Feb 16
7 Ways Your Closing Gifts Backfire Showing thanks to your clients with a closing gift is a traditional way many real estate professionals seal up a transaction. A closing gift not only serves as a special treat to your home buyers and sellers, but it can also help make you more memorable long after a …
Feb 13
Successful Cities Invest in Technology, Energy Smart investments in energy and innovation earn San Francisco, CA and Austin, TX the distinction of being named the Best-Performing Cities in America by the Milken Institute. The Milken Institute ranked 379 metro areas to help businesses, investors, government officials, and public-policy groups track and evaluate the performance of …
Feb 12
Income Increases Boosting Housing Optimism The number of households saying their income is significantly higher than it was a year ago is on the rise, as is the number expecting their financial situation to continue to move significantly higher over the next year — both reaching all-time survey highs in Fannie Mae’s January 2015 National …
Feb 11
Common Lawn Myths vs. Reality Spring is approaching, and it’s time for your clients to start planning their lawn and landscaping strategy. Before they start cutting and fertilizing, it’s a good idea to review these common myths and myth-busting tips from lawn and landscaping professionals: Myth #1: You can water your lawn and landscape …
Feb 10
Best Seasons to Sell a Home Spring is traditionally considered the best season to list a home, but it doesn’t inch out the other seasons by much, according to a new analysis by the real estate brokerage Redfin. Redfin’s research team analyzed 7 million homes listed from 2010 through 2014 to gauge how important …
Feb 09
Mortgage Rates Fall Again make a splash! Average fixed-rate mortgages once again fell back to near 20-month lows. After rising slightly last week, mortgage rates reversed course this week, sending borrowing costs lower and allowing home buyers and refinancers to lock in rates that haven’t been this low since May 23, 2013, Freddie Mac …
Feb 06
87% of Homes Qualify for Down Payment Aid More prospective home buyers would likely qualify for down payment assistance than they think. Indeed, more than 68 million single-family and condo households – or about 87 percent — would qualify for a down payment program available in the county where they are located, according to …
Feb 05
Where Investors Are Targeting with Rentals Where are the biggest increases in rental rates likely to occur this year? Georgia, Maryland, Virginia, and Michigan may offer some of the highest returns for investors, according to a new analysis by RealtyTrac, which recently analyzed the markets most likely to offer the best returns in buying residential …
Feb 04
Does Starbucks Brew Higher Home Values? The arrival of Starbucks’ coffee shops may help indicate where higher home values will soon surface, asserts a new analysis by Quartz, a digital business publication of the Atlantic Media Company. In fact, Quartz claims that “Starbucks equates with venti-sized home-value appreciation. Moreover, Starbucks seems to be fueling – …
Feb 03
Cutting-Edge Design Trends for 2015 Innovative marketing techniques, an emphasis on renewable features, and using big data to meet clients’ needs are just a few of the architectural trends that are set to influence real estate in 2015, according to a recent blog post from MIPIM, an organization that hosts a conference that attracts upwards …
Feb 02
Home Ownership Rate Falls to 20-Year Low The U.S. home ownership rate posted declines across all four regions of the U.S. in the fourth quarter, plunging to its lowest level since the third quarter of 1994. But a sharp rebound in household formation during the quarter has more economists optimistic that a turnaround in the …
Jan 30
Inventory Problems Stall Home Sales Pending home sales dropped in December, despite interest rates being at the lowest levels in more than a year, the National Association of REALTOR® reports. All regions across the country posted declines in December. In December, pending home sales nationally fell 3.7 percent month-over-month. Still, NAR’s Pending Home Sales Index, …
