Rising Rents
By Christy Lee, Real Estate Assistant Vice President
You’ve been a renter for 20 plus years and thought you were safe from the housing slump. Don’t smile too soon.
April is Fair Housing Month
By Eric Myers, Real Estate Vice President
April is Fair Housing Month. The National Association of Realtors® advocates for home ownership and believes that anyone who is willing and able to assume the responsibility of owning a home should have the opportunity to do so.
Residential Appraisers and Borrower Claims
By Nicole Galloway, Assistant Account Executive
Residential real estate appraisals have been common practice for almost a century. The first guidelines for home appraisals were established in the 1930s and the industry has continued to grow and to become more regulated. Like the rest of the real estate industry, the appraisal industry has fallen on hard times with the housing market crash of 2007.
The Fine Print
By Sonya Mills, Real Estate Assistant Vice President
Euphemism, the substitution of a mild, indirect or vague expression for one thought to be offensive or harsh. In today’s real estate market the use of euphemisms can be found right in your local real estate listing.
Commercial Real Estate Expected to Improve Slightly in 2011
By Linda Realo, Real Estate Assistant Vice President
The National Association of Realtors chief economist, Lawrence Yun, believes the commercial sectors are stabilizing and may show slight improvement in 2011. Vacancy rates have peaked and should decline in 2011, but the high vacancy rates will result in lower rents.
Housing Market Trends
by Eric Myers, Real Estate Vice President
Every month the press is filled with commentary on the latest housing market figures. Some of the stories would benefit from additional perspective. Of course, all housing is local, so the information needs to be considered in conjunction with knowledge of local market conditions. Jed Smith from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) writes a Behind the Numbers column that provides additional perspective. In his recent column Smith addressed:
To “Re-fi” or not to “Re-fi”, this is the question of the day!
By Sonya Milla, Real Estate Assistant Vice President
What’s more important to the consumer these days? Buying a home or re-financing that lovely abode they already own.
The Bloom Box
By Nicole Galloway, Assistant Account Executive
In February of 2010 a new product was launched that some say could be a revolutionary new source of energy for residential homes. According to Bloom Energy, the company behind the product, the Bloom Box could become the most common source of power for households around the world within the next ten years.