Preliminary injunction in Massachusetts says "homeowner benefit agreements" are actually high-interest mortgage loans and can no longer be offered or enforced until case is resolved.
News Corp CEO vows to reenergize Realtor.com after CoStar deal dies
In remarks at Morgan Stanley's Technology, Media and Telcom Conference Tuesday, CEO Robert Thomson said growing Realtor.com after its sale to CoStar fell through is a "personal priority."
Zillow expands ShowingTime+ media tools into 6 new markets
Zillow's Listing Media Services product is now available in Houston, Jacksonville, San Diego, Phoenix, Chicago and San Francisco, the search portal announced Wednesday.
5 Types of Buyers You’ll Face While Selling Your Home
Sometimes you need to kiss a few frogs to find a prince. Well, the same is true for selling a home. Although it usually takes longer to meet potential buyers face to face these days—if you do at all—your dealings and various interactions may ultimately make you feel a certain intimacy with these would-be owners … perhaps even more than you’d like.
It pays, literally, to know what kind of person lurks behind the offer. So allow us to introduce you to the kinds of buyers you’ll encounter and how best to deal with them for optimum results!
Type 1: The all-cash showoff
All-cash buyers may seem cocky—understandably. With no worries of financing falling through, this buyer means business and can even ask for a shorter escrow period to seal the deal.
The downside? “You may have to be ready to be flexible,” suggests Robert Vinson of Vinson Real Estate Group in Los Angeles, CA. Translation: An all-cash buyer will probably aim for a lower offer, or may have specific contingencies in mind (e.g., you’ve got to fix that roof now) or else they walk.
The message is blunt: Real estate leaders anticipate a tough 2023
Inman's first-ever Intel leadership survey revealed that leaders think the market will be worse in 2023 compared to 2022 — but they also expect to thrive regardless of the economic headwinds.
Welcome Homes CEO Alec Hartman on this moment’s parallels with 1981
The CEO of construction tech startup Welcome Homes thinks builders will have to take risks to prevent a massive affordability crisis, the likes of which haven't been seen since the early 1980s.
Singer Kali Uchis Is Renting Out Her California Home for a Cool $15K Per Month
Realtor.com / Stephane Cardinale / Corbis via Getty Images
Singer Karly-Marina Loaiza, who uses the stage name Kali Uchis, has a stunning home in the San Fernando Valley.
And she’s willing to rent it out. But not for a song.
For the serious sum of $15,000 a month, you can live like the R&B, pop, and hip-hop star. There’s lots of room to drop your bags in the five-bedroom, six-bath, 3,772-square-foot manse.
The songstress purchased the inviting home in 2019 for around $1.7 million, according to the Los Angeles Times. Located in the upscale Valley Village neighborhood in Los Angeles, the house was recently remodeled.
After 3 months of improvement, homebuyer sentiment declines
Fannie Mae's National Housing Survey shows Americans are feeling less secure about keeping their jobs, and nearly 8 in 10 think it's a bad time to buy a home.
$1.4 Million Homes in Michigan, Rhode Island and Oregon
A modernist kit house in Lake Leelanau, a Mediterranean-style home in Providence and a Craftsman bungalow in Portland.
Why the JonBenet Ramsey Murder House Won’t Fetch the $7M the Sellers Are Seeking
The Colorado Tudor at the center of one of the most infamous, unsolved crimes of the 1990s is on the market for nearly $7 million. But the sellers are unlikely to get that much for the spacious residence where the body of 6-year-old beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey was discovered in 1996.
The current owners have struggled to sell the Boulder home in the past, listing it several times over the past 15 years. The last time they listed the property was in 2014 for a relatively modest $2 million—and they couldn’t find a buyer. So why they are attempting to sell it for more than triple that amount today, given the property’s tragic history, is another mystery.
“I don’t think it’s going to be an easy sale,” says real estate agent and true-crime podcaster Christina Van De Water. She’s based in New Milford, CT, and co-hosts the REal Crime Podcast. “The price is astronomical for the history of the home. It’s going to take a very special person to comfortably move into that home.”
The five-bedroom, 5.5-bathroom estate went back up for sale in mid-November of last year, then taken off the market the week before Christmas. The 7,240-square-foot residence was relisted on March 1 for $6.95 million after undergoing a $300,000 price cut.
On the House: House Hacking Your Way Into Your First Home
Realtor.com / visualspace via Getty Images
Q: What are some creative ideas for first-time buyers to afford homeownership?
As the spring housing market kicks off, first-time homebuyers are staring down high home prices, mortgage interest rates above 7%, and a dearth of newly listed properties for sale. Even if they’re doing well financially, this is going to be a tough market for just about everyone.
I wish I had some magical advice I could sprinkle around to ensure a successful, low-stress homebuying journey that doesn’t break your budget. Spoiler alert: I don’t. You might have to compromise more than you would like and, perhaps, get creative.
Homebuyers struggling to make the math work might want to consider house hacking, an increasingly popular tactic in some areas.
It’s basically a new take on an old concept: Buying a home with the intent to rent out rooms or features on your property to make some additional cash. Many folks house hack to help pay off their mortgage and other bills.
What are you doing to lock down repeat and referral business? Pulse
As marketing budgets shrink, we want to know how you're maximizing the power of your past clients and sphere of influence.
The House in New York Where ‘Legs’ Diamond Was Killed Is for Sale
The home in Albany, N.Y., has been owned for decades by the author William Kennedy, a devoted chronicler of the gangster’s story. He is now ready to part with it.
Inman announces first class of Marketing All-Star award recipients
Inman’s Marketing All-Stars is a nod to the most effective, creative and boundary-pushing marketing professionals in the real estate community.
I don’t dance: 5 TikTok marketing ideas for agents with 2 left feet
Trainer and marketing expert Rachael Hite says you don't have to dance on social media to create short-form content. Here are five ideas that are friendly and feasible for introverted personalities who want to make content that feels more authentic to their brand story.
How to shoot your own listing videos and photos on the iPhone
In this bootstrap economy, knowing how to capture professional pictures and videos of your listings could save you thousands in marketing expenses. Marketing expert Latham Jenkins shares his pro tips for using your iPhone to capture stunning, high-quality footage.
AI won’t spell the end of real estate agents. A court decision will
While many agents fear the replacement potential of AI, it may end up allowing the industry to continue working if the worst happens.
Is it worth it? 10 common marketing metrics and how they measure up
It can be challenging to discern meaningful data from the rest. Still, it's vital to grow your social media efforts effectively. You want to avoid what's called "vanity metrics" and measure the metrics that mean something.
Guaranteed Rate rolls out ‘Same Day Mortgage’ nationwide
Properties must be eligible for an appraisal waiver, and like Better's "One Day Mortgage," some fine print can stand in the way of getting a loan approved in 24 hours.
Homebuyers Beware: The Fed Just Jammed Another Wrench Into the Spring Housing Market
Spencer Platt / Staff via Getty Images
On the precipice of the hotly anticipated spring housing market, the U.S. Federal Reserve just dealt homebuyers another crushing blow.
Jerome Powell, chair of the Federal Reserve, told Congress on Tuesday that more aggressive interest rates might be needed to cool inflation. And while mortgage interest rates are separate from the Fed’s short-term rates, they often follow the same trajectory. Those higher rates have hit homebuyers where it hurts: their budgets.
In response to Powell’s comments, mortgage rates hit 7.03% for 30-year fixed-rate loans on Tuesday afternoon, according to Mortgage News Daily. Those higher rates are largely responsible for today’s buyers paying more than 50% a month in their mortgage payments than they would have a year ago.*
“That’s a bummer for buyers who had their hopes raised that rates would be falling,” says Realtor.com® Chief Economist Danielle Hale. “It’s going to be a more challenging spring than some people were expecting.”