Housing Chatter delivers the news you need to know about current events in the housing market in simple terms. We have no political or institutional affiliations so you can be confident that our content and commentary is unbiased. Housing Chatter is brought to you by your professional Realtor®.

9 Items You Wont Need For Your Home In 2015

With the new year comes new resolutions, even for your home. Such resolutions might include cleaning out your closet, finally organizing your drawers and donating the usual items like we did last year. Before you head to Goodwill, take a moment to look beyond the most obvious objects and consider these 9 household items that you just don't need anymore. 1. ... Read More »

Housing to help drive employment and economy in 2015

Economic job reports show the nation’s employment situation is on the upswing, with housing projected to help further boost the market in 2015. That's a huge change from just last summer, when Federal Reserve chair, Janet Yellen, officially declared housing an economic headwind. In the latest turn of events, a Challenger, Gray & Christmas job-cuts report f ... Read More »

The 5 most important compliance issues for 2015

No matter how little or much one embraces the idea of a free market, most everyone agrees that the regulatory burden on financial institutions could be reformed and made better – through cutting red tape or smarter rules. “We continue to encourage banks to build a thoughtful and comprehensive compliance strategy for 2015,” says Edward Kramer, executive vic ... Read More »

Monday Morning Cup of Coffee: The increasing risk of low mortgage rates

Monday Morning Cup of Coffee takes a look at news coming across HousingWire’s weekend desk, with more coverage to come on bigger issues. The new low of 2.37% for the 30-year bond yield this week opens up significant downside potential for rates from a technical analysis perspective, according to a client note from Chris Flanagan at BofA Merrill Lynch Global ... Read More »

Which States Offer Sales Tax Holiday for Energy-Efficiency, Hurricane Products?

Time your home energy-efficiency improvements or hurricane preparation purchases right and you can avoid paying state sales tax. At least a half-dozen states offer tax breaks to homeowners who purchase energy-efficient appliances, water-efficient products, or hurricane preparation supplies. Alabama’s sales tax holiday When: Feb. 20-22 What: Exempts hurricane ... Read More »

Why Dining Rooms Are Becoming Extinct

If the pristine rooms in the homes of my friends and family are any indication, the dining room is perhaps used for two or three dinners a year. Thanksgiving. Maybe the holidays. But that's about it. After those instances pass, it reverts to its role as a museum for china and glassware, or perhaps a life-size diorama of how families used to eat. The dining ... Read More »

Top 5 Things Home Sellers Need to Know About Price

The vast majority of homes sold in the U.S. are sold through local real estate MLS (Multiple Listing Service) systems. The member real estate brokers and agents list their properties and cooperate with other members in the sales through commission sharing. The typical seller will shop for a real estate company and agent, maybe interviewing several. Every se ... Read More »

4 Tips for Selling Your Home in the Winter

Although traditionally spring and fall are the prime seasons for selling a home, circumstances sometimes require homeowners to put their property on the market during the winter. The good news is that, given access to mobile apps and so much information online, selling in mid-winter may not be so tough. The supply of homes for sale (your competition) is lig ... Read More »

No, the Customer Isnt Always Right

I've frequently heard "the customer is always right" quoted as if it were undeniably and always true. However, while the maxim expresses the generally right attitude toward customers, sometimes customers are dead wrong. Here are three common situations where this is the case. 1. When a customer is disrespectful. Being a customer does not free you from the ... Read More »

Home Prices Rose 5.8% in 2014

For 2014, the national median existing home price hit its highest level since 2007: $208,500. The median price also represents a 5.8% increase from 2013 ($197,100), data from the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® show. Meanwhile, the number of home sales for the year declined 3.1%. But despite low levels of properties for sale in many markets, the number of ... Read More »

This Is What Saturday Morning Used To Look Like (Before Life Got In The Way)

It's become cliche (not to mention incorrect) to say that things were easier "back in the day," but we think that weekend schedules are the exception. Saturdays really used to be a lot simpler. Time seemed to pass more slowly. People didn't seem as over-scheduled. Here's a peek into the not-so-distant past, which now seems like a completely different world. ... Read More »

Increase Your Homes Value in 5 Easy Steps

Thinking about taking on some small home improvement projects to boost the value of your home? Here are some smart upgrades and fixes that won’t cost a lot, but could help you clinch a deal if you’re trying to sell. Consider curb appeal Source: Zillow Digs Source: Zillow Digs First impressions are everything, and potential buyers often decide whether they ... Read More »