Michael Crist

Nico Hohman By Nico Hohman The Golden Rule: We all know it; we all grew up learning it in elementary school. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Or, in layman’s terms, treat others the way you would want to be treated. While the sentiment behind the Golden Rule means well,… Continue Reading The Golden Rule is Wrong

Its the time of year where we gather together with loved ones while gorging ourselves on delicious (and far too much) food! For most of us, this tradition will take place in the warmth of our home, or the homes of friends and family. Here are a few fast facts about real estate, homeownership and… Continue Reading Infographic: Thanksgiving at Home

The housing market has indeed awakened from its summer slumber. Existing-home sales posted a 2 percent monthly gain in October and are now 5.9 percent higher than a year ago. Even more impressive? At a 5.60 million annualized sales pace, October was the strongest month for existing sales since February 2007 (5.79 million). Lawrence Yun, NAR… Continue Reading Existing-Home Sales in October: Highest Pace in Nearly a Decade

This Thanksgiving we look at how recent buyers are choosing their homes, and how their friends and family can influence their decision. While we don’t all get to see our families every day, for many home buyers having the option to do so can impact the home they purchase. Based on data from the recently… Continue Reading Thanksgiving 2016: How family and friends can influence the home purchase

For over three decades, the National Association of REALTORS® has collected data on the size of homes purchased, most notably the square feet of detached single family homes, in its flagship Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers report. Since 1981, the median size of homes purchased has increased rapidly in the first decade and then… Continue Reading Size of Homes: 1980’s was Bigger is Better & 2000-2010’s is Similar and Steady

Sure. Mindset, Method, & Metrics: Winning As A Modern Real Estate Agent (RockPaperStar Press, 2016) is a pragmatic guide to launching a real estate career. GaborfromHungary, Morguefile Yes, it’s written in a breezy, conversational tone that makes for easy consumption. It’s comprehensive, stopping to define common terms such as “sphere of influence” and “sales funnel” for… Continue Reading Now That’s Dedication

Over three decades, the number of homes viewed during buyers’ home search process has decreased while the number of weeks that buyers search has increased. The Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers has collected data since 1987 on the length of the home search process and the number of homes viewed. This year, NAR celebrated… Continue Reading Length of Home Search: Tightened Inventory Means More Time Looking At Fewer Homes

The housing finance market continues to normalize in the way of TRID and Brexit related delays. The average delay in time-to-close (TTC), the time from when a sale goes under contract to settlement, eased from 3.4 days in September to 2.8 days in October. Furthermore, the moderation was driven by a shift from settlements that… Continue Reading Closing Delays Continue to Subside

Technology, nature (bad), nature (good), inventory, toys, information, and Thanksgiving. Some genius devised a new, and much improved, use of drone technology! You might have heard something about the disappearance of bees over the past 10 years or so. Here are steps you can take to help the population.  AJC1/flickr/2011 All those poor fish! This… Continue Reading What We’re Reading: November 14-18