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Selling Your Home for Seniors: What You Need to Know

Selling your home in your senior years offers many advantages. Most seniors have either paid off their residence or at least a substantial portion of their mortgage, so they stand to reap handsome rewards from the sale. Also, many seniors feel their current home is too large for their needs, either due to to children moving out or changing physical abilities and interests. Whatever your reason for wanting to sell, the tips in this post can help you to handle the transaction and the moving process afterwards. Let's begin by looking at the…

  DAILY REAL ESTATE NEWS | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 08, 2017 

Homes are actually more affordable now than they were in the late 1990s, according to the latest Mortgage Monitor Report by Black Knight Inc., a mortgage data and performance information provider.

A Closer Look: NAR’s Housing Affordability Index

Interest rates have plunged by 40 basis points over the past six months. However, the bulk of the potential savings is offset by the accelerating rate of home price appreciation across the country.

“Rising home prices continue to offset the majority of would-be savings from recent interest rate declines, which has kept affordability near a postrecession low,” says Ben Graboske, executive…

REALTORS® Expect Continued Home Price Growth in Most States in the Next 12 Months

Posted in Economist Commentaries, by Scholastica (Gay) Cororaton, Research Economiston September 27, 2017 33  

In the monthly REALTORS® Confidence Index Survey, the National Association of REALTORS® asks members “In the neighborhood or area where you make most of your sales, what are your expectations for residential property prices over the next year?”

Home prices have been on the rise as demand continues to outstrip supply. At the end of August 2017, the inventory of homes for sale stood at 1.88 million homes, which is equivalent to 4.2 months of the current monthly sales pace.  Month’s supply has been falling since January 2015, 27 consecutive months…

    DAILY REAL ESTATE NEWS | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 01, 2015

Homes with classic architectural design elements continue to entice buyers wanting a home with a bit more personality and drama. But what some buyers don't know is that many of these aesthetically appealing elements actually have functional purposes in the home as well.

If you have listings with any of the following traditional architectural features, make sure to let prospects know that not only do they add value visually, but also to the overall quality of life of a home.

Read more: Historic Homes Niche 101

Wainscoting

Many buyers are attracted to the patterned visual contrast that wainscoting gives to typically smooth walls. While…

   

6 ‘Tacky’ Home Décor Trends

DAILY REAL ESTATE NEWS | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2015

Trends come and go, and the folks at realtor.com® recently compiled a list of a few of those faded home design trends they hope never come back in style. Make sure your listing isn’t an offender!

Here are a few of what realtor.com® recently dubbed as the “tackiest home décor trends” of all time:

Read more: How to Tell Sellers Their Home Is an Eyesore

1. Plastic furniture covers: While you may be trying to keep the furniture clean, those thick layers of clear vinyl all over furnishings will not make guests feel welcome or comfortable as they squish into a Saran-wrapped chair.

2. Popcorn ceilings: …

Next to sunshine and lead surges, seller slip-ups are one of the most common things spring brings. Each year, too many sellers find innovative ways to kill a deal or chance at maximizing profit.

1. Banking on the Overnight, High-Dollar Sale

All the news points to the heat and low-inventory trends in today’s market. The good news is, many sellers have the confidence to get in the game. The bad news is that too many will do so thinking they will sell for top dollar in a flash.

According to Ralph McLaughlin, Housing Economist, “What’s quickening the pace of sales? It turns out it’s homes priced at the low end of the market.” National numbers show that homes are selling slightly faster than normal, but your sellers need to know that quick moves…

Staging Tips for Sellers Spring has arrived, which means real estate season is upon us. When selling your home or property, attracting full price offers is always top priority, and a properly staged home can be your number one asset in drawing as many offers as possible. Here are staging tips to help you prepare your home for the market.   Enhance Your Entry It's the first thing buyers see, and most likely serves as the first impression of your house. Utilize the entry by updating the front door color, change out the door hardware (or clean and polish the current hardware). Make potential buyers welcome with a nice mat and some potted plants or flowers.   Clean Out Clutter The majority of us…

   

Study: Buying Trumps Renting in Most Places

DAILY REAL ESTATE NEWS | MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014

Buying is still more affordable than renting in the majority of U.S. housing markets, according to a new analysis. A study conducted by RealtyTrac factored in 2015 fair market rental data recently released by the U.S. Department for Housing and Urban Development for three-bedroom properties in 543 counties nationwide with populations of at least 100,000. Buying a median-priced home was found to be more affordable than renting a three-bedroom property in 68 percent of the counties tracked.

Overall, in 473 of the counties tracked, the fair market rent for a three-bedroom property in 2015 will require 27…

 

 

Summer may be real estate’s busy season, but winter offers great opportunities for buying a house, especially for renters looking to become homeowners, growing families trading up to larger houses and baby boomers seeking homes to fit their evolving lifestyles.

Generally speaking, your housing choices during the late fall are still healthy. October and November are great months to go house hunting. December is usually sparse, market-wise, but if that fits your timeline, you could luck out.

The benefits to buying a house at the end of the year include the following:

1. Tax savings

If you close by December 31, you can deduct mortgage interest, property taxes, points on your loan and interest costs. These deductions are…

10-Year Review: How’s Housing Really Doing?

DAILY REAL ESTATE NEWS | WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 03, 2014

The housing market has made some strides in recent months, but how has it performed compared to 10 years ago? Has the real estate market really dug itself out of the housing crisis?

The National Association of REALTORS® on its Economists’ Outlook blog recently used the latest October housing data to compare existing home sales, median sales prices, and inventory figures to those from 10 years ago. Researchers used the 10-year October average, an average of the data from the past 10 Octobers, to gauge how current market conditions stack up.

Home sales

Leader: October 2014

The number of homes sold was higher in October 2014 than the…