One million U.S. borrowers regained equity in 2016, according to CoreLogic’s newly released housing report. Further, about 63 percent of all homeowners saw their equity increase last year.Now, 93.8 percent of all mortgaged properties—or about 48 million homes—are in positive equity territory, according to the report.“Average home equity rose by $13,700 for U.S. homeowners during 2016,” says Frank Nothaft, chief economist for CoreLogic.
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 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,
What makes a top-ranked small city so desirable? According to realtor.com®’s research team, it has a low unemployment rate, a crime rate below the national average, an affordable median home price, and a majority of households that spend no more than 28 percent of their annual income on housing costs.The research team ranked more than 500 towns with populations between 10,000 and 50,000. The median home price of its top 10 small towns ranged f
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