Michael Crist

Amid improving macroeconomic conditions, residential lending continued to increase in 2016, based on the recently released 2016 Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data. [1] [2] The number of first-lien loan originations for the purchase of one-to-four unit properties intended for owner occupancy rose to 3.46 million in 2016, a 10 percent increase from 3.12 million… Continue Reading Home Purchase Originations Rose by 10 Percent in 2016, But are Still Below Pre-Housing Crash Level

Photo credit: Blinds.com By Katie Laird, guest contributor When staging a home for an open house, you can transform a space from an unimpressive, run-of-the-mill property to one with a “wow” factor. But without a little extra attention to detail, even the most professionally staged homes can leave something to be desired. Don’t let staging… Continue Reading 7 Secrets for Adding a Finishing Touch to Your Staging

Famous locations, social media addiction, financial education, cleaning, energy, pets, internet shopping, names, security, and nail houses. Shut up and take our money. Ugh, look at those crowds! We’d close it off, too. How addicted are you to the “bright dings of social pleasure?” Recently dubbed Nobel Laureate, Richard Thaler, has a bleak outlook on… Continue Reading What We’re Reading: October 9-13

The following References have recently been updated in the Library: Arbitration & Dispute Resolution Traditionally, real estate industry disputes rely on negotiation for solutions. If negotiation fails, litigation is often initiated. Mediation involves the skillful intervention of a third-party professional to help resolve disputes that arise between two or more parties. Arbitration, a form of… Continue Reading New and Updated in the Library – October 2017

Lee Davenport By Lee Davenport I’ve seen it before: accounts are blocked, business drys up, and worse yet, a job is lost, fines are imposed, or licenses are revoked—all from a social media post. That’s a mess…a hot mess. It’s no secret that social media can grow your business—or destroy it. Keep social media from… Continue Reading Mess-Free Social Media: Don’t Get Blocked

Ryan Fitzgerald By Ryan Fitzgerald Last month, Lee Nelson wrote a great article for REALTOR® Magazine on how to build office culture in a virtual world, and it made me wonder…is a physical real estate office still necessary in 2017? So, I decided to dive into the pros and cons of having a physical real… Continue Reading The Pros and Cons of a Real Estate Office

In a little less than one month, over 20,000 Realtors®, industry experts and guests will flock to the Windy City for the 2017 Realtors® Conference and Expo (Nov. 3-6) at the McCormick Place – West Building. Housing affordability and supply, commercial real estate flood insurance, tax reform and more are some of the key topics that will be… Continue Reading Register Today: 2017 REALTORS® Conference & Expo

One of the most talked-about provisions in the tax reform framework that the Trump Administration and Republican congressional leadership released a few weeks ago is the doubling of the standard deduction. Of all the changes the framework would make, this one is presented as something that will help middle-income households. And that is true, but… Continue Reading Why Doubling the Standard Deduction Won’t Help Most Homeowners

Nobel Prize, security, smart home, Santa, calories, close calls, temperature, AOL, river cruise, and shopping. Pretty sure we could deal with a phone call at an inconvenient time for news of this sort. There have been so many high profile security breaches recently. Make sure you aren’t making these mistakes. Google released a whole suite… Continue Reading What We’re Reading: October 2-6

By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine A rich blue with jewel-toned greens is forecasted to be 2018’s hottest color of the year, according to Sherwin Williams, which unveiled its 2018 Color of the Year choice this week. Other paint companies will be announcing their paint choices over the next few weeks. Oceanside SW 6496 is a… Continue Reading Sherwin Williams’ Pick for 2018’s Hottest Color