May 31
Banks Rush to Offer 3% Down Payment Loans As some banks veer from Federal Housing Administration loans, they’re offering their own low down payment mortgages to appeal to home shoppers struggling to save enough to buy a home. Wells Fargo made headlines this week when it debuted its 3 percent down payment loan. …
May 26
New-Home Sales Surge to Post-Recession High Sales of new single-family homes climbed 16.6 percent in April, reaching the highest sales pace since January 2008, the Commerce Department reported this week. Newly built, single-family homes rose to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 619,000 units in April. “Builders remain optimistic about the housing …
May 25
Staging Tips to Up Your Listing’s Appeal The house has been cleaned from corner to corner, but now it may just need a few more finishing touches. Here are a few less-obvious, inexpensive ideas for staging your listing: 1. Repaint the walls. Of course painting isn’t anything new when it comes to staging, but focusing on …
May 24
What Has Home Sellers Spooked? Inventory continues to be tight in many markets. So what has potential home sellers pulling back when buyer demand is reportedly so high? A recent article at CNBC suggests seller anxiety may be at the root. “Trade-up buyers seem to be losing their mojo heading into the heart of …
May 23
Average Time to Close: 44 Days For the second consecutive month, the average time to close all loans stayed at 44 days, suggesting that new mortgage rules that took effect this fall are having less of an impact on delaying loans, according to Ellie Mae’s latest Origination Insight Report. Here’s a breakdown of …
May 20
Real Estate is Trending Younger The median age of a REALTOR® is decreasing, as more young professionals enter the industry, according to the 2016 National Association of REALTORS® Member Profile. The median age of a REALTOR® decreased from 57 in 2014 to 53 in 2015. That’s the lowest median age since 2008, when …
May 19
Top Motivations for Selling Inventories of homes are tight nationwide. So what’s going to get home owners to finally sell? In a recent survey, realtor.com® researchers found some of the top motivations to sell: 1. Want to be in a different neighborhood (40%) 2. Need a home with different features (28%) 3. Need a …
May 18
Twitter to Stop Counting Links, Photos in 140-Limit Tweets are about to get longer. The social network will soon stop counting users’ photos and links as part of its 140-character limit for messages. The change, which Twitter has yet to formally announced publicly, will likely be implemented by the end of this month, Bloomberg …
May 17
Why You Don’t Need to Worry About Snapchat…Yet Confused about Snapchat? You’re not alone. At the Emerging Business Issues & Technology Forum during the 2016 REALTORS® Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo in Washington, D.C., three social media superstars in the real estate space explained what the messaging app is for, and what it’s not. First, …
May 16
Boost Your Business With Diverse Markets “Consumers do discriminate. They want to work with people they feel comfortable with,” Dan Forsman, president and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Georgia Properties told attendees at RISMedia’s Power Broker Forum Thursday at the REALTORS® Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo. Brokers learned about emerging market opportunities and …
May 13
Start Tough and Negotiate At the outset if his presidency, Ronald Reagan took a hard line against the Soviet Union, calling it the evil empire and daring its leader at the time, Mikhail Gorbachev, to tear down the Berlin Wall. A few years later, the wall was down and the Cold War was effectively …
May 12
Outdoor Trends Buyers Love Home owners crave outdoor spaces for gathering and entertaining, which is why it’s important to highlight your listings’ outdoor spaces. RISMedia recently highlighted some of the following outdoor trends: 1. Natural wood and stone: Natural wood and stone features are popular today, even those made of faux materials like vinyl. …
