Ways to Make a Front Porch Summon Buyers

Ways to Make a Front Porch Summon Buyers

It’s a mistake to become so preoccupied with staging the interior of a home that you neglect to spruce up the front porch. But even though it’s the first space buyers will see during a showing, many real estate pros overlook the front porch, Dawn T. Totty, a designer in Chattanooga, Tenn., told realtor.com®. “Designing a well-curated front porch not only adds value to your home, but it also creates another opportunity for you to increase your living space,” Totty says. “Think of it as your outdoor living room.”

Realtor.com® offered a few ideas, including:

1. Set a table. If there’s space, add a cocktail and side table to add coziness to the front porch. A bistro table with two to four chairs may work as well.

2. Add some artwork. “Artwork, or even a mirror placed on an inside wall, can create interest and give the look of an indoor living space,” Totty says. Just make sure to place it in a weather-proofed spot so it doesn’t get damaged.

3. Upgrade the lighting. “Flush-mount lighting is not the only option,” Totty says. She recommends a modern semiflush-mount light or a pendant light.

4. Bring in some furnishings. If space isn’t an issue, choose some sturdy, weather-proofed furnishings, such as a sofa, love seat, or arm chair. Make sure it’s upholstered in outdoor-friendly fabric. Then, add a throw blanket along the side. You want to create “a living room aesthetic for year-round use,” Totty says.

5. Paint the ceiling. Try a color like sky blue on the ceiling of the front porch to “increase the depth of the space and ensure the architecture remains the focal point,” suggests Dee Schlotter, senior color marketing manager at paint company PPG. Pick a color that will harmonize with the surrounding landscape, she suggests.

Source: “7 Front Porch Ideas That’ll Help You Make a Good Impression,” realtor.com® (March 28, 2018)

Unstaged Rooms Hamper a Home Sale

Unstaged Rooms Hamper a Home Sale

Sellers may be shooting themselves in the foot when they leave an empty, dark, or cluttered room unstaged, according to a recent realtor.com® article. Empty rooms, for example, can “kill a home sale, especially if the other rooms are furnished,” says Allison Bethell of FitSmallBusiness.com. Imperfections stand out more in an empty room, and the absence of furnishings could make it more difficult for buyers to visualize how to use the space.

A poorly lit room also can give the entire house a darker vibe, adds Desare Kohn-Laski, broker-owner of Skye Louis Realty in Coconut Creek, Fla. Instead, open curtains, consider painting the walls a light color, and add plants or a mirror to brighten the look.

The cluttered playroom is another top offender, real estate agents say. “If a playroom looks like a cluttered mess, buyers get the impression that the current residents aren’t clean,” says Kohn-Laski. Sellers should erase crayon and other marks on walls, as well as wipe fingerprints off doors and windows. Also, ensure the room isn’t stuffed with toys; a room that is too full can appear smaller.

The “creepy basement” may also be giving off the wrong type of vibe. Sarah Pickens with RE/MAX Advantage Plus in Blaine, Minn., recalls showing a home to buyers where the basement was an empty, all-cement room with no windows. “The buyer was so creeped out that we left the property,” Pickens says. “And he said he would never purchase the house because of that room.” Realtor.com® suggests “de-creeping” a basement by staging and brightening any windowless rooms.

Also, make sure a cluttered closet isn’t making buyers want to bolt. Teri Connors, an associate broker at Coldwell Banker M&D Good Life in Patchogue, N.Y., says overstuffed closets can make buyers think there’s not enough storage space in a home. She recommends removing at least two-thirds of the clothes in the closets to give the illusion that there’s plenty of space.

Source: “The One Room That’ll Make Buyers Bail, Even If They Love the House,” realtor.com® (March 28, 2018)

Facebook Accused of Allowing Discrimination in Housing Ads

Facebook Accused of Allowing Discrimination in Housing Ads

Several fair housing organizations sued Facebook on Tuesday, accusing the social media giant of allowing landlords and brokers to discriminate based on gender and family status on its advertising platform. They argue that advertisers could use the personal data of Facebook users to then target ads that could exclude certain populations from viewing them.

The National Fair Housing Alliance and three other housing groups filed the lawsuit, alleging that Facebook’s advertising platform violates the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination “based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin” on home sale and rental advertisements.

The housing groups that are suing Facebook say they created a fake real estate firm and submitted dozens of housing advertisements to Facebook for review to show that advertisers could exclude users based on their gender, family status, and whether they were interested in “disabled parking permits.”

“Facebook enables a real estate company or landlord to discriminate by selectively targeting housing advertisements to exclude specific populations,” Fred Freiberg, executive director of the New York-based Fair Housing Justice Center, which is also part of the lawsuit, said in a statement. “Facebook’s platform is the virtual equivalent of posting a ‘For Rent’ sign that says ‘no families with young kids’ or ‘no women,’ but it does so in an insidious and stealthy manner so that people have no clue they have been excluded on the basis of family status or sex.”

Facebook has denied any wrongdoing. A Facebook spokesperson told CNN, “There is absolutely no place for discrimination on Facebook. We believe this lawsuit is without merit, and we will defend ourselves vigorously. … We take prompt enforcement action when we determine that ads violate our policies.”

The National Fair Housing Alliance says Facebook has been repeatedly warned about its advertising practices over the years. For example, a customization option called “Ethnic Affinities” faced criticism from housing advocates in 2016 because it allowed advertisers to target or exclude specific groups for ads that appear on Facebook.

“Facebook has known for years that its advertising platform violates civil rights laws, but it has refused to change its ways on a voluntary basis,” Diane L. Houk, one of the attorneys representing the housing groups, said in a statement. “Facebook is not above the law and must answer these civil rights claims in court.”

Housing Opportunities Project for Excellence Inc. in Miami and the Fair Housing Council of Greater San Antonio are also plaintiffs listed on the lawsuit.

Facebook boasts more than 2 billion active users. The lawsuit comes at a time when Facebook is dealing with fallout from Cambridge Analytica and accusations that it mishandled the data of some 50 million users.

Source: National Fair Housing Alliance and “Facebook Sued for Allegedly Allowing Housing Discrimination,” CNNMoney (March 27, 2018)

HomePath mortgage financing, an easier, more affordable option for purchasing a home.

HomePath mortgage financing, an easier, more affordable option for purchasing a home.

Fannie Mae’s homepath mortgage is a special program offered to finance the purchase of Fannie Mae Real Estate Owned (REO) properties.

With a Fannie Mae HomePath mortgage you get the following benefits:

1 – Down payment as low as 5% and flexible mortgage terms.

2 – Down payment can be funded as a gift, grant or a loan from a nonprofit organization, state or local government or employer.

3-  Available for primary residences, second homes and investment properties.

Visit www.homepath.com to search for Fannie Mae REO eligible properties.

Places for Rental Returns in 2018

Places for Rental Returns in 2018

If your investors are in search of higher profits, they may want to look to Baltimore; Macon, Ga.; Montgomery, Ala.; Detroit; and Atlanta. These metros each boast counties that have some of the highest potential for single-family rental returns in 2018, according to a new analysis by ATTOM Data Solutions. The real estate data firm’s Q1 2018 Single-Family Rental Market report ranks the top U.S. markets for purchasing single-family rental properties. Researchers looked at the single-family rental returns in 449 U.S. counties that had populations of at least 100,000.

The average annual gross rental yield among the 449 counties was 8.9 percent for 2018, a drop from 9.2 percent in 2017, according to the report. ATTOM calculated the average annual gross rental yield by taking the annualized gross rental income and dividing it by the median purchase price of single-family homes. “Despite declining returns in many areas, the single-family rental market continues to grow thanks to more activity by smaller and middle-tier investors,” says Daren Blomquist, senior vice president at ATTOM Data Solutions.

The biggest increases in market share over the past year has emerged from investors who own six to 10 single-family rentals, followed by those owning between 11 and 100 rentals, Blomquist says.“These smaller to mid-tier investors are benefiting from newfound efficiencies in acquisition, financing, and property management that allow them to buy outside their backyard in areas with higher potential returns, and to leverage their money to buy more properties,” he adds.

The counties with the highest potential annual gross rental yields in 2018 were:

• Baltimore County, Md.: 28.6%
• Bibb County, Ga. (Macon metro area): 21.8%
• Montgomery County, Ala. (Montgomery metro area): 21.7%
• Wayne County, Mich. (Detroit metro area): 21.7%
• Clayton County, Ga. (Atlanta metro area): 20.3%

Source: ATTOM Data Solutions