Most home inspectors carefully scrutinize a house from top to bottom, many with checklists that contain more than 1,600 features to evaluate. But some items require a specialist for a more thorough evaluation.The fireplace and chimneyInspectors often open and shut dampers to make sure they’re working properly. They may shine a flashlight up the chimney to look for any obstructions. But for anything further, buyers likely will need to hire a fi
Homeowners often look for which properties hold the best long-term value to protect their biggest asset.SmartAsset, a personal-finance technology site, recently analyzed historical price data and ranked the top housing markets for growth and stability. Researchers considered the 358 largest urban markets and focused on homes purchased between the first quarter of 1992 and the last quarter of 2016.The 10 best housing markets for growth and stabili
Cybercrime is posing a risk to an increasing number of real estate transactions, with home buyers’ down payment funds the main target of scammers. Anthony Lamacchia, broker-owner of Lamacchia Realty in Waltham, Mass., wrote a recent article for Boston.com warning consumers to beware about the scam.Criminals are targeting home buyers by sending them emails that look like they might come from their real estate agent or attorney. The emails may c
Santiago Arana is a top producer for good reason -- his connectionsSantiago Arana, a top real estate agent in Los Angeles, has found that partnering with the right people can reap rewards — and listings.He’s currently representing two listings that he clinched by virtue of his team-up attitude, one in San Clemente, California, and one new construction offering that he masterminded on Tigertail Road in Los Angeles — and he landed both listin
You can rock a new farm area quickly -- prepare to amazeKey Takeaways Get your mind right, get your time committed, hit it hard, and be super consistent with all sorts of authentic enthusiasm and hard work.So you’re just getting started in real estate and wondering how to gain traction in a particular area? Here are 13 pointers to help you do it faster, cheaper — and come across as a pro.1. Get into the right mindset Believe that you
The Senate plans to vote on the bill this week; here's what's insideKey Takeaways If you buy your insurance on the state or federal exchanges or are covered by Medicaid, you might be losing a tax credit or Medicaid coverage under the BCRA. If you were enrolling in a health care plan only when you needed it, you'll have to start waiting six months before your coverage kicks in. States would be allowed to decide what "essential benefits" are; this
Don't miss out on these frustrated prospectsKey Takeaways Creating your own FSBO lead funnel allows you to own your leads and restricts competition from other agents. Most FSBO sellers aren’t great with marketing. Looking for FSBO signs in yards is often the only way to track these properties down. Your Craigslist ads for FSBO sellers need specificity, creativity and visibility to be effective.Why should you use prospecting strategies to genera
Make the best choices using this adviceKey Takeaways Armed with top tech tools such as DocuSign, ShowingTime and Evernote, new agents can find quick success.If you’re a top performer looking to streamline your businesses processes, you probably have a good idea of what agent tools you need to get the job done, and get it done efficiently. But rookie agents often make the mistake of using the wrong tools.A recent discussion in Raise the Bar in
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written on September 14, 1814, by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Keyafter witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by British ships of the Royal Navy in Baltimore Harbor during the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812. Key was inspired by the large American flag, the S
The three credit reporting companies are implementing a change Saturday that is expected to raise credit scores for about 6 percent of people with credit profiles, or about 12 million people. Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian will change the way they treat data concerning civil judgments and tax liens on people’s credit reports. These data are among the most likely to be incorrect or incomplete, and people have spent a lot of time and effort tr
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