Foreign Investors Compete for U.S. Suburban Homes Foreign investment firms are reportedly making a big play for single-family homes in American suburbs. These overseas investment firms traditionally have targeted office buildings, hotels, and shopping centers internationally. But they are seeing promise in buying or building rental homes—by the thousands—throughout the U.S., The Wall Street …
Tag: tips
Apr 19
Could Vacant Commercial Buildings Be Converted to Affordable Housing?
Could Vacant Commercial Buildings Be Converted to Affordable Housing? Commercial buildings left empty from the COVID-19 pandemic may find a new purpose as affordable housing. Empty hotels from a yearlong lack of travel and tourism as well as empty office buildings due to remote work could drive the trend of repurposing vacant commercial spaces. “The …
Apr 15
Affordable Small Towns
Affordable Small Towns Small-town living has become increasingly appealing to more Americans. Even prior to the pandemic, rising home prices were prompting more consumers to move farther away from city centers in search of greater square footage and to make their housing dollars stretch more. In a 2020 survey from Gallup, nearly half of …
Apr 14
What Updated CDC Cleaning Guidance Means for You
What Updated CDC Cleaning Guidance Means for You Spaces can be disinfected less frequently under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s new coronavirus health guidelines for homes and facilities, but regular cleaning and mask-wearing are still important. Instead of excessively disinfecting every counter, doorknob, and nook, cleaning with soap and water may suffice in …
Apr 14
Baby Boomers Plan Moves
Baby Boomers Plan Moves Wealthy baby boomers are increasingly buying properties in the same housing developments as their friends, even if it means moving hundreds of miles away from the place where they first met, real estate pros tell The Wall Street Journal. Groups of empty nesters are looking to create communities and preserve or …
Apr 13
Where Termites Tend to Be the Worst
Where Termites Tend to Be the Worst Watch out in Miami, Los Angeles, and Tampa, Fla.: These places can be hotbeds for termites, according to Orkin’s 2021 Top 50 Termite Cities List. Orkin, a national pest control company, reports an uptick in termite treatments across the country over the past year. “With people spending more …
Apr 13
Emerging Real Estate Trends
Emerging Real Estate Trends The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a mass disruption to the way people live and work and prompted sweeping economic fallout felt throughout the world. Global leaders are still coming to grips with the long-term impact to the real estate industry. COVID-19 has accelerated many existing trends, including digitalization, dispersed working, and …
Apr 12
Property Taxes Jumped 5.4% in 2020
Property Taxes Jumped 5.4% in 2020 Homeowners may notice an increase in their property tax bills. Municipalities levied about $323 billion in property taxes on single-family homes in 2020, a 5.4% increase compared to 2019, according to ATTOM Data Solutions’ newest property tax analysis for nearly 87 million single-family homes in the U.S. The …
Apr 12
Competitive Housing Markets
Competitive Housing Markets Competition is fierce among house hunters. For buyers in San Jose, Calif., San Francisco, and Raleigh, N.C., they should be ready to face the most competition in the nation, according to new research by LendingTree. LendingTree ranked the 50 largest metro areas in the U.S. based on the competitiveness of their …
Apr 08
Still Renting?
Still Renting? The leap from renter to owner is closer than you think! With the help of myself and John Coneys of Freedom Mortgage, (NMLS# 183853 – 610-322-4886) we might be able to turn that monthly rental check into your first home. #RealEstate #Realtor #HomePurchase #BuyersMarket #FreedomFast #BuyNotRent
Apr 08
Lenders Are Tightening Up on Mortgage Loans
Lenders Are Tightening Up on Mortgage Loans Beware: Your buyers could struggle to be approved for a home loan. As lenders tighten standards, home loan approval is becoming more difficult, The Wall Street Journal reports. The Mortgage Bankers Association reports that mortgage credit availability, which measures lenders’ willingness to approve mortgages, is at its lowest …
Apr 08
Where Housing Stock Is Aging
Where Housing Stock Is Aging The median age of the nation’s owner-occupied housing stock is 39 years. An area’s age of housing could be an important measurement for the real estate market. As Na Zhao, senior economist at the National Association of Home Builders, explains on the association’s Eye on Housing blog: “The age of …
