Michael Crist

Prisons and military bases are commonly located outside small, rural towns and often they’re the biggest employers and economic drivers around. But that’s been a double-edged sword—until now. Prisons and military bases currently count toward an area’s population, putting many communities over the threshold of eligibility for federal Rural Housing Service (RHS) programs. A town… Continue Reading Big Military Base or Prison in Your Rural Town? You Just Got a Big Real Estate Win

By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR(R) Magazine Of the 17 million professional photos of home interiors and exteriors on Houzz, it was this photo of a gray and walnut kitchen that captured the most attention over the year: Photo by Stonington Cabinetry & Designs – Look for kitchen design inspiration The kitchen was designed by Justin… Continue Reading The Most Shared Kitchen Photo of 2018

By Samantha Jones When I began this blog series in the fall, multiple offer situations were rampant. They were the norm at most price points. Yet, such as the real estate market goes, its a constant ebb and flow. As 2019 rapidly approaches, multiples are becoming less and less common. If I had a dollar,… Continue Reading Guiding Clients Through Multiple Offers (And Every Real Estate Deal)

When deciding on a home to purchase, recent buyers took into consideration a variety of different environmental features. The feature that was most important to buyers was heating and cooling costs. Using data from the 2018 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, we can see which buyers find heating and cooling costs most important. Eighty-four percent… Continue Reading Heating your Home for the Holidays 2018

In a monthly survey of REALTORS®, respondents reported that properties were typically on the market for 42 days (36 days in October 2018; 40 days in November 2017), according to the  November 2018  REALTORS® Confidence Index Survey.[1]  Properties are staying longer on the market due to slower demand with mortgage rates rising and with new… Continue Reading Properties Typically on the Market for Longer Days in November 2018

The greatest Christmas movie ever made, a $3 million dollar Tiffany lamp, tracking down a stolen tiny house and much more compiled by Anne-Marie Siudzinski, Senior Library Information Specialist. Alexa makes shopping easy.  Even a parrot can do it! Beware of a Netflix phishing scam. Offshore wind lease plots have just sold for $400 million.… Continue Reading What We’re Reading: December 17-21

First-time homebuying activity appeared to have picked up in November 2018, according to NAR’s  November 2018 REALTORS® Confidence Index Survey, a monthly survey of  REALTORS® about their monthly transactions. First-time homebuyers made up 33 percent of residential home sales of REALTORS® in November 2018, up from the 31 percent share in October 2018 and 29… Continue Reading First-time Homebuyers Increase to 33 Percent of Market in November 2018

By Jef Conn The end of 2018 is drawing near, so if you haven’t yet written your business plan for 2019, now is the time. Don’t worry if you’re reading this after January 1, you can start today and plan the rest of your year. Let’s keep it simple and plan your 2019 business in… Continue Reading Plan Your 2019 Business in 5 Easy Steps