The pandemic has changed the way many of us live, work, and attend school—and those changes have impacted our priorities when it comes to choosing a home.
According to a recent survey by The Harris Poll, 75% of respondents who have begun working remotely would like to continue doing so—and 66% would consider moving if they no longer had to commute as often. Some of the top reasons were to gain a dedicated office space (31%), a larger home (30%), and more rooms overall (29%).
Are you considering a home renovation as a way to increase the value of your propety? There are two ways that you can build value with any real estate investment. The first is through natural appreciation where the value of the property grows over time due to increased demand. Historically real estate has appreciated at a much faster pace than the rate of inflation. In California, real estate has appreciated at nearly 5% annually since the year 2000 which exceeds the inflation rate of about 2.2% over the same period.
The Bay Area real estate market continues to confound experts with high property prices which counters commonly held economic theory. Mortgage interest rates are at historic lows, buyer demand remains robust even in the face of widespread job losses, and prices for homes are at record high levels. So what gives? The basic supply and demand curve from microeconomic theory explains that as demand increases while supply remains constant (or declines), prices will go up.
In July, the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell below 3% for the first time in history. While many Americans have rushed to take advantage of declining mortgage rates, others question the hype. Are today’s rates truly a bargain?
Many clients ask me about the sale of their home capital gains taxes they may owe. Capital gains are the difference between how much you pay for a capital asset how much you sell it for. These gains can have important tax considerations when you sell your home. Home sale capital gains tax rates vary depending on how long you have owned your home, and whether or not it is a primary residence. While this article is not advice on how you file your taxes, it is intended to help you understand how home sale income is treated from a tax perspective.
Whether you’re prepping your house to go on the market or looking for ways to maximize its long-term appreciation, these nine home improvement projects are great ways to add function, beauty, and real value to your home.
Traditionally, spring is one of the busiest times of the year for real estate. However, the coronavirus outbreak – and subsequent stay-at-home orders – has led many people to reconsider whether to buy or sell real estate right now. In April, new listings fell nearly 45%, and sales volume fell 15% compared to last year.
Fortunately, as restrictions have eased, we’ve seen an uptick in market activity. Economists expect a rebound in July, August, and September, as fears about the pandemic subside, and buyers return to the market with pent-up demand from a lost spring season.
Purchasing in a housing market with limited inventory and many competing buyers can be daunting and discouraging. This environment is known as a seller’s market where the seller has pricing power due to a large amount of demand from prospective buyers. Even as the real estate industry undergoes a shift to more virtual practices due to the global pandemic, in markets like the Bay Area, sellers continue to retain the ability to command high prices for their properties.
It is difficult to think of a single segment of the economy that has not been dramatically improved by technology. I have spent my real estate career, and work in law prior to that, developing a tech stack to help me organize and optimize. For needs large and small, there is a tool to help you accomplish it.
I’ve been investing regularly in social media over the past few years. I was hesitant to even start a blog a few years ago. My husband who is a technology marketer, encouraged me to start publishing my insights on the real estate industry and I’ve since extended my outreach on LinkedIn, Facebook, and particularly, Instagram.
My goal for social media is to give my friends, family, and clients a curated view into my life. I acknowledge that it’s a limited set of highlights, but I’ve recently been getting a lot of positive feedback on my content. I am often asked how I approach my social output, how much time I spend, and if it comes to me as easily as it looks.