Home improvement projects present the biggest opportunity for scammers to take advantage of homeowners, according to the Better Business Bureau’s Risk Index. Victims of home improvement scams lost an average of $1,400 from shady contractors, painters, and other repairmen, according to the BBB’s analysis.The analysis found that such scams pose the highest risk to homeowners based on three criteria: exposure (how likely consumers are to be expo
The median gross income for a real estate professional in 2016 was $42,500, most of which came from selling homes, according to the National Association of REALTORS®’ 2017 Member Profile. Annual income varied widely based on experience, with practitioners who had been in the real estate business less than two years earning $8,930, while those with 16 or more years of experience earned $78, 850.But what types of activities draw the most busines
The median price for a new single-family home reached a record high in May of $345,800, the Commerce Department reports. Buyers will be paying a huge premium for new construction, as new-home prices are now 16.8 percent higher than they were a year ago.So far, however, the higher price tags don’t seem to be spooking home shoppers. In May, 61,000 new homes were purchased—a 2.9 percent increase from April and an 8.9 percent increase from a year
Many people seek to downsize their home in retirement—but not their homebuying wish list. Retirees reportedly are flocking to smaller newly built homes that are customized to their personal needs and tastes.One advantage older home buyers find with these custom homes is that they can be built to accommodate medical conditions or physical restrictions, such as wider hallways to accommodate mobility devices. The home also can be outfitted with ag
Real estate professionals who want to highlight a home’s solar energy features on the MLS usually have to do so under the “other” category, which may not capture enough attention from buyers. But that may soon change.The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory at the University of California is developing new data standards for a special MLS field that will automatically populate solar data within the country’s 700 MLSs. This would help mak
SmartAsset, a personal finance technology company, has analyzed its second annual round of undervalued cities in the U.S. Each city had a projected price per square foot based on livability metrics such as unemployment rate, crime, high school graduation rates, number of entertainment and dining establishments, and walkability. SmartAsset then compared that number to the actual price per square foot.In Charleston, buyers purchase homes for $106.
Ooma, a smart home phone and security company, offers six tips for preventing break-ins. Front door surveillance. Because 34 percent of break-ins happen through the front door of a home, recommend that your clients install a smart doorbell that routes to their phone. Other security options Ooma mentions include two-way speakers that will give visitors the impression the owner is home, or video cameras so your clients can see who’s at the door
Clients in the market for a mountain town dream home? Here's a list to narrow the searchKey Takeaways Beautiful mountain resort towns come with varying price tags, so finding one that fits within your buyer's budget should be no problem. The most affordable mountain resort town is Ogden, Utah, with a median home price of $122,800.Your real estate clients dream of skiing across snow-covered peaks in the morning and mountain biking down rocky slope
At Inman Connect San Francisco's Startup Track, Triplemint co-founder Philip Lang will share his experience leveraging feedbackPhilip Lang, the Co-founder and COO of TripleMint, a technology-enabled real estate brokerage based in New York City, knows that to start a company you have to ask yourself: “Who is going to buy my product? Who is my target market? How do I reach said market?”And to be successful, you have to come up with the right an
Help your clients give the illusion of a perfectly manicured yard with these easy steps for sprucing up greenery from HouseLogic.Create accents with rocks. They don’t require the same level of care, water, and sunlight that grass and plants do. Rocks are good tools for forming pathways, adding design elements, or creating dry creek beds. Spots in the yard that collect water can be kept under control with rocks, which aid water runoff.Use colorf
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