Street art, costuming, icons, architecture, taxes, housing market, short-term rentals, eclipse, and loopholes. Bansky has a lot going for himself, but whomever is responsible for these is amazing! Costuming is an art, and these were sourced from a favorite Swedish flat packing furniture and textile store. Maria Korolov/flickr/2015 These iconic structures and artwork have their… Continue Reading What We’re Reading: August 7-11
Every once in a while, we like to look at what made The New York Times’ best seller list for the business category. And what do you know? When I went to check the list for this month, I found one with the real estate industry at the center, taking up the number one spot!… Continue Reading Business Book Best Sellers
Five states accounted for slightly more than half of all foreign buyers who purchased U.S. residential property in April 2016–March 2017: Florida (22 percent), Texas (12 percent), California (12 percent), New Jersey (four percent) and Arizona (four percent), according to NAR’s recently released 2017 Profile of International Activity in U.S. Residential Real Estate. Other preferred… Continue Reading Florida, Texas, and California: Top State Destinations Among Foreign Buyers in April 2016–March 2017
Lee Davenport By Lee Davenport One hundred and seventy-five houses. He showed 175 houses to only find out that the would-be buyer was not in a position to purchase for another year. My, my, my! I hope you have never shown that many houses to a looky-loo—someone who is not prepared to buy for one… Continue Reading Stop Wasting Time With the Wrong Leads
There has been an upward trend in sustainable homes, such as tiny houses, homes built with natural materials, zero energy homes, and passive homes. The way the passive house is constructed regulates the internal temperature of the house without using additional heating or air conditioning. This infographic compares a passive house vs a traditionally built… Continue Reading Passive Homes
California’s five metropolitan areas have become one of the 10 most expensive places for homebuyers. As of the first quarter of 2017, the median home prices for single-family homes are[1]: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, $1.1 million; San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, $0.85 million; Los Angeles-Long-Beach-Anaheim, $0.49 million; Anaheim-Sta. Ana-Irvine[2], $0.75 million; and San Diego-Carlsbad, $0.564 million. At these level… Continue Reading Who Can Afford to Buy a Home in California?
Despite the slowdown in Chinese economic growth and tighter regulations on outflows of foreign exchange, Chinese foreign buyers remained as the top foreign buyer of U.S. residential property, according to NAR’s recently released 2017 Profile of International Activity in U.S. Residential Real Estate. Chinese buyers accounted for 14 percent of all foreign buyers[1], followed by… Continue Reading Chinese, Canadians, and Mexicans: Top Foreign Buyers in April 2016–March 2017
Commercial prices continue to head up, at least among smaller properties in secondary and tertiary markets. As a result, the typical commercial agent is making $120,800, an 11 percent increase from the previous year, when the median income was $108,500. The income gains come even as agents on average are doing fewer deals, eight as… Continue Reading Typical Commercial Agent Now Makes $120,800
Realtors® have worked for years to make consumers aware of scams targeting real estate transactions. Now, scammers are turning their attention to Realtors® themselves. A recent alert from the Orlando Regional Realtor® Association warns of fraudulent letters from a fake “Florida Real Estate Board.” The letters threaten a Realtors® status as a licensee, demanding $225… Continue Reading Scammers Turn Sights on Realtors®
Americans have been cutting back on vehicle purchases in 2017 after having reached a 17.8 million annualized pace in the fourth quarter of last year. The purchases were running 4% and 6% lower in first and second quarter of 2017, respectively. No great cheer in July either with 16.7 million auto sales. The declines are… Continue Reading Will Falling Auto Sales Lead to Falling Home Sales?