General News - Real Estate, Updates, News & Tips

REALTORS: Targeting Millennial Renters

Millennials are one of the highest renting demographics, but what are they looking for in a rental? Landlords and property management companies are trying to find the keywords that resonate with this age group when crafting their online ads for properties.The average renter changes their rental property every six months to three years, shows ATTOM Data Solutions, a real estate data firm.Here are a few successful characteristics landlords are tout

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5 Decorating Trends you Likely Won't See in 2020

Home interior looks are evolving, and even the open floor plan may be losing some of its long-lasting appeal. Design pros weighed in on a recent realtor.com® article on the home decorating trends that may lose some popularity heading into 2020. Here are a few of the trends that they say are falling by the wayside:The accent wallThe lone wall painted in one contrasting color is losing fans. Instead, ”it's time to boldly enter the new

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Most Homes in Major Cities are Selling Below List Price

Home buyers gained negotiating power in many markets during the second quarter of the year, finding greater room to haggle on list price. Just 15% of homes in the largest metro areas during this time sold for the seller’s original asking price, according to CoreLogic data, a sign that sellers should be willing to field lower offers.Sixty-one percent of homes sold in the second quarter were discounted, up from 57% a year ago, according to the da

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‘Hidden Gem’ Housing Markets Offering Big Bargains

In some markets, buyers are finding major deals on homes that have lingered on the market, but still, property values in those areas are performing well, according to a new analysis by realtor.com®.Realtor.com®’s data team identified these “hidden gem” markets by factoring in days on the market, median home prices below the national median of $310,000, and low unemployment rates, among other items. The site limited its rankings to on

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Pending Home Sales Jump Despite Lagging Inventory

Pending home sales rose 1.2% in November after slipping the prior month, according to the National Association of REALTORS®’ latest housing report, which was released Monday. Year-over-year contract signings were up 7.4% nationally, according to the report.November’s Pending Home Sales Index reached 108.5; an index of 100 is equal to the level of contract activity in 2001. The West region of the country reported the highe

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4 Most Popular Bathroom Trends of 2019

Shaker-style cabinets, brass accents, and white-and-wood combos dominated bathroom trends in 2019, according to Houzz, a home remodeling website. The following are the most-saved bathroom photos that were uploaded to Houzz in 2019.Brass accents. Add some bling: Brass finishes—whether antiqued, brushed, or polished—grew in popularity in 2019, particularly with cabinet hardware.Photo by LA Design Build - Discover bathroom design

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Hike in Average U.S. Salary Gives Buyers more Power

The average annual salary for a full-time worker in the U.S. reached a record high in November, soaring to $69,181, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York reports. That marks a 3.4% increase from a year ago.Higher salaries, along with low mortgage rates, may help give the housing market a boost. The economy is performing strongly, with more than 2 million jobs created in the past year, Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of R

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New Flooring Trends Emerging for 2020

More than 30% of homeowners say the floors are what they dislike most about their properties, according to a survey conducted by online loan marketplace LightStream. New flooring may even increase a home’s value, Dan DiClerico, an expert with HomeAdvisor, told realtor.com®. “Putting down new flooring is a smart investment,” DiClerico says. “But more importantly, it can dramatically transform the look and feel of the home, while making it

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Houzz’s 3 Most Popular Living Room Styles of 2019

Living room layouts enabling greater social interaction, as well as design accents like built-ins, were big trends this year. Houzz, a popular home remodeling site, recently rounded up the living room and family room photos uploaded to its site this year that the highest number of users saved.1. Shiplap: Add visual interest with shiplap to a wall otherwise overtaken by a large flat-screen TV.2. All about built-ins: Add organiz

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2019 Mortgage Rates were Lowest in Nearly 50 Years

The interest rate for the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 3.9% for 2019, the fourth lowest annual average since 1971, according to Freddie Mac. For 2020, Freddie’s outlook mirrors that of the real estate industry’s top economists, who discussed their predictions at the National Association of REALTORS®’ first-ever Real Estate Forecast Summit earlier this month: Low mortgage rates and an improving economy will help drive

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