Existing-home sales dropped 1.3 percent in July from one month prior while new home sales declined 9.4 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 (July 2017)
WASHINGTON (September 12, 2017) — Commercial real estate price growth in large markets is expected to flatten over the next year, but strong leasing demand and investor appetite in smaller markets should keep the sector on solid ground, according to the latest National Association of Realtors® quarterly commercial real estate forecast, https://www.nar.realtor/reports/commercial-real-estate-outlook. Backed by the… Continue Reading Outlook Remains Bright for Commercial Real Estate Despite Price Plateau
Safety is a concern in the real estate industry and it’s not limited to female agents. Recent NAR survey data show that a quarter of men in the business carry a gun to protect themselves. The survey is based on a sample of the NAR membership. Almost 49,000 members were sent the survey and a… Continue Reading 25% of Male Agents Carry a Gun
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 August 2017 was released today: Field Guide to Quick Real… Continue Reading Top Field Guides for August 2017
By Phil Karp, guest contributor Photo provided by Phil Karp It’s no secret that a properly staged home can sell faster than an empty one. But how far do you need to go to inspire the “chocolate chip cookie effect,” where a buyer walks in the front door and immediately feels right at home? Sellers… Continue Reading The Chocolate Chip Cookie Effect: Home Staging Tips to Spark Love at First Sight
NAR released a summary of pending home sales data showing that July’s pending home sales pace is down 0.8 percent from last month and also down 1.3 percent from a year ago. Pending sales represent homes that have a signed contract to purchase on them but have yet to close. They tend to lead Existing… Continue Reading July 2017 Pending Home Sales
While the majority of contractors are honest professionals, it is still important for homeowners to be aware of possible scammers, frauds or swindlers when hiring a contractor before undergoing a remodel. Consumers should be wary of contractors who ask for money upfront. According to the Better Business Bureau, contractors who say they need a significant… Continue Reading Story Idea – How to NOT Get Scammed by a Contractor
Hurricane(s), chocolate, Shatner, behaviors, electric cars, flavor, language, and Google Drive. Where there were once many available rental units, now not so many. Stay safe! Track Hurricane Irma here. And in case you didn’t know, Hurricane Jose is behind it. Fort George G. Meade Public Affairs Office/flickr/2017 A new kind of chocolate? Why try to… Continue Reading What We’re Reading: September 4-8
A week ago we introduced a new measure of foot traffic, the foot traffic volume index. This week we provide an update on the August trend in traffic. Foot traffic rose on a seasonally adjusted basis for the second consecutive month suggesting an end to the downward trend posted this summer. Foot traffic has a… Continue Reading Foot Traffic Picks Up
Football fans around the country will be gathering in front of a TV this week to catch their favorite team in action for the first time this season. To celebrate the start of the journey to Super Bowl LII, the National Association of Realtors® is throwing an accurate spiral of recent real estate facts with the… Continue Reading The Road to the Big Game: Where 52 Shows Up in Real Estate