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Real Estate Trends Archive


Appraisal Institute: How Landscaping Can Impact Home Values

The Appraisal Institute recently advised homeowners to properly maintain their landscaping, which can significantly affect property values. “If a landscaping change is positive, it can often enhance price and reduce a home’s time on the market,” says Appraisal Institute President Richard L. Borges II, MAI, SRA. “But if the change is negative, it can lower the price and lengthen the time a home remains for sale.” Curb appeal is essential when selling a home, Borges says, noting it’s the homeowner’s opportunity to make a great first impression. A home with lackluster landscaping or an exterior in desperate need of a fresh coat of paint will likely be unappealing


5 Dream Home Upgrades to Make When You Win Powerball

What would you do if you won $600 million? That is the question on everyone’s mind as Powerball fever sweeps the nation. The water cooler within our office has been all-abuzz as Wednesday’s estimated $360 million swelled


Realtor.com® Launches Rentals App for iOS and Android

Realtor.com®, a leader in online real estate, operated by Move, Inc., has announced the launch of the realtor.com® rentals app for iOS and Android smartphones. According to the company, with this new tool,


Power Broker Spotlight: Overcoming Inventory Challenges

Sometimes, in order to move forward, we must look at what was successful in the past. In the following interview, Dan Elsea of Real Estate One in Michigan tells us what retired home-selling tricks his company has been


Short Sale Approval and Valuation Issues Continue to Impact Housing Market

Both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have implemented policies to expedite the short sales process, including new resources to help determine property values, according to panelists at a property valuation forum during the REALTORS® Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo. Short sales continue to represent a significant portion of the real estate market. According to the National Association of REALTORS® short sales accounted for 9 percent of transactions during the first quarter of 2013. The short sale process can be frustrating for home buyers, sellers and REALTORS® given that approvals are often complex,


Mid-Year Goal Setting and Business Planning – In Less than 5 Minutes

Now is a perfect time to reassess and calculate what you need to do to get your goals on track! As we move towards mid-year, it’s time to put pen to paper about what is working (and what isn’t). A business plan isn’t set it stone, nor should it be a heavy burden. Rather, it’s a roadmap that helps clarify your objectives and how you’re going to achieve them. Success stems from having established goals and a plan to achieve them. Realtor.com® offers a free tool that allows you to review your last year’s results, set goals for the following year, and calculate just how many activities you will need to engage in to reach your objective. This free tool is designed for agents who have set an ambitious goal for prospecting, sales


A Tale of Two Developers

While markets differ in various ways, most of us in real estate are playing our game by the same rules. All of us have access to the same quality resources, information and tools of our trade. Why is it then that a select few seem to achieve


Eight Things Keeping Your Company Out of First Place

Picture this: You’re relaxing on your couch and watching your favorite crime drama after a long day at work. You’ve halfway tuned out during a commercial break when something catches your attention.


Listen while You Work

I believe that the earning potential for a salesperson is directly linked to the quality of his or her active listening skills. To listen closely and reply well is the highest perfection we are able to attain in the art of selling. An ancient Chinese proverb reminds us; "To listen ...


April realtor.com® Report Shows Housing Recovery Accelerating

Realtor.com®, a leader in online real estate operated by Move, Inc., released its April data showing that the U.S. housing market is on its way to a broad-based recovery, an accelerated trend since March. The home-buying season shifted into high gear last month as inventory and home list prices on realtor.com® increased by 4.12 percent and 2.63 percent, month over month, respectively. As of April, homes are on the market nationwide approximately 81 days—a decrease of nearly 11 percent since April 2012—highlighting that while new homes are entering the market they are not available for long.


FNC Index: U.S. Home Prices Up 0.4 Percent in March

The latest FNC Residential Price Index™ (RPI) shows the U.S. housing market continued to recover, recording in March the 13th consecutive price increase. In recent months, the ongoing housing recovery has maintained


Builder Confidence Improves in May

Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes improved three points to a 44 reading on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) for May, released recently. This gain, from a downwardly revised 41 in April, reflected improvement in all three index components – current sales conditions, sales expectations and traffic of prospective buyers. “Builders are noting an increased sense of urgency among potential buyers as a result of thinning inventories of homes for sale, continuing affordable mortgage rates and strengthening local economies,” notes National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Chairman Rick Judson,


Pillar To Post Named 2013 Military Friendly Franchise®

Pillar To Post has been ranked in the top 10 percent of all franchises nationwide and named a 2013 Military Friendly Franchise® by Victory Media, publisher of G.I. Jobs, the company has announced.


Freddie Mac Announces Immediate Availability of Streamlined Modification for Delinquent Borrowers

Freddie Mac recently announced it is making its new Streamlined Modification program immediately available to all eligible borrowers nationwide in order to expedite financial relief for potentially thousands of distressed families.Freddie Mac's Streamlined Modification program had originally been scheduled to start on July 1, 2013. ...


REALTORS® Bring Public Policy Priorities to Capitol Hill

REALTORS® from across the nation will be meeting with regulators, lawmakers and industry leaders in Washington this week to address critical real estate issues affecting individuals, communities, and the nation as the REALTORS® Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo begins. More than 9,000 REALTORS® and guests are expected to attend the meetings, which will run here through May 18. “REALTORS® are leading advocates for homeownership and private property rights, and want to ensure that their point-of-view on important housing and investment issues is heard at all levels of government,” says National Association of REALTORS® President Gary Thomas.


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