Mar 05
Is That Doggy Worth in Your Marketing? Many real estate agents use photos of themselves and their dogs to market their services, but there are several mistakes they must avoid when it comes to “doggy marketing.” To avoid seeming all about themselves, agents shouldn’t put pictures of themselves or their dogs on their home pages, …
Mar 04
More Jobs Are Heading West The Western region is leading the United States in job growth, benefiting from a strengthening housing market and bustling energy and technology sectors, according to IHS Global Insight. Seven of the 10 states with the fastest growing job markets this year are expected to be in the west. According to …
Mar 03
How to Tell When a Neighborhood Will Be Hot Bargain-hunting home buyers willing to purchase in an up-and-coming neighborhood can get a good deal and, as Trulia’s Michael Corbett says, “get in on the ground floor of appreciation.” Here are five signs that a neighborhood is about to take off: An up-and-coming neighborhood often is …
Mar 03
National Foreclosure Timelines Reach 943 Days Foreclosure timelines continue to rise nationwide, but the number of loans in foreclosure is falling, according to mortgage data company Black Knight Financial Services. The average days delinquent for loans in foreclosure rose to 943 days in January, up from 920 days in December 2013. However, the number …
Feb 27
Do Energy-Efficient Buildings Have a Downside? When the Alberta Court of Appeal reopened after a renovation in 2001 to make the building more energy-efficient, it didn’t take long before occupants started noticing problems. Judges, lawyers, and others complained of fatigue, irritated lungs, and watery eyes. A professor of architecture asked to investigate the problem said …
Feb 26
The Cost of Home Ownership on the rise. With home prices and mortgage rates rising, the overall costs of home ownership have spiked dramatically since 2012. A new analysis by RealtyTrac finds that the estimated monthly house payment for a median-priced three-bedroom home purchased at the end of 2013 was 21 percent higher than it …
Feb 25
Home Owners Love Their Green Homes How satisfied are home owners who bought a green-certified home? A recent survey finds that the majority love their homes and would even buy another green home in the future. According the report from GuildQuality, a customer surveying company for residential real estate, 94 percent of home owners …
Feb 21
Weather Blamed for Freeze on Housing Starts Construction on new single-family homes and apartments dropped 16 percent, to a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 880,000 in January, the Commerce Department reports. This marks the second consecutive monthly drop in housing starts, as frigid winter weather puts a chill on the new-home recovery, according to the National …
Feb 20
Families Step in as Lenders to Help Kids Buy a Home Employment troubles, large student loan debt, and tight underwriting standards have been major hurdles holding back potential first-time home buyers in their 20s and 30s, the Los Angeles Times reports. In 2012, Americans who were 30 to 34 had the lowest home ownership rate …
Feb 19
Not Just the Weather That’s Frozen Sales? Many industry analysts have pointed to the frigid temperatures and harsh winter weather this season as the culprit behind the drop in new- and existing-home sales in both November and December. But some experts are saying that Old Man Winter is getting an undue amount of blame for …
Feb 18
New Home Owners Targeted in Deed Scams Scammers are approaching new home owners and trying to trick them into paying $83 for unnecessary property records — including deeds that are available for a few bucks at county government offices or are already supplied at the end of a real estate transaction, the Milwaukee Sentinel Journal …
Feb 17
Tax Tips for You and Your Clients This coming Tuesday, Feb. 18, is the deadline for financial institutions to send their customers the documents they’ll need to file taxes if they received capital gains, interest dividends, or profits from real estate sales. Finally, you’ll have all the paperwork – including forms 1099 – you …
