The pandemic has undeniably fueled interest in real estate and homeownership. Some metro areas have seen a bigger rise than others.“The pandemic drove increased home buying interest in the types of livable communities that offer home buyers good value for their money and a decent number of homes to choose from,” says Danielle Hale, realtor.com®’s chief economist. “Some markets like Albany, Sacramento, and Buffalo clearly benefited from a
Companies from Google to WeWork want to help employers cut down on Zoom fatigue with a new approach to communications: holograms for the workplace.Alphabet Inc.’s Google in May revealed Project Starline, an effort to create a video-chat system with screens that give participants three-dimensional depth.WeWork last month announced a partnership with ARHT Media Inc., a hologram technology company, to bring holograms to 100 WeWork bui
With a low supply of homes for sale, sellers are finding quicker sales and fetching higher offers. Eighty two percent of homeowners who sold in the last six months accepted offers at list price or above, according to a new survey of about 1,600 homeowners conducted by Homes.com.What’s more, homes are selling fast too: A quarter of home sellers said they had five or fewer showings before finding a buyer. Twenty-six percent had between six and 10
Mortgage rates dropped again this week and have now remained below 3% for the last eight weeks, opening further opportunities for home buyers to lock in historically low rates.“The economy is recovering remarkably fast and as pandemic restrictions continue to lift, economic growth will remain strong over the coming months,” says Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist.Freddie Mac reports the following national averages with mortgage rates
Existing homeowners may be feeling richer since they've received a notable boost to their home equity over the last year. Homeowners with a mortgage have seen their equity climb nearly 20% year over year, according to a new report from CoreLogic, a real estate research firm.In the first quarter of 2021, the average homeowner gained about $33,400 in equity over the past year, the study shows.Idaho, California, and Washington saw the largest equity
Million-dollar homes are not too uncommon in some markets, making them prime areas for real estate professionals to build a luxury real estate niche.Where are million-dollar houses most prevalent? The four areas with the highest percentage of million-dollar homes are in California, driven by a high concentration of wealth originating in the tech and entertainment industries, a new study from LendingTree notes. In San Jose, Calif., 47% of homes ar
Homeowners have focused heavily on making the backyard more functional since the pandemic, but it’s important not to forget about style and aesthetics. Interior stylists Shelby Greene and Kate Leyendecker of furniture retailer Living Spaces offer inexpensive touches that can give the backyard a luxury look.Carving out a seating area creates a focal point for the backyard.1. Pay attention to details. Curate a corner of the backyard with mat
Apartments have shrunk in size over the past decade. But that is changing. Renters during the pandemic craved more space, and the multifamily sector is responding by expanding the square footage by making units about “one small home office larger,” according to a new study.Thirty-six percent of 92 cities tracked are currently building larger apartments than over the last five years, according to Yardi Matrix data. Most of these multifamily pr
Lumber prices may soon start to recede from their recent record highs, and some home builders say they may stop taking new orders or delay projects with that expectation in mind.Prices for lumber have surged more than 200% over the past 12 months. That has added an estimated $36,000 to the price of an average new single-family home, according to the National Association of Home Builders.But the sky-high prices may soon back off: Lumber futur
Severe weather events have increasingly been putting households at risk over the years. Many homeowners are taking these weather events seriously, knowing the harsh weather can put their homes and their lives in danger.Nearly 68% of about 1,000 U.S. adults recently surveyed say they considered the potential for severe weather events when moving to a new place, according to a new survey from Helitech, a waterproofing and f
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