Why Your Clients Hate Automated Messages f you’ve set up automated replies to prospect inquiries online, you may be saving time—but turning off potential customers. Only 14 percent of consumers say they will respond to a message they perceive to be automated, while the rest say they’ll ignore it and move on to another service …
Tag: News
Jan 19
Fannie Offers ‘Healthy Housing’ Incentive
Fannie Offers ‘Healthy Housing’ Incentive Mortgage financing giant Fannie Mae launched a healthy housing reward initiative that offers financial awards to multifamily borrowers who provide services that improve the health and well-being of tenants living in affordable housing. These services could range from day care and food access to youth and education programming and job training. …
Jan 18
The Fastest Growing States May See Housing Boom
The Fastest Growing States May See Housing Boom The population of the U.S. is growing, rising by 2.2 million people in 2016, according to the latest Census data. But the population growth is not even across the country. For instance, the South and West saw their populations rise by 1.1 percent in 2016, while the …
Jan 17
Builders Reveal Top 10 Biggest Concerns
Builders Reveal Top 10 Biggest Concerns Homebuilding is still falling short in many markets in alleviating the shrinking inventories of homes for sale. But builders are blaming the construction shortfall on several factors. Read more: What Your Broker Is Worried About Builders revealed the following top 10 “significant” problems they expect to face in 2018, …
Jan 15
Buying Better Than Renting in 54% of Markets
Buying Better Than Renting in 54% of Markets Despite rising prices, buying a home makes more sense than paying increasingly high rents in more than half of the U.S. Buying a median-priced home is more affordable than renting a three-bedroom property in 240 of 447—or 54 percent—of U.S. counties analyzed, according to a new report …
Jan 12
Buyers Betting on Bigger Down Payments
Buyers Betting on Bigger Down Payments With steep competition, some buyers are scrambling to come up with larger down payments to gain a competitive edge. “In many purchase situations, there are multiple offers, and the buyers who have the bigger down payment are more likely to win out,” Daren Blomquist, ATTOM Data Solutions’ senior vice …
Jan 11
Storage Tops Kitchen Uses
Storage Tops Kitchen Uses The majority of homeowners recently surveyed prioritized storage over all other functions of their kitchens, according to the 2018 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study of more than 1,700 homeowners. Storage, at 63 percent, trumped other priority uses for homeowners in the kitchen like easy to work, play, and live (38 percent), to …
Jan 08
More House Fires Ignite in Colder Months
More House Fires Ignite in Colder Months A greater number of structural fires occur in the winter months. In colder weather, homeowners crank up the heat, using space heaters and electric blankets. But leaving them on too long or placing them too close to flammable objects can spark fires quickly, realtor.com® warns. “A substantial portion …
Jan 05
Renting Population Drops as Prices Bump Up
Renting Population Drops as Prices Bump Up For the first time since 2004, the renter population decreased, according to the Annual Rent Report from ABODO, an apartment listing service. Still, renters continue to outpace owners, according to the report. There are about 43 million renters in the U.S., which is more than a third of …
Jan 04
What Qualifies as ‘House Poor’?
What Qualifies as ‘House Poor’? The phrase “house poor” describes buyers who’ve bought a home they can’t afford. Most financial advisers say those who spend 30 percent or more of their pretax income on housing costs qualify for such a label. Under that standard, nearly 40 million U.S. households are considered “house poor,” according to …
