As home sales across America increase and we track toward 4.03 million deals a year, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) says American buyers are waiting for the Federal Reserve to cut mortgage costs to give the market a boost. NAR’s latest data says the average price of a home in America was $422,800 at…
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There are many myths in real estate. One favorite is that only spring and summer are good times to sell. This is absolutely not true, of course. There’s never a bad season to upsize or downsize. The only criteria should be when your own personal circumstances align so a property transaction makes sense in your…
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As we prepare to celebrate July 4, it’s not well-recognized that the Vote for Independence was in fact two days earlier on July 2, and it took Congress those intervening 48 hours to create and make a public statement explaining the decision. It was Richard Henry Lee’s resolution for independence that effectively declared our separation…
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One of the most important elements of a buoyant real estate market is the participation of first-time buyers. They are the bedrock on which home values continue to grow. If there is less demand at the entry-level end of the market, everyone else suffers. The good news is that property portal Realtor.com is reporting that…
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Do you ever stand in the middle of the kitchen, stretching out crumpled plastic film that’s been used for food packaging to see if you can recycle it? As much as we all want to “save the planet”, it’s not always easy. Sometimes, the packaging is clearly marked as recyclable, other times not so much.…
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Are we seeing the story of a “tale of two cities” and even a “tale of two islands” playing out in our market as buyers continue to enjoy favourable conditions while many agents now talk optimistically about “green shoots” of value growth? The latest data from the OneRoof-Valocity housing report shows the South Island performing…
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A new report from the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) reveals what many homebuyers already know – some parts of the Kiwi economy are more sensitive to a rise in the Official Cash Rate (OCR) than others. RBNZ – Te Pūtea Matua – research found sectors that make or trade goods, as well as…
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We’re in the depths of winter right now, and redesigning your garden so it’s ready for spring is possibly the last thing on your mind – but it shouldn’t be. Creating a wonderful garden that gives you enjoyment and adds substantial value to your home requires planning, hard work and a little patience. In today’s…
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After more than a year in which three of our capital cities – Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane – streaked away in terms of value growth, all of Australia’s mainland cities now appear to be on similar trajectories. A new survey by the industry researcher Cotality (formerly CoreLogic) says growth rates between the capital cities are…
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The pace of growth in national home values is now its slowest since August 2023 as three state capitals come off the boil after achieving stellar price performances in the past 18 months. Values increased 0.5% in May and rose 1.7% in the first five months of the year, according to the Home Value Index…
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