Michael Crist

Earlier this week, during an address to the Mortgage Bankers Association 2018 Annual Conference in Washington, D.C, Treasury Department Secretary Deputy Craig Phillips reiterated a Trump administration priority to end the conservatorship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. NAR President Elizabeth Mendenhall, a sixth-generation Realtor® from Columbia, Missouri and CEO of RE/MAX Boone Realty, issued… Continue Reading Realtors® Applaud Administration’s Calls to End Conservatorship

With rates rising and home price growth starting to slow, I started to consider how much income is used towards housing in this current economic climate. Mortgage rates are trending upwards to near the highs of 2011 at 4.98 percent, home prices are still rising but at a slower pace, and the median income has… Continue Reading How much of my income goes towards housing?

Photo Credit: Crate and Barrel By Laura Love Bardell, guest contributor This year in home decor, green is really having a moment. Far from being a short-lived trend, however, this verdant color is definitely here to stay. Luckily for us, green goes with just about everything, and it’s easy to incorporate into any room of… Continue Reading It’s Easy Being Green: How to Add This Year’s Hottest Hues of Green to Your Décor

At the national level, housing affordability is up from last month but down from a year ago. Mortgage rates rose to 4.78 percent this August, up 14.1 percent compared to 4.19 percent a year ago. Housing affordability declined from a year ago in August moving the index down 8.3 percent from 153.9 to 141.2. The… Continue Reading August 2018 Housing Affordability Index

Strategic outreach, whether by phone, email or text, is key to building rapport and credibility with prospects, staying top of mind in the search for a home, and encouraging clients to follow through with the sale. But outreach, by itself, doesn’t close deals. If you’re contacting leads regularly, but still having trouble reaching your sales… Continue Reading The Art of Follow Up: Effective Follow-up Communication Techniques

Self-destructing art, a giant pumpkin, Christmas sweaters, the Rage Cage, the Internet of Things, a very detailed map and much more compiled by Anne-Marie Siudzinski, Senior Library Information Specialist. Self-destructing art–wait, what, why? Here’s the update. A giant pumpkin from Oregon. Are you a time realist? Gareth Simpson/flickr/2008 What is erupting besides water from a… Continue Reading What We’re Reading–October 7-October 12

WASHINGTON (October 10, 2018) – National Association of Realtors® President Elizabeth Mendenhall, a sixth-generation Realtor® from Columbia, Missouri and CEO of RE/MAX Boone Realty, issued the following statement after the Senate today voted to pass S. 3021, America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018. “America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 ensures the U.S. Army Corps of… Continue Reading Realtors® Applaud Senate Passage of 2018 WRDA Bill