Real Estate - Real Estate, Updates, News & Tips

4 Tips for Realistic To-Do Lists

Lists can be a powerful organizational tool. But they can also be overwhelming and bog you down. Don’t let a never-ending list ruin your life. Whether it’s your to-dos for the day or your goals for the year, professional organizer M. Colleen Klimczak, owner of Peace of Mind Professional Organizing, wants to help you turn lists into action plans that are more than words on a page.Make a “not today” list. You’ve probably got a lot to do.

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REALTORS: Avoid These Scented Candle Faux Pas

Scented candles may be a way to entice a potential buyer at a showing. After all, there's nothing better than “walking to a room and smelling a beautiful aroma that enhances the aesthetics of the space,” Sue Phillips, a fragrance expert with Scenterprises, told realtor.com®.But you need to choose the right scent and be careful where you use it. A recent article at realtor.com® includes some of the following candle mistakes:Using a scented

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20 Hottest Markets of 2017

California housing markets were the all-stars in 2017, claiming more than half of the top 20 spots for booming markets this year.But recent wildfires in the state may be taking a toll. Santa Rosa, which faced destructive blazes this fall, dropped seven spots and fell out of the top 10, landing at number 16 on realtor.com®’s top housing market list for 2017.Realtor.com®’s research team identified the hottest metro housing markets in the coun

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No Chill on Showing Traffic in November

Counter to seasonal trends, demand for home showings posted a strong increase in November amid steady consumer confidence and low unemployment, according to the ShowingTime Showing Index, which measures buyer demand based on showing appointments. The index showed an 8 percent year-over-year rise in November.“Although the residential real estate industry has entered its regular seasonal slowdown period, demand continues to be strong relative to

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Freddie to Expand Affordable Housing Options

Mortgage financing giant Freddie Mac announced a new plan to tackle the affordable housing crisis by financing more rural and manufactured housing and preserving more affordable housing for home buyers and renters across the country. Its Duty to Serve plan will include increasing loan purchases in such underserved markets.Freddie says it will team with the mortgage industry, community nonprofits, organizations, and government officials to expand

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Legal Battle Ignites Over Use of Cannons

Home buyers in a small town in western Wisconsin are suing the owners of a nearby farm for using propane-fueled cannons to blast blackbirds away from corn crops. The buyers allege in a lawsuit that the farm owners—Mark Klein, Wendell Klein, and Carlton Klein—concealed their use of the cannons while the couple had been negotiating to buy a neighboring home, which was also owned by Mark Klein.The lawsuit further alleges that Klein had fired his

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The Dumbest Passwords of 2017

One of the best defenses against hacking is a unique password, but many aren't heeding the call. Indeed, “123456” and “password” continue to rank as the most-leaked passwords, according to SplashData, a password management firm. “Starwars,” “monkey,” and “iloveyou” are new to the list this year, which is based on millions of stolen logins made public in the past year.“Hackers are using common terms from pop culture and sport

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What Buyers Will Give Up for Walkability

Living in areas that are close to shops and restaurants is becoming increasingly attractive for both young and older generations, according to the 2017 National Community and Transportation Preference Survey conducted by American Strategies and Meyers Research on behalf of the National Association of REALTORS®. Researchers polled 3,000 adults from across the United States to find out what they are looking for in a community.Fifty-three percent o

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Insurers Could Drop Fire Coverage in California

California wildfires continue to scorch the Golden State’s southern cities, and now officials in the state fear that some insurers will drop homeowners’ coverage.Wildfires in Southern California and earlier this fall in northern California have resulted in billions of dollars in claims. In the Sierra Nevada foothills, many homes were dropped after wildfires swept through in recent years, and some northern California homes also have seen their

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3 Ways to Prevent Costly Wear and Tear

The winter season brings more foot traffic, which can be risky on a home—holiday parties, family gatherings and even open houses in the winter can bring tears and marks on the floors. How do you prevent scratches and stains that result in costly floor repairs?After all, refinishing hardwood floors could cost more than $1,000. A carpet repair could cost about $200, according to HomeAdvisor, which provides average cost estimates of repair and r

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