Chip and Jo 2.0? Dave and Jenny Marrs Launch a Charmingly Familiar Venture

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On “Fixer to Fabulous,” Dave and Jenny Marrs have been making over their hometown of Bentonville, AR, one house at a time. Now they’ve stepped it up and are revitalizing the whole town.

In the latest episode, “Historic Bank Into Mercantile,” they revisit Centerton. In this neighboring town, the couple have purchased a former bank built in 1905, for $130,000. They’ve already spent $100,000 converting the upstairs level into a chic apartment and office space.

Now, it’s time to tackle the first floor, spending $100,000 to transform it into a store called “Marrs Mercantile,” where they’ll sell baked goods and lifestyle items handmade by local artisans.

Remind you of anyone … or place? Sounds a lot like how Chip and Joanna Gaines of “Fixer Upper” fame morphed Waco, TX, into a tourist destination with a full slate of stores, restaurants, and attractions. It’s certainly a smart way to revitalize a sleepy downtown, and the renovations could apply to an assortment of spaces—residential, commercial, and otherwise. Check out how this latest project unfolds, and snag a little DIY inspiration.

This old timer enjoys the specially commissioned vault door, because he remembers when the building was a bank.
Ceiling pipes painted black
Hand painted mural
Aluminum pergola
Bright bathroom floor with neutral walls
Completed Marrs Mercantile
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Homebuyer demand up 3rd week in a row as mortgage rates ease

The unusually wide "spread" between 10-year Treasury yields and 30-year fixed-rate mortgages means mortgage rates could have more room to come down.

Do The Taxes You Pay Make Your State a Better Place? Find Out Here

Walter Bibikow/Getty Images

Tax season is here—and while many gripe about forking money over to Uncle Sam, the real question is: Are your tax dollars being put to good use?

Odds are, you’re aware that certain areas have high taxes, while other places enjoy a lower rate. But rock-bottom taxes aren’t necessarily a good thing if your streets are riddled with potholes and petty crime. Ideally, the money people pay in taxes is used to improve their communities, but a recent study suggests that certain states are much better at this than others.

According to WalletHub‘s Best & Worst Taxpayer ROI rankings for 2023, Americans’ tax payments offer wildly different rates of return on that investment, depending on where they live.

To help break it down, their team of data analysts compared how much residents pay in taxes, on average, to how much those funds end up impacting five key categories of livability: education (graduation rates, pre-K funding), health (number of hospital beds, life expectancy), safety (crime, car crashes), economy (unemployment rate), and infrastructure (water/air quality and bridge/road maintenance).

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Anywhere, JLL hold onto ‘World’s Most Ethical Companies’ honors

Business ethics firm Ethisphere released its 2023 rankings on Tuesday, which honored four real estate brands including Anywhere, CBRE Group, JLL and Thailand-based DTGO.

Should you use a professional Stager?

Using a professional stager prior to putting your home up for sale can be beneficial in many ways. A professional stager can help make your home look more attractive and appealing to potential buyers, which can lead to a quicker sale and a higher selling price. Here are some reasons why you may want to consider using a professional stager: Highligh...


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Motocross Icon Brian Deegan Is Speeding Away From His $3.9M North Carolina Home

Dennis Grombkowski/Bongarts/Getty Images / Realtor.com

The Deegan clan is headed to the Sunshine State.

Brian Deegan, the most decorated freestyle motocross rider in X Games history, is pulling up stakes in North Carolina so he and his family can spend more time in Florida, his wife Marissa Deegan announced on Instagram.

The couple have listed their 15,000-square-foot family compound on 35 acres in Cleveland, NC, for $3.95 million. The Deegans bought the property for $2.1 million in 2021.

This isn’t the pair’s first spin around the track with real estate. We’ve seen them sell a different mansion in North Carolina in 2020 and let go of a Southern California spread in the same year.










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The Real Brokerage to raise agent fees on heels of $20M loss in 2022

Fee hikes for new and existing agents are set to begin April 1 and come after a tumultuous 2022, when Real posted significant losses, the brokerage confirmed to Inman.

Now, more than ever, it’s time to tighten your belt: 6 cost-cutting tips

If you're looking to cut costs while building your business, this list offers plenty of areas to rethink, regroup and reduce spending.

Typical home down payment falls to 2-year low as concessions return

The typical down payment for a homebuyer in the United States fell 10 percent between January 2022 and 2023, to $42,375, according to new data released Wednesday by Redfin.

Real estate braces for year of mass consolidation as startups eye exit

A contracting market will place pressure on struggling startup entrepreneurs while some broker-owners use the down market as an opportunity to nail down a succession plan, analysts told Intel.

RealPage economist: Interest rates, not banks, top concern for investors

At a time when all eyes are seemingly on the fall of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, RealPage Chief Economist Jay Parsons is watching the impact of something else.

How do you brainstorm new marketing ideas? Pulse

When it's time to rethink everything about your real estate marketing plan, how do you decide where to start?

Kim Kardashian Still Trying To Unload Her Swanky Calabasas Penthouse for $2.7M

Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for SKIMS / Realtor.com

Reality star Kim Kardashian still needs buyer for her stylish Calabasas, CA, condo.

The three-bedroom home has been on and off the market over the last few years. The posh pad was listed once again last November, and Kardashian is holding firm on the $2.7 million price tag.

The 2,260-square-foot penthouse sits on the top floor of the luxury Avanti condo community. Reminiscent of an Italianate village, the 72-unit development was built in 2016.

Kardashian and her mother, Kris Jenner, purchased multiple condos in the luxury development before it was completed.





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$250,000 Homes in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Alabama

A Craftsman bungalow in Kaukauna, a rowhouse in Philadelphia and a midcentury ranch house in Florence.

With Mortgage Rates in Flux, Is ‘Buy Now, Refinance Later’ Good Advice?

Getty Images / Realtor.com

If you’re in the market for a home but are discouraged by the current high mortgage rates, you’ve probably heard the advice “buy now and refinance later”—maybe from your mortgage lender, real estate agent, or a well-meaning friend.

This seemingly simple solution might empower you to stretch your budget now, with the plan to refinance when mortgage rates drop.

But is “buy now, refinance later” the win-win it’s cracked up to be?

Let’s take a look at this homebuying strategy from all angles and explore the ways in which it could help—or hurt—buyers down the line.

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Build It and They Will Come: 10 Surprising Cities Where New-Home Construction Is Booming

Robert Knopes/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Where are America’s new homes?

That question keeps boiling up to the surface, as buyers grapple with the current state of the housing market. High prices and soaring mortgage rates are driving affordability into the dirt. And lurking at the center of all buyer challenges is one towering and inescapable bugaboo: the lack of available homes. It’s simple math. Fewer homes = increased competition, higher prices, and epic levels of frustration.

Last year, new-home construction permits for single-family dwellings declined by about 14% over the previous year—and it’s hardly a new trend. Since the 1990s, U.S. housing starts per 1,000 households have been about half of what they were for the preceding 30 years. The building slowdown spiked in the wake of the 2008 housing crash, then again with the supply-side issues of the COVID-19 pandemic. The current shortfall in new construction is estimated to be as high as 6 million homes.

But not all corners of the U.S. are quite as new-home parched as others. There are still places where builders are putting up new homes to meet buyers’ demands, especially in more affordable areas where dollars stretch further. And Realtor.com® searched out those metros.

Most of these places are in the South, where land is more readily available, expensive building regulations are fewer, and prices aren’t as crazy as they are in states like California.












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The Pros and Cons of Buying an Old House

Realtor.com

Warm and lived-in, with a majestic fireplace, wood craftsmanship from another era, and a crooked old apple tree in a beautiful garden—only older homes come complete with their own personality.

But that distinctive personality could also come with a steep price in upkeep and renovations to meet the needs of your family and your modern tastes.

How do you decide if an older home is worth it? Consider our handy list of pros and cons:

Con: Outdated building code compliance and other maintenance

Homes with old heating systems or inefficient plumbing can be in such bad shape that they do not comply with modern building codes. A home with a crumbling foundation might frighten away most buyers.

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This 835-Year-Old English Manor Needs Some Modern Love

Tim and Sue Soar have toiled for decades to maintain their medieval estate and not go broke. They can’t take it much longer. But will it sell?

‘2021 all over again’: Agents get to work as spring homebuying arrives

On the first day of spring, agents across the U.S. who spoke to Inman saw the return of bidding wars and busy open houses, suggesting that after a slow 2022 the market is turning a corner.

TikTok’s latest feature will help you reach even more potential clients

TikTok's newest feature allows users to refresh their "For You Page" setting based on their most recent interactions. This ability will allow users to have even more control over what they see and help quality content be seen by more people.

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