Jul 10
Retail Real Estate Inches Toward Recovery. The rows of vacant shopping centers plaguing many U.S. cities may slowly be vanishing. For the second quarter in a row, vacancy rates improved while rents continued to inch up in the retail real estate market, signaling a recovery for the hardest-hit commercial sector, according to Reis, a commercial real …
Jul 06
American Renters Getting Squeezed. Rents continue to inch upwards and many renters say they know it would be cheaper to buy a home than rent, but they can’t qualify for a mortgage, Reuters News reports. With rising demand for rentals, landlords are increasing their rents and some cities are even posting double-digit percentage rental increases …
Jul 06
How Agents Are Investing in Their Business. Real estate professionals are investing in a number of tools to expand their reach to customers. According to a new survey by ActiveRain of 2,000 real estate agents, 63 percent of respondents say they have their own Internet Data Exchange (IDX) Web site, which features home listing feeds …
Jul 03
How Buyers Can Snag Mortgage Rates in 3% Range. Mortgage rates are at record lows, with 30-year fixed-rate mortgages—the most popular choice among home buyers—averaging in the 3 percent range for the last several weeks. So how can home buyers snag such low financing for their home purchase? Banks have tightened their lending standards in …
Jul 03
For Those Selling Farms, Big Money Follows. Sellers are cashing in on a farmland boom taking hold across rural America. “We’ve never been here before. It’s a windfall at the moment,” says Chuck Wingert of Wingert Realty & Land Services, a farm auction company in Mankato, Minn. Farmland values have soared in recent years. Earlier …
Jul 03
5 ‘Must-Do’s Project for July. by Bob Vila July ushers in the start of summer, which translates into outdoor living, grilling and staying cool. But this month, like any other, there are things you can do to improve your summer living; things that will bring you more opportunity for leisure-time pursuits, while still keeping your …
Jul 02
Investing In Real Estate Doesn’t Have To Be A Local Endeavor If you are looking at investing in real estate, please take this word of advice – real estate investing doesn’t have to be local. Many real estate investors make this mistake, and as a result miss out on a world of opportunity. Sure, there …
Jul 02
Turn Your Garage Into a Fun Fitness Recreation Area. When I was a little kid, I spent countless hours every week in my friend’s garage playing basketball. The ceiling was only 9 feet high, but I was so tiny the garage felt like a basketball gymnasium. Although I didn’t realize it at the time, my …
Jun 29
About to Buy a New Home? Don’t Show It to These People. A listing agent may have shown a prospective buyer a specific house two or three times. Now the buyer wants another showing, which is surely a good sign that she’s ready to make an offer. The buyer also tells the agent that she …
Jun 27
30-Year Fixed Mortgage Rate Ties Record Low. Mortgage rates for 30-year fixed mortgages were unchanged this week, with the current rate borrowers were quoted on Zillow Mortgage Marketplace at 3.48 percent. Reported for the first time last week, this represents the lowest rate reported since Zillow Mortgage Marketplace launched in April 2008. The 30-year fixed …
Jun 26
Swimming Pools: Everything You Need to Know From Style, Safety & Cost. by: Bob Vila An in-ground pool is the ultimate in backyard upgrades. If you’ve always wanted one, now may be the time. Prices have fallen during the recession by up to 30 percent. Nevertheless, it remains a big investment, so it’s important to …
Jun 26
Floating homes: What it costs to live on the water NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Many people dream of living near the water, but a few people take it to the extreme: Living on top of the water — in a floating home. “It’s a beautiful lifestyle,” said Robert Oshatz, the designer of a new floating …
