It's no secret that referrals are the key source of business for REALTORS®. The National Association of REALTORS®’ 2016 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers shows that 53 percent of buyers and 64 percent of sellers use a real estate agent or broker who was referred to them by a friend, neighbor, or relative or who they have worked with in the past.But if you want to make a living in real estate, you can't rely on friends, family, and former cli
Homeowners with smart-home devices are ahead of the curve. Connected home solutions are still in the early adopter phase worldwide, according to a survey by Gartner Inc. of nearly 10,000 online respondents in the U.S., the U.K., and Australia.Only about 10 percent of households have connected home solutions, the survey found. The survey considered “connected home solutions” to be devices and services that are connected to one another and to t
The escalating costs of renting are making it a better time to purchase a home in most cities across the country, according to the Florida Atlantic University and Florida International University’s Buy vs. Rent Index."This is great news for homeownership and the financial returns to ownership," says Ken Johnson, a real estate economist and one of the index's authors. "We are not where we were in 2012, when nearly any purchase was a sound financ
Home flipping is growing at a rate comparable to 2006, and some real estate pros are warning buyers to be cautious and do their homework before purchasing a property they plan to flip.“Some flippers are turning historic homes into modern, hybrid treasures, but others are slapping cosmetic fixes on truly troubled properties, ignoring mechanical and structural issues,” CNBC reports. “For more unsuspecting buyers, that move-in-ready dream home
The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage surged to its highest average of the year this week, reaching 4.21 percent, Freddie Mac reports in its weekly mortgage market survey.“The 10-year Treasury yield rose about 10 basis points this week,” said Sean Becketti, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “For the first time in weeks, the 30-year mortgage rate moved with treasury yields and jumped 11 basis points to 4.21 percent. The strength of Friday’s emplo
The Trump administration reportedly is considering cuts at the Department of Housing and Urban Development of more than $6 billion, which could particularly hit public housing support programs hard, according to The Washington Post.The potential cut is expected to reduce public housing support and end most federally funded community development grants, such as those that help to repair abandoned properties in low-income neighborhoods.HUD’s prel
The happiest people in America live in Naples, Fla. It’s the second consecutive year for Naples to nab the top spot in the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index—so that should make the residents there even happier. Naples touts great wealth, health, and weather, which all helped it keep the number one spot on Gallup’s list for 2017.Gallup factored in a variety of traits in determining the happiest cities, such as social cohesiveness, financial
Two big selling points for your listings’ outdoor spaces are sustainability and tech friendliness. The American Society of Landscape Architects says those features were the two most popular design elements with outdoor living spaces in ASLA’s 2017 Residential Landscape Architecture Trends Survey. ASLA surveyed 817 landscape architects to determine the popularity of certain outdoor features.About 82 percent of landscape architects said that na
The McMansion—once the popular symbol of prosperity prior to the 2008 recession—may be losing its favor with home buyers.Suburbs across America once boasted McMansions, “sprawling, mishmashed homes boasting several thousand square feet,” Business Insider says."The pretty and prototypical image of such suburban lifestyle is the seven-bedroom and four-bathroom McMansion with a driveway where three gas-guzzling SUVs are parked (one for dad,
Real estate investor Sidney Torres is dishing on his big secret to making millions in real estate: Buy, don’t sell.Torres says the priority is to have a smart buying strategy where you truly can net the most profits, not in the renovations.“A lot of people think, ‘Oh, I’m going to go in there and I’m going to renovate [the property] for a lot less, and that’s where I’m going to make my money,” says Torres, the host of CNBC’s “
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