Is there anywhere left for people looking to save money?Key Takeaways Rising affordability issues for would-be buyers impacts renters as well.Home prices have been consistently rising with Q1 2017 home prices surging 6.9 percent quarter-over-quarter and 5.9 percent year-over-year.Some aspiring buyers look to renting in the ‘burbs as a cheaper option, but Zillow’s latest rental study shows that rents in suburban and urban areas are facing affo
Gary Gold says “being in play” — having ongoing conversations — with leads is how you become their designated agent.If you’ve already started a dialogue with someone looking for a house, you’ll be the first one they call when they’re ready to move forward.But if you go MIA for several days, they’ll find another agent.It’s important to “be in play” with as many leads as possible. Always stay engaged with your book of leads v
Why CMAs, appraisals and listing prices aren't always importantKey Takeaways Many buyers mistakenly listen to the advice of friends and family before consulting an agent. A home is always worth what the highest bidder is willing to pay.With an extreme shortage of housing inventory plaguing many markets across the country, many homeowner wannabes are locked in an epic struggle to purchase a home.Unfortunately, some of these buyers are receiving ad
Key Takeaways Only 5 percent of the population has high drive and strong people skills, but almost all mega-producers share this combination. Mega-producers focus on what they love to do and delegate everything else.What characteristics separate mega-producers from all the rest? More importantly, what steps can you take to put yourself on the path to stellar production?Here are seven characteristics of mega-producers:1. They posses the behavioral
In honor of Memorial Day and the soldiers that fight for what we truly stand for..."God Bless the USA" is an American patriotic song written and recorded by country music artist Lee Greenwood, and is considered to be his signature song. The first album it appears on is 1984's You've Got a Good Love Comin'. It reached No. 7 on the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart when originally released in the spring of 1984, and was played at the 198
Not everyone is heading to a major metropolis. You may not have even heard of many of the metros topping the Census Bureau’s latest list of fastest-growing cities—but that may change as their populations surge.The nation’s fastest-growing city this year is Conroe, Texas. About 40 miles outside of Houston, Conroe saw its population increase 7.8 percent between July 1, 2015, and July 1, 2016, according to the Census report, which only include
Low mortgage rates and strong job growth are giving the housing market one of its best years in decades—even as overall economic growth has weakened—according to Freddie Mac’s monthly Outlook report for May. The report’s optimism is a change from the mortgage giant’s previous predictions, when economists said the housing market likely would not perform as well as it did in 2016.New-home sales in March were better than expected, and exis
Warn homeowners that more reports are surfacing of a microscopic parasite nesting in community and residential pools and hot tubs. The parasite, known as Cryptosporidium or “Crypto,” can make people sick, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that the problem is rising to epidemic levels nationwide.Traces of fecal matter from humans and pets found in pools and hot tubs are leading to the increase in Crypto cases, the CDC sa
Mortgage rates dipped to their lowest averages of the year this week, Freddie Mac repots. “As we predicted, the 30-year mortgage rate fell 7 basis points this week in a delayed reaction to last week’s sharp drop in Treasury yields,” says Sean Becketti, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “The survey rate stands at 3.95 percent today, a new low for the year.”Freddie Mac reported the following national averages with mortgage rates for the we
Despite rising home prices, it’s still cheaper to own a home than to rent, reports CNBC. But the toughest part for those who want to buy is actually finding a home.Inventory levels in April dropped 9 percent compared to a year ago, and listings spent an average of 29 days on the market before selling—the shortest timeframe since the National Association of REALTORS® began tracking such data in 2011.“One thing we added this month to our REA
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