Real Estate - Real Estate, Updates, News & Tips

Gated Communities Take Privacy to New Level

Developers of gated communities are discovering that high-end buyers are attracted to neighborhoods with more land, more privacy, and fewer occupants, The Wall Street Journal reports. “There are lots of people who are looking for a golf course development without the golf course,” conservation planner Randall Adrendt told the Journal. “You can lure them with open space, woodlands, meadows, and home sites that back up to wetlands so they

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Top Destination Cities for Relocation Buyers

Home buyers looking to relocate are most likely to be heading to Colorado Springs, Colo. The city nabbed the top spot on ATTOM Data Solutions’ list of top moving destinations for the third quarter of 2017. Also likely to receive more transplants are Chicago; Washington, D.C.; Reno, Nev.; and Lexington, Ky.According to ATTOM Data Solutions’ Q2 2017 Pre-Mover Housing Index, the top five markets among the 122 metros researchers analyzed all post

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Inventory Relief for Desperate Buyers?

If your buyers have been frantically searching for a home as the inventory crunch grows tighter, some relief may be on the way. It’s a challenging environment, with homes in July selling at the fastest pace this year, prompting “desperate buyers to bid up prices and move quickly to close,” according to realtor.com®’s monthly housing report.Additionally, realtor.com® reports that homes sold at a record pace in August, as listings moved

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30% of Luxury Deals Are ‘Suspicious’

A new watchdog program designed to monitor real estate deals involving shell companies has found that the buyers in 30 percent of high-end deals were linked to “suspicious activity,” the Treasury Department reported this week. Federal officials are now expanding the program, which aims to prevent money laundering by overseas buyers who use shell companies to mask their identities.The program, called the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network,

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6 reasons the home won’t sell (besides price)

At the right price, any and every home will sell, regardless of what it looks like and where it is. With price as the single most important factor in putting a home on the market, it never hurts to tip the scales in your sellers’ favor, increase their bottom line and potentially expedite the home sale timeline with all the levers you’ve got at your disposal as a listing agent.Here are six factors that could be contributing to buyers’ reluct

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Half of Homes Sold in Less Than a Month

Fifty-one percent of homes sold in July were on the market for less than a month, according to the National Association of REALTORS®’ existing-home sales report, released Thursday.Properties typically stayed on the market for 30 days in July, down from 36 days a year ago.“Buyer interest in most of the country has held up strongly this summer and homes are selling fast, but the negative effect of not enough inventory to choose from and its pr

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Living Rooms Are Heading Upstairs

Upper-level living rooms are becoming a sought-after space among homeowners, The Wall Street Journal reports. Homeowners are finding these second-floor lounges can be cozier spaces than living areas on the first floor—and can offer more privacy, too.Upper-level living rooms—sometimes labeled “pajama lounges”—are usually located right off bedrooms. They may include comfy sofas, a kitchenette, a television, and even a nook to work from.

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Open House Thefts Putting Agents on Alert

A string of thefts in Wisconsin is serving as an important reminder for real estate pros to stay on guard during open houses.Wisconsin brokerages are warning their agents about three cases of thefts at open houses and a private showing in Middleton. The suspect allegedly stole laptops and other valuables during the showings.Charlie Wills, a real estate pro with First Weber Realty, told ABC News 18 in Eau Claire, Wis., that his brokerage is rele

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Renters Eyeing Properties With ‘Homey’ Feel

Take note, property management professionals: There’s a growing trend among renters who are increasingly amenity-driven, especially if those amenities make residences feel like true homes, according to a report released by Village Green, one of the nation’s largest apartment property management firms.Village Green’s National Renters Index includes data from 1,000 renters of residential properties located in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Detroi

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Feds Expand Effort to Catch Money Laundering in Real Estate

The federal government is expanding its effort to catch people and organizations that use all-cash purchases of high-end real estate to launder money. Under the expansion, Honolulu will join several other areas in which title agents are required to report purchaser information for specific transactions. The expansion also adds certain wire transfers to the list of reportable real estate transactions, specifically to help the government identify i

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