Jan 19
U.S. to Start Tracking ‘Secret’ Luxury Buyers The Treasury Department announced Wednesday that it will begin tracking all “secret buyers” of luxury properties as concerns mount about money laundering in high-end real estate. The initiative requires shell companies that make all-cash real estate purchases to expose the buyers’ identities. The Treasury is asking title …
Jan 18
This Lender Says It’s Going FICO-Free SoFi, an online lender, is making a bold move: Eliminating FICO scores from its consideration when reviewing borrowers’ for a mortgage. It claims to be the first large lender to embrace the “FICO-Free Zone.” The company says it plans to use three other factors instead to determine …
Jan 15
How to Celebrate 100 Years of REALTORS® This year marks the centennial of the REALTOR® mark. The National Association of REALTORS® adopted the term “REALTOR®” 100 years ago to identify that its members are committed to protecting property ownership. To celebrate, NAR has launched a website for REALTORS® to submit pictures and stories that …
Jan 14
Things to Never Say When Selling a Home It’s a lesson worth remembering: Home sellers need to watch what they say to home buyers and their real estate agents. Real estate professionals recently shared with realtor.com® the phrases they say sellers should never utter: 1. “Our house is in perfect condition.” “The home inspection may …
Jan 13
5M Buyers Could Save Big Mortgage rates have been near record lows for years, but still more than 5 million borrowers who could qualify and benefit from refinancing have not taken advantage, shows a new report from Black Knight Financial Services. Mortgage rates have recently fallen back below 4 percent. That means about 2.4 million …
Jan 12
Foreign Investors See Big Opportunity in U.S. Foreign investors are expected to pour more money into U.S. real estate this year than they did last year, according to a newly released survey by the Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate of about half of the group’s 200 members. The survey showed that …
Jan 11
Apartment Rents Are Still Skyrocketing Apartment rents surged 4.6 percent in 2015, posting the largest gain since before the Great Recession. It’s a good time to be a landlord, but not a renter, according to the latest report out by Reis, a real estate research firm. Apartment rents nationwide now average nearly $1,180, which is …
Jan 08
When Selling a Smart Home, Don’t Look Stupid In more home showings today, you may need to show off a home’s high-tech features, including the ability to control lights, thermostats, and a home’s appliances from a smartphone, tablet, or central hub in the home. Smart home technology has grown drastically in recent years as …
Jan 07
Character Limit on Tweets to Expand Twitter users are accustomed to the 140-character limit. But it looks likely that they won’t have to boil down their thoughts to pithy phrases much longer. Yes, the social media platform is considering expanding their character limit. A lot. Twitter says they plan to release a new feature that …
Jan 06
The ‘Missing Link’ in Housing For years, first-time home buyers have made up around 40 percent of all buyers. However, since the recession, this percentage has been shrinking. In 2015, they made up just under 30 percent of the market share, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. The decrease of first-time home buyers …
Jan 05
CFPB Moves to Calm Fears Over Minor Closing Errors Just before the close of 2015, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau told bankers that they won’t be held liable for most minor errors in loan processing and paperwork under new mortgage disclosure rules, known as the “Know Before You Owe” rule or TRID. The …
Jan 04
REALTORS®’ Top Concerns Heading into 2016 An improving job market, still-low interest rates, and recent measures to make credit more accessible are all offering help to the housing market’s recovery, but several challenges prompting closing delays remain. The latest REALTORS® Confidence Index conducted in November reveals some of the top concerns on real …
