The 'B' Word: Can We Spot the Next House Price Bubble?

'Are we in a house price bubble?' That's generally the first question I get after every presentation I make these days. More

from
http://www.freddiemac.com/research/insight/20171109_next_house_price_bubble.html?attr=rssCB

Use Plants to Showcase a Healthier Home

By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR(R) Magazine

You can clean the air with plants. And in an age when “healthy home” is what so many buyers are saying they crave, you may find this a cheaper alternative to improving the air quality in a home by just being smarter about the plants you choose to stage with.

The Center for REALTOR(R) Technology has been studying how plants can improve indoor air quality, and has written a book on the topic, “A Pocket Guide to Cleaner Air.” The book focuses on which plants can improve air quality in commercial settings. Their findings can also apply to residential spaces too.

At the 2017 REALTOR(R) Conference & Expo this past weekend, CRT showcased an orb of clean-air plants on the show floor. We thought it looked like a chic space for an outdoor oasis of fresh air. But as the healthier-home trend catches on more, maybe we’ll even see this idea move indoors—like an indoor tropical paradise home office orb. After all, the cleaner air is supposed to make you more productive.

CRT’s clean-air orb display during the 2017 REALTOR(R) Conference & Expo

The average American spends about 90 percent of their time indoors. Yet, indoor air quality is about five to 10 times worse than outdoor air quality.

Certain plants, however, can actually improve the air quality of a space and even make people more productive and healthier, research shows. For example, dracaena warneckii is known for cleaning benzene and formaldehyde from the air—chemicals that are often linked to some furnishings. The “Money Plant,” or also known as Devil’s Ivy, is known as one of the hardiest house plants to kill and also will rid these potentially harmful chemicals from the air. The Chinese evergreen is another plant that is known to clean indoor air, and as a bonus for when selling a home, it’s known to bring good luck to those who grow it.

Infuse more clean-air plants into your next listing. Maybe buyers will notice there’s something different in the air.

A sample taken from CRT’s book “A Pocket Guide to Cleaner Air”

 

 

from
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/StyledStagedSold/~3/zKXbZ7uvZpk/

The 'B' Word: Can We Spot the Next House Price Bubble?

'Are we in a house price bubble?' That's generally the first question I get after every presentation I make these days. More

from
http://www.freddiemac.com/research/insight/20171109_next_house_price_bubble.html?attr=rssCB

The 'B' Word: Can We Spot the Next House Price Bubble?

'Are we in a house price bubble?' That's generally the first question I get after every presentation I make these days. More

from
http://www.freddiemac.com/research/insight/20171109_next_house_price_bubble.html?attr=rssCB

Mortgage Rates Jump to 2-Week Highs; Not a Bubble if it Doesn't Burst

What a difference 2 days make! Freddie Mac's weekly rate survey was out yesterday prompting multiple news outlets to declare "slightly lower rates" on the week. Given that Freddie's survey only gathers responses through any given Wednesday, the results jived with what we were seeing on lenders' actual rate sheets. On Wednesday, mortgage rates were indeed at their best levels in more than 3 weeks. But after 2 days of relatively aprupt weakness, rates quickly find themselves at the highest levels in 2 weeks. Adding to the frustration is the absence of any single, obvious motivation for the weakness. In order to account for it, we'd have to discuss several esoteric developments in bond markets (if you're into that sort of thing, I go into more detail in the MBS Commentary channel). One simple

from
http://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com/reports/newsletter/2017/11/10/3083

Where We Stand - Show 457

Real Estate Today Radio - SHOW 457

On this week's Real Estate Today, it's our special show "Where We Stand."

This Week's Show Includes:
- Top News Of The Week
- What Tight Inventory Means to You - Part 1
- What Tight Inventory Means to You - Part 2
- Ask The Millennial
- Smart Home Technology
- Get REALTOR(R)

Become a part of the community at http://retradio.com!

from
http://retradio.com

Homeownership is a Shared Value across Party Lines

The national homeownership rate is at its highest level since 2014, and a full percentage point above the historical low set in the second quarter of 2016

from
http://zillow.mediaroom.com/2017-11-10-Homeownership-is-a-Shared-Value-across-Party-Lines