Feb 05
New Way to Sell a Home: Arrange a Sleepover Some home buyers are making an unusual request: They’re asking to spend the night at a home before they make an offer on it. HGTV’s “Sleep On It,” which follows potential buyers as they stay overnight in two homes with the sellers’ approval before deciding which …
Feb 04
If You Want to Flip, Do It Now In 2013, home flips snagged sellers a tidy profit. But the trend may not continue. RealtyTrac’s Home Flipping Report for the fourth quarter of 2013 showed single-family home flips were up 16 percent from 2012 and up 114 percent from 2011. The average gross profit for a …
Feb 03
Frigid Weather, Rising Prices Cooling Sales Contracts The record-low weather temperatures freezing parts of the country the past month are hampering pending home sales. “Unusually disruptive weather across large stretches of the country in December forced people indoors and prevented some buyers from looking at homes and making offers,” says Lawrence Yun, chief economist …
Jan 31
It’s 2014 — Why Aren’t Mortgage Rates Higher? Economists have predicted that mortgage rates will rise in 2014, but so far, nothing’s happening. For the past month, mortgage rates have mostly stayed flat or moved lower, with the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaging just above 4.5 percent. Mortgage rates are expected to move higher this …
Jan 30
Obama Calls for Action on Mortgage Finance Reform President Barack Obama, in his fifth state of the union speech last night, touted the “rebounding housing market” as one of the measures of the strengthening economy and asked Congress to reform the mortgage finance system in such a way that would keep home ownership within reach …
Jan 29
What to Know About WordPress Themes Both new and veteran real estate bloggers may find it difficult to choose a WordPress theme, given all the options. First, they should consider whether they will use it as both a blog and a website, and if so, they should select one that offers menu navigation options, such …
Jan 28
What’s on REALTORS®’ Minds Though the market is poised to continue its gains in 2014, a number of issues cited by members of the National Association of REALTORS® have the potential to slow things down, according to a new survey. The REALTORS® Confidence Index is a key indicator of housing market strength based on a …
Jan 27
Home Sales in 2013 Rise to Strongest Level in 7 Years The housing market has been experiencing a “healthy recovery” over the past two years, with home sales last year rising to the highest level since 2006, according to the National Association of REALTORS®’ latest housing report. “Existing-home sales have risen nearly 20 percent …
Jan 24
Nearly Every U.S. City Can Expect a Good 2014 Nearly every city in the U.S. is expected to see economic growth in 2014, according to a new report by the U.S. Conference of Mayors. The city expected to lead the country in economic growth and job gains is Naples, Fla. Other large cities expected …
Jan 23
Tight Housing Inventories Still Plague Markets Home buyers continue to face limited choices of homes for sale in many markets, according to realtor.com®’s National Housing Trend Report. “As we open the new year, the first-quarter inventory figures are especially crucial as our first barometer [of] seller confidence for the 2014 homebuying season,” said Errol Samuelson, …
Jan 23
Builders Hike Their Prices More builders are reporting they’re raising their prices on new homes. Twenty-four percent of 231 builders recently surveyed say they raised their prices in December, which is an increase over a 19 percent low reported in November, according to John Burns Real Estate Consulting Inc. data. The percentage of builders who …
Jan 20
4 Keys Identified for a Full Housing Recovery In order to have a fully recovered housing market and economic recovery, economists point to the need for four positive indicators: 1. A healthy job market with low stable unemployment; 2. Mortgage delinquencies that have returned to historical averages; 3. Home prices consistent with an affordable mortgage …
