Oct 20
For Owners: Best Time to Remodel Is Now As home values continue to rise, more home owners may find now is the best time to add to that value even more. Spending on home remodeling is expected to climb from 2.4 percent in the second quarter to 6.8 percent by the second quarter …
Oct 16
Top 3 Reasons Why Americans Want to Own The top reasons Americans say they want to own a home: The opportunity to build equity, the desire for a stable and safe environment, and the freedom to choose their neighborhood. That’s according to the National Association of REALTORS®’ 2015 National Housing Pulse Survey, a poll …
Oct 15
Real Estate’s Hot New Sector: Storage Units It’s a good time to be in the storage unit business: Rents are rising, vacancies are limited, and competition has been muted due to limited new construction, The Wall Street Journal reports. Storage unit companies are finding business is booming at a time when other commercial real estate sectors are …
Oct 14
5 Common Buyer’s Remorse Culprits Some home buyers suffer from post-purchase regret. Realtor.com® recently spoke to real estate industry experts to find out what home features tend to spark the biggest regrets among buyers. Topping the list: 1. Buying too big of a home. Buyers may think at the time having a big home …
Oct 13
Savings Have Dried Up for Most Americans Here’s why saving for a down payment on a home purchase is a growing challenge for many Americans: About 62 percent of Americans have less than $1,000 in their savings accounts, and 21 percent don’t even have a savings account, according to a new survey of more …
Oct 12
When Not to Press ‘Send’ on That E-mail There’s a time to e-mail, and a time to call. Sometimes in the rush to be responsive you’ll instantly send an e-mail, but doing so may backfire. When should you e-mail and when should you maybe wait to respond until you can call or even talk in-person? …
Oct 09
‘Zombie’ Homes Spook Fewer Neighborhoods Vacant foreclosures – known as “zombies” – plunged 43 percent in the third quarter compared to a year ago, according to RealtyTrac’s latest U.S. Zombie Foreclosure and Vacant Property Report. As of the end of the third quarter, about 20,050 residential properties were in the foreclosure process and vacant, …
Oct 08
Chinese Buyers Sink More Cash Into U.S. Chinese buyers now make up the largest segment of foreign purchasers in the U.S. real estate market, and they predominantly pay in cash. So far this year, 46 percent of Chinese buyers paid cash, up 229 percent from a decade ago, according to RealtyTrac. That is significantly …
Oct 07
Home Inspection Deal-Breakers Home inspectors are hired to perform an objective evaluation of a home’s condition, but at times, their discoveries can prompt the buyer to terminate a sale contract. Dylan Chalk, owner of Seattle-based Orca Inspection Services LLC, writes on Redfin’s blog that, in his experience, the following three issues …
Oct 06
4 Digital Marketing Trends to Watch in 2016 Looking to gain more of an edge in your market? Being on the forefront of technology trends can certainly help, according to a new article at Forbes.com. SEO and online marketing expert Jayson DeMers recently pinpointed some of the top trends you’ll see in digital marketing in …
Oct 05
For 10 Weeks, Mortgage Rates Stay Below 4% Thirty-year fixed-rate mortgages continue to hold below 4 percent, often an attractive lure for home buyers and refinancers. “In contrast to the volatility in equity markets, the 10-year Treasury rate — a key driver of mortgage rates — varied just a little more than 10 basis points …
Oct 01
‘Tiny Condos’ Draw Millennials to Ownership Real estate developers are hoping to entice young professional renters into home ownership by wooing them with tiny, more affordable condos. Downtown Washington, D.C. serves as one example of the tiny condo movement’s gain in momentum. “They definitely notice it’s smaller, so it is an explanation; it takes …
