Black Dog Brewing Co. to open in Mooresville

This will be the first craft brewery in the Morgan County town. Also this week: Ellison Brewery, The Dugout and Ale Emporium.

from
https://www.ibj.com/blogs/19-property-lines/post/73379-roundup-black-dog-brewing-co

Tax Changes May be Hurting Housing; Purchase Volume Improves; Rates at 1-Mo Highs

Mortgage rates continued higher for the 5th day in a row today. This brings the average lender to the highest levels in exactly one month. At issue: a series of stronger economic reports at home and abroad have eased concerns about global growth. Not only is a strong economy associated with higher rates in general, but those "concerns" were a big part of the Federal Reserve's decision to be more bond-friendly back in March. With concerns arguably lessened by recent data, investors may be assuming the Fed won't be quite as bond friendly going forward. All that having been said, the Fed is NOT likely to make any big changes after one solid month of global economic data. The most immediate cause for pressure toward higher rates came overnight in the form of Chinese economic data. Along with Europe

from
http://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com/reports/newsletter/2019/4/17/3884

More Buyers, But Builders Remain Cautious; Highest Rates in Nearly a Month

Mortgage rates rose again today, albeit at a slightly slower clip compared to yesterday. Still, that's little consolidation considering this is the 4th straight day spent moving in that unfriendly direction. The average lender is now back to levels not seen since March 19th. On the bright side, March 19th's rates were the lowest in more than a year at the time. So what's going on? In general, the month of March saw the confluence of 2 great things for rates. Not only was there a generally high level of concern/uncertainty surrounding the global economic outlook, but the Fed was also surprisingly helpful. This was a bit of a double-edged sword because the Fed's helpfulness was predicated on that same sort of concern/uncertainty. In other words, if events unfold in such a way as to ease that

from
http://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com/reports/newsletter/2019/4/16/3882

Going Green: Homes with Solar Panels Sell for 4.1% More

Zillow helps homeowners understand the solar energy potential of their homes by providing a Sun Number for more than 84 million homes

from
http://zillow.mediaroom.com/2019-04-16-Going-Green-Homes-with-Solar-Panels-Sell-for-4-1-More

Non-Bank Lender on Perils of Non-Bank Lending; Rates Rise; Appraisal Delusions

Homeowners are and should be proud of their homes, but that often leads them to think it has a higher value than does an appraiser and the difference between the two opinions increased significantly in March. Quicken Loans says the gap in its Home Price Perception Index grew by 25 percent compared to February. Part of the difference might be accounted for by a decline in home prices of 0.20 percent during the month although prices rose 3.37 percent over the previous 12 months. Nationwide, appraised values came in 0.78 percent lower than homeowners expected compared to 0.50 percent in February. Quicken Loans Executive Vice President for Capital Markets Bill Banfield said that there's more than one reason behind this sudden increase in the gap between estimates and values. "This month's fluctuation

from
http://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com/reports/newsletter/2019/4/15/3880

Zillow Offers Now Live for Home Sellers in Dallas-Fort Worth

With Zillow Offers, sellers can get a no-obligation cash offer from Zillow to buy their home and pick a close date of their choice

from
http://zillow.mediaroom.com/2019-04-15-Zillow-Offers-Now-Live-for-Home-Sellers-in-Dallas-Fort-Worth

Staged to Sell: A Virtual Transformation

Photo Credit: VHT Studios / Chrissy Barrett

The real estate professional: Cris Grayson, broker associate at Baird & Warner in Glen Ellyn, Ill.

About the home: The five-bedroom home in Glen Ellyn, Ill., was built in 1975. The home has been meticulously maintained, and the homeowners had recently made some updates to the interior as well. It is listed for $569,900. Grayson wanted to make sure the online presentation of the home would appeal to the widest buyer pool.

Grayson’s tips:

1. Don’t skimp on photography. Grayson places a high value on quality photography for her listings. She uses a professional photographer who is trained specifically on taking real estate photos through VHT Studios, a national real estate photography firm. A good real estate photographer will know how to capture a space from the best angles as well as the flow of the home, Grayson says.
2. Show off the possibilities. Grayson also likes to use VHT’s Virtual Redecorate tool, which allows spaces to be virtually changed and staged for photos.

Here’s the kitchen “before” and then virtually staged “after.” See how it changes the look of the table area.

Photo credit: VHT Studios / Chrissy Barrett

Virtually Staged / Photo Credit: VHT Studios – Chrissy Barrett

Grayson also used virtual staging to change the look of the home’s family room. In its current state, the family room appears comfortable and cozy, but some buyers may be looking for a lighter, more modern look. Through virtual staging, the wall décor and upholstered furniture was presented in a warmer look in the photographs.

Photo Credit: VHT Studios / Chrissy Barrett

Virtually Staged / Photo Credit: VHT Studios  – Chrissy Barrett

 

3. Re-cast the room’s purpose. In some cases, you may want to change the purpose of the room to appeal to a wider pool of buyers. In the upstairs of the home, Grayson and her VHT photographer Chrissy Barrett used virtual staging to transform a teen room into a young child’s room with a play space. They also presented it another way too as an office and reading or crafts room. Grayson labeled any pictures as “virtually staged” when they appeared online. The virtually staged photos appeared after a photo of the actual room.

Photo Credit: VHT Studios / Chrissy Barrett

Virtually Staged / Photo Credit: VHT Studios – Chrissy Barrett

Virtually Staged / Photo Credit: VHT Studios – Chrissy Barrett

The Result?

Days after the home was listed with the virtual staging pictures included, Grayson said they received an offer and were in negotiations with an interested buyer. Grayson has found that using virtual staging in her listings doesn’t just show potential buyers the possibilities of a space but also offers buyers a styling guide to use when they move into their new home and make it their own.

Have a home you recently staged that you’d like to show off here at Styled Staged & Sold? Submit your staging photos for consideration, along with three to five of your best spruce-up tips. Contact Melissa Dittmann Tracey at mtracey@realtors.org.

from
http://styledstagedsold.blogs.realtor.org/2019/04/15/staged-to-sell-a-virtual-transformation/