Real Estate, Updates, News & Tips - George Zoumot - iPro Real Estate

Landlords, Associations Take Aim at Marijuana

Despite the movement to legalize marijuana for both medicinal and recreational purposes in many states, homeowners associations and landlords are showing a preference for banning the substance—which remains illegal on the federal level—in their properties.Condo and co-op associations, as well as individual landlords, have been cracking down on residents who use or grow marijuana inside their units or in common areas, realtor.com® reports. In

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Bidding Wars Heat Up in Unassuming Towns

You’d expect bidding wars in major cities such as San Francisco, Boston, and New York—but Akron, Ohio? The Midwestern town has seen the biggest spike in multiple-offer situations on listings in the nation, according to realtor.com®. And as housing demand picks up in the spring, ushering in the typically busy selling season across the nation, other unassuming metros are becoming hotbeds for buyer competition. “Multiple-offer scenarios are n

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Home Sales Overcome Inventory, Price Woes

Inventory shortages and pressing affordability issues didn’t suppress home sales activity in March. Total sales of existing homes, including single-family homes, townhomes, condos, and co-ops, increased 1.1 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.6 million, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. However, home sales are still 1.2 percent below a year ago.“Robust gains last month in the Northeast and Midwes

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Many Metros Are Surging Above Price Peaks

In many markets, home prices have never been this high. About half of 105 metro areas studied were above their prerecession home price peaks in the first quarter of this year, according to a newly released study by ATTOM Data Solutions, a real estate data provider.The metros with median home prices highest above their prerecession peaks were Houston (69 percent higher); Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas (67 percent higher); Denver (62 percent higher); San

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REALTORS: Buyers Want Emotional Bonds—Even Online

(From left) Julie Morris, John Peyton, Cammy Keiler Bjorklund, and Suzanne Zinn Mueller discuss consumer trends at the REALTOR® Broker Summit in Nashville.​Despite beginning their search online—where one would assume home shoppers prefer an impassive browsing experience—many buyers are looking for some emotional connection in where they live and who they work with when buying a home. That’s why it’s crucial for real estate professional

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Retail Vacancies on Track to Reach Record High

The amount of retail space turning vacant in 2018 is on pace to break a record, reports the CoStar Group, a commercial real estate services firm that has been tracking the amount of retail square footage slated to close nationwide since 2008. Factoring up to April so far of this year, more than 90 million square feet of retail space is expected to go empty. That’s on track to surpass a record of 105 million square feet that closed last year, S

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Student Debt Kills Ownership

Student loan debt is creating a barrier to homeownership. About 45 million people in the U.S. have student debt, with the average borrower owing more than $30,000, according to Student Loan Hero, a resource for managing education debt. Nearly one-fifth of borrowers owe $100,000 or more, according to data from the National Association of REALTORS®.Paying for student loan debt is taking up a sizable portion of people’s incomes. It also threatens

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Mortgage Rates Jump to 4-Year High

After mostly stagnant activity levels in recent weeks, mortgage rates are back on the move. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose to its highest level since January 2014 this week, also seeing its largest weekly increase since February of this year, Freddie Mac reports.Average mortgage rates were higher across the board too, posting weekly increases to not only the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage but also to 15-year and 5-year hybrid adjustable-rate m

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Affordable Price Tags in Top ‘Green’ Markets

Eco-friendly homes are growing in demand, but buyers don’t always have to expect to pay a premium. Realtor.com® researched the 200 biggest metros in the U.S. to find the market availability of green homes with eco-friendly features, such as solar panels, smart thermostats, bamboo floors, and more. Researchers also sought to determine how much more or less these homes cost prospective buyers.“Although Southern and Western states still lead t

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Texas REALTOR®, Firefighter Saved Woman From ‘Flying Out the Window’ on Southwest Flight

Southwest Flight 1380 was traveling from New York to Dallas when an engine blew after takeoff, causing debris to break one window and strike a female passenger. She was almost sucked out of the broken window when Tim McGinty, a REALTOR® from Dallas, sprung into action.McGinty was seated across the aisle from the woman. McGinty told NBCDFW.com he watched as the woman—who was later identified as Jennifer Riordan, a 43-year-old Wells Fargo ex

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