News / Features

How Education Drives Atlanta’s Housing Market

The Atlanta area thrives on higher education Education plays a big role in the lives of Atlanta residents, and the latest rankings from Degree Query’s 50 Most Educated Places in America confirms its importance. According to Degree Query, Atlanta is the 24th most-educated area

Pending Home Sales Rose by How Much?

December was a modest month for contract signings, according to NAR Pending home sales were mostly unchanged in December, but inched forward slightly, fueled by a large increase in the Northeast that outpaced declines in the other three major

Are First-Time Homebuyers Making a Comeback?

First-time homebuyers have been MIA for some time – are they poised for a comeback? The National Association of Realtors reported late last week that first-time homebuyers accounted for 32 percent of existing-home sales in December, which was up

CoreLogic: Distressed Sales Hit Lowest Nov. Since 2007

National distressed sales – including real-estate owned (REO) and short sales – fell 1.9 percentage points in November 2015, pushing the distressed share of total sales to its lowest November point since 2007, according to a new report from

These High-End Grocery Stores Boost Your Clients’ Home Values

According to a new analysis by Zillow, homes within a mile of either a Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods appreciate faster than other homes. Featured in the paperback edition of the real estate marketplace’s book titled, “Zillow Talk: Rewriting

Atlanta Price Growth Points to Opportunity

The latest Case-Shiller Indices offered numerable insights into the nation’s housing market Home price growth continues in the Atlanta housing market, according to the latest Case-Shiller Home Price Indices from Standard & Poor’s. The latest numbers, which track home prices

Down Payments are Rising in Georgia – What Does that Mean for the Market?

Home prices have been on a tear for the past couple years, and new homebuyers trying to enter the market have noticed it becoming pricier to not just buy a house, but even put a down payment on a

Are FICO Alternatives Becoming the Preferred Standard?

After years of heavy reliance on FICO scores, some lenders are now saying FICO’s view is too narrow, focusing too much on past behavior and not enough on consumers’ present circumstances. Alternative scoring systems have become a viable option,

Can You Believe It? TRID’s Impact on Markets is “Minor”

In December, existing-home sales re-found their footing, making up for the misstep in November. What did we learn? TRID was the cause of November’s slip, but it’s not a problem anymore. “Closing time metrics are showing minor effects of TRID,”

What the Consumers Don’t Know Will Hurt Them

Compared to a few years ago, the lending market is doing quite well. In fact, some institutions believe the progress of recovery is such that the market will be fully recovered by the end of this year. Now if

Are Red or Blue States More Affordable for Consumers?

With the presidential primary just around the corner, ApartmentList.com recently analyzed Census data to see whether Republican- or Democratic-leaning states were more affordable for renters. While the study found that rents tend to be lower in inland states that

Which National Homebuilder was Recognized as America’s Most Trusted?

According to Lifestory Research’s 2016 Home Builder Study, Taylor Morrison ranks highest in trust among national homebuilders. The study followed more than 100 builder brands in the top housing markets across the United States, and Lifestory Research accumulated 39,079

Marsha Sell Joins Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Georgia Properties

Marsha Sell, a member of the Atlanta Board of Realtors for over 40 years and a Who’s Who 2014 participant, has joined Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Georgia Properties. Also joining the company are members of the Sell Team, which includes

Does the Falling Stock Market Actually Help Homebuyers?

With how the chips have fallen, homebuyers may benefit from the falling stock market After the Federal Reserve raised interest rates in December, there was immediate concern over whether the increase would raise the costs of housing and harm

NAHB Predicts Strong Construction Activity in 2016

According to the National Association of Home Builders, an estimated 1.26 million housing starts are expected this year, 13.4 percent more from the last year. Single-family production is estimated to reach 849,000 units. That is an 18 percent increase

Good News for Luxury Agents – the Millionaire Population is Growing, and Fast

New research finds that millionaire ranks grew strongly in 2015 There were nearly 108,000 millionaire households in the Metro Atlanta area through the middle of 2015, up 6.1 percent from the same period in 2014. Millionaire households now account for 5.2 percent of all

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