Vacancies are growing in the retail sector after the closings across the country of former toy giant, Toys ‘R’ Us. The retail sector saw its largest quarterly declines since 2009, according to a newly released report by Reis Inc.The amount of occupied retail real estate in 77 major metro areas fell by 3.8 million square feet in the second quarter, Reis reported. Toys ‘R’ Us closures were mostly blamed for driving the national retail vacan
Having a roommate is a growing trend among young adults, according to new research from the National Association of Home Builders. About 7.5 percent of young adults aged 25 to 34 years old shared a house with roommates, housemates, or other nonrelatives in 2016—up from only 4 percent in 1990. In addition, more young adults nowadays are living with their relatives (other than parents)—3 percent in 1990 compared to 5 percent in 2016. More are l
Yelp’s local search and reviews site does not need to remove negative comments posted by a user about businesses or services, the California Supreme Court ruled Monday, in a 4-to-3 decision. The closely watched case in California could have implications nationally.The court ruled that federal law protected internet companies from liability for statements written by others. As such, the decision to remove posts is at the company’s discretion,
A sharp drop in mortgage interest rates last week wasn’t enough to get overall mortgage applications moving. Total mortgage application volume—for refinancing and home purchases—eased 0.5 percent last week on a seasonally adjusted annual basis compared to the previous week, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported. Loan volume is now 13.5 percent lower than a year ago.Broken out, refinance applications were down 2 percent for the week and
Californian cities no longer dominate realtor.com®’s top-performing housing markets list as they have for the past six years. Instead, higher home prices may be prompting more home buyers to look elsewhere.Overall, home prices nationwide continued to escalate in June, with the median listing price nationwide at $299,000, a 9 percent year-over-year increase, according to realtor.com®. The higher home prices are prompting more buyers to face af
For green, vibrant grass, it is essential for homeowners to learn about aerating, seeding, and watering their lawns to keep the curb appeal intact, according to realtor.com®’s Lawn Lover’s Guide.“When you don’t give your lawn enough water, it grows with shallow roots,” says Don Botts, the president of Quality All-Care Services in Bonner Springs, Kan. “This can stunt the growth of your grass and make it harder for your lawn to su
Single women over the age of 55 have been the fastest-growing demographic of home buyers when compared with other categories of buyers since 1981, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Married couples are the largest group of buyers, and single women the next largest group.In 2017, single older women comprised 8.2 percent of all home buyers—double the percentage of 20 years ago, according to researcher Ralph McLaughlin, founder and chief econom
The rising cost of housing is the biggest hurdle for young prospective buyers to overcome, according to new research from Freddie Mac. Home prices are rising faster than incomes, and the lag in young adult homeownership rates will likely continue until 2025, Freddie Mac notes.The homeownership rate among those under the age of 35 has fallen 8 percent since reaching a peak in 2004. Freddie Mac’s analysis reveals that higher rents and home prices
More vacation and investment property owners intend to rent out their homes as short-term rentals this year, according to research from the National Association of REALTORS®.Twenty-five percent of those with vacation properties and 24 percent with investment properties rented their home as a short-term rental in 2017—30 and 32 percent, respectively, plan to do so in 2018, according to NAR.Forty-five percent of investment buyers say they purcha
Rents in America’s largest markets are rising fast, and urban dwellers may be finding it more difficult to afford their rent.“Because of high home prices and rising rents, people are getting creative and looking [for rental apartments] in areas that they might not have looked at before,” says Danielle Hale, chief economist at realtor.com®. “When you’re looking for affordability, you’ve got to make trade-offs. … There might not be
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