1. I love the holidays, and although it’s easy to get caught up in the festivities, it was my favorite time of year to work with buyers and sellers. Why, you ask? Realtor.com takes the words right out of my mouth with these six reasons why ‘Tis the Season (to Sell): 6 Reasons You Shouldn’t Take Your Home Off the Market for the Holidays. If you are a buyer, seller, real estate agent, or if you simply like reading about real estate, this article is worth the quick read.
2. RUMOR HAS IT…
CNN Business reports, Amazon HQ2 rumors rattle New York and DC real estate markets. “It hasn’t been announced yet. It wouldn’t happen for months, if not years after it was announced, but Amazon’s possible arrival in Northern Virginia and Queens, New York, has already sent shockwaves through surrounding real estate markets.” Will this news put a freeze on those two markets this winter as we all wait for Amazon to finally tell us where H2Q will be? Update: It’s been announced: See #9 below!
3. RULE THE ROOST
“We might not want to admit it, but our pets often call the shots at home — from decorating decisions to where we live.” Ronda Kaysen of the NYT says, “Of course, there are plenty of places to live in New York where dogs are welcome. Of the 76,494 dogs voluntarily registered with the city in 2016, the three ZIP codes with the most dogs were clustered on the Upper West Side… But even in a dog-friendly town, you might still have to choose between your beloved apartment and your pup.” Read the entire article, The Dog Is In Charge.
4. DON’T TAKE THIS PERSONALLY
Forbes asked, and Real Estate Agents Answer: What Are The Worst Mistakes Sellers Make? “Selling a home is an emotional process, one that can make sellers susceptible to all sorts of pitfalls along the way. In an effort to help make the transition easier, we asked top real estate agents to point out the biggest mistakes that sellers make. Read them over so you don’t fall into the same traps.” Check out six of the worst mistakes sellers make.
5. YOUNG, AND SMART!
Consumers are still looking for real estate agent referrals from people they trust. “And despite fears that Millennials are replacing real estate agents with technology, the study found that is not the case, and 91% of those ages 18 to 34 used real estate agents in their transaction. That number is slightly higher among Gen Xers, or those ages 35 to 44 years old, at 94%.” In fact, Housingwire reports “A full 92% of consumers reported looking at websites for information about real estate agents, and this number was even higher for younger generations. Millennials reported using websites 96% of the time.” Read the entire article, More Americans are using real estate agents than ever before.
6. HMMM…
Realtor.com just posted an article about the 10 Surprising Cities Where a $60K Middle-Class Salary Can Snag a Sweet Home. “So where did we locate the greatest share of these real estate unicorns? Hint: It wasn’t Manhattan or the San Francisco Bay Area.” Anyone interested in knowing more?
7. DIY, OR NOT
We tend to be do it yourselfers. My wife and I have only hired movers once or twice in our life. Although we had a good experience, would we do it again? I guess I would have to say, it depends. Realty Times just published an article 4 Reasons to Hire Professionals Movers for Your Next Move. What do you think? Is it worth it? I’ll rely on your experience on this one.
8. GIANTS OF THE GAME
ESPN reports of The NBA’s next big cash grab: Taking over your downtown. Can you imagine what waterfront real estate prices are in cities like San Francisco? “That’s why the Warriors, along with a number of other NBA franchises, are looking to tech giants, million-dollar condos and buzzy restaurants to offset the construction of new facilities, as well as the price of running a team in a league whose salary cap and infrastructural budgets are ballooning.” NBA teams are leveraging their players names to build these new stadiums, but what will happen if/when those players opt out in an upcoming collective bargaining agreement?
9. AMAZON ANNOUNCEMENT
Finally, after 10 long months Amazon finally announced they will have two new locations. One in NYC, and another in northern Virginia. We’ve seen and experienced what has taken place in the Seattle real estate market, and now NBC Washington reports the Amazon Effect’ on Real Estate Anticipated, Feared in Northern Virginia. “As news of Amazon’s move to Northern Virginia sinks in, residents and real estate watchers are monitoring the impact the announcement will have on rent costs and sale prices. Northern Virginia realtor Jen Walker said she’s already seen what’s being called “the Amazon effect. Overnight, some of her potential buyers changed their minds from passing on a home to buying it.”
10. IT’S A MONOPOLY
This week Hasbro released a new version of Monopoly, the popular board game I grew up playing. ABC7Chicago reports; Monopoly for Millennials, Hasbro’s new game, has players buy ‘experiences’ instead of real estate. “In this version of the game, players don’t buy up properties because critics say apparently Hasbro thinks millennials can’t afford to buy houses because they’re too busy spending their money on avocado toast and pumpkin spice lattes.” Millennials are a bit upset to see they can’t buy properties, instead, they can buy experiences. I think it’s a great idea. I’m all about the experience, not the stuff!
Have a great weekend!
