Michael Crist

I can’t think of better adjectives than those already used in this article about a Burger King ad that’s meant to trigger your Google Home hub and Android phone: “horrible, genius, infuriating, hilarious, and maybe very poorly thought-out.” Just a gentle reminder that Google’s and Amazon’s voice assistants are always listening. On a slightly more… Continue Reading A Gentle Reminder About Always-On Voice Devices; How To Save The Internet; More in Five for Wednesday

The following Field Guides have recently been updated in the Library: Updated in the Library at Realtor.org: Retail Property Market Retail property is under stress, with empty stores, little growth and customers who prefer to shop online. Find out current trends, forecasts, and what is happening in retail leasing and investing. Working with International Clients… Continue Reading New and Updated in the Library – April 2017

Younger Boomers, buyers ages 52 to 61 years, make up 16 percent of all home buyers in 2016. The median age for this group is 57 years old and they were born between 1955 and 1964. This age group is the most likely to purchase a multi-generational home at 20 percent. Their reasons for purchasing… Continue Reading Younger Boomers: Purchase Multigenerational Homes

WASHINGTON (April 11, 2017) — Last year’s strongest pace of home sales in a decade included a sizeable drop in activity from vacation buyers and a jump from individual investors, according to an annual second-home survey released today by the National Association of Realtors®. The survey additionally found that vacation and investment buyers in 2016… Continue Reading Affordability, Tight Supply Cause Vacation Home Sales to Plummet in 2016; Investment Sales Climb 4.5%

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).” Among contracts that went into settlement or were terminated… Continue Reading 24 Percent of Contracts in December 2016—February 2017 Had a Delayed Settlement

Last year was a tale of two stories for second home purchases in the U.S. Despite home sales overall coming in at their strongest pace in a decade, sales to vacation buyers plummeted 21.6 percent to their lowest level (721,000) since 2013 (717,000). Meanwhile, the sizable demand for renting helped boost sales to individual investors… Continue Reading Vacation Home Sales Took a Vacation in 2016

Anita Clark By Anita Clark People visit your website for one of two reasons: 1. They might be looking for an agent. If that is the case, they are already half sold. As long as your website looks professional, shows you as credible, and makes it easy to contact you, you have a new client.… Continue Reading Giving Prospects Information They Can Use

On September 30, less than six months from now, the National Flood Insurance Program will expire. The National Association of REALTORS® is working closely with federal regulators and members of Congress to strengthen the program and clear the way for a private market to take hold, but REALTORS® warn the program’s September 30 reauthorization deadline is a threat to… Continue Reading Story Idea: How NFIP Expiration Would Affect Homeowners

Older Boomers, buyers aged 62 to 70 years, make up 14 percent of all home buyers in 2016. The median age for this group is 66 years old and they were born between 1946 and 1954. Within this group, they have the largest share of single female buyers at 21 percent. Their primary reason for… Continue Reading Older Boomers: Most Satisfied Buyers Purchasing Forever Homes

By Julea Joseph, guest contributor As a home stager, I hear weekly this song from people getting ready to sell their occupied home: “My closets are stuffed, I hate my living room sofa, Grandma’s old dinette set looks shoddy, and those oak cabinets in the kitchen are not going to fly with the younger buying… Continue Reading Smart Staging Solutions for the Owner Occupied House