Home prices cooled sharply to end 2022 — but affordability still elusive

Home price growth fell 5.8 percent annually in December, down from a 7.6 percent gain a month earlier, the latest S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Index shows. The FHFA also recorded a chill in appreciation.

Former KW CEO slams Gary Keller, calls brokerage ‘criminal enterprise’

Former Keller Williams CEO John Davis says he wants his claims decided through a public trial rather than arbitration. KW says Davis's claims are "unsubstantiated, unwarranted, and disparaging."

NFL Champ Darren Sproles Rushes Into a Gorgeous SoCal Home for $4.65M

Getty Images / Realtor.com

Football legend Darren Sproles has put down roots in sunny Southern California. The diminutive former running back recently scored a home in Tarzana, CA, for $4.65 million.

After 15 years in the NFL, Sproles retired after the 2019 season. Now he can catch some well-deserved rays at his new five-bedroom, 6.5-bath, modern farmhouse-style home.

Spread over 6,000 square feet and situated on a quiet, dead-end street, the lovely abode offers an array of chic decor details. There’s an ultrastylish kitchen island and open shelving, along with stunning light fixtures in every room—even the closets! Take a look.

Built in 2019

Realtor.com










Continue reading

Rapattoni, Restb.ai advance MLS partnership, service tools

Industry solutions provider of more than 50 years, Rappatoni will leverage the full brunt of Restb.ai's unique image intelligence capabilities.

Brad Inman: Decision-makers, not experts, will forge real estate’s path

The Inman founder kicked off Disconnect in Palm Springs, California, on Monday by calling on real estate leaders to deliver a path forward through the rough patches ahead.

Property Taxes Can Take a Big Chunk of Your Housing Budget: Here’s Where They’re the Lowest and the Highest

Photo-Illustration by Realtor.com; Photos: Getty Images (2)

The only certain things in life might be death and taxes—but the dollar amount of those taxes is likely to vary greatly depending on where someone lives.

U.S. property tax bills can range from an annual average of a few hundred dollars in Alabama to thousands in New Jersey, according to a new analysis from WalletHub. States, counties, municipalities, and school districts can calculate the taxes differently and charge disparate amounts for similar homes.

“Prospective buyers should definitely take property taxes into consideration when deciding where to move,” says Jill Gonzalez, an analyst with WalletHub. “This is a significant expense and should be accounted for in anyone’s budget when making a decision to relocate.”

As the WalletHub analysis makes clear, there are a lot of factors that go into determining property taxes. For example, Hawaii is the state with the lowest property tax rate, at 0.29%, but it’s also home to the priciest real estate in the nation. For a home at the state’s median price, $662,100, that works out to an annual property tax bill of $1,893, according to WalletHub.

Continue reading

Boon for Buyers: These Are the U.S. Cities With the Biggest Increases in Homes for Sale 

Getty Images

Where are all the homes, anyway? Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic ignited a nationwide housing boom, wannabe buyers have been plagued by bone-dry home inventory levels in many markets—causing them to either wait on the sidelines for more choices or slug it out in frantic bidding wars for the scraps of the market.

Now, as we head into the crucial spring real estate season, buyers are still finding no shortage of challenges: Home prices are historically high, mortgage interest rates are rising, and folks are once again swamping open houses, spilling out onto sidewalks.

But there is a silver lining: In many markets, there are a lot more homes to choose from. And the data team at Realtor.com® found the metropolitan areas where the overall home listings are up the most.

Let’s be clear: The nation is still suffering from a severe housing shortage. But compared with one year ago, there are about 250,000 more homes for sale. Housing inventory has been on the upswing since the middle of 2022, with the number of active listings on Realtor.com hitting 626,000 in January 2023.











Continue reading

BHHS CEO Christy Budnick is ready to dive into the spring market

As "motivator and chief encourager" of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, Budnick said she's bullish about the upcoming year. Agents who get down to business will thrive, she added.

What You Should Know Before Choosing Kitchen Cabinets

It’s more complicated than you might think. Here’s what to consider before you spend a lot on the wrong ones.

Quitting time? How brokers can help cash-strapped agents survive

In a market where listings are still scarce, a mid-career agent is having difficulties. What can the broker do for an agent in this position, who is completely strapped for cash?

Affordability, foreclosures, mortgages: How to navigate tough real estate conversations in 2023

Having tough conversations about real estate can be difficult when the news isn’t ideal — but remember that your clients are asking you because they trust you and your expertise. By being prepared for these conversations, you are serving them when they need you most.

Polly’s integration with Total Expert enables custom-rate flyers

New API integration allows lenders to generate tailored marketing materials that include rate, monthly payment and APR based on unique borrower details.

FTC prepares to challenge ICE’s $13B Black Knight deal: Report

The Federal Trade Commission is not convinced that Black Knight's plans to spin off its Empower loan origination system allays antitrust concerns, "Politico" reports.

Black homeowners highest home-value appreciation over pandemic

Between February 2020 and January 2023, Black homeowners saw their homes' values increase by 42.5 percent compared to 38.5 percent for U.S. home values overall.

MV Realty halts ‘homeowner benefit agreements’ amid 4 investigations

Following lawsuits in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Florida and Ohio, the brokerage is redrafting 40-year contracts that offer homeowners cash in exchange for exclusive rights to list their home.

$6.5M Vegas Mansion Has an Ace Up Its Sleeve: a Quaint Italian Street

Realtor.com

With all the over-the-top casinos and resorts in Las Vegas, it seems possible that some of the city’s private residences might embody a similar vibe, right?

This 9,771-square-foot, designer mansion sure does! You won’t find anything else like it, except maybe at The Venetian on the glittering Strip.

Listed for $6.5 million, this luxe manse certainly takes some fanciful cues from Sin City.

Most notably, the home includes a special corridor, designed to look like a street in a quaint Italian village. The unique feature helped crown this property the most popular home on Realtor.com® last week.











Continue reading

Expensive Real Estate Zip Codes

The most expensive real estate zip codes can vary depending on the location and time period.  Here are five expensive zip codes. 94027 (Atherton, California): This zip code, located in the San Francisco Bay Area, has been named the most expensive zip code in the United States multiple times. In 2021, the median home price in Atherton was $7.3 ...


Continue reading

EXCLUSIVE: Kendall Bonner and team leave RE/MAX for eXp Realty

The news follows Bonner's decision just days earlier to merge the roughly 40-person RE/MAX Capital Realty, of which she was formerly broker-owner, with RE/MAX Alliance Group.

Which Locations Qualify for a USDA Loan? (Hint: It’s Not Just Rural Areas)

Getty Images

When people hear that the United States Department of Agriculture offers home homes, many might presume they’d have to buy a farm out in the country to qualify. But it’s just not true.

In fact, according to the Housing Assistance Council, 97% of U.S. land is within USDA-loan-eligible boundaries, where about one-third of all Americans live.

“Even though they are rural loans, USDA loans are not just for farmers,” says Jill Gonzalez, an analyst for WalletHub. “They are meant to promote homeownership in areas that have lower populations. In some cases, suburbs could also be included in this category.”

But how do you know if a home you’re looking at is in the USDA loan zone?

Continue reading

BHGRE brings on Rainbow Island Properties in Kauai, Hawaii

The new firm, co-owned and operated by Tim Ross and Joyce Wright Funk, is based in the Hanalei district. Wright Funk's appointment marks the first time a BHGRE affiliate has had a Black female owner.

LikeRE Logo