When it comes to renovations, homeowners express some of their highest satisfaction with outdoor projects such as a new wood deck, water feature, statement landscape, or a new patio. These home improvement projects had “Joy Scores” of 9.7 or more out of 10, according to the 2018 Remodeling Impact Report released jointly by the National Association of REALTORS® and National Association of Landscape Professionals. Personal finance site Magnify
Reverse commutes—where residents travel from the city to the suburbs for work—are becoming more common across the country. An average of 46 percent of employees living in major cities have reverse commutes, according to a new report called “Ambitious Thinking: Smart Cities,” released by commercial real estate firm JLL.More than 4.8 million people in the 25 largest metro areas in the U.S. have reverse commutes, up 11.6 percent since 2011.
Buyer demand in suburban areas nationwide is fierce, and millennials are the driving force. Realtor.com® identified the most sought-after suburbs in the country by evaluating home appreciation, home construction activity, and population growth in more than 7,000 ZIP codes.“A fast-growing suburb gets that way by attracting builders—working up a business case for people to come in and build their community,” says Javier Vivas, director of ec
The uptick in new-home construction in some parts of the country is creating a “bonanza” for thieves, CBS 13 in Sacramento, Calif., reports. In Sacramento alone, police have received 26 reports of thefts from new neighborhoods under construction. The thieves are reportedly stealing everything from tools to newly installed appliances inside the homes.This has prompted police to warn residents and send out more patrols into newly constructed c
The majority of home shoppers will want to see a place in person before they buy, but some house hunters are increasingly relying on video call tours—through Apple’s FaceTime, for example—to shop for a home, The New York Times reports.About 20 percent of buyers said they submitted an offer on a home without visiting it first, according to a recent survey by Redfin of more than 1,000 agents. In a survey of 45 New York–based agents, more
South Dakota is the best place to retire in 2018, according to the latest retirement rankings from Bankrate.com. South Dakotans still ranked highest for well-being, which is based on their perceptions of social, community, health, and financial security. Plus, South Dakota residents don’t have to pay income taxes when they live in the second most tax-friendly state in the country—a perk for seniors living on a fixed income.Bankrate.com accou
Don’t let an overflowing schedule get the best of you. As a broker-owner or manager, your time should be spent on high-level responsibilities and helping your agents be successful. But if you find yourself spending too much time on routine tasks or handling duties where you lack expertise, here are three things you can remove from your plate immediately, according to Entrepreneur magazine. Let creatives handle it. Work with freelancers or con
A pool can be a selling point for a home, but proper care is key. Some homeowners could be going about their pool maintenance all wrong, which could result in costly leaks or even skin irritations to those who jump in. An article at realtor.com® recently highlighted some common slip-ups, including:Using the wrong chemicalsMixing the wrong chemical balance can cause eye and skin irritation and deteriorate the materials in the pool, which can lea
One of the fastest growing cybercrimes in the U.S. is wire fraud in real estate. About 9,600 people were victims of wire fraud in the real estate and rental sector in 2017, with losses of more than $56 million, according to FBI data.The highest reported fraud in real estate last year was Business Email Compromise/Email Account Compromise. Fraudsters will assume the identity of the title or real estate agent and forge the person’s email and othe
Foreclosures can take a long time to process, but they are getting faster. Properties foreclosed in the second quarter took an average of 720 days from the first foreclosure notice to completion. That is down from 883 days a year ago, according to a new report released by ATTOM Data Solutions, a real estate data firm.The states with the longest average timelines for foreclosures completed in the second quarter were: Hawaii: 1,553 days Florida: 1,
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