It’s officially the season for buyers hunting down the perfect summer vacation home spot. ATTOM Data Solutions analyzed the cities where at least one in every 12 buyers is looking for a second home and ranked them based on air quality, comfortable summer temperatures, low crime, appreciating home values, and reasonable home prices.The top bargain markets for summer vacation homes were found in four states: Tennessee, North Carolina, Florida,
As home prices rise, fewer homeowners are underwater, or owing more on their mortgage than their home is currently worth. In the first quarter of 2017, 350,000 borrowers regained equity, which dropped the total number of underwater owners to 1.8 million, according to the latest Mortgage Monitor Report from Black Knight Financial Services, a real estate data firm.The population of underwater homeowners has dropped by nearly 1 million borrowers sin
Featuring Allen Stone breaking into Ryan Lewis' house, it's, well, an invasion of privacyKey Takeaways Allen Stone spends 20 minutes "breaking and entering" Ryan Lewis' home for sale.What is Allen Stone’s Invasion of Privacy? Well, the first (and so far only) episode involves the soul singer from the Pacific Northwest breaking into DJ and producer Ryan Lewis’ Seattle house, then running amok inside.Lewis (of Macklemore fame) is listing his
The majority of buyer's agents say a staged listing helps their clients visualize life in the homeKey Takeaways Staging a home "greatly reduces" the amount of time a home stays on a market, according to seller's agents. Buyer's agents concur that home staging has an effect on their clients' decision and how much they're willing to spend.Inventory is low, which means most listings are selling faster than ever. But there are still some outliers â€
How to talk to your clients about the importance of this protectionA home warranty company’s primary goal is to make your clients feel secure and protected in their new purchase. It’s scary to buy a home and not know the state of the systems and appliances inside. A home warranty can provide that peace of mind and protection.One of the complaints home warranty companies get from new homeowners is that their home warranty didn’t cover
Real estate professionals officially are entitled to receive a copy of the closing disclosure from lenders, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced last week. Agents traditionally have used the information in the disclosure form to advise their clients during transactions, but about two years ago, when the CFPB made sweeping changes to the settlement process, some lenders stopped making the form available due to privacy concerns.The Na
To garner more attention for a recent listing, a real estate agent in Australia threw a Cirque du Soleil-themed open house at the home. The gimmick worked, drawing 120 people and interest from several serious buyers, says Nick Slater, who listed the property with brokerage McGrath Gunghalin in Canberra, Australia. Slater now expects to sell the home before a scheduled auction on July 22.Guests were greeted at the party by performances from cont
Buyers on the hunt for a lakefront home that promises to be a lucrative investment will want to head to Chelan, Wash. The town tops realtor.com®’s list of top lakeside cities in America.Researchers scoured realtor.com® data to find lake towns that offer the most activities for residents as well the fastest growth in home prices (based on price appreciation between the first quarter of 2014 and the first quarter of 2017).Lake towns are general
Consumer sentiment about the housing market zoomed to a record high in June, with seller optimism making up most of the uptick, according to Fannie Mae’s Home Purchase Sentiment Index. The index rose 2.1 percentage points last month to an 88.3 reading, which matches a record high in February.The number of consumers who say now is a good time to sell a home reached a record high in June, rising 7 percentage points from the previous month. Resear
After moving in, buyers will discover a lot about their new home—but they may wish they had paid closer attention to some items before signing the sale contract. Help your clients avoid regrets by guiding them to assess a property carefully before purchasing it. Realtor.com® advises giving particular consideration to these areas:Nighttime atmosphere. Advise your clients to view a home at different times of the day and night. “A community ca
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