by Michael Hyman, Research Data Specialist on February 22, 2019 at 6:10 pm

NAR released a summary of existing-home sales data showing that housing market activity this January, fell for the third straight month and was down 1.2 percent from December 2018. Sales of existing homes dropped 8.5 percent from January 2018. January’s existing home sales reached a 4.94 million seasonally adjusted annual rate, the lowest since November […]

by Scholastica (Gay) Cororaton, Research Economist on February 21, 2019 at 10:44 pm

Homebuying activity was essentially unchanged in January 2019 compared to one year ago, according to NAR’s January 2019 REALTORS® Confidence Index Survey.[1] The REALTORS® Buyer Traffic Index registered 52 in January 2019, just slightly above 50, a level that indicates no change in the overall direction of buyer traffic activity, One year ago, the REALTORS® […]

by Brandi Snowden, Research Survey Analyst on February 15, 2019 at 8:44 pm

In the spirit of President’s Day we can use data from the 2018 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers to see how the typical home differs from the White House. Typical Home Purchased in the U.S. 86% of buyers purchased a previously owned home, with 82% of buyers choosing a detached single-family home. Looking by first-time and […]

by Brandi Snowden, Research Survey Analyst on February 14, 2019 at 4:30 pm

Using data from the 2018 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers we can break down household composition, and the relationship it has to home purchasing choices. Among all recent home buyers, 63 percent were married couples, 18 percent were single females, nine percent were single males, and eight percent were unmarried couples. Four percent of […]

by Michael Hyman, Research Data Specialist on February 8, 2019 at 9:02 pm

At the national level, housing affordability is up from last month but down from a year ago. Mortgage rates were unchanged from last month at 4.99 percent this December, and up 18.2 percent compared to 4.22 percent a year ago. Housing affordability declined from a year ago in December moving the index down 8.4 percent […]

by Hathaway Hester on November 9, 2018 at 9:42 pm

Earlier this year, I wrote about Richard Rothstein’s book The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America. After my review went live, some expressed interest in hearing about the solutions the author proposes in his final chapter. Rothstein offers several suggestions for meaningful change, but also acknowledges how difficult it […]

by Fred Underwood on October 29, 2018 at 9:06 pm

Do you ever get frustrated because attempts at working with others seem to get bogged down with the same issues?  Whether you’re taking part in contentious negotiations in a real estate deal, trying to merge two different brokerages, or working on bringing disparate groups together in a committee or association context, it’s important to learn […]

by Dr. Danette O'Neal on September 5, 2018 at 8:28 pm

While the passage of the Fair Housing Act in 1968 was a moment worth celebrating, it’s also important that we, as Americans and as real estate professionals, look at what’s happened since that historic moment. That’s why Living Apart: How the Government Betrayed a Landmark Civil Rights Law is such an important read. In it, […]

by Graham Wood on August 29, 2018 at 7:38 pm

I live in a bustling neighborhood in Chicago called Boystown, the city’s best-known gay enclave, with a plethora of bars, shops, and other businesses tailored for the LGBT community. Having moved to Chicago a little more than five years ago, I’m always taken aback when natives tell me, “You wouldn’t have wanted to live in […]

by Katie Eddy on July 12, 2018 at 4:43 pm

“Ghetto.” The word evokes a long and vexing tradition of racial imagery and history in the United States. We may think we know what the word means, but where does it come from? Why does it carry such socio-cultural weight? Mitchell Duneier explores these questions in his examination of the evolution of the word in […]

by Dr. Danette O'Neal on June 1, 2018 at 2:00 pm

Dog whistles are intended to be silent for everyone except for a select few listeners. But in his best-selling book, Dog Whistle Politics: How Coded Racial Appeals Have Reinvented Racism and Wrecked the Middle Class (Oxford University Press, 2014), Ian Haney López seeks to transmit a message all real estate professionals should be listening for. […]

by Wendy Cole on May 30, 2018 at 1:49 pm

The pace of historic change can be at once laborious and swift. The passage of the U.S. Fair Housing Act in 1968 is a case in point. As a response to generations of discriminatory practices condoned by government, business, and societal norms of a different era, legislation protecting buyers, renters, and borrowers from exclusionary treatment […]

by Meg White on May 7, 2018 at 9:35 pm

The book is all about how to run a business your mother would be proud of. In it, Bliss offers countless real-life examples of how companies get this right and wrong. She punctuates these case studies with concrete ways to “#MakeMomProud” and a collection of simple yet revealing questions. (Would you send a pile of paperwork to your mother? Of course not!) […]

by Anne-Marie Siudzinski on April 23, 2018 at 3:19 pm

It’s hard to imagine what it’s like to be evicted, perhaps because the impacts of evictions are so wide-ranging. Household items are put on the curb and lost if the evictee can’t afford a storage unit. Having an eviction on one’s record makes it harder to rent a decent place to live. Constant movement to […]

by Meg White on March 26, 2018 at 8:34 pm

No matter how passive it may seem, reading is an activity. It can be an acknowledgement, a political act, an act of remembrance—and at its best, it’s often all three wrapped into one. April 11, 2018 will mark 50 years since President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Fair Housing Act into law. So much has […]

by Melissa Tracey on February 22, 2019 at 4:45 am

The New American Home in Henderson, Nev., was unveiled at the 2019 International Builder Show, showcasing building innovation and home design trends. […]

by Blog Contributor on February 18, 2019 at 7:00 am

The key to making the best first impression for buyers is using on-trend styling touches to help them emotionally connect. […]

by Blog Contributor on February 11, 2019 at 7:00 am

The KonMarie method of tidying up applies not just to keeping your drawers neat and organized. KonMarie can also be applied during this spring’s real estate season. Here's how. […]

by Melissa Tracey on February 4, 2019 at 7:00 am

Peruse this slideshow to see how staging and real estate professionals are accessorizing this hot home feature. […]

by Melissa Tracey on January 28, 2019 at 7:00 am

What is trending in home design in the new year? Here are some of the top trends you can expect to see more of. […]

by Melissa Tracey on January 21, 2019 at 7:00 am

A shipping container for hauling heavy freight in trains, trucks, and ships isn’t often associated with anything glamorous. But the housing industry is proving otherwise. […]

by Melissa Tracey on January 10, 2019 at 6:39 pm

As more homes get teched out, how do you make a home smart but stylish too? CES 2019—Las Vegas’ annual mega tech show—is showing off thousands of high-tech products, including a growing number to outfit a smart home. […]

by Melissa Tracey on January 7, 2019 at 7:00 am

A great staircase can be attention-getting in your listing. Don’t forget to stage it and highlight it in your property photos to give it the attention it deserves. […]

by Melissa Tracey on December 31, 2018 at 7:00 am

The paint companies have released their color forecasts for the new year. Which one is your favorite? […]

by Melissa Tracey on December 24, 2018 at 7:00 am

Of the 17 million professional photos of home interiors and exteriors on Houzz, it was this photo of a gray and walnut kitchen that captured the most attention over the year. […]

by contentsponsor on January 24, 2019 at 7:09 pm

“Time is money” says the proverb, but in real estate, it’s a struggle to have enough time in your day to close more sales. Chances are, most of your clients have an IRA for their retirement savings, which can be used to invest in real estate. With the help of a Real Estate IRA, you […]

by Robert Freedman on December 27, 2018 at 3:48 pm

Prisons and military bases are commonly located outside small, rural towns and often they’re the biggest employers and economic drivers around. But that’s been a double-edged sword—until now. Prisons and military bases currently count toward an area’s population, putting many communities over the threshold of eligibility for federal Rural Housing Service (RHS) programs. A town […]

by Robert Freedman on November 21, 2018 at 8:33 pm

The NAR Board of Directors a few weeks ago made a few small but important changes to MLS and other rules to improve cooperation among brokers and reinforce the importance of associations’ ethics procedures. Here’s a brief recap. You can also learn about them in the latest Voice for Real Estate video. Proceeding With Ethics […]

by contentsponsor on October 12, 2018 at 3:12 pm

Strategic outreach, whether by phone, email or text, is key to building rapport and credibility with prospects, staying top of mind in the search for a home, and encouraging clients to follow through with the sale. But outreach, by itself, doesn’t close deals. If you’re contacting leads regularly, but still having trouble reaching your sales […]

by Robert Freedman on October 1, 2018 at 1:28 pm

The big win for real estate in last year’s tax reform law is the new 20 percent business income deduction. You take it on your net pass-through income. Pass-through income is what most real estate professionals earn. If you’re an independent contractor or if you’ve structured yourself as a sole proprietor, your income is considered […]

by Sam Silverstein on September 28, 2018 at 7:31 pm

You may have seen a report today in The Wall Street Journal (subscription and login required) stating that the Internal Revenue Service is working on guidance that would clarify the deductibility of expenses for client meals under the new tax law. According to the report, this guidance is expected to say that the cost of […]

by contentsponsor on August 28, 2018 at 6:55 pm

When you contact clients, make sure to offer something of value in the conversation so they don’t see it as a nuisance call. Content sponsor Firepoint, a real estate CRM company, has released The Rule of 3, a guidebook to help you create a communications strategy focused on increasing leads. Here’s what the company says […]

by Robert Freedman on August 9, 2018 at 6:16 pm

If you were tuned to the news Aug. 8 you might have heard the IRS released proposed regulations on the new 20 percent business income deduction for pass through businesses. IRS summary with link to FAQ. Proposed rules. The deduction was part of the big tax reform law Congress passed at the end of last […]

by Robert Freedman on August 6, 2018 at 2:22 pm

Unemployment is low and the economy is growing—more than 4 percent in the last quarter—but  home sales are actually going down for many real estate agents. The typical agent in the last year worked on 11 transaction sides, down from 12 sides the previous year. What’s going on? For starters, the inventory crunch is holding […]

by Robert Freedman on June 28, 2018 at 2:16 pm

The Internet won’t be the end of stores but it’s certainly having an impact on the retail segment of commercial real estate. How much business has online shopping sites taken away from brick-and-mortar stores? Would downtown areas look different if some $1 trillion in sales hadn’t transferred from stores to the Internet in just the […]