Michael Crist

Local communities looking to attract residential and commercial real estate investment should address infrastructure needs first and foremost. That’s according to experts at a REALTORS® Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo panel who told the audience that commercial and residential real estate succeed hand in hand with one another. “As residential thrives, commercial thrives,” said Deena… Continue Reading Success of Residential, Commercial Real Estate Intertwined Around Infrastructure, Experts Say

IEQ, MP3 files, food, phones, housing costs, starts, architecture, and #hashtags. How “healthy” is your building? So long, MP3, and thanks for the memories! Next time you are in Chicago visiting NAR, take a walk down Michigan Avenue to the world’s first Nutella Cafe.  brownpau/flickr/2012 This convenience could be a big problem. Is your phone… Continue Reading What We’re Reading: May 15-19

WASHINGTON (May 18, 2017) – While tax reform proposals swirling around Washington, D.C., promise lower tax bills for American families, new estimates indicate that many middle-income homeowners may actually see a tax increase if those proposals go through. The study, “Impact of Tax Reform Options on Owner-Occupied Housing,” illustrates the effects of a tax plan that… Continue Reading Tax Reform Could Deliver a Tax Hike for Homeowners: New Research

WASHINGTON (May 18, 2017) – The multi-year stretch of robust job gains along with improving household confidence are expected to guide existing-home sales to a decade high in 2017, but supply and affordability headwinds and modest economic growth are holding back sales and threatening to keep the nation’s low homeownership rate subdued. That’s according to… Continue Reading NAR Midyear Forecast: Existing-Home Sales Poised to Climb 3.5 Percent in 2017

WASHINGTON (May 17, 2017) — Two more innovative technology companies have been selected to join REach®, a growth technology accelerator program from the National Association of Realtors®' strategic investment arm, Second Century Ventures. Adwerx, a digital advertising provider, and immoviewer, a 3-D virtual tour technology company, will join the seven other companies announced last month… Continue Reading Second Century Ventures adds Adwerx and immoviewer to 2017 REach® Accelerator Class

Smart speakers might be the latest touch point connecting consumers with real estate data. Users of Amazon’s Echo can already access mortgage calculators and automated valuation tools. So it makes sense that NAR’s Multiple Listing Issues and Policies Committee would begin to investigate policies to guide the development of these new tools in accordance with… Continue Reading Could Alexa Be Your Client’s Agent?

Knowledge is power. That was the main take away from NAR’s panel on cyber security, “Protecting Yourself, Your Agents and Your Business: Taking Cyber Security Seriously,” which featured advice from experts on how small businesses and individuals can protect themselves from cybercrime. “Headlines over the last few months show that cybercrime is a global problem,”… Continue Reading Consumer Tips: Keep Your Online Information Safe

Home prices are on the rise around the country, and down payments are naturally rising with them. But Lisa Tartar of Fannie Mae’s Community Lending Team told an audience at the REALTORS® Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo in Washington, D.C., that homebuyers have somewhere to turn. Tartar detailed Fannie Mae’s “Home Ready” program, which offers… Continue Reading Fannie Mae Offers Help to Homebuyers Struggling with Down Payment

One of the most well-attended forums at the annual REALTORS® Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo is the Thursday morning housing and economic forecast headlined by NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. This morning’s all-star trifecta of speakers did not disappoint. Yun was joined onstage with Jonathan Spader, senior research associate at the Joint Center for Housing Studies at… Continue Reading NAR Midyear Forecast: Existing Sales Up 3.5 Percent

WASHINGTON (May 17, 2017) – Any perceived shortage of appraisers may be location specific and dependent on whom you ask, but there is universal agreement that more needs to be done to keep appraisers in the profession and attract new talent. That’s according to panelists yesterday at a property valuation forum at the 2017 REALTORS®… Continue Reading Regulations, Retention and Recruitment Pressing Issues for Appraisal Industry