The average homeowner is spending more money on a greater number of home improvement projects, according to HomeAdvisor’s 2017 True Cost Survey, a study of 14 million service requests received between July 2016–17. However, the projects vary by generation, income, and geography, the study finds. Here are the top five most popular home improvement projects by generation.Millennials Install outdoor play equipment Install childproofing Install
The majority of the thousands of Texas homes submerged in floodwaters after Hurricane Harvey slammed the coastline over the weekend do not have flood insurance—a costly reminder of the importance of extending the National Flood Insurance Program, which the National Association of REALTORS® is fighting to support. Only 15 percent of homes in Harris County—which includes Houston, now under two feet of water—are covered by flood insurance, C
Two local REALTOR® associations in Massachusetts have issued safety advisories to their members after female agents reported suspicious incidents with a male prospective buyer. The REALTOR® Association of Southeastern Massachusetts sent out its alert after two incidents, one in which an agent in Dartmouth found the buyer in a closet during an open house, and another in which the buyer asked an agent in New Bedford to go down into the basement a
Developers of gated communities are discovering that high-end buyers are attracted to neighborhoods with more land, more privacy, and fewer occupants, The Wall Street Journal reports. “There are lots of people who are looking for a golf course development without the golf course,” conservation planner Randall Adrendt told the Journal. “You can lure them with open space, woodlands, meadows, and home sites that back up to wetlands so they
Home buyers looking to relocate are most likely to be heading to Colorado Springs, Colo. The city nabbed the top spot on ATTOM Data Solutions’ list of top moving destinations for the third quarter of 2017. Also likely to receive more transplants are Chicago; Washington, D.C.; Reno, Nev.; and Lexington, Ky.According to ATTOM Data Solutions’ Q2 2017 Pre-Mover Housing Index, the top five markets among the 122 metros researchers analyzed all post
If your buyers have been frantically searching for a home as the inventory crunch grows tighter, some relief may be on the way. It’s a challenging environment, with homes in July selling at the fastest pace this year, prompting “desperate buyers to bid up prices and move quickly to close,” according to realtor.com®’s monthly housing report.Additionally, realtor.com® reports that homes sold at a record pace in August, as listings moved
A new watchdog program designed to monitor real estate deals involving shell companies has found that the buyers in 30 percent of high-end deals were linked to “suspicious activity,” the Treasury Department reported this week. Federal officials are now expanding the program, which aims to prevent money laundering by overseas buyers who use shell companies to mask their identities.The program, called the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network,
At the right price, any and every home will sell, regardless of what it looks like and where it is. With price as the single most important factor in putting a home on the market, it never hurts to tip the scales in your sellers’ favor, increase their bottom line and potentially expedite the home sale timeline with all the levers you’ve got at your disposal as a listing agent.Here are six factors that could be contributing to buyers’ reluct
Fifty-one percent of homes sold in July were on the market for less than a month, according to the National Association of REALTORS®’ existing-home sales report, released Thursday.Properties typically stayed on the market for 30 days in July, down from 36 days a year ago.“Buyer interest in most of the country has held up strongly this summer and homes are selling fast, but the negative effect of not enough inventory to choose from and its pr
Upper-level living rooms are becoming a sought-after space among homeowners, The Wall Street Journal reports. Homeowners are finding these second-floor lounges can be cozier spaces than living areas on the first floor—and can offer more privacy, too.Upper-level living rooms—sometimes labeled “pajama lounges”—are usually located right off bedrooms. They may include comfy sofas, a kitchenette, a television, and even a nook to work from.
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