Construction spending during June 2015 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1,064.6 billion, 0.1% (±1.5%) above the revised May estimate of $1,063.5 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce reported Monday. The June figure is 12.0% (±2.1%) above the June 2014 estimate of $950.3 … Continue reading
Americans traditionally chose to downsize in retirement, but that may no longer be true. A wave of today’s retirees decide to upsize and enjoy the best home of their lives in retirement, according to a recent Merrill Lynch and Age Wave retirement study of more than 3,600 respondents. In fact, … Continue reading
Black Knight Financial Services analyzed U.S. mortgage holders’ levels of non-mortgage-related debt and found those levels are at their highest in over 10 years. As Black Knight Data & Analytics Senior Vice President Ben Graboske explained, non-mortgage debt among U.S. mortgage holders bears close watching due to its potential impact … Continue reading
The gorgeous pictures of a property online might not be exactly what it looks like, or might not be the same place at all. While short-term home rental sites such as Airbnb and HomeAway have made finding and listing vacation properties and alternative lodging fast, easy and convenient both for … Continue reading
DeVore Design uses aerial photography to market real estate, both commercial and residential. Recent statistics show that this is one of the most common uses of aerial platforms. However, Hollywood is seeing the advantage and effectiveness of reduced cost unmanned aerial cinematography. If you’ve been watching the second season of HBO’s True Detective, … Continue reading
Mosquitoes are annoying. That’s not news to anyone. They can make it hard to enjoy the outdoors, what with their swarming, biting, and disease carrying. Which is a shame, since, in many areas, there’s a limited amount of time to enjoy the sunshine before the shivery cold winter descends again. … Continue reading
You’ve found it: the house of your dreams. In fact, you went home last night and played a little game of Where Does the Sofa Go? But before you can say “home sweet home,” there’s an offer to be made — and it has to be accepted before you can … Continue reading
Millennials don’t borrow and lend in the same way as their predecessors; it’s a fact. Indeed, Millennials prefer to shell out the dough for organic products rather than repay mortgage debt. So while spending habits have changed, the credit score system hasn’t, leaving a lot of Millennials without access to … Continue reading
In late May 2014, the Federal Aviation Administration began accepting petitions for exemption to operate unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) commercially in the U.S. National Airspace System without an airworthiness certificate, which is allowed under Section 333 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012. The agency approved the first … Continue reading
Consumer sentiment among Floridians fell slightly in July to 89 – down less than a point from June, according to the latest University of Florida (UF) consumer survey. Of the five components that make up the index, one increased and four decreased. Respondents’ overall view that they’re better off financially … Continue reading
Social media allows real estate agents to advertise at no cost and reach a large audience of potential clients; but they – along with sellers – must understand the risks if they post too much information online. “For people posting information about selling their own houses, you never know who … Continue reading
Question: We were about to sign a contract to sell our house to a very nice couple, when they advised us they cannot afford to buy our house unless they sell their house first. We would like to sell to this couple, but are reluctant to take our house off … Continue reading
One of the more common mental biases that affects people is known as “recency”. Recency is the tendency to consider the most recent information as more important when making a decision instead of weighing all information equally. This kind of thinking can be pervasive in the homeowner association environment. In … Continue reading
Think we have it tough with difficult bank approvals and credit score requirements? Buying a house in the U.S. can be a breeze compared to what it’s like in other countries. Cash is king In many countries, mortgages are nonexistent or represent a small percentage of home purchases. That can … Continue reading
Living longer on less income than they’d planned, older homeowners are looking for ways to supplement their income and looking into the benefits of a reverse mortgage for their homes. Once prey for predatory lenders, older homeowners who want to tap their home’s equity safely are more protected under today’s … Continue reading
How to Build a Smarter Book of Business Recently we’ve been talking a LOT about data. Big Data. Smart analytic data. Specialty Nielsen Prizm data. Geographic data based on radial search technology. Demographic data selects such as age, gender, income, and property data. We’re working hard to ensure that we … Continue reading
DeVore Design offers a real estate photography photo prep sheet for each client. This prep sheet walks the homeowner through the house room by room offering suggestions on how each room should look to be properly presented in photographs. These tips go further and spend more time on the small … Continue reading
One of the most useful yet widely misunderstood benefits of homeownership is tax deductions. Tax deductions are a welcome gift from the government, but if you’re renting, they benefit your landlord, not you. Property tax deduction: Any money you paid during the year you purchase and in the years afterward … Continue reading
Millennials are not as savvy as their predecessors when it comes to their finances and credit management, a new report from Experian revealed. However, this same generation also has a lot of potential to improve their credit for the future. The analysis highlights the credit characteristics of an average Millennial … Continue reading
(Credit: Facebook) Facebook took another step toward its goal of connecting all of the world’s citizens to the Internet. On Thursday, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg announced that they finished constructing their first full-scale prototype of Aquila, a solar-powered, unmanned aircraft that could someday provide Internet access for people living in … Continue reading
