said they also would be more likely to buy a new home if they had an option to buy down payment protection.

“While consumer morale continues to rise, there is still a crisis of confidence in the housing market for both home owners and home buyers due to the financial events of 2007 through 2008,” says Cleve Bellar, chief marketing officer of ValueInsured. “It is encouraging that Americans want to own a home, but in order to take that step, they want assurance that their nest egg is protected.”

The survey showed that 70 percent of renters say it’s important to one day own a home or to become a home owner again. Millennials were found to be the most upbeat about home ownership, with nine out of 10 renters between the ages of 18 to 34 saying it is important to one day own a home or become a home owner again.

Source: ValueInsured Inc.

The Best Times to Post on Social Media

The Best Times to Post on Social Media. Image courtesy of twobee / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Whether teasing up your recent blog post or reaching out to prospects or past clients, your social media outreach should be pegged to the time others are most likely to see it. TruConversion, a company behind a soon-to-debut app to help businesses optimize and track their social media results, recently shared with Forbes some insights into its research on social media posting.

Facebook

• Avoid times before 8 a.m. and after 8 p.m.
• The best times are 1–3 p.m. when activity, engagement, and happiness tend to be highest – particularly on Thursday and Fridays. Engagement and activity tends to peak on Friday afternoon. (For brands, Fridays generate 17 percent of all likes and 15 percent of all comments, and 15 percent of shares, according to TruConversion’s research.)

Twitter

• Avoid times after 8 p.m. on any day.
• The best time for retweets is after 3 p.m., and the best overall time is 5 p.m.
• For businesses posting to consumers, the best times to tweet are on the weekends and on Wednesdays.

YouTube

• Avoid new posts from 5–6 p.m.
• The best times are noon to 3 p.m. Activity and viewer engagement is shown to rise Thursday and continue through Sunday.

LinkedIn

• The best times for activity and engagement are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, demonstrating that LinkedIn is more of a workday activity.

Pinterest

• Avoid new pins from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
• The best time for most engagement tends to be from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the afternoon.
• If you pin while your viewers are active, you’ll be able to increase re-pins by 36 percent, according to research by Pintura.

Source: “For Brands and PR: When Is the Best Time to Post on Social Media?” Forbes (Nov. 8, 2015)