More mortgage lenders are reporting that they have lowered their credit standards and expect to continue to do so in the coming months, according to Fannie Mae’s second-quarter 2017 Mortgage Lender Sentiment Survey.The share of lenders reporting they have eased mortgage credit standards over the prior three months has gradually been growing since the fourth quarter of 2016. Additionally, the number of lenders who say they plan to ease credit s
Seventy-one percent of homeowners say now is a good time to sell, according to the National Association of REALTORS®’s second-quarter Housing Opportunities and Market Experience (HOME) survey. The percentage is up considerably from the 61 percent of homeowners who said it was a good time to sell last year.Owners in the Midwest are the most excited about potentially selling at 76 percent, surpassing the West at 72 percent for the first time th
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The famous abode will soon be home to the highest bidderKey Takeaways The Underwood's home in "House of Cards" is up for auction with a starting bid of $500,000.When we’re first introduced to Kevin Spacey’s Frank Underwood in House of Cards, we’re led into an unforgettably gorgeous, dimly-lit home — the beautiful backdrop for many of the plans and schemes that finally got him to The White House. Now, after watching for five seasons, buyer
Respect your agents enough to listen to their opinions with the willingness to learn from their suggestionKey Takeaways Listen to your agents and consider their suggestions seriously. People hate working for bosses who refuse to listen. Be the type of boss millennial agents like working for by making yourself accessible and staying involved with day-to-day business operations. Foster the type of work environment people enjoy by delegating tasks i
Key Takeaways Be tactful with your content, become the master at social media engagement and keep it old school when it comes to proper grammar.Did you know you could be killing your engagement with what you are sharing, posting or not posting? Make the most of your organic social media marketing with these key pointers.1. Not sticking to the basics (think elementary school) Realtor Houston Shelley said that her biggest pet peeve from other age
Agents can do more business with millennials by understanding their preferences and behaviorsIn this day and age, millennials not only dominate the category of first-time homebuyers but are surging ahead of baby boomers to claim the throne as U.S.’s dominant homebuying generation. They now account for one in every three homebuyers.Millennials — made up of U.S. residents born between 1980 and 1995 — are undoubtedly a critical group for real
As the weather heats up, homeowners may be looking to make the most of their outdoor space. But some cities may have a distinct advantage when it comes to hosting backyard parties. Realtor.com®’s research team analyzed 350 metro areas based on lot sizes, cool outdoor home features (e.g. hot tubs, outdoor kitchens, decks, etc.), and the number of sunny days the area sees annually.“We are seeing more people than ever really investing in the ba
Nearly 80 percent of all borrowers are paying for real estate taxes and home insurance through escrow accounts, according to a recent analysis by CoreLogic. That is up 900 basis points over the past six years.The mortgage industry has been encouraging more borrowers to use escrow accounts because it ensures they have reserves to cover the costs of the mortgage principal, interest, taxes, and insurance. It also helps to lower the risks of tax and
Home improvement projects present the biggest opportunity for scammers to take advantage of homeowners, according to the Better Business Bureau’s Risk Index. Victims of home improvement scams lost an average of $1,400 from shady contractors, painters, and other repairmen, according to the BBB’s analysis.The analysis found that such scams pose the highest risk to homeowners based on three criteria: exposure (how likely consumers are to be expo
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