Homes in new communities can sometimes look alike. But luxury builders are hoping to make their properties stand out with extravagant features such as champagne vaults, candy rooms, and bowling alleys. One Los Angeles development company has even included a shark tank in one of its spec homes, Curbed.com reports.The home, fittingly dubbed the “shark house,” features a 300-gallon, two-foot-deep tank containing three hound sharks, a remora sha
For the first time in decades, the population growth of urban cities is keeping pace with the suburbs, according to a joint report by the Urban Land Institute and RCLCO Real Estate Advisors. More than 29 million Americans now live in urban neighborhoods.Between 2000 and 2015, the population of urban downtowns rose by 1 percent—well below the suburbs’ 13 percent growth. However, urban and suburban areas grew at about the same rate between 2010
Authorities in the United States and Africa have arrested eight people for alleged involvement in an international online fraud scheme that targeted Crye-Leike, a real estate company based in Memphis, Tenn., as well as other entities. The suspects, along with four others who are still at large, are accused of attacking computer servers and using bogus email messages to steal millions of dollars from individuals and companies involved in property
The U.S. Housing and Urban Development released new income guidelines for who can qualify for its low-income housing assistance, and one city’s “low income” level is turning heads. In San Francisco, HUD has deemed those earning $117,400 a year as having low income. The income is based on a family of four.Each year, HUD sets income limits that determine who can qualify for housing assistance, such as Section 8 vouchers, public housing, and
Consumers who buy a condo or refinance an existing condo mortgage may be eligible to bypass an in-person appraisal and have a faster automated appraisal, Freddie Mac announced this week.Freddie Mac’s automated collateral evaluation appraisal waiver gives eligible borrowers of mortgages for condos the opportunity to save on the traditional appraisal. Borrowers could save about $500 on appraisal fees and potentially close seven to 10 days faster,
How fast does your website load on a mobile device? The answer could dictate how many people will easily find your website.Web traffic from mobile and tablet devices have accounted for a higher percentage of traffic than desktops since 2016. Over the past few months, Google has been rolling out a mobile-first index, which could have a major impact starting this summer on the SEO performance of websites that are slow on mobile devices. Google me
A coalition of fair housing advocates, led by the National Fair Housing Alliance, filed a federal lawsuit against Bank of America and Safeguard Properties Management this week that alleges the firms failed to provide routine exterior maintenance on foreclosed homes in neighborhoods with predominantly African-American and Latino residents.The NFHA is accusing Bank of America in the lawsuit of neglecting 1,600 homes across 37 U.S. metro areas. The
Real estate professionals accustomed to using Facebook’s “likely to move” ads are receiving notice that the social network will be shutting the feature down in mid-August. If you’re currently using the Facebook tool, you may be searching for another avenue for customer outreach and ad targeting online.Facebook’s “likely to move” ad platform culls data from third-party sites to identify consumers who show signs of relocating soon. Th
The hashtag “#Housiversary” has been trending on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, as homeowners find new ways to mark their homeownership milestones, realtor.com® reports. From hosting celebratory events to sharing photos on social media feeds, here are a few ways your clients are celebrating their “housiversary.”Show off the keys. Some homeowners are snapping photos holding up their house keys to signify the special day, using the #Ho
Fifty-five percent of homeowners who have a child under the age of 18 say their kids’ opinions factored into their homebuying decision, according to a Harris Poll survey of more than 2,000 U.S. adults. What’s more, 74 percent of millennial parents—those up to age 36—indicate they took their kids’ opinions under consideration when buying a home. Renters pay even more attention to their children: 83 percent say their kids’ opinions matt
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