Driverless cars may sound like an idea ripped from a sci-fi movie, but the technology is real and expected to hit roadways over the next decade in a big way. As more people warm up to the idea, driverless cars could have a big impact on where people decide to live, according to a new poll from the National Association of Home Builders.Sixty-three percent of consumers recently surveyed said that if they owned a driverless car they would “defini
Some of the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s programs could be in jeopardy under President Donald Trump’s fiscal year 2019 budget proposal. Trump released his budget plan on Monday, with a proposal to cut HUD’s funding by about $8.8 billion, or 18 percent of its 2017 levels.The proposal would reduce Section 8 federal housing subsidies, eliminate the $1.9 billion fund for public housing capital repairs, and end funding to the fe
It’s a good time to be a homeowner: Nearly two-thirds of housing markets across the country saw home prices at all-time highs in the fourth quarter of 2017, the National Association of REALTORS® reported Tuesday.The national median existing single-family home price in the fourth quarter was $247,800, up 5.3 percent from a year ago. Ninety-two percent of the markets measured by NAR saw an uptick in single-family home prices. Twenty-six metros
With the backing of Fannie Mae, home-sharing giant Airbnb has announced a new partnership with select lenders, including Quicken Loans, Citizens Bank, and Better Mortgage, that will allow homeowners to report rental earnings as part of their income when applying to refinance a mortgage. Owners who rent rooms on Airbnb had been facing delays, higher interest rates, and loan limitations when refinancing.“This initiative was developed to identif
Bitcoin has been used in a few real estate transactions in recent months, but does the cryptocurrency really have the power to revolutionize how homes are bought and sold? Housing experts don’t agree unanimously.“Bitcoin millionaires” is a new breed of financially savvy consumer looking to invest their profits in real estate. Earlier this year, research from realtor.com® uncovered 37 listings nationwide in which bitcoin was mentioned as
How do you create more lasting connections with customers? It may come down to becoming a better acquaintance with your client, working harder to anticipate their needs, and showing more empathy. RISMedia recently wrote about enhancing customer interactions, including: Get to know your customer better. Track all interactions a client has with your brand: What emails did the customer open? What videos did they watch? What questions did they ask
The owners of a Los Angeles home that was featured in the FX show “American Horror Story” have sued their brokers, claiming the property’s Hollywood connection was not properly disclosed before the sale.Ernst von Schwarz and Angela Oakenfold bought the home—which was the central setting of the show’s first season in 2011—for $3.2 million in 2015. They claim in a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court that the house has att
Smaller homes may be generating more buzz lately, but many cities in the U.S. are still building supersized properties. McMansions sometimes get a bad rap for having an architectural style that doesn’t fit with their surrounding communities. They typically have heavily ornamented features, gigantic entrances, and high gabled roofs. McMansions were prevalent across the country in the 1980s and ’90s, but construction of these large homes ground
As mortgage rates continue to inch higher, consumers are bracing for steeper homebuying costs this spring. Households earning the national median income of $68,000 a year could afford about 59.6 percent of new and existing homes that were sold in the fourth quarter of 2017, according to the National Association of Home Builders. The trade group’s latest report looks at home prices, mortgage interest rates, and median household income across 23
Your average buyer or seller in the high-end real estate market may not be what you’d imagine, according to Paul Boomsma. The Chicago-based president and founder of Luxury Portfolio International, the marketing program for luxury real estate companies within the Leading Real Estate Companies of the World group, presented research at the PowerHouse SMART 2018 Luxury Conference held in Chicago this week that aims to help real estate professional
This website includes images sourced from third party websites including Adobe, Getty Images, and as otherwise noted.
