June is National Homeownership Month. National Homeownership Month is a month dedicated to bringing attention to homeownership and its benefits. The celebration started as a week years ago, and in 2002 President George W. Bush proclaimed the month of June to be dedicated to homeownership. Every president since has proclaimed June as National Homeownership Month. [...]
Cigarette smoke smell can reduce the resale value of homes comes from a post by Realtor.com, the website of the National Association of Realtors about this topic. The Realtor.com article states that cigarette smoke can reduce the resale value of a home by up to 29 percent! There are a number of ways to attempt [...]
Across the US, home sales in December 2019 dropped more than the usual seasonal reduction in sales. Home sales dropped an average of 6.4% from November. According to both the National Association of REALTORS and a CNBC article, the drop was unusually large, as sales generally vary monthly in the very low single digit averages. [...]
It's official, I am a Seniors Real Estate Specialist, as I earned my SRES designation last week! What is a Seniors Real Estate Specialist? From the SRES website: "By earning the SRES® Designation, you have demonstrated the necessary knowledge and expertise to counsel clients age 50+ through major financial and lifestyle transitions in relocating, refinancing, [...]
The 3.8% tax that is part of the healthcare reform bill is NOT a real estate transfer tax. Yes, it IS a tax. BUT it is NOT a transfer tax. What is it? According to the National Association of REALTORS(R) (NAR), it is "a 3.8 percent tax on investment income of upper-income households to help shore [...]
There are a few easy tips that home sellers can use and follow that should help in showing and selling their home. The National Association of REALTORS(R) put together a comprehensive list, and I will take them on below. 1) Clear off the counters! That little pile of mail. That unused juicer. The cute nicknacks [...]
In a post today from CNN's "State of the Union" interview with HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan, Bloomberg reports that house prices are unlikely to decline further, and they expect to see a rise in prices in the third quarter. This is due to the reduction in number of people defaulting on their mortgages, down 40% [...]
This Month in Real Estate for April 2011 is out! First, Jay Papasan discusses the numbers. The current national average for a mortgage rate is 4.8%, according to Freddie Mac. Then he discusses how much time you should spend with an agent before looking at homes. The first step should be a buyer consultation, that [...]
In early February, I shared about a new IRS law that would effect those who own rental properties, where a 1099 would have to be given to anyone who worked on that property if the total amount of work they did was over $600 over any year. The U.S. House of Representatives voted to repeal [...]
This Month in Real Estate for March 2011 has been released, and is full of information about rising interest rates and how sellers can showcase their homes best online. First, Jay Papasan shares that mortgage rates jumped, creating a sense of urgency for some buyers. The average fixed rate for a 30 year fixed mortgage [...]