Author: admin

A California real estate agent is under arrest and remains in custody, under suspicion that he committed a double murder. According to local media reports, Christopher Ireland is suspected in the deaths of two of his wife’s female co-workers, whose bodies were found after a suspicious fire destroyed the home of the one of the women. …read more

From:: Real Estate Wire

By Susanne Dwyer

Subdued home price growth estimates for 2017 are increasing as end-of-year data becomes available, indicating a slight showing of movement in the year ahead.

CoreLogic, most recently, bumped up its price projection to 4.7 percent year-over-year based on November 2016 prices, which were 1.1 percent higher month-over-month and 7.1 percent higher year-over-year. The 4.7 percent projection is an increase from CoreLogic’s 4.6 percent projection given in October.

“Last summer’s very low mortgage rates sparked demand, and with for-sale inventories low, the result has been a pick-up in home price growth,” says Dr. Frank Nothaft, chief economist for CoreLogic. “With mortgage rates higher today and expected to rise even further in 2017, our national Home Price Index [HPI] is expected to slow to 4.7 percent year-over-year by November 2017.”

Mortgage rates exceeded 4 percent for the first time in 2016 at the end of November, and have continued to tread upward since, with the Federal Reserve’s decision to raise the key interest rate in December impacting the climb. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage closed out 2016 at an average 4.32 percent, according to Freddie Mac.

Demand seen in the summer did not let up at the end of the year, during what would typically be a slow season for housing activity, says Jonathan Smoke, chief economist of realtor.com®.

“Since the election, demand seems to have intensified, possibly in reaction to a jump in mortgage rates, Smoke said in a recent data preview. “Now buyers seem to feel a sense of urgency as they face the threat of rates that may approach multi-year highs in the months ahead.”

Home prices, as measured by the CoreLogic Index, are expected to grow beyond their pre-recession peak by the end of this year.

“Home prices continue to march higher, with home prices in 27 states above their pre-crisis peak levels,” says Anand Nallathambi, president and CEO of CoreLogic. “Nationally, the CoreLogic Home Price Index remains 4 percent below its April 2006 peak, but should surpass that peak by the end of 2017.”

Source: CoreLogic

For the latest real estate news and trends, bookmark RISMedia.com.

The post 2017 to See Slight Showing of Home Price Movement appeared first on RISMedia.

…read more

From:: Finance and Economy

By Susanne Dwyer

Subdued home price growth estimates for 2017 are increasing as end-of-year data becomes available, indicating a slight showing of movement in the year ahead.

CoreLogic, most recently, bumped up its price projection to 4.7 percent year-over-year based on November 2016 prices, which were 1.1 percent higher month-over-month and 7.1 percent higher year-over-year. The 4.7 percent projection is an increase from CoreLogic’s 4.6 percent projection given in October.

“Last summer’s very low mortgage rates sparked demand, and with for-sale inventories low, the result has been a pick-up in home price growth,” says Dr. Frank Nothaft, chief economist for CoreLogic. “With mortgage rates higher today and expected to rise even further in 2017, our national Home Price Index [HPI] is expected to slow to 4.7 percent year-over-year by November 2017.”

Mortgage rates exceeded 4 percent for the first time in 2016 at the end of November, and have continued to tread upward since, with the Federal Reserve’s decision to raise the key interest rate in December impacting the climb. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage closed out 2016 at an average 4.32 percent, according to Freddie Mac.

Demand seen in the summer did not let up at the end of the year, during what would typically be a slow season for housing activity, says Jonathan Smoke, chief economist of realtor.com®.

“Since the election, demand seems to have intensified, possibly in reaction to a jump in mortgage rates, Smoke said in a recent data preview. “Now buyers seem to feel a sense of urgency as they face the threat of rates that may approach multi-year highs in the months ahead.”

Home prices, as measured by the CoreLogic Index, are expected to grow beyond their pre-recession peak by the end of this year.

“Home prices continue to march higher, with home prices in 27 states above their pre-crisis peak levels,” says Anand Nallathambi, president and CEO of CoreLogic. “Nationally, the CoreLogic Home Price Index remains 4 percent below its April 2006 peak, but should surpass that peak by the end of 2017.”

Source: CoreLogic

For the latest real estate news and trends, bookmark RISMedia.com.

The post 2017 to See Slight Showing of Home Price Movement appeared first on RISMedia.

…read more

From:: Real Estate News

By Susanne Dwyer

When you think about homes of the future, you might imagine a house you can talk to. A new survey from Coldwell Banker shows you’re not alone; voice control capability was the top want of 72 percent of Americans surveyed.

The study, created in conjunction with Vivint Smart Home, focused on 4,108 U.S. adults ages 18 and older. Out of these participants, 923 already utilize smart home products.

According to the study, 72 percent of Americans who already have smart home products—controlled by a smartphone, tablet, computer or by a separate automatic system—wish they had voice control. Out of that selection, 81 percent of American parents who have smart home products desire to control smart home products with voice activation. Sixty-five percent of parents with smart home products already have voice control on their devices.

Say What?
So what do Americans want to tell their homes to do? Start dinner? Crank up the heat? Bring them the paper and their slippers? According to the study, the top reason survey participants want to boss their house around is to optimize entertainment options. Think turning up the tunes, changing the channel or fiddling with that speaker system.

After entertainment, the study shows that consumers’ voice-controlled wish list reads like this: lighting, security products and shopping, which all tied for 33 percent.

And Why?
So why exactly do we seem to want voice control? Thirty percent of those surveyed are interested in hands-free control; 17 percent find voice activation to be more user-friendly; 14 percent enjoy flexibility in location.

“We’ve been blown away with how consumers are unlocking the full potential of a voice-controlled smart home,” says Jeff Lyman, chief marketing officer for Vivint Smart Home. “By simply saying aloud what they want to happen with their locks, lights, thermostats and security system, customers spend more time living and less time managing. The experience is pretty magical.”

For full survey results, including demographic breakdowns of Americans with smart home products, click here.

Zoe Eisenberg is RISMedia’s senior content editor. Email her your real estate news ideas at zoe@rismedia.com.

This was originally published on RISMedia’s blog, Housecall. Visit the blog daily for housing and real estate tips and trends. Like Housecall on Facebook and follow @HousecallBlog on Twitter.

The post Voice Control: Coming Soon to a Home Near You appeared first on RISMedia.

…read more

From:: Real Estate News

California is readying itself to potentially come face-to-face with President-elect Donald Trump in court in order to preserve the policies and diversity of The Golden State. And due to the uncertainty of future conflicts, California took precautionary measures on Wednesday and announced it hired former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. …read more

From:: Real Estate Wire