Oct 05
Reduce Buyer Panic Over Rising Home Prices With several recent reports showing a sizeable jump in housing prices — anywhere from 5 percent to 6 percent in annual gains — you may be encountering more buyers who are worried that they’ll soon be unable to afford a home. The National Association of REALTORS® …
Oct 04
Reasons to Buy a Home Now The fall may be notorious for a slowdown in the housing market. But for home buyers that shouldn’t mean they should go to an early hibernation. For home shoppers, the fall likely will be the best time to buy. Realtor.com® recently highlighted several reasons why the best …
Oct 03
Mortgage Rates Dip to 10-Week Low Borrowing costs moved lower for home buyers and refinancers this week. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage dropped to its lowest average in nearly three months. “Investors flocked to the safety of government bonds causing the 10-year Treasury yield to continue its descent following the FOMC’s decision to leave rates …
Sep 30
Your Buyer Isn’t Really Serious If They … Some buyers may gush over a home, but then an offer is never made. How do you know when a buyer is really serious about wanting to buy a house or just in a perpetual looking phase of a house hunt? Real estate professionals chimed in …
Sep 29
Appraiser Shortage Sparks Sales Delays The number of appraisers is rapidly shrinking, which is causing delays in closings and possibly even costing your buyers and sellers money on their way to settlement, CNBC reports. Since 2007, the percentage of appraisers has fallen by 22 percent, according to the Appraisal Institute. Further, more than 60 percent …
Sep 28
New-Home Sales Hit Snag After 9-Year High New single-family home sales posted the largest drop in nearly a year in August, but builders say they’re not alarmed. Sales of newly built, single-family homes plunged 7.6 percent in August to an annual rate of 609,000 units, according to data released by the Commerce Department …
Sep 19
Essential Skills to Master the Market Starting Monday, Sept. 19, the Council of Residential Specialists will be celebrating the fourth annual CRS Week by offering five free webinars to agents, which offer both invaluable education and credit toward a CRS Designation. Pro tip: Even if you’re not sure you’ll be able to sit down …
Sep 16
Get Ready for Longer Tweets Twitter is giving its users more wiggle room than the social network’s current 140-character tweet limit. Starting Sept. 19, Twitter will no longer count several items in its character limits, several tech publications report. For example, media attachments, like images, GIFs, polls, and videos – will not be counted …
Sep 15
Post-Labor Day Uptick in Mortgage Apps Home buying appears to be picking up after the Labor Day holiday, with total mortgage applications for home purchases and refinancings increasing 4.2 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis last week, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported Wednesday. This time, application volume was boosted more by home buyers than …
Sep 14
Paint Colors That Make a Room Look Bigger A room’s size is sometimes a matter of perception, and the paint color on the walls has a lot to with that perception. Some colors can actually make a room appear smaller, while other colors can make the walls expand and feel larger. Realtor.com® recently highlighted some …
Sep 13
Mediterranean-Style Homes Losing Appeal? In the 1990s, Mediterranean-style homes were all the rage. But new surveys suggest the once-popular design may be losing some of its appeal. Mediterranean-style homes are known for stucco walls, tumbled stone, and wrought-iron accents. Asking prices for this type of home still remain high, but price growth has slowed …
Sep 12
Women Better Than Men at Paying Mortgages Women are less likely than men to miss a mortgage payment, according to a new study from the Urban Institute. Yet, they tend to pay higher interest rates. A single male borrower had a 6 percent probability of default while a comparable female-only borrower had an expected …
