In their search for affordability, home buyers are taking their house hunts further out from the city limits. Exurbs are the outskirts of major metro areas that lie beyond the suburbs. Many offer more land and greater affordability in new-home construction.Single- and multifamily activity in the exurbs makes up only a small share of permit activity across the country, but their quarterly growth rates reached a new high in the first quarter of 201
Online retail giant Amazon was once blamed for driving local shopping malls out of business. Now, it wants to reinvent them into warehouses.“While at a surface level, this appears simply to be about converting shopping malls into warehouses to strengthen Amazon’s supply chain and physically position the retailer closer to customers (both rural and urban) for same or next day delivery, the move has all the hallmarks of Amazon’s DNA,” Sean
Rents for single-family homes jumped 2.9% year over year in March, according to the CoreLogic Single-Family Rental Index. The index measures rent changes among single-family rental homes, including condos.Rents for lower-priced homes are increasing at a faster clip than those of higher-priced homes. Low-end rentals are defined as properties with rents 75% or less than the region’s median rents.Rents on lower-priced homes rose 3.5% year over yea
Buyers’ may be having more positive perceptions about the state of available inventory, according to a new survey released by the National Association of Home Builders. Twenty-two percent of adults planning a home purchase said in the first quarter of the year that they expect their home search to get easier in the months ahead. That marks an improvement from the 16% with the same expectation a year earlier, the NAHB reports on its Eye on
Home buyers and sellers can disagree over seemingly frivolous issues, which can sometimes jeopardize a sale. Realtor.com® recently interviewed real estate professionals to find out some of the most common petty issues that can pop up in a transaction.For example, missing cover plates is one that agents said they hear often. “One of the funniest—and most annoying—requests I get is for sellers to replace missing cover plates on light sw
About 885 million mortgage documents dating back to 2003 have been exposed by a data breach within First American Financial Corp., a title insurance provider, the KrebsOnSecurity news site reports.The breach exposed bank account numbers and statements, mortgage and tax records, Social Security numbers, wire transaction receipts, and drivers license images online, the security site reported.“On May 24th, First American learned of a design defect
Home shoppers are focusing their attention on outdoor spaces, but with yard sizes decreasing nationwide, how can you make a small backyard appealing to your buyers? A recent article at Apartment Therapy featured designers who showed off their best design tricks to make a small backyard feel less cramped.Add Seating “No matter how small your outdoor area, you’re going to want to create a sitting area or else you won’t take full advantage of
Many Americans are moving because they want more space, according to a new survey of 1,000 consumers from Porch.com, a home remodeling website. More than one in four—and millennials, in particular—say their chief motivator for moving is the desire a larger home. Porch.com found the top moving motivators among consumers:Desire for a larger home: 26%Desire to own, not rent: 19%Downsizing: 12%New job or job transfer: 11%Desire for a better neigh
As temperatures heat up across the country, renters have cooling systems on their minds. Air conditioning units are the most-searched amenity among renters, according to an analysis from Zumper, a rental listing site. Zumper analyzed what its users nationwide searched for the most among rental units.Zumper researchers noted that a few amenities on the list were traditionally considered “nice-to-have items” but are now “must-haves.” For ex
Choosing the wrong neighborhood can make for a very unhappy homeowner.A new survey from Porch.com, a home remodeling website, surveyed about 1,000 consumers to find the biggest neighborhood turnoffs. Noise, traffic, and crime were the chief concerns of buyers. Noise topped the list of neighborhood turnoffs, with 41% of respondents citing it as their top gripe, according to the survey. In fact, noise proved to be an even bigger deterrent than a hi
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