Apr 24
Home Sales Mark Sluggish Start to Spring Existing-home sales basically held flat in March, and current home sales activity shows signs of underperforming by historical standards, according to the National Association of REALTORS®’ latest existing-home sales report. But NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun says the slow start to spring may be temporary, with an improvement …
Apr 23
Words in Listing Ads Can Boost Sales Price The words that real estate professionals choose to describe a property in listing ads could potentially result in the home selling for a premium, suggests an analysis that looks at listing descriptions and their effect on sales price and probability of sale. For example, property descriptor …
Apr 22
Americans Prefer Real Estate Over Stocks, Gold Americans have renewed confidence in real estate as a great investment. In fact, Americans believe real estate is the “best” long-term investment, followed by gold, stocks, mutual funds, savings accounts/CDs, and bonds, according to a new Gallup Poll of about 1,000 adults who were asked to choose the …
Apr 21
Buyers Find More Housing Options This Spring The number of homes for sale is on the rise, a long-awaited welcome to home buyers who are finding more selection than last spring and less competition, according to realtor.com®’s National Housing Trend Report for March of the 146 markets it tracks. Inventories of for-sale homes on realtor.com® …
Apr 18
A Third of Home Owners in Foreclosure Have Equity More home owners in the foreclosure process are finding that their home may no longer be underwater, according to a new report by RealtyTrac. “Because of rising home prices, many of the home owners in the foreclosure process — more than a third — actually have …
Apr 17
New-Home Construction Ramps Up in Midwest, Northeast Groundbreaking on new single-family homes posted a 6 percent rise in March, showing a gradual strengthening in the sector — particularly in the Northeast and Midwest — according to new figures by the Commerce Department. On the other hand, the volatile multifamily market saw starts fall 6.1 …
Apr 16
3 Reasons to Start Using Video Email Video email can help real estate agents make a lasting impression on prospects. Here are three reasons why you should consider incorporating video into your email campaigns. It improves communications, keeps clients invested in a relationship with you, and lets prospects get to know the agent on a …
Apr 15
How Buyers Can Irk Sellers Both parties have to come together in a transaction, and real estate professionals sometimes find themselves wedged in the middle of buyer and seller disagreements. Some sellers may accuse the home buyers of being too pushy with their demands. Bankrate.com recently highlighted several ways that homebuyers have been annoying some …
Apr 14
Sunnier Days Ahead in Housing The housing market is stronger today than at any point since the Great Recession and has made progress in several key areas after hitting bottom in 2009, Freddie Mac reports in a blog post looking at the state of the housing market heading into spring. Home sales are up 13 …
Apr 11
Foreclosures Rise as Banks Take More Action Foreclosure activity rose last month by 4 percent, but it remains at the lowest level since 2007, RealtyTrac reports in its latest U.S. Foreclosure Market Report. Last month’s increase was mostly attributed to a 7 percent month-over-month rise in foreclosure starts and a 6 percent rise in scheduled …
Apr 10
Obama’s Housing Scorecard: Cautious Progress The housing recovery is strengthening across the country, but the Obama administration cautions that the economy is still healing from the recession and the recovery is fragile, according to the administration’s March Housing Scorecard. The report highlights several of the latest housing indicators, including reports showing that home prices …
Apr 09
Consumer Confidence in Housing Hot This Spring Consumer attitudes are reflecting greater optimism in the housing market heading into real estate’s traditionally strong spring selling season, according to Fannie Mae’s March 2014 National Housing Survey. In the poll of 1,000 people, 38 percent say it’s a good time to sell a home, up from 26 …
