You can get much more bang for your buck in some locales than others.While salaries may be highest in San Jose and San Francisco, for example, the cost of living is highest there too. But when salaries are adjusted for cost of living, the smaller metros tend to be where residents see their paychecks stretch the furthest.The Indeed Blog recently analyzed salary data between August 2016 and July 2017 as well as local cost of living data to find whe
Home prices continue to rise and more homeowners are tapping into their home equity, making home equity lines of credit and cash-out mortgage refinances popular again.Home equity line originations jumped 8 percent to nearly $46 billion in the second quarter. That is the highest level since 2008, according to data from Equifax, a credit reporting firm. Cash-out mortgage refinances reached $15 billion, a 6 percent increase from a year ago, accor
Sellers that are looking for easy ways to increase a home’s value and get buyers’ attention before their home hits the market, here are three quick fixes for kitchens and bathrooms from Matt Karlin, president and CEO of Nemo Tile + Stone.Photo courtesy of Nemo Tile + Stone1. Refresh with color. As a 20-year industry veteran, Karlin has seen a lot of color trends come and go. When it comes to selecting a palette that looks fresh and has bro
A Texas National Guardsman carries a Houston resident from her flooded home. (Getty Images)As the rains slowly subside in Texas and the full scale of Hurricane Harvey’s destruction comes into focus, the National Association of REALTORS® is calling on members nationwide to donate funds to the REALTOR® Relief Foundation to support storm victims. The RRF, whose goal is to help families who have endured catastrophic loss, will use the money for
"See You Again" is a song recorded by American rapper Wiz Khalifa, featuring American singer Charlie Puth. The track was commissioned for the soundtrack of the 2015 action film Furious 7 as a tribute to the late actor Paul Walker, who died in a single-vehicle accident on November 30, 2013 in Valencia, California. Later on, the song was included as a bonus track on the international release of Puth's debut album, Nine Track Mind. The ar
The average homeowner is spending more money on a greater number of home improvement projects, according to HomeAdvisor’s 2017 True Cost Survey, a study of 14 million service requests received between July 2016–17. However, the projects vary by generation, income, and geography, the study finds. Here are the top five most popular home improvement projects by generation.Millennials Install outdoor play equipment Install childproofing Install
Fannie Mae is changing the requirement that borrowers pay a higher down payment to qualify for an adjustable-rate mortgage, announcing that it is bringing this type of financing more in line with that of fixed-rate mortgages.Now, borrowers can make as little as a 5 percent down payment on a one-unit primary property using an ARM. Also among the changes is that borrowers need less equity in order to refinance into an ARM; they now need just 5 perc
The majority of the thousands of Texas homes submerged in floodwaters after Hurricane Harvey slammed the coastline over the weekend do not have flood insurance—a costly reminder of the importance of extending the National Flood Insurance Program, which the National Association of REALTORS® is fighting to support. Only 15 percent of homes in Harris County—which includes Houston, now under two feet of water—are covered by flood insurance, C
“Projects that take a home significantly beyond community norms are often not worth the cost when the owner sells the home,” says Scott Robinson, president of the Appraisal Institute. “If the improvements don’t match what’s standard in a community, they’ll be considered excessive.” Lifestyle website CheatSheet.com highlights a few renovation mistakes that could inadvertently lower a home’s resale value. Letting minor damage go unf
Two local REALTOR® associations in Massachusetts have issued safety advisories to their members after female agents reported suspicious incidents with a male prospective buyer. The REALTOR® Association of Southeastern Massachusetts sent out its alert after two incidents, one in which an agent in Dartmouth found the buyer in a closet during an open house, and another in which the buyer asked an agent in New Bedford to go down into the basement a
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