Michael Crist

In the monthly REALTORS® Confidence Index Survey, the National Association of REALTORS® asks members “In the past three months, think of your most recent sales contract that was either settled/closed or terminated. Please explain how the deal concluded (settled, delayed, terminated, sale is pending, no contract signed).” An increasing share of contracts are settled on time,… Continue Reading REALTORS® Reported More Contracts Were Settled on Time from January—March 2017 Compared to Past Years

Field Guides are one-stop resource packages on dozens of subjects of interest to REALTORS®. On each page you’ll find links to articles, books, web sites, statistics, and other material on each subject. The list of the most-used field guides from Information Central for the month of April 2017 was released today: Field Guide to Quick Real… Continue Reading Top Field Guides for April 2017

By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine “The home needs more storage!” It’s a common gripe heard from homeowners and buyers. A home can never have too many shelves or closets. Indeed, a majority of about 1,000 survey respondents said their number-one biggest annoyance about their home: “The lack of storage,” according to the 2015 HSH.com… Continue Reading Showcase Stylish Storage Solutions

Ryan Fitzgerald By Ryan Fitzgerald There are many great ways to build a real estate business. One way, is to start small and focus your efforts on hyperlocal neighborhoods or smaller cities. Here’s what I mean: Whether you’re just starting out in real estate or you’ve been an agent for a long time, a focus… Continue Reading The Best Way to Build a Real Estate Business

Cinco de Mayo recognizes the Mexican army’s triumph over France at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. While today gives us a chance to celebrate Mexican culture here in the U.S., many of our Mexican friends own property here. According to NAR’s 2016 Profile of International Activity in U.S. Residential Real Estate, Mexico ranked fifth… Continue Reading Looking at Mexican Buyers of U.S. Property on Cindo de Mayo

Excess, marketing, architecture, technology, agriculture, benefits, property prices, and caffeine. This has got to be the most superfluous utensil we’ve ever seen. Speaking of unnecessary objects, here is a reflection piece on minimalism. It seems finding balance is the key to reducing stress at home. Give us some other synonyms for unnecessary because we are… Continue Reading What We’re Reading: May 1-5

The following is NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun’s reaction to this morning’s U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics jobs report for April: “This good jobs report for April should dispel any notion of a potential economic recession. Moreover, the continuing low levels of people filing for unemployment checks, as well as the high numbers of job openings,… Continue Reading Instant Reaction: April Jobs Report

This blog post was written by Karen Belita, Data Scientist. In the monthly REALTORS® Confidence Index Survey, the National Association of REALTORS® asks members if they have additional comments or information regarding the demand, demand-supply conditions, changing buyer profile and preferences, mortgage/credit issues, or other issues impacting the market in their own words. The additional… Continue Reading Year-to-Year Comparisons of What Realtors® Have Been Saying About the Housing Market

NAR’s annual REALTORS® Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo in D.C. is right around the corner. Thousands of Realtors® will flock to Washington the week of May 15 to hear from industry experts on the top issues impacting real estate. In addition to three core focuses this year – tax reform, the National Flood Insurance Program and the importance of sustainable… Continue Reading What to Expect at This Month’s REALTORS® Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo

With rising home values, improved economic conditions, and fewer foreclosures, the share of sales of distressed properties has generally continued to decline. Distressed sales accounted for six percent of sales in March 2017 (seven percent in February 2017; eight percent in March 2016), based on the March 2017 REALTORS® Confidence Index Survey Report. Foreclosed properties… Continue Reading Distressed Sales Slid to Six Percent of Residential Sales in March 2017