Dec 13
Blogging Mistakes to Avoid for Real Estate Agents Many real estate professionals have blogs to help them reach out to new customers and establish credibility and expertise. But if you’re not careful, blogging could hurt your brand — not help it. Forbes recently highlighted some of the following common blogging mistakes to avoid: Not posting …
Dec 10
Number of Improving Housing Markets Soars The number of improving housing markets grew by 76 in December to a total of 201, according to the National Association of Home Builders/First American Improving Market Index. The index identifies U.S. metro areas that have shown improvement in home sales, employment, and housing values for at least the …
Dec 07
Short Sales Surge Before Potential Tax Hike Real estate professionals are rushing to get short sales completed before the end of the year. That’s when a tax break expires that could leave borrowers responsible for paying any unpaid mortgage debt. Short sales from borrowers behind on their payments jumped 22 percent over last year for …
Dec 07
Home Prices Post Another Big Gain More housing surveys are showing a rise in home prices, and the latest coming from CoreLogic this week shows values soared to their largest annual increase in more than six years. CoreLogic says the Home Prices index jumped 6.3 percent in October compared to a year ago, marking the eighth-consecutive …
Dec 05
Luxury Home builder Sees Profits Surge Luxury home builder Toll Brothers Inc. is being considered one of the top performers in the home-building sector, reports The Wall Street Journal. The home builder saw its quarterly profits surge, with its home building rising across all regions. The Northeast makes up 60 percent of Toll Brothers’ business …
Dec 05
No Foreclosures for the Holidays From Fannie, Freddie Mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac announced Monday that they will temporarily halt all bank repossessions and evictions beginning in mid-December until Jan. 2, 2013. The temporary foreclosure suspension goes into effect beginning Dec. 17 and Dec. 19, respectively. The moratorium will not affect the filing …
Dec 04
Can Rising Home Prices Actually Delay the Recovery? The rapid increase in home prices in some markets may wind up hampering the housing recovery, CNBC columnist Diana Olick reports. “The reason is that the rise in prices is mainly due to investors, mostly large hedge funds, that have been swooping into the most distressed markets …
Nov 28
‘Tis the Season to Stay Connected With Clients The period between Thanksgiving and Christmas can be a challenging time for real estate agents, as families focus their attention on traveling, entertaining, and other family activities. But that doesn’t mean property deals grind to halt. Sending out newsletters or holiday greeting cards, e-mailing clients the newest …
Nov 27
First-Time Home Buyers Being Shut Out? First-time home buyers are a shrinking pool, making up less of the housing market. Typically, they represent about 40 percent of buyers, but today their numbers have dropped to about 31 percent of buyers, according to housing data by the National Association of REALTORS®. First-time home buyers are the …
Nov 27
Home Prices what’s really driving them? The Wall Street Journal recently cited five significant factors behind the rise in home prices, as numerous markets see significant year-over-year gains. The big price drives are: 1. The rise in housing affordability – which is drawing more buyers out into the market who are looking to cash in …
Nov 19
Real Estate Agent Bonuses Offered on Freddie Mac REO Sales. Freddie Mac announced that it is offering $1,000 bonuses to real estate agents representing buyers of one of its HomeSteps REO properties. Listing agents may be eligible for $500. The agent bonus program applies to 20 states. To receive the bonus, offers must be received …
Nov 19
Mortgage Rates Fall into Record-Breaking Territory Mortgage Rates Fall to new all-time lows this week, pushing homebuyer affordability even higher for those who can qualify. “The Fixed Mortgage Rates Fall to record lows on indicators of higher consumer confidence and wholesale prices,” Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac’s chief economist says. The following are the national averages of the Mortgage …
