Help make your clients' little country farm dream come trueKey Takeaways When helping rural buyers, agents need to be aware of things like well systems, water safety, septic components, land use and more.Waking up every morning to see my horses grazing in a grassy field, raising chickens to get the freshest eggs imaginable and playing with baby goats in my own backyard had been a dream of mine since I was a child.And almost seven years ago, my hu
Inventory of available homes on the market is the lowest it’s been in two decades, but the reasons may surprise you. Two of the likely culprits are baby boomers and homeowners who are simply satisfied with their home, according to realtor.com®’s Housing Shortage Study.Baby boomers are showing a desire to age in place in their current homes, and their refusal to sell is creating a clog in the market, according to the study. Eighty-five perce
The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage reversed course this week, averaging 3.90 percent.“After holding relatively flat last week, the 10-year Treasury yield fell 4 basis points this week,” says Sean Becketti, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “The 30-year mortgage rate moved in tandem with Treasury yields.”Freddie Mac reports the following national averages for the week ending Aug. 10: 30-year fixed-rate mortgages: averaged 3.90 percent, with a
A couple lost $1.5 million in the purchase of their dream home in Washington, D.C., because of a real estate scam that is nabbing more victims across the country.As the couple—who put down $200,000 on the home—waited for closing, they received an email that appeared to be from their title company with directions to wire the remaining funds for the purchase. The couple replied to the email to double-check the instructions. When they received a
Growing incomes and low mortgage rates are helping to prop up housing affordability and offset rising home prices, according to the newly released National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index. A quarter-point drop in interest rates in the second quarter helped to make homes more affordable to more consumers. Between the beginning of April and the end of June, 59 percent of new and existing homes were affordable to f
Two of the largest institutional landlords announced Thursday that they plan to merge in a $4.3 billion deal. Invitation Homes, the rental home wing of private equity firm Blackstone Group, and Starwood Waypoint Homes will own about 82,000 single-family properties in more than a dozen major markets under the merger, which still needs to be approved by stockholders. The combined company will operate as Invitation Homes.Other institutional investor
The couple that kidnapped and killed Arkansas real estate agent Beverly Carter in 2014 used an app to give a false impression of where they were calling from. According to Carter’s son, Carl Carter Jr., the couple made it seem like they were calling from out of town and were looking for a home because they were relocating. “In fact, they were just calling from right down the road,” says Carter Jr., who shared several details about his mothe
About TomYou have questions and concerns – Tom Dunlap is the San Diego REALTOR® with the answers and solutions.You can count on him for: Extensive knowledge of the San Diego real estate market: Tom and his team have covered every corner of San Diego County, working with both buyers and sellers… and they study the sales statistics and inventory carefully, so they can tell you when the price is right – or wrong. Years of experience in help
Scott Stratten of UnMarketing on how to stand out from the crowdKey Takeaways "If you are your unique self, if you are your authentic self, you have no competition."SAN FRANCISCO — What does it mean to provide service so exemplary that the word “service” itself becomes synonymous with your brand?Scott Stratten of UnMarketing shared a story on stage at Inman Connect San Francisco about the Ritz-Carlton hotel chain and how real estate agents
One of the nation’s largest cannabis companies bought an entire town in the deserts of California. American Green Inc. announced that it is purchasing all 80 acres of Nipton, Calif., and plans to turn the town into a commercial oasis centered around marijuana.The town currently includes an Old West–style hotel, a few homes, an RV park, and a coffee shop. Fewer than two dozen residents live there.American Green Inc. plans to make the town “g
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