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Kids set to use math, science and critical thinking skills to build the future homes of America The U.S. homebuilding industry is always one of those entities that offers a bit of fresh air as it continues to build the homes our children and grandchildren may someday occupy. But how much do those kids know about what goes into building a... (more)

The changing face of buyer demographics Life in these United States has changed. According to BUILDER Magazine’s John McManus, 2018 brings with it a demographic tipping point: fewer than half of U.S. households are now headed by married couples. He encourages builders across the country to re-think who they are building homes for. “How well-matched... (more)

The juxtaposition of affordable housing and job growth: Things have changed in the housing landscape over the past few decades, but few of us stop to examine why. Builders and developers simply no longer build enough units to meet demand and keep prices affordable for most Americans, according to Scott Cox in a series of articles in BUILDER... (more)

Homebuilders see green in abandoned golf courses For decades, golf course homes were sold as the ideal location for golfers and non-golfers alike — a place where one could have a permanently manicured view of greens, massive trees, and welcoming ponds fed by the results of unfortunate putts and drives. Now that it appears the trend to build... (more)

It pays to be a homeowner in much of the U.S. right now If you’re a homeowner and live in certain parts of the country, your net worth just got larger. Why? Because right now it pays to own a home. “Nationally, the average homeowner with a mortgage saw their equity shoot up by nearly $16,200 in the past year alone, according to a recent... (more)

Virtual Staging Provides The Re-Imagination of Any Listing What if you could make your home-for-sale look professionally staged without removing a single piece of furniture and decluttering a single room? Anyone who knows a bit about digital imagery (or has gone to a movie lately) could picture taking a reality snapshot of a messy home office,... (more)

Price Drops Begin to Surface in Higher-End Markets Some buyers have been waiting for it, especially those frustrated by losing out on bidding wars: it appears the real estate market may be shifting to one many would call “more normal.” According to a Forbes article by Zillow Chief Economist Svenja Gudell, the share of pricier homes available... (more)

Sellers Look to Turn Hefty Profits in High Demand Areas In-demand areas of the U.S. are seeing a sizable inventory jump, with sellers looking to turn profits, according to a realtor.com® report released Wednesday. California’s San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metro area, where the median listing price reached $1.205 million in July, is seeing... (more)

Home Prices Hold Steady Citing May Report The National Association of Realtors reported gains in home prices holding steady in May, while a lack of inventory helped prevent an uptick in growth. According to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller National Home Price Index, average home prices in major metropolitan areas rose 6.4% in May, identical... (more)

Homeownership Numbers Healthy But May Be Peaking Homeownership has been on the rise, according to the latest report by the National Association of Realtors, using the latest U.S. Census figures. “More Americans became homeowners in the spring, and the number of renters decreased, adding to evidence that consumers still aspire to ownership... (more)

New Study Shows Millennials Still Believe in the American Dream A recent 2018 Bank of the West study dealing with the buying habits of millennials indicates the equity-shy demographic is now turning to real estate as the cornerstone of their investment portfolio. Homeownership is emerging as the most popular ingredient of their American... (more)

Housing Experts Report on the New Normal Using a MarketNsight study of 18 cities across the country, Builder Magazine’s John Hunt explores how, in spite of nearly a decade of positive job growth and population growth, the U.S. housing market is still anywhere from 30% to 60% below pre-recession levels. In the “old normal” (before the 2003... (more)

Homebuilders Can Take Clues From Their Apartment Builder Cousins When we think of new home designs, we generally don’t think of what apartments look like or live like inside. Two different animals, right? But the truth of it is, although single-family and multifamily builders are not so much siblings as second cousins, there is a lot that... (more)

Realtor Knowledge and Research are Key When Appraisals Come in Low Too many young consumers, however, are concerned their credit scores won’t make the cut when it comes to financing a home today, and they may be right. As the real estate market continues to sizzle, driving prices ever higher, it’s not unusual for appraisals to be a... (more)

Spring Buying Frenzy Continues Into Summer Big demand. Small inventory. Spring homebuyers are pounding the pavement at a furious pace, but the pickings are getting ever slimmer, according to news reports. Spring is traditionally the busiest time of year to buy a home, but this year listings are getting snapped up with lightning speed as... (more)

Flips experience frenzy as market tightens There are few more interesting real estate investments than home flipping — seeing an older or run-down piece of property find a fairy godmother to make it beautiful again and then being sold in several months’ time. According to a report in Realtor.com, home flipping activity is increasing across... (more)

New Homes Dominate Real Estate Market in Many Areas If you are a homebuyer looking for a brand-spanking new house, you’re in luck in many parts of the country. The market is now flooded with the most brand-new, single-family houses to hit the market since the Great Recession, according to Realtor.com. The number of these newly-built homes,... (more)

Homeowners Plan to Pump over $13B in Tax Savings into the Housing Market: Both current homeowners and renters plan to use their tax savings in the housing market. Zillow estimates both homeowners and renters could put $13.2 billion in tax savings directly into the American housing market in 2018, using some of their tax cut to rent or buy... (more)

Wage growth helps to boost housing affordability If the adage about rising tides lifting all boats is true, then it comes as no surprise that rising incomes have been helping to offset recent increases in mortgage rates, offering a boost to housing affordability in the first quarter of this year, the National Association of Home Builders/Wells... (more)

More homeowners mean fewer renters According to the National Association of Realtors, rising wages, loosening credit standards and demographic shifts are combining to create momentum for owning a home rather than renting one. With the homeownership rate rising for the fifth consecutive quarter, it held steady at 64.2%, unchanged from the... (more)

Serious buyers face stubborn homeowners If you’re already a homeowner, do you wonder why you keep getting unsolicited snail mail asking if you have any interest in selling your home? Wonder no more. The gains in home prices are getting bigger as the supply of homes for sale gets leaner, and buyers and their agents are hoping-hoping-hoping... (more)

• A giant paper shredder TRUCK with shredding specialist that are bonded & employed by: OC SHREDDING • An opportunity to clean your files and dispose of them safely to prevent identity theft • Bring all papers containing sensitive information, especially your Social Security number, account numbers and birth dates • Refer to your... (more)

Eager buyers faced with hesitant sellers Home sales are still going strong, and the National Association of Realtors says they could have been even higher if there were more homes for sale. It seems there is a critical shortage of listings, especially in higher price ranges. And out in the trenches, homebuilders are struggling to keep up... (more)

Lack of inventory continues to push prices higher It’s a great time to be a seller, but not such a thrill being a rookie buyer. Soaring home prices and the shortage of properties on the market are taking a toll on beleaguered first timers. The share of first-time homeowners fell to just 29% of all existing home buyers in January, according... (more)

HERE’S WHAT I NEED FROM YOU: 1) Call or email me that you will be participating 2) Price your items before the sale 3) Open your garage early and display your items 4) Collect your cash! Tim’s Tips on Having a Successful Garage Sale 1) Set up your “store” the night before. Clean your “sales” area and arrange items in an organized and... (more)

Lake Forest Single Family Residence January 1, 2017-January 31, 2018 Property Sales: January property sales were 29, down from 38 in January of 2017 and -32.6% lower than the 43 sales last month. January 2018 sales were at their lowest level compared to January of 2017 and 2016. January YTD sales of 29 are running -23.7% behind... (more)

More taxes equals more homes for sale? Sounds bizarre but Vancouver, British Columbia is going to try just that. You see, they have the same problem that we have here in the US, tight inventory. With inventory levels so low, they have been struggling to find a way to get inventory controlled by “hoarders” back into the marketplace. Vancouver... (more)

I believe that. In fact, I know that. Starting my start-up career at Zillow (see this for some perspective) was a very good and very bad pre-cursor for my entrepreneurial journey over the past few years. It was great in the fact that I now KNOW building a technology business at massive scale is possible; I’ve seen it done from the inside. Most people seriously... (more)

When it comes to real estate, it’s all about location. But when it comes to staging a home to sell the highest possible price, the importance of location applies to more than just the street. The placement of your furniture and accessories can make or break a room and potentially even a sale. The look and feel of a space is created by the way the various items... (more)

You want to make the most money possible when it comes time to sell your home. The way to do that is by improving and updating the things in your home that buyers look for the most. We compiled this list for those looking to boost their resale value. It’s important to focus on the renovation projects that will net you the highest ROI. All of the projects... (more)

Choosing whether to rent or own a home is not an easy decision. It requires you to carefully examine the factors and costs associated with each option. Which is better? That depends. Your unique economic situation, lifestyle and goals play the largest part in deciding what is better for you. It’s important to go into your calculations with open eyes. As... (more)

The last thing in the world you would ever want is to spend a bunch of time searching for a home, finding that perfect place and then not being approved for your mortgage. There are also many common mistakes homebuyers make that could make the process much more painful than it has to be. We’re writing this article because we know how stressful it can be... (more)