You may not have the extra funds to stage a property, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways you can still spruce it up.“Everyone needs to stage their home to sell it efficiently,” Laura McHolm, co-founder of NorthStar Moving, told realtor.com®. “But you do not need to spend a lot of money to stage your home.”Some of the biggest staging moves can be free. Beyond decluttering and depersonalizing the property, realtor.com® recently h
Sellers whose homes aren’t in tip-top shape may need to spend extra money or put in a little elbow grease to get their properties in market-ready condition. But what are the most important repair or maintenance tasks that support a higher asking price? “Smaller and less expensive updates in combination with good staging will have a great return,” Susanna Haynie, GRI, a sales associate with Colorado Real Estate Group in Colorado Springs, tol
The government shutdown became the third-longest in U.S. history Monday, as 800,000 federal workers and nearly 4 million government contractors braced for a pause in their paychecks. The disruption could impact the ability of many of those affected to pay their mortgages.Twenty-three percent of Americans have no emergency savings, and 22 percent have less than than three months' worth built up, according to a 2018 Bankrate.com survey. “Any dela
You and your clients may need to consider the signs of a refrigerator that is about to explode when making your next appliance purchase.Though refrigerator explosions are rare, recent cases have prompted consumer alerts, and they should no longer be “ignored disasters,” says Neil Everitt, former editor at air-conditioning and refrigeration magazine ACR News. Refrigerator explosions occur spontaneously and sometimes with little warning.In
Even as home prices start to cool, the market for investors who want to flip homes for a quick profit remains hot. Part of the reason flips are strong is because millennials “want to move into a home that requires minimal work,” Charles Tassell, chief operating officer of the National Real Estate Investors Association, told realtor.com®. “A house that has already been rehabbed or flipped [and is priced lower than new construction] is reall
Many homeowners are attracted to do-it-yourself home projects, particularly members of younger generations, according to the National Association of REALTORS®’ “2019 Remodeling Impact Report: DIY.” In fact, homeowners may even be happier when they DIY than when they hire a professional to handle a project.Homeowners reported a “joy score” of 9.9 for projects they do themselves (joy scores range from 1 to 10, with higher
Luxury home sales are cooling off, and some home sellers are finding they may have to invest in a few upgrades to nab top dollar for their home.High-end sales posted a 7 percent gain in October annually, the second slowest increase in more than two years, according to an analysis from realtor.com®. And while sales are slowing, inventories of homes for sale are swelling. The total number of properties listed at or above $1 million is posting doub
The new year is kicking off with lower mortgage rates for home shoppers and people looking to refinance their mortgages. The benchmark 30-year fixed-rate mortgage dipped to a 4.51 percent average this week, Freddie Mac reports.“Low mortgage rates combined with decelerating home price growth should get prospective home buyers excited to buy,” says Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “However, it will be interesting to see how the re
The homebuilder PulteGroup has reportedly reached a settlement in Florida over allegedly building homes that failed to meet the state’s building codes.Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi says a two-year investigation found that the builder failed to disclose to some Florida buyers that their homes did not meet the state’s building code. Pulte was accused of “unfairly denying” some homeowners’ claims for repairs by refusing to perform an
The verification of employment, Social Security numbers, and more could prove problematic during the partial government shutdown. Fannie Mae released guidance this week to lenders on how they can continue to originate mortgages. The partial government shutdown is now 13 days in and could leave some home closings in jeopardy as Congress continues to be stalled in passing a spending bill that meets the president’s approval.Fannie also released gu
This website includes images sourced from third party websites including Adobe, Getty Images, and as otherwise noted.
