Homes in new communities can sometimes look alike. But luxury builders are hoping to make their properties stand out with extravagant features such as champagne vaults, candy rooms, and bowling alleys. One Los Angeles development company has even included a shark tank in one of its spec homes, Curbed.com reports.The home, fittingly dubbed the “shark house,” features a 300-gallon, two-foot-deep tank containing three hound sharks, a remora sha
For the first time in decades, the population growth of urban cities is keeping pace with the suburbs, according to a joint report by the Urban Land Institute and RCLCO Real Estate Advisors. More than 29 million Americans now live in urban neighborhoods.Between 2000 and 2015, the population of urban downtowns rose by 1 percent—well below the suburbs’ 13 percent growth. However, urban and suburban areas grew at about the same rate between 2010
Tom Ferry shares tips on leveraging your buyers (really!) into more listingsSomewhere out there is a seller who just hasn’t fully committed to the idea yet. So how do you get people who have been contemplating selling their house to take that next step and open the door to a conversation with you?I reached out to some of the brightest minds I know, and together we put together 4 no-brainer hacks to generate listings now.If you want more listing
Grab your selfie stick, because June 30 is Social Media Day. Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest have become vital for real estate marketers to get their content out to their audience and connect with prospective clients.“Hopefully, if you’re an agent, you spend more time on social media doing business than scrolling through feeds,” says Grant Findlay-Shirras, co-founder of Parkbench.com, a rea
Authorities in the United States and Africa have arrested eight people for alleged involvement in an international online fraud scheme that targeted Crye-Leike, a real estate company based in Memphis, Tenn., as well as other entities. The suspects, along with four others who are still at large, are accused of attacking computer servers and using bogus email messages to steal millions of dollars from individuals and companies involved in property
The U.S. Housing and Urban Development released new income guidelines for who can qualify for its low-income housing assistance, and one city’s “low income” level is turning heads. In San Francisco, HUD has deemed those earning $117,400 a year as having low income. The income is based on a family of four.Each year, HUD sets income limits that determine who can qualify for housing assistance, such as Section 8 vouchers, public housing, and
Commercial and multifamily properties across the country are seeing, in some cases, very steep rises in property taxes as assessors reset values at higher levels, the National Real Estate Investor reports. Rising property taxes are proving to be a big concern for landlords and tenants alike.Property tax appraisals can take time to catch up to the current market conditions. Some areas assess commercial property values every year while others do i
Mortgage rates declined this week, marking the fourth drop in the past five weeks, Freddie Mac reports.“The decrease in borrowing costs is a nice slice of relief for prospective buyers looking to get into the market this summer,” says Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “Some are undoubtedly feeling the affordability hit from swift price appreciation and mortgage rates that are still 67 basis points higher than this week a year ago
Consumers who buy a condo or refinance an existing condo mortgage may be eligible to bypass an in-person appraisal and have a faster automated appraisal, Freddie Mac announced this week.Freddie Mac’s automated collateral evaluation appraisal waiver gives eligible borrowers of mortgages for condos the opportunity to save on the traditional appraisal. Borrowers could save about $500 on appraisal fees and potentially close seven to 10 days faster,
How fast does your website load on a mobile device? The answer could dictate how many people will easily find your website.Web traffic from mobile and tablet devices have accounted for a higher percentage of traffic than desktops since 2016. Over the past few months, Google has been rolling out a mobile-first index, which could have a major impact starting this summer on the SEO performance of websites that are slow on mobile devices. Google me
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