Bank of America has made several recent moves to reduce the borrowing costs of would-be home buyers who have faced affordability constraints. The bank's latest offer: mortgages with no origination fees for buyers with little savings for a down payment. The promotion is available through Oct. 31.The offer applies only to loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration, Department of Veteran Affairs, Freddie Mac’s Home Possible program, and Ba
Even as paperless transactions simplify the homebuying process, not everyone wants to go completely digital. So for buyers who want to opt out of an online closing or are not eligible for one, Notarize, an electronic notarization provider, has debuted a “hybrid closing” option. With this process, buyers can review and sign the majority of closing documents digitally, but the paperwork will still be physically furnished on settlement
Airbnb guests are showing concern about being under surveillance, with 11% saying they’ve discovered a hidden camera in a property they rented and 58% saying they’re worried about being spied on, according to a survey from IPX1031, a service provider of exchange transactions nationwide.About a quarter of respondents say they don’t have a problem with cameras inside common areas such as living rooms or kitchens, according to the survey.The u
Moving to a new home can impact sleep quality, but how long can you expect sleep schedules to be disrupted? Returning to normalcy can take longer than you might think.Healthy Sleep, a firm that researches sleep quality, surveyed more than 1,000 Americans who moved in the past year to learn how the move affected their sleep and how they eventually got a better night’s sleep after their move.Sixty-four percent of respondents said their sleep qual
The lesbian, gay, and bisexual community is a growing segment of buyers and sellers who show distinct patterns and behaviors that real estate professionals should be keyed into, according to a new report released by the National Association of REALTORS®, “The 2019 Profile of LGB Buyers and Sellers.” For example, gay, lesbian, and bisexual buyers are less likely than their heterosexual counterparts to purchase a detached single-fami
At an open house, buyers will carefully size up a home, either to buy or simply out of curiosity. Here are a few details to pay particular attention to when prepping for an open house:The front door: This is the first spot buyers see. Is the paint chipped? Are the lighting fixtures covered in spiderwebs? The front door could set the tone for the rest of the house on whether this is a well-kept house or one that lacks maintenance, Elizabeth L
More consumers are buying their groceries online, which has sparked a higher demand for cold storage warehouses and distribution centers. E-commerce food delivery services like AmazonFresh, Peapod by Giant, and Blue Apron are sparking an entirely new area of growth for investors, CNBC reports.“About 2% or 3% of all goods on groceries are bought online, and we expect the space could explode to 13% over the next 5 years because of the penetr
Using a narrator in your listing video can make a property stand out in the market. It certainly has for a new listing that features Oscar winner and Hollywood powerhouse Michael Douglas. Douglas recently lent his voice to narrate his $32.4 million listing for his home in Spain.Douglas narrates the history of the seven-building estate, called “S’Estaca,” located on the island of Mallorca in Spain. The home was built in the mi
If you spot a bird nest near a home, don’t be quick to dismiss it. Nesting birds can cause more damage to your home than you might expect, warns a new article at realtor.com®.By nature, birds want to nest near homes, associating it as a protected location away from predators and extreme temperatures, Dirk Van Vuren, professor of wildlife biology at the University of California, Davis, told realtor.com®.But nesting birds can actually physicall
The kitchen is often considered the centerpiece of a home, so it’s not surprising that it tops most homeowners’ renovation lists. Homeowners are spending more to outfit their kitchens, too. Kitchen remodel spending jumped 27% in the past year, reaching a median of $14,000 on upgrades, according to a newly released Houzz & Home survey of more than 140,000 homeowners.After the kitchen, the next biggest remodeling expenditures are for guest
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