Yorke Unlimited

RISMEDIA, Nov. 30, 2007-Mark Nash, author of four real estate books including 1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home has completed his annual survey of 886 real estate agents in all fifty states in the U.S. and the eight provinces of Canada. What’s in, What’s out with Homebuyers illuminates what’s popular with home buyers, and what can sour them. Compiled annually from-the-trenches, it offers a spectrum of tips that cover deal and design no-no’s for home sellers and buyer must-haves. Read the rest of this entry »

In what could be the largest study of its kind, researchers have calculated the “value added” contributions of dozens of home features and facilities. The study used sophisticated statistical analysis techniques on nearly 29,000 home sale transactions over an eight-year period.

Would you believe:

• An extra half-bath adds 15 percent to the selling price of a home, but an extra full bathroom adds a stunning 24 percent. 
• Adding a sitting area to the master bedroom increases the sales value of the house by eight percent. 
• Garages more than pay for themselves — adding 12.9 percent to the selling price of the home. 
• Fireplaces are hot. A house with a single fireplace sells for 12 percent more than an identical house without one. 
• A basement-located laundry room actually cuts the selling value of a home, whereas a laundry room located on the first or second floor raises the market value by 15 percent. Read the rest of this entry »

Choose an agent who’s up to the challenge

 2006 was the year that the national housing market slowed. However, what happens on the national level doesn’t necessarily translate to local markets, which vary considerably from one another.In some areas, the housing market started looking like a normal market in 2006. In other areas, it became a buyer’s market. Some areas, such as El Paso, Texas, and Salt Lake City, Utah, defied the national trend and showed sizable home-price increases in 2006. 

No one knows for sure where the market will go from here. For areas where appreciation in recent years has been strong, the best-case scenario is that home prices will advance in the low single-digit range for perhaps several years. The worst-case prognosis for the hot market areas of 2004 and 2005 is that prices might drop before they rise again.

Buyers who are buying in a soft market and who are not prepared to stay put and ride out a possible downturn should reconsider buying at this time. But, if you buy now for the long term, you could be well positioned for the next wave of appreciation. Read the rest of this entry »

The National Association of Realtors, the industry’s largest U.S. trade group, says nationwide home prices probably will gain 3.4 percent next year, double 2007’s pace, as the economy improves.

The median price for a previously owned home will increase 3.4 percent to $233,000 in 2008, accelerating from a 1.5 percent pace this year, the Chicago-based trade group said last week in a forecast. The pace was 1.1 percent in 2006, falling from 12 percent in 2005, at the end of the five-year housing boom nationally.

The growth shows that the U.S. housing market avoided a crash, NAR’s chief economist, David Lereah, said in the report.

While lower than the historical average, home sales show a “soft landing,” Lereah said. He expects resales to grow to 6.58 million next year from 6.42 million in 2007. Read the rest of this entry »

The selling process generally begins with a determination of a reasonable asking price. Your real estate agent or REALTOR® can give you up-to-date information on what is happening in the marketplace and the price, financing, terms and condition of competing properties. These are key factors in getting your property sold at the best price, quickly and with minimum hassle. Read the rest of this entry »