Homeowners Face Tax Hike Under ‘Big 6’ Plan Home ownership would no longer be a priority in the tax code if a reform plan released Wednesday by the Trump administration and congressional Republicans becomes law. The “Tax Reform Unified Framework,” known as the “Big 6” tax reform plan, is being touted as a way to …
Category: Real Estate Tips
Sep 28
Buy vs. Rent Index Still Leans Toward Buy
Buy vs. Rent Index Still Leans Toward Buy Which is better for your clients: accumulating wealth through home equity or renting and investing their savings? That’s the fundamental question that the quarterly Beracha, Hardin & Johnson Buy vs. Rent (BH&J) Index aims to answer. After examining 23 of the country’s largest metro areas in the …
Sep 27
4-Bedroom Houses to Lose Favor
4-Bedroom Houses to Lose Favor Millennials’ desire for smaller homes may have a big impact on the future demand of some of the most popular homes today. Young adults are getting married later in life, they’re delaying their first home purchase (often due to student loan debt) by up to seven years in some cases, …
Sep 26
Ways to Make Your Listing Look Bigger
Ways to Make Your Listing Look Bigger Décor choices can have a big impact on how large or small a home appears. Professional home stagers chime in with some tips on how to show off square footage, even when space is tight. Remove heavy drapes. Leave windows bare or hang sheer linen curtains. The space …
Sep 25
Housing Predictions for 2018
Housing Predictions for 2018 New homes are expected to be a “primary driver of sales in 2018,” as 1.33 million housing starts are predicted next year—up from 1.22 million in 2017, according to Freddie Mac’s September Outlook report, which gauges future real estate activity. Total home sales are expected to increase about 2 percent from …
Sep 22
Fall May Be Best Time for Buyers to Move
Fall May Be Best Time for Buyers to Move A slower fall season in home buying may help more lingering home buyers to jump in. Prices are easing somewhat. For the second month in a row, the median price of an existing home dropped. It reached $253,500 in August, after reaching a record high …
Sep 21
Housing Shortages Constrain Existing-Home Sales
Housing Shortages Constrain Existing-Home Sales For the fourth time in five months, existing-home sales dropped as a shortage of homes for sale continues to plague the housing market. Strained supply levels of homes are making it that sales are unable “to break out,” according to the National Association of REALTORS®’ latest housing report, released …
Sep 20
Create a Strong Customer Service Culture
Create a Strong Customer Service Culture If you want to place customer satisfaction at the heart of your company or team, you need to take the time to train and support agents and to model behavior they expect customers to receive. Jeff Mowatt, customer service strategist and author, offers these five strategies that …
Sep 19
Home Flippers Face Hurdles in Tight Markets
Home Flippers Face Hurdles in Tight Markets In the second quarter of this year, 5.6 percent of all home sales were flips, according to ATTOM Data Solutions’ Q2 2017 U.S. Home Flipping Report. The report defines a flip as a property that is sold for the second time within a 12-month period. As housing …
Sep 18
Tax Reform Proposals Threaten Homeowners
Tax Reform Proposals Threaten Homeowners REALTORS® took their concerns over tax reform proposals to Capitol Hill on Wednesday, with Iona Harrison, chair of the National Association of REALTORS®’ Federal Taxation Committee, warning the Senate Finance Committee that they limit or nullify the tax incentives for home ownership. Harrison said the proposals would actually raise …
Sep 15
Consumers: Appraisals Still Falling Short
Consumers: Appraisals Still Falling Short Appraisals continue to lag homeowners’ price expectations, according to the latest Quicken Loans’ National Home Price Perception Index, which compares homeowners’ initial estimates and appraiser’s opinions of home values. Appraised values were 1.35 percent lower than homeowners’ expectations in August. That has narrowed from a 1.55 percent difference in July. …
Sep 14
YouTube’s Redesign Will Make Your Videos Look Better
YouTube’s Redesign Will Make Your Videos Look Better Video promotion—specifically on YouTube—is an integral part of many real estate professionals’ marketing, and smartphone videos are a quick, easy way to capture shareable content for your business. But vertical videos can look lost in YouTube’s player, which is formatted for horizontal shots so it ends …
