In a monthly survey of REALTORS®, respondents reported that properties were typically on the market for 32 days (34 days on year ago), according to the September 2018 REALTORS® Confidence Index Survey.[1] However, the difference in median days in the current month compared to the same month last year has started to narrow as homebuying… Continue Reading In Which States Did Properties Sell Quickly in September 2018?
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine If you thought jeans were just for wearing, you are mistaken. Denim is becoming a hot fabric in home décor. We’re seeing denim sofa coverings, pillows, table runners, ottomans, rugs and bedding. Photo by ナショナルインテリア｜NATIONAL INTERIOR – Search living room design ideas Denim is being lumped into a bigger… Continue Reading Denim Design: The Jean-Look Is Hitting Home Decor
Earlier this year, I wrote about Richard Rothstein’s book The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America. After my review went live, some expressed interest in hearing about the solutions the author proposes in his final chapter. Rothstein offers several suggestions for meaningful change, but also acknowledges how difficult it… Continue Reading A Long Path to Progress
NAR reports a win against patent trolls after a decade of legal fighting. Patent trolls are generally defined as a person/organization that asserts a patent on a common generic procedure or idea then uses threats of patent litigation as leverage to extract monetary settlements from businesses who use the common/generic procedure or idea. Brokerages sometimes… Continue Reading Slaying Patent Trolls
Thanksgiving Pringles, song titles in a listing, light pillars, house renovation with the Brady Bunch and much more compiled by Anne-Marie Siudzinski, Senior Library Information Specialist. Jackie Mitchell struck out both Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in an exhibition game in 1931. Pretty good for a 17 year-old girl ! “A Very Brady Renovation” on… Continue Reading What We’re Reading: November 5-November 9
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Sharon Delia (803) 772-5206 Myrtle Beach Realtor® Drew Streett is 2019 South Carolina REALTORS® President COLUMBIA, S.C. (November 8, 2018) -- Drew Streett, Realtor® at Garden City Realty in Garden City Beach, is South Carolina REALTORS® (SCR) 2019 president. Streett was inaugurated in a ceremony at the association’s Broker Summit at… Continue Reading Myrtle Beach Realtor Drew Streett is SC REALTORS 2019 President
At the national level, housing affordability is up from last month but down from a year ago. Mortgage rates rose to 4.77 percent this September, up 14.9 percent compared to 4.15 percent a year ago. Housing affordability declined from a year ago in September moving the index down 8.4 percent from 160.1 to 146.7. The… Continue Reading September 2018 Housing Affordability Index
The usual hotline answer to listing agents when a deal fails and the parties have not yet signed the SCR518 release: Tell seller, "In my experience as a REALTOR®, once the release is signed then everyone moves forward cleanly without legal entanglements. So self-settlement or mediator assisted self-settlement of the earnest money on the release… Continue Reading Listing Agent Thoughts When Deals Fail
Calling all stagers and real estate professionals! We want to see your best photos of staging the following areas in a home: The Entryway Fireplace Master Retreat Do you have a photo to share showing off how you perfectly staged these areas? If so, please email Realtor Magazine writer Melissa Dittmann Tracey at mtracey@realtors.org. You and… Continue Reading Show Us How You Staged It!
By Dale Swanton It’s no secret that the best salespeople also tend to be the best at customer service. After all, good customer service leads to happy and loyal customers, and happy and loyal customers lead to repeat and referral business. Referrals are crucial to long term success in real estate, yet many agents aren’t building… Continue Reading 3 Ways You’re Failing at Customer Service (And What to Do About It)