Ensure that you review with your broker-in-charge how different builders in your area typically have compensated and operated with your brokerage in the past. Ensure that you do your best to comply with the requirements of the particular builder. Ensure that you educate buyers that when the buyers sign an "exclusive right to buy" agreement… Continue Reading Things to be aware of when dealing with new construction
The Federal Trade Commission’s “National Consumer Protection Week” kicked off on March 5, and a top consumer issue of importance to Realtors® is what will happen to the National Flood Insurance Program later this year. Over 21,000 communities depend on the NFIP to protect homeowners, and that includes plenty of homes that aren’t in coastal… Continue Reading Flood Insurance on the Agenda as National Consumer Protection Week Unfolds
There’s been a lot of hyperbole surrounding the housing wants and needs of millennials in recent years. Do they want to rent forever? No. Are they buying homes in the suburbs? Yes. Are they aware of the many low down payment programs available to them? No. Thankfully, the key findings from NAR’s 2017 edition of… Continue Reading 2017 NAR Generational Survey: It’s Not All About the Millennials
Becoming a homeowner or investing in a real estate property is one of the most important personal and financial decisions a person will make in his lifetime. In a world when social media and the increasing access to the internet are affecting every aspect of life, how does one’s social network affect the decision to… Continue Reading Social Network and Housing Markets: A REALTOR® University Speaker Series Presentation
By Emily Bradshaw, guest blogger One of the most popular trends still going strong 20 years after the term was coined. A distressed and timeworn look is the epitome of shabby chic decorating. Contemporary but classic, it has become a popular and universal style. The latest trend is shabby chic sheds. Evolving from the humble… Continue Reading 7 Ways to Decorate A Shabby Chic Shed
Today is National Salesperson Day! The first Friday of March honors the American professional salesperson for their hard work and dedication to the work they perform. Since 2000, National Salesperson Day is an opportunity to celebrate the 1.2 million members of the National Association of Realtors® as one of the most dedicated salespeople and brokers… Continue Reading Remember Realtors® on National Salesperson Day
Fakes, weather, gas, home buying, life expectancy, technology, human impact, and moguls. Ever wonder where Hollywood gets its props? This is it. We are headquartered in Chicago, and something has been different this winter. We use the word “winter” loosely. It’s OK, though. Soon we can start to enjoy these along the Riverwalk. Find your… Continue Reading What We’re Reading: Feb. 27 – March 3
WASHINGTON (March 2, 2017) — The U.S. Senate confirmed Dr. Ben Carson as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development today with a roll call vote of 58-41. National Association of Realtors® President William E. Brown, a second-generation Realtor® from Alamo, California and founder of Investment Properties, said Realtors® will work closely with Secretary Carson to… Continue Reading Senate Confirms Carson Nomination as Realtors® Look to Opportunities and Challenges Ahead
In January 2017, 23 percent of sales were cash sales (21 percent in December 2016; 26 percent in January 2016), according to the January 2017 REALTORS® Confidence Index Survey Report, a monthly survey of REALTORS® about their sales activity and local market conditions.[1] Buyers of homes for investment purposes, distressed sales, second homes, and foreign… Continue Reading All-Cash Sales: 23 Percent of Residential Sales in January 2017
Housing data in January gave mixed signals on the direction for the year. Closing activity for existing home sales shot up to a decade-high of 5.69 million units at an annualized pace, but pending contracts fell to their lowest level in 12 months. For the whole of 2017, I expect existing home sales to reach… Continue Reading Housing Demand over the Next Decade