Lucrative Listing Descriptions: The Surprise Features to Stress When Selling
Of all homes listed for sale on Zillow between 2016 and 2017, those mentioning “steam shower” in their listing descriptions earned sellers a 29 percent higher sale price than listings that didn’t mention it, the highest premium among more than 100 listing terms analyzed by Zillow.
Why Late Spring Is the Best Time to List a Home For Sale
Nationwide, the first half of May is the best time to list a home for sale in order to maximize sale price and minimize time on market. U.S. home sellers listing in early May can expect to sell almost two weeks sooner and for a $2,400 premium, on average, over listing at other times of the year.
What Are the Hidden Costs of Selling a Home?
The biggest “hidden” expenses are closing costs, which total $13,357 for the median-valued U.S. home. In San Jose, closing costs for the median valued home total $74,927, while in Indianapolis – which is in a state with no transfer tax – they total $8,604.
February Home Sales Likely Held Back by Wintry Weather, Rising Rates, Limited Listings
Persistently and relentlessly tight inventory, rising mortgage interest rates and a series of nasty winter storms likely combined to keep February home sales activity muted, especially sales of existing homes.
In Wake of California Drought, Listings Touting Water-Efficiency Evaporate
A relative flood of home listings advertising water-conservation features in the Golden State during the worst of the California drought appears to have dried up somewhat with the rains’ return.
Most Affordable Markets for Homebuyers
Markets that seem affordable, because their median home price is lower than other areas, may actually be unaffordable for people who live there. Oklahoma City, Pittsburgh and Indianapolis top the list of metros that pass a more realistic test.
New Data Finds Homeowners Struggle When Selling, Despite Hot Market
Selling in today’s hot market still leads to a lot of stress – and regret – among home sellers. The newest data on the seller experience -- and some first-person accounts -- show it’s not all rainbows and “Sold” signs.
Mortgage Rates Focus Shifts from Fed News to Geopolitical Risk
Political and geopolitical developments have seized markets' attention, driving mortgage rates up. Fed news implying a faster pace of interest rate hikes lingered in the background.
Best Markets for First-Time Homebuyers
It's getting harder to find areas with a healthy balance of affordable home prices, low competition and strong growth prospects -- but our analysis found that these five stand out.
Income Doesn’t Determine Whether People Buy Homes, for Now
People will continue to break into the market when and how they can by buying cheaper homes, homes farther out, smaller homes—whatever is feasible. The rub is that as U.S. housing markets continue to burn hot, the feasible options become harder to find for more of us.
