October 10, 2016 by changescapeweb

6 things homebuyers should never say during a tour

While it may be tempting for buyers to say what’s on their mind while looking at houses, agents should encourage them to pause for a moment. There are some things home buyers should never say on the fly.

Listing agents, sellers, even neighbors may be listening; and they all have motives to keep tabs on the situation.

Casual comments could be used against the home buyer

Saying things like:

I love it
The decor is awful
This house is way over priced

All these things go straight back to the seller.

What are the neighbors like?

That’s another question that should never be asked.

The listing agent has no idea; and do you think the seller is going to tell you that the neighbor’s son has a band that starts rehearsing at 2:00 in the morning?

The buyers have to asses the neighbors on their own.

This information is from an article on inman.com
You can read the full article here.

March 22, 2016 by changescapeweb

Millennial buyers moving to suburbs: NAR 2016 trends survey

All year when you see or hear a news outlet citing a homebuyer or homeseller statistic, odds are that it came from the annual National Association of Realtors’ “Home Buyer And Seller Generational Trends” report. The 2016 report was released this morning and shows that more millennials(defined as buyers and sellers age 35 and younger) are purchasing homesoutside of urban areas, and that despite the common refrain of millennial debt, these buyers don’t have the biggest student debt balances. Once again — for the third year in a row — millennials comprised the largest number of recent homebuyers. Here’s the approximate breakdown of respondents (due to rounding, numbers add up to more than 100 percent):

Millennials: 35 percent
Generation X: 26 percent
Baby boomers: 31 percent
Silent generation: 9 percent

Millennials moving home to the suburbs

Younger buyers seem to be shifting from seeking homes in urban city centers to the more sedate suburbs. The share of millennials buying in an urban area decreased to 17 percent from 21 percent in the 2015 NAR survey. Also, fewer millennials purchased multifamily homes than last year (10 percent instead of 15 percent).

Other millennial trends

Millennials were certainly making compromises in the homebuying process, according to Jessica Lautz, NAR’s managing director of surveys. These compromises tended to be on the size of house, or the house itself not being perfect. Millennials were also more likely to buy foreclosures than other buyers, she said. Millennials were willing to see a “diamond in the rough,” fix it up themselves and customize it for their own needs, said Lautz. “Other notables are that millennials, more than any others, think that buying a home is a good financial investment,” she added. Rising rents were a major contributing factor for millennials who made the step to buy. While they still had student debt — 44 percent of millennials have student debt of a median size of $25,000 — 23 percent were using a financial gift from a friend or relative to help with a down payment, as well as using their own savings. “Among the biggest factors influencing neighborhood choice, millennials were most influenced by the quality of the neighborhood (63 percent) and convenience to jobs (60 percent); convenience to schools was most desired by Gen X buyers, and proximity to friends and family by the Silent Generation,” reported NAR in its release.

For the full article go to https://www.inman.com/2016/03/09/millennial-buyers-moving-to-suburbs-nar-2016-trends-survey/

P.S. Spring has sprung!! Real estate has exploded and homes are selling fast and for the highest prices in years! The market is very competitive for buyers, so call me to discuss the strategies to buy your Dream Home. Interest rates are still below 4%. Call me today for details!

March 15, 2016 by changescapeweb

Trendiest U.S. Cities

St. Louis in Top Ten Trendiest Cities

Did you know St. Louis MO is in the top 10 trendiest cities in the U.S.?

According to Realtor.com, St. Louis Missouri is one of the top 10 trendiest cities in the United States.

Whether it’s the top notch restaurant and music venues, the Bluesweek Festival every spring, or the median home price of $145,000, St. Louis has much to offer the millennials just starting out, or those already established. They even have Filipino blue crab ceviche in Tower Grove East.

You can read the complete article here.

February 19, 2016 by changescapeweb

Aging in place requires forethought

Housing needs change as people age

Wheel Chair Accessible Entrance

Look around your house. Is there a step at the front door? Are the hallways wide enough for a walker or wheelchair? How about the doorknobs: Do you have to twist them, or can you simply push down on them to open the door? Maybe those home features don’t matter now at this point in life. But what might you need 10, 20, 30, 40 years from now to get around your house? Your housing needs will change as you age.

The Clark County Commission on Aging aims to get people thinking about these forward-looking questions. Aging in place, and other issues related to housing and getting older, will be discussed at monthly talks held by the commission through the end of this year. To start, Alan DeLaTorre, a Portland State University research associate, will talk Tuesday about what housing options are needed for the increasing number of older people.

Modifications

A lot of the new developments Ritchie sees popping up are stacked homes on smaller lots. A multi-story house could work for somebody for a while, but down the road maybe they develop a knee problem, or perhaps they have to use a walker, and the home needs to be retrofitted.

“How do you make those modifications and how do you do it economically?” Ritchie said. Chuck Frayer, a 65-year-old retired accessibility specialist with the U.S. Forest Service, chairs the Commission on Aging’s housing committee. The group has looked into building codes, universal design and what’s being done around the country for those who are trying to age in place.

The Little Details

When Ivan Olin’s pastor at Crossroads Community Church, Ritchie, said he should look into building accessible homes, he listened. Olin Homes has refined its design and has two ADA-compliant homes in its Battle Ground subdivision, Parkview Trails, with two more under construction.

Olin consulted with the Commission on Aging to figure out what basics should be in a home and what could easily be added as people move through different life stages. There aren’t grab bars in the bathroom, but extra backing in the walls means they could be installed later. After all, young families may not like the idea or look of grab bars when shopping for a new home. People can recoil at the idea of buying an accessible home, which comes with the stigma that it’s an “old-person home.”

“People don’t like to talk about it,” Olin said. “That makes it tricky as a builder to do advertising.”

To read the full article, follow this link: https://www.columbian.com/news/2016/feb/15/clark-county-series-talks-offers-tips-aging-in-place/?om_rid=AAB4gB&om_mid=_BWw3-FB9K08jd$&om_ntype=SRESMonthly

January 29, 2016 by changescapeweb

What Will Homes Look Like in 10 Years?

The themes expected to shape the future of residential home design, according to a recent American Institute of Architects (AIA) report are accessibility, automation, conservation, health and safety.

Homeowners have indicated a strong preference for functionality, accessibility and sustainability over the last ten years, and architects expect that to accelerate, with increasing demand for healthy building materials and furnishings, along with designs that provide measures of resistance to weather-related calamities.

The themes above will inform the following major design trends in the next 10 years:

1. Technological Integration

2. Non-Toxic Materials

3. Disaster-Proof Design

4. Energy-Efficiency

5. Aging-in-Place Plans

6. Open-Concept Living

7. Outdoor Space

8. Home Offices

9. Infill Development

10. Urban Characteristics

For more on this article follow the link: https://rismedia.com/trg/22387/1067572/37037704/84628?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email

P.S. Real estate is not slowing down yet this Winter! Homes are selling fast and for the highest prices in years! It is never too late to put your home on the market or for buyers to call me to discuss the Winter market. Don’t miss out on your Dream Home, interest rates are still below 4%. Call me today for details!

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