1. It’s nice to have a fall back as a professional athlete. Sports Illustrated just published a story; New York Jets LB Brandon Copeland Is Redefining His NFL Career While Flipping Houses. “One of his teammates suggested he try real estate. His first taste of house-flipping came through a partnership with his mentor, retired Lions guard Rob Sims, and then in June 2017, Copeland purchased his first house.” He’s flipped several houses in the last year and made some good money. Go Brandon!
2. BEER NUTS
It’s Canada’s most expensive listed home. The house that beer built is on the market. I’ll let you click the link to see how much it’s listed for on the MLS. “With a down payment of $11.8 million, monthly carrying costs would be roughly $257,300, they calculated.” The owners even planted a hundreds of trees prior to construction to create a small forest around the mansion, reports The Star.
3. MARKET SHI…FT
Diane Olick from CNBC writes: Home sellers slash prices, especially in California “After three years of soaring home prices, the heat is coming off the U.S. housing market. Home sellers are slashing prices at the highest rate in at least eight years, especially in the West, where the price gains were hottest.” Do you know of any markets that follow California real estate trends?
4. MASERATI OR BUST
If your a REALTOR*, a friend or family member of a REALTOR*, or even if your a distant acquaintance of a REALTOR*, I think you may be able to relate to this article. Yes, there are many downsides to the real estate business and I’m so happy I didn’t read this article before I started in real estate more than 15 years ago. The Lighter Side of Real Estate suggests these are the 12 Things No One Tells You About Working In Real Estate. I’m a number 12! Do you know someone who is thinking about becoming a REALTOR*?
5. TEN FIGURE LISTING
In L.A. “The luxury market (the top 10 percent) hasn’t seen a turndown — it was up 5 percent in that same period — but growth has slowed thanks to factors from rising interest rates…”. Can you fill in the blank? The Hollywood Reporter just released Hollywood’s Top 30 Real Estate Agents. These pros have made the biggest sales, have a look.
6. WAIT ONE ZESTIMATE!
Are you looking for a new hobby, or do you already have one? The NYT published an article this week about Why Zillow Addicts Can’t Look Away. I’ve never spent much time on Zillow and can understand the allure, “But unless you’re actually thinking about selling, and invite a parade of brokers into your house to look at the granite countertops, all you’ve got is neighborhood gossip and the estimates you see on Zillow and other sites like Redfin and Trulia, a Zillow-owned company.
7. SITTING PRETTY
Diane Olick from CNBC writes: Homeowners are sitting on $6 trillion in available cash, but they’re not tapping it . “Homeowners withdrew just 1.13 percent of tappable equity, the lowest share since the start of 2014. Part of the reason may be that homeowners today remember what happened to the housing market a decade ago and have no desire to treat their homes like ATMs.” It’s been over ten years now, and I think most of us will never forget.
8. DRUM ROLL PLEASE
Yes, Washington State you made it. You have been honored by REALTOR.com as one of The Best Places to Live in America, 2018: Revenge of the Burbs! It’s an amazing place but Amie Neilsen Hanson says, “For people who actually do have to commute, it’s gotten atrocious,”. What do you think? Does it belong on the list?
9. DOING YOUR HOMEWORK
Dreaming of owning a brand new home? Since “not all construction is created equal”Stephen Kliegerman from Forbes has put together a nice list of Five Things To Know Before Buying Your Home In A New Real Estate Development. This is a great start. I always recommend getting help from a seasoned local agent, he/she may be able to negotiate a sweet deal for you while making sure the sale stays on track.
10. LIGHT READING
“Most designers agree that you need more than one source of light in a room. Think layered illumination: Every room should have a mix of lighting, including overhead, accent and task lights.” My wife and I love the ambience of our living room floor lamp we leave it on all day. Michelle Higgins from the NYT wrote Lighting a Room, Simplified that will help you bring new light to your living or work space.
11. A LITTLE PERSPECTIVE
This is for the agents out there who take their own listing photos, or for the agents who like to take a more informed roll when hiring a photographer. Staging Studio lists the Top 5 Photography Tips for Home Staging. “Almost all home buyers are viewing a property online before seeing it in person. The very first impression they have comes from pictures, which is why having quality images can literally determine a buying decision.”
12. TELLY IS ON
This a must-see 59 second video. If you are as captivated as I was, you’ll probably watch it more than once. Curbed just posted this cool marketing video of Telly Karoussos a Hamptons real estate agent who made a unique video addition for one of his listings. I thought, why don’t more agents incorporate their talents outside of real estate to market their listings. Go check it out!
13. SHIDLERS LIST
Philanthropy News Digest reported this week a Hawaiian-based businessman has given another valuable parcel of land to the University of Washington.”The South Lake Union parcel is one of eleven properties included in a $117 million gift of cash and real estate leases Shidler made in late 2017 to the Shidler College of Business. His latest gift honors his relative Roger Shidler, a 1924 graduate of the UW School of Law.” What an amazing gift to add to the list!
Have a great weekend!
