Looking to get your listing noticed on the higher end of the market? Condo developers in this segment say they lure affluent buyers with models that feature brand-name goods and high-end finishes."You want customers to daydream a little bit. Everyone always buys what they see," Alexander Hovnanian, developer of Nine on the Hudson, a 13-story luxury condo under construction in New Jersey, told The Wall Street Journal. The building’s units will
Boulder, Colo., is the happiest city in the U.S., according to the National Geographic Gallup Special/Blue Zones Index. The city’s sense of community, access to nature, sustainable urban development, preservation policies, and its clean mountain air help make its residents feel upbeat, according to the index. More people walk to work in Boulder than any other U.S. city per capita—the city has high rates of exercise and low rates of smokin
Smaller farmers are being driven out of business as the deepest slump hits since the 1980s. Low prices for corn, wheat, and other commodities are causing a greater number of smaller American farmers to go out of business. This has left a larger share of the nation’s farms within supersized family farms, which could transform America’s rural economy, The Wall Street Journal reports.Farms with $1 million or more in annual sales now produ
With home prices skyrocketing across the country, finding a cash-flowing rental property may prove more challenging. The rising costs of owning the property are squeezing out more investors’ profits.ATTOM Data Solutions, a real estate tracking firm, identified the places where landlords can still find income-producing properties. The research team looked at 8,841 U.S. ZIP codes to find the best rental properties with cash-producing opportunitie
Homeowners affected by the California wildfires may be eligible to defer their mortgage payments for up to 12 months. Mortgage financing giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have issued guidelines for wildfire victims with single-family mortgages.Victims may be eligible to stop making mortgage payments in three-month intervals, up to 12 months. They also may be eligible to avoid late fees during this temporary payment break, and to not have delinq
Key Takeaways Humor, returning to normal routines, taking care of yourself, reducing workload, focusing on what can be done and sharing gratitude can help guide you past trauma.Hurricanes, floods, fires, the mass shooting in Las Vegas, rape and sexual abuse scandals in Hollywood, fears about a nuclear attack from North Korea — the horrific news keeps piling up with no apparent relief in sight.What steps can you take to find your footing in th
Using vivid language to stir up emotion is one of the best ways to provoke prospects to take actionEver wondered how some real estate agents can craft property descriptionsthat hit home with buyers? How do they choose their words in a way that makes the ordinary sound enticing?It may not be as hard as you think. In fact, I’m going to share a simple secret. Those agents use words that toy with the emotions of their audience. Some writers refe
The infrastructure around a listing is becoming increasingly important to house hunters. It’s more than just public transportation options; it also includes the condition of highways and sewers, as well as the state of the drinking water.“Cities that keep up with infrastructure needs are a big step ahead in attracting home buyers,” says Scott Muldavin, chair of the Counselors of Real Estate, an industry group based in Chicago. Buyers
As homeowners gain more equity, they are expected to continue heavily investing in home improvement projects and repairs through the third quarter of 2018, according to the latest Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity report released by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. The LIRA index projects annual gains in home renovation and repair spending of 6.3 percent for the fourth quarter of 2017 and up to 7.7 percent by
Consumers trust real estate professionals and lenders more than online sources or family and friends when it comes to obtaining information about mortgages, according to a new Fannie Mae survey based on 1,000 responses. Recent home buyers surveyed, including younger age groups, say they consulted multiple sources of information about the mortgage process but found lenders and real estate agents to be more credible than mobile apps, websites, an
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