Feb 02
The Wealthy Still Want a Trophy Home Wealthy hot spots like the Hamptons, Beverly Hills, and Aspen are not seeing any shortage of home buyers in their ultra-luxury housing markets, proving the global market panic isn’t deterring the rich in real estate. The wealthy are still seeing real estate as a strong investment, despite …
Feb 01
Equity Gains for 2015 More home owners are unlocking equity, which has pushed the number of underwater properties nationwide to about half of the peak reached in the second quarter of 2012, RealtyTrac reports in its Year-End 2015 U.S. Home Equity & Underwater Report. By the end of 2015, about 6.4 million homes – or …
Jan 28
Homes Built for Roommates? The New American Home, unveiled at the International Builder Show last week in Las Vegas, was designed with roommates in mind. The 5,200-square-foot home tied in nontraditional living arrangements for extended families or roommates who may be sharing the same roof to ease financial burdens. The home, designed by Element …
Jan 27
Life for Closed Hospitals: Condos As hospitals across the country close down, developers are seeing unexpected new purpose for these now vacant spaces. Developers in New York City have increasingly reenvisioned shutdown hospitals as luxury condominiums – believing they can make “hospital buildings hospitable for full-time residents,” The New York Times reports. For example, …
Jan 26
Home Staging Evolves In the age of HGTV, real estate professionals say home staging is growing in importance and becoming more sophisticated, according to a recent article in The New York Times, which highlighted the value of home staging. “It always makes a difference, and is essential in this market,” says Richard Balzano, an …
Jan 25
6 Ways to Protect Your Home From Snow Just when it seemed like Old Man Winter would be a lamb instead of a lion this year, 73 million people across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast are on high alert as a massive snowstorm bears down on them. Some areas are being threatened with more than two …
Jan 22
Topping Home Buyers’ Shopping Lists Home buyers are looking for storage, energy efficiency and outdoor space, according to the latest preference survey released by the National Association of Home Builders and Better Homes and Gardens during the NAHB International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas this week. Some of the top new-home desires cited by …
Jan 21
Poor Decor Choices New Home Owners Make When your client finally closes on their home, they’re going to be excited to start making the place their own. But going overboard with decorating concepts or placing furniture in the wrong configurations can make a home look cramped and uninviting. Help guide your client’s eye for …
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 …
