Real Estate, Updates, News & Tips - Stephen Tome - iPro Real Estate

TIP: 5 Lawn Care Mistakes that could Ruin your Curb Appeal

A great lawn adds instant curb appeal to a home’s first impression, but according to Reviewed.com, homeowners may be making one of these common mistakes in their lawn maintenance:1. Cutting the grass too short. Most grasses should be cut no shorter than 2.5 inches, according to Reviewed.com. Anything shorter could impede the grasses’ ability to absorb enough sunlight to thrive.2. Failing to water enough. Reviewed.com says that most

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Fewer Homes Selling above List Price

The number of homes selling at or above list price is on the decline, returning to historical norms, according to CoreLogic’s Home Price Index. That could be a relief to home shoppers whose budgets have been squeezed in recent years as home prices have soared.The share of homes that sold at or above list price dropped to 31.1% in March—about the same level as in 2000 and 2001. That also represents a big change from a year ago. In the second q

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Mexican Tariff would hurt Housing Affordability

Housing analysts warn that President Donald Trump's proposal to impose a 5% tariff on Mexican imports could have a trickle-down effect on the U.S. real estate market, pushing up prices for homes and many household goods. Newly constructed single-family and multifamily units may become more expensive because the tariff would hike the price of homebuilding materials, CNBC reports.Eleven percent of steel imports to the U.S. come from Mexico, accordi

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Company Updates

The busy time of year is here and we're working to help make business more productive with the system upgrades. We're still on pace to have the upgrades available this year and this month we brought on 4 new members including Michael Chung dealing the Sacramento area, David Mchone dealing Orange County, Eileen Zhang dealing the Bay area, and Gary Wentz dealing Los Angeles.With busy times, it pays to have listings more so... With listings, you wil

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What Millennials are willing to give up to Own a Home

Young adults are all about making sacrifices and lifestyle trade-offs to get them on the path to homeownership, according to a new survey of 1,000 millennials, ages 22 to 38, by Chase Home Lending. Seventy percent of young adults say they’re willing to cut back on weekend activities, such as shopping, going to the movies, and splurging at the spa, at least once a month if it meant they could purchase a home in the next 12 months, the survey sho

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Interest Rate for 30-Year Mortgage back in 3% Territory

For the first time since January 2018, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage has dropped below 4%.“While economic data points to continued strength, financial sentiment is weakening with the spread between the 10-year and the 3-month Treasury bill narrowing as fears of the impact of the trade war with China grow,” says Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “Lower rates should, however, give a boost to the housing market, which has been on

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How Mortgage Shoppers can save $2K in Extra Fees

Shopping around for a mortgage can provide savings beyond just the interest rate. Borrowers could save thousands in lender fees as well.Borrowers who collect up to five offers from mortgage lenders could save more than $2,000 on mortgage fees, according to a new study from LendingTree of 300,000 loan offers. These extra fees include the costs for a mortgage application, underwriting, origination, appraisals, and up to 16 other fees that

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1 in 4 Adults has moved for Love. Any Regrets?

About a quarter of adults say they’ve moved for the person they loved and to pursue a romantic relationship at some point in their lives, a new survey shows. It’s likely to pay off too, couples report.Men are slightly more likely to relocate than women (27% versus 23%, respectively), and millennials are more willing to make a move for love than other generations, according to a survey of about 1,000 adults from HireAHelper, a moving and reloc

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Home Buyers are Stretching their Searches out to the Exurbs

In their search for affordability, home buyers are taking their house hunts further out from the city limits. Exurbs are the outskirts of major metro areas that lie beyond the suburbs. Many offer more land and greater affordability in new-home construction.Single- and multifamily activity in the exurbs makes up only a small share of permit activity across the country, but their quarterly growth rates reached a new high in the first quarter of 201

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Amazon Swoops in on America’s Shopping Malls

Online retail giant Amazon was once blamed for driving local shopping malls out of business. Now, it wants to reinvent them into warehouses.“While at a surface level, this appears simply to be about converting shopping malls into warehouses to strengthen Amazon’s supply chain and physically position the retailer closer to customers (both rural and urban) for same or next day delivery, the move has all the hallmarks of Amazon’s DNA,” Sean

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