Though posting a typical seasonal dropoff from August, September’s U.S. home sales represented the most of any September in the 9-year history of the RE/MAX National Housing Report. Home sales dropped 11.7% from August to September – nearly the same as the 11.0% average decline over the previous eight years of the Report. But sales increased 2.0% over September 2015 which had previously been the best September.
You may still be picking your final tomatoes and enjoying the last flower blooms but it’s time to take care for those pre-winter tasks that will help make next year’s yard and garden even more lovely. Here’s a list to hit before the snow starts falling.
Overseeding bald spots in the fall is like Rogaine for your lawn. Autumn’s a good time for aerating, too.
Don’t cut back the tops of ornamental grasses before early spring. The top growth helps insulate the root, keeping the source of next year’s growth nice and snug.
Store your mower with an empty tank over the winter. Have a bit of gas left? Mow over the leaves on your lawn for a natural mulch.
Mulching in fall can be even more beneficial for plants than doing it in spring. Spreading two to three inches of mulch around trees and shrubs helps protect roots from frost and helps retain moisture during cold, dry winter months.
Drain your hoses and store them in the basement, shed or garage. Blow out your sprinkler system. Drain your water features. Stash watering cans, especially galvanized steel cans, indoors. Water left over the winter can freeze, expand and damage them all.
Before storing your garden tools for the winter, clean them off and, if needed, sharpen them. Rub a bit of linseed oil into wooden handles to prevent cracking. When it’s time to pull them out in the spring, you’ll be ready to go.
A well-kept yard can increase the value of your home. Find out more ways to enhance your investment by contacting me, your Realtor!
It’s been a freakin’ long day at work and you just want to get home and relax on your deck. But nooooooo, it’s already dark outside and that chill in the air is telling you it’s time to pull out your parka. OK, inside it is. But then it hits you: Indoors feels more like a dank cave than a welcoming oasis. Depressing.
You don’t have to succumb to the winter blahs. Just implement a few of these ideas, and you’ll be warm and comfy inside until winter’s worst blows over.
RE/MAX, LLC, the #1 name in real estate*, was ranked the leading real estate franchise for the eighth consecutive year in the annual Franchise Times Top 200+® listing. Continued growth and a steady increase in the number of locations also pushed the global franchisor of real estate brokerages into the top 10 franchises included in the survey.
“RE/MAX continues to be the worldwide leader in real estate and the 2016 Franchise Times Top 200+ listing proves just that,” said Chris Pflueger, Vice President, Business Development, Recruiting and Retention at RE/MAX. “Our exceptional growth in sales, strategic expansion into new countries and territories around the globe, and outstanding market share greatly assists us in attracting new franchises as well as the industry’s most talented agents.”
Highlights of this year’s ranking include:
– RE/MAX ranked the #1 real estate franchise
– RE/MAX ranked #8 overall, up from #11 in 2015, #12 in 2014 and #14 in 2013
– Closest competitors were Keller Williams Realty at #22 and Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices at #52
– The growth of RE/MAX sales countered the trend of the 10 largest franchised brands collectively losing system-wide sales for the first time in the history of the Franchise Times Top 200+
– The top 10 overall standings include #1 McDonald’s, #2 7-11, #3 KFC, #4 Burger King, #5 Subway, #6 Ace Hardware, #7 Pizza Hut, #8 RE/MAX, #9 Wendy’s and #10 Marriott Hotels & Resorts
Franchise Times Top 200+ is recognized as the leading franchise ranking list of the 200 largest franchise systems in the U.S. by global sales based on last year’s data. According to the survey, the largest 200 U.S.-based franchise systems posted $596.1 billion in worldwide sales in 2015, up 2.2 percent from the prior year or $12.5 billion. The franchises operated 497,335 units total, a 3.1 percent increase from the year before.
The Franchise Times Top 200+ is the only ranking by system-wide sales and locations of the largest 500 U.S.-based franchise brands. Published in the October issue, the Franchise Times Top 200+ also analyzes 12 industry sectors based on percentage change in sales growth and reports the 10 fastest-growing franchises by four different measures. The rankings and full report are available at franchisetimes.com.
Real estate agents affiliated with RE/MAX recently dominated the esteemed 2016 REAL Trends “America’s Best Real Estate Agents“ ranking. RE/MAX agents accounted for 22 percent of those listed in the industry’s largest agent ranking based on homes sold in 2015. RE/MAX affiliates accounted for 2,691 of the more than 12,000 participating agents in the survey, with nearly one-third more agents named than the next highest ranking brand. Coldwell Banker finished second and Keller Williams came in third.
Every year, paint company Sherwin-Williams puts together a series of palettes to predict the hues and combinations that will influence interiors in the coming year. They look not only at paint swatches but also at the cultural forces behind a color’s popularity.
Recently representatives from the company were on hand to reveal the palettes to interior designers and others attending the Chicago Design Summit. They predict surging interest in “new spirituality, cultural flux, feisty self-expression, and soulful nostalgia” will bring these four palettes to prominence in 2017.
We can expect a hot year for home sales in 2017, according to recent forecasts from the National Association of REALTORS®, the Mortgage Bankers’ Association, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, and more.
NAR is predicting existing-home sales to reach 6 million in 2017, higher than its 5.8 million forecast for this year. But other entities are even more bullish. MBA is predicting home sales to eclipse 6.5 million next year, while Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are both predicting 6.2 million.
A huge wave of Generation Yers, who have delayed home buying, are emerging into their key buying years. They are predicted to keep home sales and condo sales strong well into 2020, according to economists.
The top markets for price appreciation likely will be in Seattle, Wash.; Portland, Ore.; Denver, Colo.; and Boston, predicts Eric Fox, vice president of statistical and economic modeling at VeroForecast. These markets’ robust economies have growing populations but a tight supply of homes for sale on the market that will likely lead to some of the largest price increases across the country.
Meanwhile, new-home construction starts likely will tick up to about 1.5 million per year to 2024, predicts Forisk Research.
Home builders likely will continue to be more subdued, despite calls for more inventory.
“Home builders behavior likely is a continuing echo of their experience during the crash,” Pantheon Macro Chief Economist Ian Shepherdson told MarketWatch. “No one wants to be caught with excess inventory during a sudden downshift in demand. In this cycle, the pursuit of market share and volumes is less important than profitability and balance sheet resistance.”
Source: REALTORmag
Basements often have the reputation as being dark and dank. But the basement shouldn’t be forgotten when it comes to staging a property.
“Buyers will definitely poke their heads down in this cold, dark place,” notes an article at realtor.com®. “So, imagine their pleasant surprise when it’s actually a functional, comfortable room where they might even want to hang out.”
The ancient Chinese art of feng shui uses design principles to create harmonious spaces that encourage health, wealth and happiness. According to the practice, colors encourage energy to flow freely throughout a structure, and each color is thought of as an expression of one of the five feng shui elements: fire, earth, metal water and wood.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when designing your home using general feng shui color principles.
Yellow energizes spaces and is great for brightening rooms and adding a welcoming feeling. Yellows can be an excellent choice for kitchens, living rooms, hallways and offices.
If it’s a calm sanctuary for a restful night’s sleep, feng shui rules suggest water-element colors of calming blues to create tranquility. If you’d like your bedroom to be more passionate than peaceful, fire element colors like red can help crank up the heat.
In feng shui, white is one of the preferred shades for a kitchen because it encourages purity and freshness. Plus, it creates the perfect palette for the rich colors of food.
Shades of green in a child’s room help make calm, serene spaces for sleeping. Plus, wood-element shades of green also encourage growth and learning.
While red is the Chinese color of luck and happiness, too much of the fiery color can throw things off balance, bringing aggression and overstimulation.
Wood-element colors like greens and browns promote creativity, and water elements like blues and blacks promote wealth. Combining shades of each can change the energy of your home workspace.
According to feng shui principles, adding accent pieces and furniture in elemental shades also can help change the energy of a space. You don’t need to go big (or commit) with an entire wall.
Color can help bring balance to your home, but it works best when you’re living in a place that suits your needs. Looking for harmony in a new zip code? I’ll be happy to help!
August home sales increased 5.8% over a year ago, reversing July’s decline of 8.8%. At the same time, the median price climbed 5.1% as steady monthly increases continued. August sales were up year-over-year in 41 of the 53 U.S. metro areas analyzed in the RE/MAX National Housing Report. Twelve metro areas posted double-digit increases, including major markets along the east coast from Washington, DC to Charlotte, NC. So far in 2016, seven of the eight months have seen year-over-year sales increases nationally.
Managing The Real Estate Details 