General News - Real Estate, Updates, News & Tips

Black Accents Make Comeback in Home Design

Black is making a comeback in home design, with black fixtures, appliances, and furniture emerging as hot trends for the new year. Ryan Brown of Brown Design Group in Southern California predicts that black fixtures will replace brass as the most trendy home hardware in 2018. “They look great in modern applications, as well as transitional homes,” he told realtor.com®. “And the best part is no water spots to clean off.”Matted black furni

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REALTORS: Handwritten notes guaranteed to deliver

A little pen and paper goes a long wayKey Takeaways Sending handwritten notes starts with the people you already know, and what you know about them.You’ve heard about the power that a handwritten note holds for real estate agents — it’s an excellent way to build relationships and keep in touch with your sphere in a meaningful, personal way. And every time you sit down to start writing one, you feel … stuck. Or impatient.With the prolifera

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10 Cities Where Homes Are Getting Cheaper

Home prices aren’t on the rise everywhere. In some cities, buyers have actually seen prices drop in recent months. Though the national median price for an existing single-family home reached a record high in the second quarter, a handful of metros saw the local median price decrease from a year ago, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. The 10 metros to post the largest year-over-year declines in median home prices are:1. Sprin

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Lean Inventory Won’t Stop Housing

Despite tight inventory conditions, economists at mortgage giant Freddie Mac have high expectations for housing. Buyer demand remains strong amid low mortgage rates, even though home prices this year are expected to be about 6 percent higher than last year, the economists note. Mortgage rates are expected to remain around 4 percent for the remainder of the year.“A decade after the Great Recession, the housing market is rebounding,” says Sean

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RENTERS: Protect yourself from Scammers

RentHop, an online rental listing platform, conducted a study that unveiled the most common rental scams and how to avoid them. Property managers and agents who work with renters should pass these warning signs and tips on to their clients. Money wiring: If potential renters are ever asked to wire funds via Western Union or Money Gram or through an “escrow service” before they’ve even seen the property, then the apartment probably doesn't e

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Company Offers Workers a 'Delocation' Package

Companies commonly offer relocation packages for employees who must move for a job, but one firm is providing its workers a "delocation" package—in which they'll pay employees to move anywhere they want.Zapier, a company producing workflow automation tools, says it's offering the package to new employees living in the San Francisco area in hopes of expanding into new markets in the near future. New employees can choose the city that best fits t

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Welcome to the Team Sally Whitehead out of Orange County, CA!

About SallyI pride myself on the following: Integrity, Professionalism, Knowledge, Strong Negotiation, Problem Solving & AvailabilityOriginally from the U.K., I have resided in Southern California for 40 years. Previously an L.A. resident, I moved to Orange County 23 years ago.  I love the ocean & enjoy living & working in the beautiful city of Irvine & its environs, including Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Dana Point, Huntington B

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The Surprising Cities Gentrifying the Fastest

In the late 1980s, many residents were moving out of Charleston, S.C.,’s Eastside neighborhood due to a lack of job opportunities. The area became depressed. But things are changing there and throughout America, as many cities are undergoing rapid gentrification due to escalating home prices. But modern urban gentrification can get complicated, urban planners say.“It’s a trade-off,” says David Fiorenza, an urban economics professor at Vil

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REALTORS: 4 Qualities of Extra Interesting People

Do you have the “it” factor to move your real estate business? Travis Bradberry, author of Emotional Intelligence 2.0 and co-founder of TalentSmart, recently highlighted at Forbes.com some of the qualities that make people more fascinating to others.Here are some characteristics you may want to focus more on projecting so that others will find you more engaging:1. Demonstrate passion. “Interesting people don’t just have interests; they ha

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America’s 10 Healthiest Housing Markets

What makes a healthy housing market? According to SmartAsset, it is one that shows stability, affordability, and in which homeowners are able to easily sell their homes with a low risk of losing money over the long run.The healthiest housing market in the country: Edgewood, Ky., a suburb of Cincinnati. Homes in Edgewood spent an average of 56.3 days on the market, significantly less than the national average of 169.6 days.Indeed, seven of the top

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