Michael Crist

WASHINGTON (April 6, 2017) — Growing consumer interest and demand for greener, more sustainable properties is driving a dialogue between Realtors® and homebuyers and sellers. Over half of Realtors® find that consumers have interest in real estate sustainability issues and practices, according to the National Association of Realtors®’ recent REALTORS® and Sustainability report. The report, stemming… Continue Reading Majority of Realtors® Say Clients Interested in Sustainability

More first-time homebuyers take advantage of a low downpayment loan compared to all homebuyers, according to the February 2017 REALTORS® Confidence Index Survey Report, a monthly survey of REALTORS® about their sales activity and local market conditions.[1] Among all buyers whose transaction closed in February 2017, 62 percent of those who obtained a mortgage made… Continue Reading Eighty Percent of First-time Homebuyers Put Down Less than 20 Percent Downpayment (Based on December 2016–February 2017 Closed Sales)

One of the most important issues facing residential real estate in the coming years has to do with the appraisal profession. Although appraisers are generally satisfied with their work and expect to stay in the profession in the years ahead, the median age of appraisers is close to 55. As a result, a big wave… Continue Reading WIll There Be Too Few Appraisers in 10 Years?

Recently GO Banking Rates put out some interesting information in their survey on how Americans spend their tax return. This was a very relevant topic because one thing that comes to mind in reference to potential homebuyers is the always-elusive down payment. With a sizable tax refund, the average American would have a decent down… Continue Reading Using Your Tax Refund for a Down Payment

A company in Sweden is having no trouble finding volunteers willing to have a grain-of-rice-sized microchip inserted under the skin that can open locked doors, be used to purchase food from the snack bar, and more. Detractors will most likely say “Hey, my smart phone does that already,” which leads us to… What’s going to… Continue Reading This Will Only Pinch a Little; What Comes After Smart Phones; More in Five for Wednesday

Have you ever experienced the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon? You know, when something keeps popping up that you never noticed before? I’m reminded of it because it strikes me as odd whenever we get the same question more than once, especially in a short period of time, given that our members’ questions are usually so varied. One… Continue Reading Book of Business

NAR recently released 2017 Real Estate in a Digital Age report takes a deeper look at REALTORS® use of digital technology. Real estate agents predominantly communicate with clients using digital means, namely email (94 percent), phone (91 percent), and text messaging (90 percent). The majority of REALTORS® use email, computers, and smartphones daily and 48… Continue Reading REALTORS® Keep Up with Technology in the Digital Age

Existing-home sales dropped 3.7 percent in February from one month prior while new home sales increased 6.1 percent.  These headline figures are seasonally adjusted figures and are reported in the news.  However, for everyday practitioners, simple raw counts of home sales are often more meaningful than the seasonally adjusted figures.  The raw count determines income… Continue Reading Raw Count of Home Sales (February 2017)

WASHINGTON (April 4, 2017) – Challenges facing real estate appraisers servicing the Veterans Affairs were under Congress’s microscope this week as the National Association of Realtors® and other industry leaders took to Capitol Hill to hail the continued success of the VA Home Loan Guaranty Program. Michelle Bradley, a state-certified general real property appraiser from… Continue Reading VA Home Loan Program Marked by Strong Underwriting, but Appraisers Raise Concerns

Alexis Craig By Alexis Craig My family hates playing board games with me. I’m really competitive. They like to say, “It’s just for fun,” but I’m not buying any of it. I play to win. That mindset is present in every aspect of my life, especially real estate. I have this obsession with becoming the… Continue Reading How to Compete With Top Agents Even When You’re New