Real Estate - Real Estate, Updates, News & Tips

REALTORS: 5 Ways to Improve Your Networking Skills

Stellar schmoozers can corner the referral market and build relationships that increase their business. But there is an art to networking and making lasting connections. Keller Williams recently posted several tips for real estate pros on its blog, including:1. Practice. Networking gets easier if you work on it. Find someone with which you can role play. Rehearse introducing yourself and plan ice-breaker conversations in advance.2. Don’t lead

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Mortgage Demand Weakens as Rates Jump

Total mortgage application volume for refinancings and home purchases tumbled last week, plunging 7.4 percent from the previous week, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported Wednesday. Rising mortgage rates were the likely culprit, as they increased by the largest amounts since November 2016.“Rates continued to increase last week, given increasing evidence that the Fed and other central banks are more likely to raise rates,” says Michael Fr

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8 tech trends that are shaking up real estate

The latest technological movements may spare some industries. But not real estate.Chris Dixon, a general partner at venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, recently outlined eight tech trends in an interview at TechCrunch Disrupt NY 2015. All of them are shaking up real estate.Here’s how:1. Virtual realityOnline 3-D representations that let prospective buyers virtually saunter around homes are spreading like wildfire. They’re cons

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Amazon poised to debut real estate referral service

Placeholder page suggests internet giant will add agents to its professional services marketplaceKey Takeaways The service would mark the entry of yet another internet behemoth into the real estate marketing space.Amazon appears to be preparing to offer consumers the option to hire real estate agents through its professional services marketplace, likely in exchange for referral fees.The service would mark the entry of yet another internet behemot

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The Real Costs of Tiny Homes

The tiny home movement—homes that often fall within the 100- to 400-square-foot range—is becoming more trendy as owners are drawn to the homes’ minimalism and sliced costs. But buyers may not want to count on cutting their savings by purchasing a tiny home.A tiny home usually has more costs up front. If you build it yourself, the average cost is about $23,000, according to The Tiny Life. This usually doesn’t include the land price

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2017’s Top Summer Vacation-Home Markets

It’s officially the season for buyers hunting down the perfect summer vacation home spot. ATTOM Data Solutions analyzed the cities where at least one in every 12 buyers is looking for a second home and ranked them based on air quality, comfortable summer temperatures, low crime, appreciating home values, and reasonable home prices.The top bargain markets for summer vacation homes were found in four states: Tennessee, North Carolina, Florida,

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Underwater Homeowners Are Drying Up

As home prices rise, fewer homeowners are underwater, or owing more on their mortgage than their home is currently worth. In the first quarter of 2017, 350,000 borrowers regained equity, which dropped the total number of underwater owners to 1.8 million, according to the latest Mortgage Monitor Report from Black Knight Financial Services, a real estate data firm.The population of underwater homeowners has dropped by nearly 1 million borrowers sin

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‘Invasion of Privacy’ is a listing video unlike any you’ve ever seen

Featuring Allen Stone breaking into Ryan Lewis' house, it's, well, an invasion of privacyKey Takeaways Allen Stone spends 20 minutes "breaking and entering" Ryan Lewis' home for sale.What is Allen Stone’s Invasion of Privacy? Well, the first (and so far only) episode involves the soul singer from the Pacific Northwest breaking into DJ and producer Ryan Lewis’ Seattle house, then running amok inside.Lewis (of Macklemore fame) is listing his

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NAR report shows staging gets homes off the market

The majority of buyer's agents say a staged listing helps their clients visualize life in the homeKey Takeaways Staging a home "greatly reduces" the amount of time a home stays on a market, according to seller's agents. Buyer's agents concur that home staging has an effect on their clients' decision and how much they're willing to spend.Inventory is low, which means most listings are selling faster than ever. But there are still some outliers

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What does a home warranty cover?

How to talk to your clients about the importance of this protectionA home warranty company’s primary goal is to make your clients feel secure and protected in their new purchase. It’s scary to buy a home and not know the state of the systems and appliances inside. A home warranty can provide that peace of mind and protection.One of the complaints home warranty companies get from new homeowners is that their home warranty didn’t cover

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