Real Estate, Updates, News & Tips - Willy Olsen - iPro Real Estate

BROKERS: How to attract the best agents in your market with great leadership

Respect your agents enough to listen to their opinions with the willingness to learn from their suggestionKey Takeaways Listen to your agents and consider their suggestions seriously. People hate working for bosses who refuse to listen. Be the type of boss millennial agents like working for by making yourself accessible and staying involved with day-to-day business operations. Foster the type of work environment people enjoy by delegating tasks i

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REALTORS: Unfriended? 5 of the biggest blunders agents are making on Facebook

Key Takeaways Be tactful with your content, become the master at social media engagement and keep it old school when it comes to proper grammar.Did you know you could be killing your engagement with what you are sharing, posting or not posting? Make the most of your organic social media marketing with these key pointers.1. Not sticking to the basics (think elementary school) Realtor Houston Shelley said that her biggest pet peeve from other age

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REALTORS: 6 ways to win business from millennial homebuyers

Agents can do more business with millennials by understanding their preferences and behaviorsIn this day and age, millennials not only dominate the category of first-time homebuyers but are surging ahead of baby boomers to claim the throne as U.S.’s dominant homebuying generation. They now account for one in every three homebuyers.Millennials — made up of U.S. residents born between 1980 and 1995 — are undoubtedly a critical group for real

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Top Cities for Hosting a Backyard Party

As the weather heats up, homeowners may be looking to make the most of their outdoor space. But some cities may have a distinct advantage when it comes to hosting backyard parties. Realtor.com®’s research team analyzed 350 metro areas based on lot sizes, cool outdoor home features (e.g. hot tubs, outdoor kitchens, decks, etc.), and the number of sunny days the area sees annually.“We are seeing more people than ever really investing in the ba

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More Consumers Make Use of Escrow Accounts

Nearly 80 percent of all borrowers are paying for real estate taxes and home insurance through escrow accounts, according to a recent analysis by CoreLogic. That is up 900 basis points over the past six years.The mortgage industry has been encouraging more borrowers to use escrow accounts because it ensures they have reserves to cover the costs of the mortgage principal, interest, taxes, and insurance. It also helps to lower the risks of tax and

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Owners Most at Risk of Home Improvement Scams

Home improvement projects present the biggest opportunity for scammers to take advantage of homeowners, according to the Better Business Bureau’s Risk Index. Victims of home improvement scams lost an average of $1,400 from shady contractors, painters, and other repairmen, according to the BBB’s analysis.The analysis found that such scams pose the highest risk to homeowners based on three criteria: exposure (how likely consumers are to be expo

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REALTORS: Biggest Sources of Income for Real Estate Pros

The median gross income for a real estate professional in 2016 was $42,500, most of which came from selling homes, according to the National Association of REALTORS®’ 2017 Member Profile. Annual income varied widely based on experience, with practitioners who had been in the real estate business less than two years earning $8,930, while those with 16 or more years of experience earned $78, 850.But what types of activities draw the most busines

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New-Home Prices Hit Record High

The median price for a new single-family home reached a record high in May of $345,800, the Commerce Department reports. Buyers will be paying a huge premium for new construction, as new-home prices are now 16.8 percent higher than they were a year ago.So far, however, the higher price tags don’t seem to be spooking home shoppers. In May, 61,000 new homes were purchased—a 2.9 percent increase from April and an 8.9 percent increase from a year

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MUSIC: Enjoy this Song "Falls On Me" by Fuel

"Falls on Me" is the official lead single by Fuel from their 2003 album Natural Selection. It is the second overall single from the album with "Won't Back Down" having been originally released on Daredevil: The Album a few months prior.Written by guitarist Carl Bell, "Falls on Me" is about the difficulties of remaining in a monogamous relationship; according to Bell, "Everybody is hardwired to have some wanderlust in them... But that song comes f

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Retirees Look to Build Smaller, Custom Homes

Many people seek to downsize their home in retirement—but not their homebuying wish list. Retirees reportedly are flocking to smaller newly built homes that are customized to their personal needs and tastes.One advantage older home buyers find with these custom homes is that they can be built to accommodate medical conditions or physical restrictions, such as wider hallways to accommodate mobility devices. The home also can be outfitted with ag

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