Tag: News

Why Your E-mails Really Go Unanswered

Why Your E-mails Really Go Unanswered. Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Why Your E-mails Really Go Unanswered   Just how fast should you expect a response to your e-mail? A new study examines the response time to learn more about e-mail behavior. USC Viterbi School of Engineering recently looked at more than 2 million users who exchanged 16 billion e-mails over several months. The researchers discovered …

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Which Street Name Is Worth More?

Which Street Name Is Worth More? Image courtesy of scottchan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Which Street Name Is Worth More?     A home owner’s street name may have value in itself. Realtor.com® pitted male street names – such as the Jacksons, Grants, and Coopers – against female street names – the Pearls, Elizabeths, and Roses – to determine which street name could hold more value. Realtor.com®’s research team …

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Townhomes Back in Demand?

Townhomes Back in Demand? Image courtesy of nonicknamephoto / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Townhomes Back in Demand?     More home buyers are being lured back to townhomes: Single-family attached starts are up 30 percent compared to a year ago, according to a recent analysis from the National Association of Home Builders of Census data. Single-family attached starts totaled 26,000 nationwide for the third quarter – that marks …

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Unwanted Furry Roommates

Unwanted Furry Roommates. Image courtesy of tor00722 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Unwanted Furry Roommates   As the weather cools, the risk of unwanted roommates joining your household increases. And I don’t mean your mother-in-law. Rodents such as mice and rats look for entry into houses and apartment buildings in colder weather. They can cause quite a bit of trouble once they have taken up residence by …

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Does Your Listing Have Enough Walls?

Does Your Listing Have Enough Walls? Image courtesy of Geerati / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Does Your Listing Have Enough Walls?     Home owners and businesses have pronounced a strong desire for open floor plans—areas where fewer walls give a greater sense of spaciousness—over the past decade or more. But some British architects are suggesting that the trend may change soon as home owners in the near future require more walls. In a …

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New School Tech and Old School Attitude

New School Tech and Old School Attitude. Image courtesy of adamr / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

New School Tech and Old School Attitude     Door knocking is old school. It’s personable, but best practices in real estate are changing with the integration of technology, according to a panel of top agents from around the country speaking at the 2016 REALTORS® Conference & Expo Friday. To help them succeed in the evolving …

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Mortgage Rates are Inching Up

Mortgage Rates are Inching Up. Image courtesy of ddpavumba / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Mortgage Rates are Inching Up   The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is getting closer to moving over 4 percent, as mortgage rates climb for the second week in a row. Freddie Mac reports that fixed-rate mortgages are rising in anticipation of a possible rate increase by the Federal Reserve and a recent strong jobs report. “A …

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One of the Top Fears Holding Renters Back

One of the Top Fears Holding Renters Back. Image courtesy of nenetus / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

One of the Top Fears Holding Renters Back     The possibility of losing a down payment is one of the biggest hurdles holding some would-be buyers back, according to a newly released Harris Poll on behalf of ValueInsured Inc. of more than 2,000 Americans. More than three in five renters — 63 percent — …

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The Best Times to Post on Social Media

The Best Times to Post on Social Media. Image courtesy of twobee / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The Best Times to Post on Social Media     Whether teasing up your recent blog post or reaching out to prospects or past clients, your social media outreach should be pegged to the time others are most likely to see it. TruConversion, a company behind a soon-to-debut app to help businesses optimize and track their …

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Home Buyer Pet Peeves to Avoid

Home Buyer Pet Peeves to Avoid. Image courtesy of surasakiStock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Home Buyer Pet Peeves to Avoid     The home may be priced right and in a great location, so why isn’t it selling? Maybe the listing has one of these common buyer turn offs lurking. Coldwell Banker Blue Matter’s blog highlights a few: 1. Covering up potential issues. Masking potential issues – from odors …

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Home Sellers Net Highest Profits in 8 Years

Home Sellers Net Highest Profits in 8 Years. Image courtesy of hywards / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Home Sellers Net Highest Profits in 8 Years Rising home prices over the last few years are finally putting more money back into home sellers’ pockets. Home owners who sold during the third quarter saw an average price gain of $40,658 – or 17 percent – from the purchase price of their property – the …

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More Home Buyers Bypass Banks for Loans

More Home Buyers Bypass Banks for Loans. Image courtesy of fantasista / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

More Home Buyers Bypass Banks for Loans   Home buyers increasingly are turning to independent mortgage companies for their loans, not traditional banks. According to data from the Federal Reserve, in 2014, nondepository independent mortgage companies originated 47 percent of completed home-purchase loans and 42 percent of refinance loans – up from 43 percent and …

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