Home ownership is on the decline and tight credit standards may be to blame so the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) is considering changes to the way credit scores are calculated to help more buyers qualify for home mortgages. This is welcome news for real estate agents and brokers. “Realtors® support safe, responsible access to mortgage credit for borrowers who can …
Majority of Home Sales Still by Real Estate Agents and Brokers, says NAR
With the enormous amount of real estate information available online today, it is not surprising for some individuals seeking a career in real estate to wonder about its long-term prospects. But the overwhelming majority, 88%, of home sales is still transacted through a real estate agent or broker, according to the National Association of Realtors®. The number of home buyers …
Managing Your Online Reputation
With the majority of buyers and sellers conducting research online, Realtors® need to be vigilant about managing and protecting their online reputation. The Internet in many respects is a vast, largely unsupervised frontier reminiscent of the old Wild West. This is a place where anyone can have their say making their comments known to the world which can get downright …
Has Chicago Rents Reached their Peak?
Rents in Chicago have been on a downward trend since reaching a peak of $1,694 in September 2014, according to the Zillow Rent Index. As of Jan 2015, average rent in the city was $1,605, a decline of 0.5%. The declining rents can be attributed to an oversupply of apartments and rental properties that came online to meet the growing …
Are Drones the Future of Real Estate Marketing?
It’s a bird … it’s a plane … it’s a drone! The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) recently announced proposed rules that will allow certain unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to take to the skies for commercial use. The proposed rules are designed to protect public safety by requiring drone operators to keep unmanned aircraft a …
Home Staging Can Increase the Selling Price
Real estate agents and brokers who understand the value of home staging are helping clients get a higher selling price. Although many homeowners make a concerted effort to make their homes presentable before they are shown to potential buyers, the property may not stand out from other available properties for sale in the local market. Home staging shows off the …
Home Staging Can Increase the Selling Price
Real estate agents and brokers who understand the value of home staging are helping clients get a higher selling price. Although many homeowners make a concerted effort to make their homes presentable before they are shown to potential buyers, the property may not stand out from other available properties for sale in the local market. Home staging shows off the …
Chicago Median Home Price Soars to $245,000
It may be winter in Chicago, but real estate in the Windy City is hot. In the city of Chicago, the market continued its upward trend posting double-digit year-end gains in median home prices. For the year ending 2014, median prices soared to $245,000, an increase of 11.3% from last year! Median prices in the suburbs echoed a similar story, …
The Key to More Effective Listing Appointments
Listings are the life-blood of any real estate business and positioning yourself as the local market expert is the key to more effective listing appointments. Many, if not most, potential sellers will use the Internet to educate themselves about the market before contacting an agent or broker. There is a lot of “noise” and conflicting information that can easily cause …
Real Estate Email Marketing That Gets Prospects to Call You
There isn’t always enough time during the day for marketing activities even though it is essential for maintaining a steady flow of reliable leads in order to grow your real estate business. But savvy real estate agents who have an email marketing system in place are able to regularly stay in touch with current and past clients ultimately generating additional …