Nov 13
Agent, Appraiser: How Much Can We Talk? One big misunderstanding between real estate agents and appraisers centers on how, when, and what they can communicate about the valuation process, said panelists at a Valuation Forum on Saturday at the 2013 REALTORS® Conference & Expo. While federal laws dictate those communications, appraisers and agents don’t have …
Nov 13
3 Ways to Show Former Clients Your Appreciation How are you going to differentiate yourself in 2014 to get more leads? Here are three ideas from Victoria Gillespie with RE/MAX Realty Affiliates in Mount Airy, Md. Gillespie presented “Redefining Your Business Proposition” on Friday at the REALTORS® Conference & Expo. Her first secret weapon is …
Nov 12
Where to Find the Best Leads in Real Estate The most valuable leads for real estate professionals still come from traditional paths over online sources, according to the Imprev Thought Leader Survey of top real estate executives. Traditional sources like open houses, past-client referrals, For Sale signs, and walk-ins to brokerage offices are more effective …
Nov 12
Home Interest Rates Move Higher for the First Time in Three Weeks Mortgage rates reversed course this week, moving upwards for the first time in three weeks amid more positive economic data, Freddie Mac reports in its weekly mortgage market survey. Production in the manufacturing industry and non-manufacturing sector alike showed signs of expanding. …
Nov 11
More Sellers Having to Reduce List Prices One in four home sellers are reporting they’ve had to lower their list price, according to a new report released by the real estate brokerage Redfin. That represents the highest level since 2011, according to the Redfin survey. It also represents a far greater number than in February, …
Nov 11
9 Buzzwords Helping to Sell Homes Marble, big windows, and wine cellars are becoming popular words in listing ads to sell high-end homes, according to a new study by Trulia. The study defined luxury listings as those valued four times the median asking price in an area. The following buzz words have grown in …
Nov 08
Home Buyers Need Agents More, Despite Internet Growth Internet growth in home buying is growing, but buyers who use the Internet are more likely to say they need a real estate agent, according to the National Association of REALTORS®’ 2013 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers survey. In fact, the highest share of buyers in …
Nov 07
Home Owners Don’t Like Renters as Neighbors Americans don’t care to get to know the neighbor renting next door, according to a survey of more than 3,000 adults conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Trulia. Home owners dismiss neighbors who are renters more than any other group living in their neighborhood, the …
Nov 07
More Banks Offering Up Loans for 5% Down? For the last few years, buyers have been hard-pressed to land a mortgage if they didn’t have a 20 percent down payment, unless they turned to the Federal Housing Administration’s low down-payment loans. But a growing number of banks are now offering loans with just 5 percent …
Aug 23
5 Inspection Problems Buyers Shouldn’t Ignore Home buyers need to be extra vigilant about inspections in the early stages of a purchase because if problems are discovered too late in the process, it can “dash home owners’ dreams and budgets,” writes Yahoo! Finance in a recent article. One home buyer in Long Island, N.Y., …
Aug 23
Household Incomes Improving, But Still Way Down Though median household income has been rising for the last two years, it’s still 4.4 percent below where it was in June 2009 when the recession officially ended, according to a new study by two former Census Bureau officials. Annual median household income rose to $52,100 in …
Aug 22
Pa. Woman May Not Lose Home Over $6 A western Pennsylvania widow has won a chance to argue that she should not lose her $280,000 home over $6.30 in unpaid interest on taxes. AP reported that the state’s Commonwealth Court ruled it was a mistake for a Beaver County judge to rule against the woman, …
