REALTORS® interested in helping to shape public policy in their city or state by winning elective office won’t have to jump in with little or no preparation if their state or local association is participating in the National Association of REALTORS®’ (NAR) Candidate Training Academy. The program is a part of NAR’s My Realtor Party® initiative, which launched last year.
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Will Housing Prices Soar By 2014?
Real estate economists and analysts are increasingly optimistic that the housing market will have a dramatic recovery in the next two years, according to results of a new semi-annual survey of 38 real estate economists and analysts conducted by the Urban Land Institute’s Center for Capital Markets and Real Estate.
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New Meaning to ‘Rock-Bottom’ Prices
Despite steady improvements in the housing market recently, ultra-low priced properties can still be found in many markets, and thousands of homes nationwide have properties for-sale at $10,000 or even less, MSNBC.com reports.
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More Generations Live Under One Roof
A growing number of families are moving in together, which sometimes means that three generations are living all under one roof. The sluggish economy has caused some households to expand, taking in more family members to trim housing costs.
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Iowa City Practitioners on Edge After Sexual Assault
Police are warning real estate professionals in Iowa City, Iowa, to take extra precautions when showing homes for-sale or rent, following news of a female real estate agent being sexually assaulted during an apartment showing last week.
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Agents Try to Find Work-Outs After Appraisals
Appraisals that come in lower than the agreed-upon sales price are a source of frustration for home buyers, sellers, and real estate professionals, as they can quickly derail a deal. If an appraisal comes in 10 percent lower than the agreed-upon sales price, for example, a bank will likely only agree to finance the lower value, which means either a buyer must make up the difference, a seller must come down on price, or the deal falls apart.
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Share Free Info to Prevent 10 Tax Errors
In 2011, American tax payers committed 6,612,115 math errors on their tax returns — nearly six times as many as in 2009, according to the Internal Revenue Service. Of those, 91,324 related to the first-time home buyer tax credit.
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What Do Tech-Savvy Buyers Want in Their Next Home?
Smart power and appliances, household networks, home offices and theaters, LED lighting — technology brings new options to the modern home. But which of these extras do buyers want most?