Sep 16
Get Ready for Longer Tweets Twitter is giving its users more wiggle room than the social network’s current 140-character tweet limit. Starting Sept. 19, Twitter will no longer count several items in its character limits, several tech publications report. For example, media attachments, like images, GIFs, polls, and videos – will not be counted …
Sep 15
Post-Labor Day Uptick in Mortgage Apps Home buying appears to be picking up after the Labor Day holiday, with total mortgage applications for home purchases and refinancings increasing 4.2 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis last week, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported Wednesday. This time, application volume was boosted more by home buyers than …
Sep 14
Paint Colors That Make a Room Look Bigger A room’s size is sometimes a matter of perception, and the paint color on the walls has a lot to with that perception. Some colors can actually make a room appear smaller, while other colors can make the walls expand and feel larger. Realtor.com® recently highlighted some …
Sep 13
Mediterranean-Style Homes Losing Appeal? In the 1990s, Mediterranean-style homes were all the rage. But new surveys suggest the once-popular design may be losing some of its appeal. Mediterranean-style homes are known for stucco walls, tumbled stone, and wrought-iron accents. Asking prices for this type of home still remain high, but price growth has slowed …
Sep 12
Women Better Than Men at Paying Mortgages Women are less likely than men to miss a mortgage payment, according to a new study from the Urban Institute. Yet, they tend to pay higher interest rates. A single male borrower had a 6 percent probability of default while a comparable female-only borrower had an expected …
Sep 09
Optimism Grows Among Sellers, Buyers Consumers have a fairly optimistic 12-month outlook on housing at the end of the summer home-buying season, says Doug Duncan, chief economist at mortgage giant Fannie Mae. The optimism is being buoyed by confidence in the job market and more favorable expectations regarding their personal finances compared to a …
Sep 08
Deep-Cleaning Targets to Help a Home Shine Buyers are just more attracted to clean houses. And while a standard job may give a home a momentary shine, a deep clean of hidden spots may help provide the wow factor your listing needs. The Cleaning Authority offers the following tips on deep cleaning a …
Sep 07
Student Housing Gets an Upgrade Luxury student housing is popping up around colleges and universities across the country. Residential developers are adding fancier amenities to student housing options as enrollments in higher education continue to rise. About 47,700 new beds are expected to roll out onto the market in privately owned, student housing properties …
Sep 06
Bad Habits That May Ruin a Home Certain home owner habits could actually be harming the home, and can lead to major home improvement projects later on. This Old House recently featured a list of several bad home owner habits to avoid, including: Slamming the front door Slamming the heavy front door can push it …
Sep 02
10 Beach Towns With Housing Bargains Beach towns don’t tend to be cheap. However, a few places offer opportunities for more buyers to live in the beach town they always dreamed of. RealtyTrac recently identified the beach towns with fewer than 50,000 residents that have the highest quality of life (e.g. air quality, low …
Sep 01
Real Estate to Get Its Own Stock Category Real estate companies have been included in a category with banks and insurance firms since 1999 in stock markets across the globe. But that soon will change. Come Thursday, real estate will be getting its own dedicated category. The Wall Street Journal reports that the move …
Aug 31
Buyers Will Pay More for Smart Tech Features Home buyers are willing to pay extra in order to have a smart home, according to several new studies. Network-connected thermostats, security devices, appliances, and lighting already installed in a home may help home owners sell their properties faster and for more money, reports The …
