June, 2021

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FHFA Director Mark Calabria must go

Housing Wire

Mark Calabria, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency , must go. He is slowly but surely undermining the system he has been charged to oversee, imposing his ideological will on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in a way that will leave them weaker, and the housing finance system that depends on them increasingly unable to meet the critical housing needs of the nation.

Finance 545
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Pre-Approval Makes All the Difference When Buying a Home

Keeping Current Matters

You may have been told that it’s important to get pre-approved at the beginning of the homebuying process, but what does that really mean, and why is it so important? Especially in today’s market , with rising home prices and high buyer competition, it’s crucial to have a clear understanding of your budget so you stand out to sellers as a serious homebuyer.

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Why a Zillow Home Value Should Not Be Trusted

Maximum Exposure Real Estate

Zillow Home Values Explained Are you wondering whether Zillow house values are accurate? One of the questions real estate agents often get from consumers is, “how accurate are Zillow home value estimates.” Home buyers and home sellers need to understand right from the get-go that a Zillow home value is NOT accurate the vast majority […].

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Home Buyers Want Energy Efficient Windows

Eye on Housing

Previous posts reported on home buyer preferences for kitchen and bath features, from NAHB’s recent study What Home Buyers Really Want, 2021 Edition. The same study also asked the panel of 3,247 recent and prospective home buyers to rate a dozen different window types and materials on the following four tier scale: The general window characteristic that home buyers value more.

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The 2025 Real Estate Roadmap to Success

Don’t just react to changes, plan for them, so you can approach the new year with confidence, direction, and a competitive edge for your business. Having a well-defined business plan helps you chart a clear course, navigate challenges, and set a foundation for growth. This workbook gives you the key steps to outline what matters and will ensure you’re moving ahead.

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Planning To Buy a Home This Summer? Here’s What You Need To Know

Lighter Side of Real Estate

Summer is always one of the most popular seasons for real estate. But if you’re planning on buying a home this summer, there are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind. A recent video from realtor.com outlined tips buyers need to know if they’re planning to buy a home this summer—one of the most competitive real estate seasons in recent history—including: There are fewer choices—and higher competition.

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Tampa Real Estate Market & Investment Overview 2021

Marco Santarelli

The Tampa housing market is growing steadily, prices are still low and properties have a good chance for a strong appreciation in the coming years. Home is selling incredibly fast in the Tampa Bay housing market with hot homes getting multiple offers. There is less than 2-month of the available inventory in the entire Tampa St. Petersburg Clearwater MSA.

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5 Things Homebuyers Need To Know When Making an Offer

Keeping Current Matters

When it comes to buying a house, you’re looking for the perfect place to call home. The problem is, in today’s market there just aren’t that many homes available to purchase. With inventory hovering near record lows and sky-high buyer demand , a multi-offer scenario is the new normal. Here are five things to keep in mind when you’re ready to make an offer. 1.

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13 Tips on How to Win a Bidding War When Buying a House

Maximum Exposure Real Estate

Best Tips for Coming Out on Top in a Bidding War How do you win when there are multiple offers on the home you love? Winning a bidding war on a house isn’t always easy. If you are planning to buy a home, you may find that out quickly. When making a home purchase now, […]. The post 13 Tips on How to Win a Bidding War When Buying a House appeared first on Massachusetts Real Estate Exposure.

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Buyers Insist on Both a Shower & Tub in the Primary Bath

Eye on Housing

Last Thursday’s post reported on home buyer preferences for kitchen features, from NAHB’s recent study What Home Buyers Really Want, 2021 Edition. That study also asked the same panel of 3,247 recent and prospective home buyers to rate 18 bathroom features on the same four tier scale: Results show that bathrooms, especially the home’s primary bathroom, tend to be very.

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More Than Half of Homes Are Selling for Above Asking Price

Lighter Side of Real Estate

Low inventory and high demand are causing unprecedented competition for homes across the country. And that competition is sending prices upward—and, often, well past the asking price. According to data outlined in a recent article from REALTOR® Magazine , 51 percent of homes are selling above asking price. That’s up from 26 percent a year ago—and the highest percent of homes selling above asking price on record.

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Avoiding Lease Accounting Pitfalls in 2025: Lessons Learned from Spreadsheet Errors

Speaker: Abdi Ali, Sr. Lease Accounting Consultant

Join this insightful webinar with industry expert Abdi Ali, who will discuss the challenges that can arise from managing lease accounting with spreadsheets! He will share real-world examples of errors, compliance issues, and risks that may be present within your spreadsheets. Learn how these tools, while useful, can sometimes lead to inefficiencies that affect your time, resources, and peace of mind.

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Bank of Canada Is Quietly Updating Forecast Models To Include Debt and Real Estate

Better Dwelling

Remember that time the head of Canada’s central bank said the housing bubble was good for the economy? Soak it up, because that may be the last time it ever happens. The Bank of Canada (BoC) finished its technical report on the Terms-of-Trade Economic Model (ToTEM). The model, which is used by the BoC as […]. The post Bank of Canada Is Quietly Updating Forecast Models To Include Debt and Real Estate appeared first on Better Dwelling.

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Should you buy a home in a super-hot housing market?

Housing Wire

The world has been dealing with a significant health crisis since the beginning of 2020. This has provided the American bear troll crowd numerous opportunities to pontificate about a likely long-lasting depression. If you bought into the theories being peddled by this crash-cult crowd (who, by the way, have been infecting the discourse of economics since the creation of social media and YouTube channels) then you would have believed that the second housing market bubble crash was imminent during

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What’s Motivating People To Move Right Now?

Keeping Current Matters

This year, Americans are moving for a variety of reasons. The health crisis has truly reshaped our lifestyles and our needs. Spending so much more time in our current homes has driven many people to reconsider what homeownership means and what they find most valuable in their living spaces. According to the 2020 Annual National Movers Study : “For customers who cited COVID-19 as an influence on their move in 2020, the top reasons associated with COVID-19 were concerns for personal and family hea

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How to Prepare For a Home Inspection

Maximum Exposure Real Estate

Home Inspection Preparation How to prepare for a home inspection is a thought that more sellers should consider. Unfortunately, many do not. One of the things that are quite common in most Real Estate transactions is a home inspection paid for by the buyer and performed by a licensed professional home inspector. Buyers will have […]. The post How to Prepare For a Home Inspection appeared first on Massachusetts Real Estate Exposure.

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Tech-Forward Strategies for Scaling Agent Efficiency & Accelerating Growth

As the real estate market evolves, technology has become essential for success. According to NAR, only 26% of agents feel their brokerage provides the necessary tech tools and, as a result, agents seek teams and brokerages who prioritize technology investments! Whether you manage an established team or are forming a new one, this guide outlines key considerations and necessary applications to thrive.

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Surf and … Save? The 10 Most Affordable Beach Towns for Homebuyers, 2021

Realtor.com

Getty Images Has owning your own piece of beachfront real estate ever seemed more appealing? Even during this so-called Hot Vax Summer , in which Americans are contemplating what post-pandemic fantasies to put into real-world action—packed ballgames! epic barbecues! debauched hookups!—the idea of owning property in a nice beach town stands alone. Sure, traveling the world after a year-and-a-half lockdown sounds awfully sweet.

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Count of Open Construction Jobs Near Two-Year High

Eye on Housing

The count of open construction jobs increased in April to 357,000 unfilled positions, according to data from the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS). The housing market remains hot and requires additional labor, lots and lumber and building materials to add inventory. Overall, hiring in the construction sector slowed in April, declining to a 4.5% rate.

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Canada Now Dedicates More Investment Capital To Housing Than Business: BMO

Better Dwelling

Who needs businesses when your homes are making so much money? BMO chief economist Douglas Porter crunched residential investment data for Q1 2021. The bank found residential investment now represents a record share of Canada’s GDP. It’s now such a large share of GDP, more investment capital is going into housing than businesses. Canadian Housing […].

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Why we can’t build our way out of this hot housing market

Housing Wire

During the previous economic expansion from 2008 to 2019, the housing market was subject to the constant refrain of build more homes. Building more homes, it was said, would solve all sorts of social problems, from making homeownership more affordable to ending homelessness. Today we are perhaps less prone to believing that a glut of new homes is the panacea society is waiting for, but the siren call to build more homes continues to be broadcast by a host of housing pundits and social do-gooders

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Accelerating Real Estate Sales Pipelines to Streamline Buyer Journeys

Navigated 360° tours, like YourVRTours, advance pipelines by engaging clients further along the sales funnel. These immersive experiences provide comprehensive property insights, increasing buyer intent and readiness. By embracing navigated tours, agents can optimize property exposure, better qualify leads, and streamline the sales process. Stay ahead in the ever-evolving real estate landscape with innovative technology that elevates buyer journeys and progresses pipelines more effectively.

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Home Price Appreciation Is as Simple as Supply and Demand

Keeping Current Matters

Home price appreciation continues to accelerate. Today, prices are driven by the simple concept of supply and demand. Pricing of any item is determined by how many items are available compared to how many people want to buy that item. As a result, the strong year-over-year home price appreciation is simple to explain. The demand for housing is up while the supply of homes for sale hovers at historic lows.

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What is an Escalation Clause and How Do They Work

Maximum Exposure Real Estate

How Does An Escalation Clause in Real Estate Work Have you just heard the term “escalation clause” and wonder what the heck it means? It is not uncommon for a seller to get multiple offers for a home in hot real estate markets. Bidding wars become commonplace in a seller’s market. As a buyer, the […]. The post What is an Escalation Clause and How Do They Work appeared first on Massachusetts Real Estate Exposure.

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Can’t Get a Pool This Summer? Beat the Heat With These 6 Creative Alternatives

Realtor.com

Getty Images. Just when you thought it was safe to get back in the water—you can’t! Yup, a perfect storm has converged right when homeowners were hoping to open up (or install) a pool in their backyards this season. Since the COVID-19 lockdown forced folks to stick close to home, the desire for pools has skyrocketed. That’s created a dearth of pool-building materials and contractors who can put one in.

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The Aging Housing Stock

Eye on Housing

The median age of owner-occupied homes is 39 years, according to the latest data from the 2019 American Community Survey. Compared to a median age of 31 years in 2005, the U.S. owner-occupied housing stock is aging gradually. The residential construction continues to fall behind in the number of new homes built especially after the Great Recession. This aging housing.

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Maximizing Your Online Presence: Tips for Real Estate Agents on Social Media

Speaker: Sarah Santa Ana, Real Estate Coach, Move4Free Realty

Networking is one of the crucial elements in every real estate organization's success. Both agents and real estate companies need to maintain robust networking links. This is why social media is essential for any real estate professional! Social media enables you to stay in touch with your present clients, maintain connections with your past clients, and engage potential customers and investors.

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Canada Funnels The Largest Share of Investment Into Housing In The OECD

Better Dwelling

Canadian housing mania is consuming more and more of the country’s capital. The country is now devoting a record share of gross fixed capital to build homes. It’s really hard to appreciate this number without looking at the rest of the world. The share of investment devoted to homebuilding makes the US bubble look like […]. The post Canada Funnels The Largest Share of Investment Into Housing In The OECD appeared first on Better Dwelling.

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UWM goes on the offensive with price-match guarantee

Housing Wire

United Wholesale Mortgage has been aggressively price-cutting loans to put pressure on competitors for months now. It appears they’ve just thrown gas on the fire in the hopes of boosting their second quarter numbers, while hitting their rivals ahead of earnings call season. UWM said on Monday that they’ll price-match any conventional loan on primary residences up to 35 basis points with that of 15 different competitors: Caliber Home Loans , Cardinal Financial , Citizens Bank , Financ

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Don’t Wait To Sell Your House

Keeping Current Matters

We’re in the ultimate sellers’ market right now. If you’re a homeowner thinking about selling, you have a huge advantage in today’s housing market. High buyer demand paired with very few houses for sale makes this the optimal time to sell for those who are ready to do so. Whatever the move you want to make looks like, here’s an overview of what’s creating the prime opportunity to sell this summer.

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How to Donate Furniture and Clothes With Free Pickup (Video)

Maximum Exposure Real Estate

What You Need to Know About Donating Furniture and Clothes Are you looking to find where to donate furniture or clothing? Did you know some companies do furniture donation pick-ups? Well, it’s true. There are nonprofit organizations that offer free pickup of your charitable donations. Furniture donations are commonplace for quite a few people.

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Rise of The Apps: Building Your Dream Tech Stack For Real Estate Success

Speaker: Trey Willard, Realtor/Team Leader at Keller Williams Realty, Inc.

In order to create continued success in today’s real estate market, realtors need to utilize an arsenal of technology that will increase their efficiency and presence on social media. Using technology to manage your prospects and tap into their needs through websites, social media, and other channels is critical for real estate success in 2022 and beyond.

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The Silent Agony of Selling a Home That Feels Like, Well, Home

Realtor.com

Christina Vercelletto I was pregnant with our second child when my husband and I started looking for our forever home. At the time, we were in a small apartment we’d long outgrown, and wanted all the suburban trappings of family life. We looked at 14 houses that sounded right for us, but in reality were not. Lucky No. 15, a ranch house with a huge yard on a short block overlooking Long Island’s Great South Bay, felt right from the get-go.

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FHA mortgage insurance removal: Get rid of PMI or MIP

The Mortgage Report

How FHA mortgage insurance premiums work, and how to cancel your monthly MIP. With the right steps, eliminate FHA MIP in 30 days or fewer.

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Ontario Is Hemorrhaging Residents To Other Parts of Canada Like No Other Province

Better Dwelling

Ontario is out, and the coasts are in according to the latest population growth data. Statistics Canada (Stat Can) quarterly population estimates were released for Q1 2021. Interprovincial migration data shows Ontario lost more Canadians than it could attract. Affordable provinces such as Quebec and Nova Scotia were able to show a net gain. BC […].

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Fewer people are submitting mortgage applications

Housing Wire

Mortgage applications dropped for the second straight week , this time down 4% for the week ending May 28, 2021, according the Mortgage Bankers Association ‘s weekly mortgage applications survey. This week’s data was compared to mortgage applications from the week of Memorial Day in 2020. The overall housing index hit its lowest point since February, said Joel Kan, MBA’s associate vice president of economic and industry forecasting.

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Driving Profit: 4 Pillars for Growing Your Real Estate Brokerage

In the rapidly changing real estate landscape, achieving profitability requires a strategic approach beyond traditional methods. Our guide, "The 4 Pillars to Brokerage Profitability," outlines four essential pillars for scaling your real estate business: a seamless lead-to-close technology ecosystem, tailored integrated solutions for teams and agents, value-added success services and community support, and consumer-centric operations throughout the full homeownership lifecycle.