Realtor.com® has launched a new feature that narrows buyers’ home search down to neighborhoods that include certain elementary, middle, or high schools. House hunters can now enter the name of a school into a search box on the website and view a map with a pin that shows the school name and location along with homes for sale nearby.“Searching for homes by school has been the top requested feature by our users, and it showcases the im
The wave of expenditures home buyers make after purchasing a property provides an economic boost to local markets and supports new goods and services, a new study shows. In the first year of homeownership, a new owner will spend about $10,601 on appliances, furnishings, and home improvement projects, according to an analysis by the National Association of Home Builders.Homeowners in the first two years of ownership spent an average of $4,500 m
The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage this week made its biggest increase since March, moving closer to a 4 percent average, Freddie Mac reports.“Global interest rates turned up sharply over the last week,” says Freddie Mac chief economist Sean Becketti. “The 10-year Treasury yield was no exception, increasing 10 basis points in a holiday-shortened week. The 30-year mortgage rate followed suit, rising 8 basis points to 3.96 percent.”Freddie Mac
Sixty-two percent of listing agents say professional staging decreases the amount of time a home spends on the market, while 40 percent of buyer’s agents say their clients are more willing to walk through a home that has been staged, according to the National Association of REALTORS®’ 2017 Profile of Home Staging.“REALTORS® know how important it is for buyers to be able to picture themselves living in a home, and staging a home makes t
Whether you’re nurturing leads with newsletters or sending property alerts, email is a powerful marketing tool allowing real estate professionals to position themselves as a leading resource for their clients. To help maximize your email ROI, Matt Murphy, founder of lead technology and CRM company Chime Technologies, has compiled a list of three email marketing tips.Position yourself as a thought leader with newsletters. Real estate practition
Millennials tend to shy away from tracking their finances, but that’s not stopping many who have become homeowners from socking away money for a rainy day. Varo Money, Inc., a banking app directed toward millennials who utilize “hands-off” budgeting, recently surveyed 287 creditworthy millennials on their financial aspirations, their use of credit, and their everyday routines with money.Forty-one percent of millennials with an income over $
Buyers eyeing newly constructed homes may need to brace for building delays and higher prices due to an ongoing labor shortage. About two-thirds of homebuilding contractors say they’re struggling to finish projects on time because of the labor shortage, according to a new survey sponsored by USG Corp. and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. More than one-third say they sometimes have to turn projects down.“Basically, they’re just making people wo
Homeowners doing renovations can develop feuds with their neighbors if they’re not cognizant of how work on the project affects the rest of the neighborhood. After all, one homeowner’s upgrade could be another’s downgrade. Realtor.com® recently ticked off common home improvement spats.Additions that block views. Large additions that block views or cast shadows onto a neighboring lot are the most common sources of neighbor disputes involvi
Which housing markets boast the highest percentage of millennial homeowners? ABODO, an apartment listing company, recently analyzed 100 of the largest metros and found that these cities have the largest share of millennial homeownership. Ogden-Clearfield, Utah: 51% Grand Rapids-Wyoming, Mich.: 45.3% Des Moines-West Des Moines, Iowa: 43.6% McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas: 43.3% Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, Minnesota-Wis.: 42.4% Scranton-Wilke
The number of apartment dwellers nationwide is nearing a record, as 95 percent of units are now occupied, according to rental data from RealPage, a real estate analytics firm. “Solid job formation, continued limited loss of renters to home purchase, and widespread availability of appealing new apartments” are continuing to boost rental demand, says RealPage CEO Greg Willett.But supply isn’t keeping up with demand: 86,431 units were added na
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