Buy as a Group, Ditch the Guilt Over Vacation Home
After a run of bad publicity and flagging sales, the business is enjoying renewed vigor. Timeshare sales increased in 2018 – the ninth straight year – rising nearly 7 percent to $10.2 billion.
Lew Sichelman
Special to Banker & Tradesman
Robotics, 3D Printing Far from Mainstream in Homebuilding
Nowadays, only a handful of residences are built entirely in a factory. Many more are built with factory-built components, such as floor and roof trusses, that are delivered to the building site. But no GM or Ford Motor Co. has emerged to take the industry by storm.
Odd Lots: Homebuyers Should Keep Cash in Reserve
Homebuyers sometimes pour every dollar they have into the transaction. But a new study found that buyers with post-closing liquidity of three months or more were five times less likely to default on their mortgages.
Tastes Have Changed Among Buyers of New Homes
Next spring, if not this fall, you’ll be seeing kitchens and baths with extra windows for more natural light, splashes of color and a lot of mix-and-match styles, according to the latest research.
There is a Magic Day to List a House
Houses listed for sale on a Thursday tend to sell more quickly, and at higher prices, than those listed on any other day of the week, research shows. But what’s the best time of day to show a house?
The Slowly Shrinking House
The townhouse sector is growing faster than any other. Builders started work on some 120,000 townhouses last year: a 15 percent jump in production over 2017. But some builders are going smaller yet.
National Market Shift May Mean Price Cuts
The American housing market is definitely changing. Maybe not everywhere, at least not yet. But in most places, sellers are slowly losing their dominance and buyers are taking control.
Consumer Groups Turn Up Heat on Warranties, Angie’s List
Many homeowners believe they can’t do without these two perks: home warranties that promise to replace appliances that cannot be repaired and Angie’s List, the popular website that recommends contractors and repair specialists.
As-Is Often Means As-Won’t Sell
Homeowners who sell their houses “as-is” may end up costing themselves more than they would have spent to make the necessary repairs – if they are able to sell their homes at all.
HUD DACA Policy Change Adds to Housing Woes
The Trump administration has decided the country’s 800,000 “Dreamers” – undocumented immigrants brought here as children but who have grown up here – are no longer eligible for federally insured mortgages, causing consternation and confusion among mortgage lenders.
Odd Parcels: Why You Should Stage Your Home and Ditch the Barn Doors
Sellers who can’t decide whether to move into their next homes while their current ones remain unsold should consider this: According to a new analysis, empty houses remain on the market longer, and sell for less, than those that are still occupied.
Win a ‘Dream House?’ Take the Money and Run
Congratulations to Beverly Fulkerson of Osgood, Indiana, who was the winner of a Montana mountain retreat in this year’s HGTV Dream Home Giveaway. Here’s hoping she gets to keep the place.
A New Loan Aimed at Older Homes
A new mortgage product is about to hit the market that could make it easier for owners to repair or rebuild homes that have been damaged or destroyed in floods, tornadoes, hurricanes and other natural disasters.
Can You Afford to Sell?
In most real estate transactions, the focus is on the purchaser and whether he or she can afford to buy the property. But there is another, equally important question: Can the seller afford to sell?
Of Construction Miscues and Mishaps
Homebuyers who expect their newly built castles to be flawless masterpieces are only fooling themselves: The perfect, zero-defect house has yet to be built. But every builder has a whopper of a story about a big mistake.
