General News - Real Estate, Updates, News & Tips

Could You Be ‘Noseblind’?

Homeowners can become “noseblind” to their home’s own smell, and that could be problematic when putting the home up for sale. After all, the smell of a property can have a big influence on buyers’ perceptions of the home. And no one wants to have the smelly house.Noseblindness happens when a nose detects an odor but determines it’s no longer an annoyance. It then shuts down receptors for that smell. As such, a lingering smell no longer

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A Great Time to Buy a Luxury Vacation Home?

Real estate professionals say now is the time to purchase a high-end vacation home, and they’re already seeing buyers pick up on the cues.“We are seeing sales up in the resort areas, including Hawaii and Vail,” Stephanie Anton, president of Luxury Portfolio International, told forbes.com. She notes that sales and prices in Vail, Colo., are up over 25 percent from a year ago. “I think we are seeing people pulling money out of the stoc

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Utah Agent’s Homicide Highlights Property Management Risks

The real estate community is on alert after a broker in the Salt Lake City area was shot and killed last Thursday while reportedly attempting to evict tenants from a building he owned. Two women and one man have been arrested in connection with the death of David Stokoe, who worked with RANLife Real Estate in Sandy, Utah, and whose body police found Saturday in a “semi-hidden crawl space” in the building, according to reports.Police have char

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Sales Slump Forces Builders to Offer Incentives Again

More builders reportedly are offering incentives to attract home shoppers, including paying closing costs, buying down mortgage rates, and even cutting prices—a move builders are usually reluctant to make, the Los Angeles Times reports. “We are really working a little bit harder to get people in the door and to get people excited,” Mark Mullin, a real estate professional who sells new homes in the L.A. area, told the Times.

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Fannie Says Mortgages Can Still Be Issued in Gov’t Shutdown

The verification of employment, Social Security numbers, and more could prove problematic during the partial government shutdown. Fannie Mae released guidance this week to lenders on how they can continue to originate mortgages. The partial government shutdown is now 13 days in and could leave some home closings in jeopardy as Congress continues to be stalled in passing a spending bill that meets the president’s approval.Fannie also released gu

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An American explorer just became the first person to cross Antarctica alone and unaided, finishing with an 'ultramarathon' - Photos show his spectacular 932-mile journey

American adventurer Colin O'Brady just made it across Antarctica alive, alone, and way ahead of schedule.That feat makes O'Brady the first person to ever cross the southern continent on a solo, unsupported mission without getting resupplied or using a kite."This is something that no one in history has ever accomplished, and people have been trying for 100 years," O'Brady told Business Insider before he started the record-breaking trek.According t

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Credit Score Boost - Cellphone, Utility Payments Soon to Get Factored In

Millions of consumers may soon see a boost to their credit scores, which could help when applying for a mortgage. One of the largest credit-reporting firms in the U.S., Experian PLC, announced it will give consumers the option to have their cellphone and utility payments factored into their credit scores early next year. About 46 million consumers who have limited credit data could instantly see an increase to their credit scores from the new dat

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Why Home Buyers Are Getting Frustrated

More consumers are getting skittish about the housing market. Only 34 percent of consumers say they strongly believe now is a good time to buy, down from 43 percent a year ago, according to the National Association of REALTORS®’ Housing Opportunities and Market Experience Survey, based on a survey of more than 2,700 households.“Consistently fast-rising home prices well in excess of income growth over recent years have left buyers frustrated

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Google Plus Is Shutting Down - What You Should Do

Google announced this week that it will be shutting down its Google + Network on Aug. 31, 2019. Google made the announcement after reports surfaced that the data of half million users had been exposed on the social network.The Wall Street Journal alleges that Google knew about the security issue dating back to March 2018 too but failed to disclose it to users. Google has said it remedied the vulnerability in March. The data breach was due to a so

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Are Prepaid Property Taxes Deductible?

April 17 is the tax deadline, and tax advisers still can’t agree on whether prepaid 2018 property taxes can be deducted in full. Congress passed a tax reform bill late last year, capping write-offs for state and local taxes at $10,000 per return for single filers and married couples.The move set off a rush of homeowners at the end of the year to prepay their property taxes for 2018 ahead of the tax bill taking effect this year.The overhaul “

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