Real Estate, Updates, News & Tips - Cappie Stuff - iPro Real Estate

Outdoor Kitchens Continue to be Major Draw

The appeal of outdoor living continues to be important to homeowners, and the outdoor kitchen is at the center of that. The latest American Institute of Architects Home Design Trends Survey shows that outdoor kitchens are among the most wanted kitchen features in new architectural projects.Nearly 50% of the architect respondents surveyed reported the popularity of outdoor kitchens is still growing. The popularity is seen in markets across the cou

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Lower Mortgage Rates Drive Sales Turnaround

Existing-home sales showed improvement in July, a welcome sign for what has been a mostly sluggish summer real estate market. Reversing course last month, sales climbed 2.5% over June, the National Association of REALTORS® reported Wednesday. The Northeast was the only major region of the U.S. to see sales decline in July. The bulk of sales growth was attributed to the West.“Falling mortgage rates are improving housing affordability and nudgin

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TIP: How to Fix these 4 Common Design Mistakes

Some design mistakes may be making rooms in a property look smaller or less inviting. These can be deal killers if you’re trying to sell the home. Design experts at Houzz recently weighed in on some of the most common decorating mistakes they see, and how to fix them, including:Overcrowded shelvesOpen shelves that are crowded with mismatching items can be a distraction. Empty the shelves and then organize them using professional organizer Marie

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Single-Family Homebuilding shows Slight Uptick

New-home construction for single-family homes saw an improvement in July, despite builders’ concerns about affordability headwinds. Single-family housing starts rose 1.3% to 876,000 units last month, the Commerce Department reported. The largest regional increases in single-family homebuilding last month occurred in the South.But a decline last month in multifamily production for condos and apartments led to an overall decrease in total housing

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Green Homes hit a Record High Globally

The number of green homes is rising, with LEED-certified properties jumping 19% since 2017. Green homes have reached a record-high number of nearly 500,000 single-family, multifamily, and affordable housing units globally. More than 400,000 of those units are located in the U.S., according to a new report released by the U.S. Green Building Council, which created the LEED green building rating system.LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Envir

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America’s 50 Most Expensive Small Towns

Small-town living isn’t always cheaper than urban life. In fact, in some burgs, residents may find it to be less expensive to live in a major metro area.Vineyard Haven, Mass., and Summit Park, Utah, are the two most expensive small towns in the U.S., according to a new study by LendingTree. In Vineyard Haven, the median home value is $674,600; in Summit Park, it’s $558,300. However, researchers found that the majority of residents who live in

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20M Owners could Lower Mortgage Payments by Refinancing

Mortgage rates are hovering near three-year lows, and more homeowners may want to start taking advantage. Up to 20 million homeowners could “theoretically” see a 75-point drop in mortgage rates by refinancing, according to a recent analysis from Black Knight.For homeowners with a credit score of at least 720 and with 20% of equity in their property, they could see savings of nearly $270 per month from lower rates.“Millions of homeowners cou

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The Cheapest and Priciest Places to Live in the U.S.

The cheapest places to live in the U.S. are El Paso, Texas, and Lincoln, Neb., according to a new study by Move.org that ranks cities based on cost of living. In El Paso, the average cost of living is $1,182.96 per month and, in Lincoln, it’s $1,291.50. On the opposite end of the spectrum, San Francisco (at a $4,210.60 average cost of living per month) and New York (at $3,956.11) have the highest costs of living in the nation.Move.org analyzed

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Mortgage Rates Hover near Record Lows

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage continued to hover near historical lows this week, lowering borrowing costs for home buyers and refinancing homeowners. Freddie Mac reported that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 3.60% this week, unchanged from last week’s average.“The sound and fury of the financial markets continue to warn of an impending recession; however, the silver lining is mortgage demand reached a three-year high this week,”

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Builders are Lowering Prices

Home builders are starting to lower their prices to better reach out to the growing demand for smaller, more affordable homes. Sales prices of new homes dropped 0.5% in the second quarter of this year from 2018 levels.Prices for new homes reached a median of $372,900 in the second quarter, while the median sales price of existing homes was $309,700.Builders appear to be shifting their focus to less expensive homes. “While this change was a clea

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