Daily Archives: July 24, 2013

4 sexy trends to add fun and inspire visitors to your real estate website | South Salem NY Homes

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Sometimes it’s just too easy to let your website presence slack off a little. Especially with today’s fast-moving market. There are many mixed messages about what you should have on your website; content; videos; or even if you should HAVE a website. Blogging falls off; we don’t add our listing photos or videos; and there it sits. Yawn.

But, there are some exciting new trends happening, and, truth be told, agents are business owners who need to market their services online. It’s the billboard, the storefront, the treasure trove of your expertise and personality. It could be time to find ways to inspire your website visitors in NEW ways, with new content, and shift the perspective of the old website. Engaging your visitors in new ways can increase traffic, inspire them to take action, and give them a little fun at the same time. Below are some colorful finds with fresh ideas that turn old websites into new, sexy, trendy places to find a home.

1. Check out the newest website trends: FUN! Color! Action!

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DC Lifestyles by Real Living at Home

Some of the newer WordPress or Tumblr themes (or custom-developed ones) have fun new layouts. For the most part, they take the “categories” of your website and turn them into visual destinations, rather than the old drop-down menus in navigation menus. Add in some fun graphics or photography, and suddenly you have eye-catching calls to action that are discoverable rather than just “Communities.” Check out DC Lifestyles’ new home page. As a site visitor, my eye draws me in to all the things I can search; I want to stay and play, and see what’s under all the fun “windows.”

2. Bring in your reviews from other sources.

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GlendaleandBeyond.com

Reviews on sites like Google, Realtor.com, Zillow, Trulia and Yelp are yours and yours to keep. Display them proudly on your website. Kendyl Young of GlendaleandBeyond.com has integrated her reviews with a WordPress plug-in, and then LINKS BACK to the original review on the associated site. This is a great way to add some extra SEO juice to your site as well. Alternatively, using your own user-generated reviews through a service like RealSatisfied, you can bring in widgets, plug-ins, and other tools to display your great service. Make your visitors search easier by giving them exactly what they want: information about you.

– See more at: http://www.inman.com/next/4-sexy-trends-to-add-fun-and-inspire-visitors-on-your-real-estate-website/#sthash.UxHJVeH5.dpuf

 

4 sexy trends to add fun and inspire visitors to your real estate website | Inman News.

Housing market: Broward’s median price rises 23 percent | Waccabuc Real Estate

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Broward County home sellers enjoyed more pricing power in June.

The county’s median price for existing single-family homes hit $265,000, a 23 percent increase from a year ago, the Greater Fort Lauderdale Realtors said Monday.

It was the seventh consecutive month that the median jumped by more than 20 percent. Home sales rose 3 percent, to 1,356.

Broward’s median condominium price last month rose 22 percent to $105,000. But condo sales declined 9 percent from June 2012.

“At one time, buyers thought they could do what they want, when they wanted, but they’re realizing now that they don’t have the control they once did,” said Carrie Hazen, a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker in northwest Broward.

Palm Beach County and statewide figures were not released Monday because of a technical problem. Those numbers are expected Tuesday.

The median price means half the properties in Broward sold for more and half for less. The percentage increase does not reflect all home values countywide.

Sellers of single-family homes last month received 96 percent of their list prices, up from 93 percent a year earlier, the Realtor group said. The typical Broward home went under contract in 29 days, down from 37.

Ken H. Johnson, a professor at Florida International University’s Hollo School of Real Estate, said some prospective buyers are frustrated by the recent price increases and are staying out of the market. But he doesn’t recommend that strategy.

“A lot of people are upset that they missed the bottom. Yes, but big deal,” Johnson said. “Prices are still affordable. Nobody should be waiting.”

A shortage of homes for sale and an abundance of investors have helped fuel the housing recovery.

Broward had 4,225 homes on the market at the end of June, down 14 percent from a year ago. 

Large investment firms, including Blackstone Group and Waypoint Homes, are buying thousands of homes in South Florida and across the country. The firms are pushing prices higher while keeping homes out of the hands of first-time and move-up buyers.

 

Housing market: Broward’s median price rises 23 percent – South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com.

Higher Rates Aren’t Enough to Stall Housing | Katonah NY Homes

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The U.S. housing recovery that began unfolding early last year faces its first serious test: In the span of just two months, mortgage rates have jumped by a full percentage point, something that has happened only twice since 1994.

Mortgage rates, which at the beginning of May stood at 3.59% for the average 30-year fixed-rate loan, jumped to 4.68% during the first two weeks of July, the latest available data, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. That is the highest level in two years.

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Bloomberg News

A ‘sold’ sign outside a home in LaSalle, Ill., last month. Economists say that even at a 4.5% or 5% mortgage rate, housing is still affordable by historical standards.

Economists say that even at a 4.5% or 5% mortgage rate, housing is still affordable by historical standards—and that rates could rise to 6% or prices could rise an additional 20% before housing would become unaffordable relative to historical levels.

The spike nevertheless represents a big payment shock for would-be buyers. Many shop for a home based on their monthly mortgage payment. The monthly payment of principal and interest—and not including taxes and insurance—on a $200,000 home with a 10% down payment just went up by more than $100, to $925, while the monthly cost of a $450,000 home just went up by around $250, to $2,095.

“That’s extremely meaningful. It is putting people on the sidelines that were really at the margins of being able to qualify,” said Ronald Peltier, chief executive of HomeServices of America Inc., which owns real-estate brokerages in 21 states.

Some agents say it’s possible that rising rates will spur purchases by dawdling buyers who had already decided they were going to buy a home. But mortgage bankers say it’s rare that higher rates actually generate net new demand.

 

Higher Rates Aren’t Enough to Stall Housing – WSJ.com.

Rising home prices cause real estate investors to retreat | Bedford Hills NY Homes

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Escalating home prices and mortgage rates prompted many investors to pull back from housing, causing current homeowners to become the main buying force behind the real estate market.

According to the latest Campbell/Inside Mortgage FinanceHousingPulse Tracking Survey, current homeowners were the only group that saw its share of home purchases increase in June — from 43.8% in May to 44.6% last month based on a three-month average. 

First-time homebuyers have backed away ever so slightly, with their market share going from 36.0% to 35.7% during the same one-month period. 

But the real highlight of the report was the investor share of home purchase transactions, which fell to 19.7%, the lowest level recorded since September 2012. 

For the fourth month in a row, the HousingPulse investor traffic index fell, this month more sharply than either the current homeowner traffic index or the first-time homebuyer index. 

The survey’s respondents linked the ongoing decline in investor activity to rising home prices coupled with less opportunity for investors to flip homes.

A shrinking supply of distressed properties is doing investors no favors either. The HousingPulse Distressed Property Index revealed that the percentage of home purchases involving foreclosures or short sales fell to 28.2% in June, a significant drop from the 40.3% level recorded a year earlier. This also represented the lowest distressed property share recorded in at least three and a half years.

 

 

Rising home prices cause real estate investors to retreat | HousingWire.

Give unrealistic sellers the ‘shock treatment’ | Bedford NY Homes

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There’s an old saying that it’s best to be the first born, second spouse and the third listing agent. So whose fault is it when a property doesn’t sell?

There are thousands of reasons that cause listings to expire. An agent may do everything possible and the property still doesn’t sell due to lack of activity in that price range or location. Other times, the listing agent didn’t market the property adequately, or conditions under the seller’s control prevented the sale. In almost every case, however, the reason most properties do not sell is the price.

A major misconception

Many people, including a large number of real estate professionals, fail to realize that it is the buyers (and sometimes the appraisers) who determine the selling price, not the sellers or agents.

The stock market provides a good analogy for understanding this situation. Assume that an investor paid $100 for a share of IBM stock. Today that stock is trading at $60 a share. If the investor insists on getting $100 a share, he will have to wait to sell until the market conditions improve. Otherwise, if he must sell now he will need to reduce his price to $60 a share.

The same is true for the real estate market. If someone paid $225,000 for a home and today similar homes are selling for $180,000, the owner has the same choices as the investor in the example above: sell at today’s prices or wait for the market to improve.

– See more at: http://www.inman.com/2013/07/22/give-unrealistic-sellers-the-shock-treatment/#sthash.IKPvdyVR.dpuf

 

Give unrealistic sellers the ‘shock treatment’ | Inman News.

Real estate market in China picks up in June | Pound Ridge NY Homes

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Real estate climate edges lower in May

In June 2013, China’s real estate climate edged up slightly from 97.29 in May to 97.29. The composite index was developed by China’s National Bureau of Statistics, and it measures the aggregate business activity for land, capital, and sales of real estate, which is useful in showing the trend of the Chinese real estate market. Figures above 100 show prosperity or economic growth, whereas figures below 100 mark depression.

Lower figures have followed the implementation of property tightening measures, as the government raised concerns regarding rising property prices in February. These measures include restricting loans to real estate developers and individual buyers, as well as imposing taxes on home sales. As a result, the real estate climate index has been falling for the past few months.

Short-term negative in a long-term up trend

The rebound, whether temporary or not, is encouraging news for dry bulk shipping companies such as DryShips Inc. (DRYS), Diana Shipping Inc. (DSX), Knightsbridge Tankers Ltd. (VLCCF), Navios Maritime Partners LP (NMM), and Eagle Bulk Shipping Inc. (EGLE). While activity has fallen over the past few months, which was a negative, the light weakness (marked by slight declines rather than large drops) suggests the government doesn’t plan to hurt the real estate market. As current levels are below the post-2000 average of 102, long-term fundamentals remain favorable. The fact that the real estate climate isn’t falling sharply suggests the long-term trend remains intact.

 

Real estate investment turnaround

Furthermore, investments in real estate development during the first five months of 2013 remain solid. Perhaps more interestingly, the growth rate of land purchased by real estate enterprises jumped significantly from -22.8% during January to March 2013 to -8.6% during January to April compared to the same periods in 2012. January to June’s data is also encouraging.

While several industries tied to the real estate sector, such as iron ore and coal, have fallen due to current weakness in China’s real estate sector, it’s unlikely that the government will enforce a much tighter policy that will hurt the broader economy. Current data also shows the government isn’t willing to do so. This would be positive for investors who are seeking long-term investments in shipping companies, as demand for dry bulk imports—such as iron ore and coal—should continue to grow over the long run.

 

 

Real estate market in China picks up in June, good sign for dry bulk shippers – Yahoo! Finance.

Existing-home sales slip in June | Armonk NY Homes

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Growth in real estate image via Shutterstock.Growth in real estate image via Shutterstock.

Existing-home sales slipped in June, but ample pent-up demand and favorable buying conditions should keep the housing market from stumbling in the face of a recent surge in interest rates, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) said today.

“Affordability conditions remain favorable in most of the country, and we’re still dealing with a large pent-up demand,” said Lawrence Yun, chief economist at NAR.  “However, higher mortgage interest rates will bite into high-cost regions of California, Hawaii and the New York City metro area market.”

Amid the drop in home purchases, home prices continued to soar above year-ago levels, as inventory edged upwards, NAR said.

Existing-home sales dropped 1.2 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.08 million units in June from a downwardly revised 5.14 million in May, according to NAR.

During the same period, housing inventory rose 1.9 percent to 2.19 million homes, representing a 5.2-month supply of homes at the current rate of sales, NAR said.

That’s up from a five-month supply in May. But inventory in June was still 7.6 percent lower than a year ago, when there was a 6.4-month stock, according to NAR.

– See more at: http://www.inman.com/2013/07/22/existing-home-sales-slip-in-june/#sthash.bU0qivc0.dpuf

 

Existing-home sales slip in June | Inman News.