General News - Real Estate, Updates, News & Tips

RENTERS: Protect yourself from Scammers

RentHop, an online rental listing platform, conducted a study that unveiled the most common rental scams and how to avoid them. Property managers and agents who work with renters should pass these warning signs and tips on to their clients. Money wiring: If potential renters are ever asked to wire funds via Western Union or Money Gram or through an “escrow service” before they’ve even seen the property, then the apartment probably doesn't e

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Company Offers Workers a 'Delocation' Package

Companies commonly offer relocation packages for employees who must move for a job, but one firm is providing its workers a "delocation" package—in which they'll pay employees to move anywhere they want.Zapier, a company producing workflow automation tools, says it's offering the package to new employees living in the San Francisco area in hopes of expanding into new markets in the near future. New employees can choose the city that best fits t

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Welcome to the Team Sally Whitehead out of Orange County, CA!

About SallyI pride myself on the following: Integrity, Professionalism, Knowledge, Strong Negotiation, Problem Solving & AvailabilityOriginally from the U.K., I have resided in Southern California for 40 years. Previously an L.A. resident, I moved to Orange County 23 years ago.  I love the ocean & enjoy living & working in the beautiful city of Irvine & its environs, including Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Dana Point, Huntington B

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The Surprising Cities Gentrifying the Fastest

In the late 1980s, many residents were moving out of Charleston, S.C.,’s Eastside neighborhood due to a lack of job opportunities. The area became depressed. But things are changing there and throughout America, as many cities are undergoing rapid gentrification due to escalating home prices. But modern urban gentrification can get complicated, urban planners say.“It’s a trade-off,” says David Fiorenza, an urban economics professor at Vil

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REALTORS: 4 Qualities of Extra Interesting People

Do you have the “it” factor to move your real estate business? Travis Bradberry, author of Emotional Intelligence 2.0 and co-founder of TalentSmart, recently highlighted at Forbes.com some of the qualities that make people more fascinating to others.Here are some characteristics you may want to focus more on projecting so that others will find you more engaging:1. Demonstrate passion. “Interesting people don’t just have interests; they ha

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America’s 10 Healthiest Housing Markets

What makes a healthy housing market? According to SmartAsset, it is one that shows stability, affordability, and in which homeowners are able to easily sell their homes with a low risk of losing money over the long run.The healthiest housing market in the country: Edgewood, Ky., a suburb of Cincinnati. Homes in Edgewood spent an average of 56.3 days on the market, significantly less than the national average of 169.6 days.Indeed, seven of the top

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Coastal Cities Hardest Hit By Rate Increases

Home buyers along coastal housing markets are being impacted the most by rising mortgage rates over the past few weeks, according to an analysis by the National Association of REALTORS®.The average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage went up from 3.5 percent in November to about 4.12 percent in January.Home buyers in San Francisco County, Calif., have felt the pain of that jump the most, with nearly a $375 increase to their average monthly mortgage paym

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Trump Puts a Halt to FHA Mortgage Cuts

Just hours after being sworn in, President Donald Trump moved to suspend a plan to reduce the Federal Housing Administration’s mortgage insurance premiums that was set to go into effect on Jan. 27. The plan had been announced just a few days ago by the outgoing Obama administration and Housing and Urban Development head Julian Castro.The reduction in premiums by 25 basis points, or a quarter percentage point, “has been suspended indefinitely,

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Renovations Uncover Secrets Behind Walls

Homeowners are finding that as they renovate and walls are removed, they’re uncovering tokens from the home’s past. They’ve found everything from ritual objects placed behind the walls to ward off evil spirits to time capsules with notes enclosed for future owners to find.Michelle Morgan Harrison, an interior designer, recently found a skull buried beneath an old white oak beam while renovating her 1816 New Canaan, Conn., home. She was reli

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Trump Moves In

The White House is getting a makeover as a new president moves in and calls 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. home.When Donald Trump moves into the White House on Jan. 20, his suits will be hanging in the closet, personal photos will be placed throughout, and everything from the rugs, furniture, and wallpaper will be just the way he’s requested, just as presidents before him find upon move-in day."The entire house has to be just the way the incoming famil

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