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®.

Should You Write a Letter to a Seller?

Found your dream home? A heartfelt note to the seller could convince them to accept your offer. Buyers in competitive markets want a leg up. If their all-cash, non-contingent offer is not enough to beat out the 10 other offers, they need to go to extreme measures: a letter to the sellers. Buyers often ask if this indirect means of communication to the sell ... Read More »

Mortgage Rate Update

e rate borrowers were quoted on Zillow was 3.80 percent. Mortgage rates for 30-year fixed mortgages rose this week, with the current rate borrowers were quoted on Zillow at 3.80 percent, up 5 basis points from last week. The 30-year fixed mortgage rate hovered around 3.75 percent for most of the week before rising to the current rate. “Mortgage rates were ... Read More »

Preventing Accidents at Home During the Holidays

Lights are strung up on houses and trees throughout neighborhoods, snowflakes decorate grade school classrooms, and candy canes fill grocery store shelves. The holidays have snuck up on us yet again. And with so much going on during this time of year, the old adage “accidents happen” should be kept in mind. The stress of decorating, buying gifts and preppin ... Read More »

‘Tis the Season: Holiday Home Buying Selling Tips

It’s beginning to look a lot like a slow time for the real estate market. Here’s how to find a home for the holidays or pull off a sale against the odds. This time of year, if a seller has not sold their home, they will typically withdraw it from the market. Activity is often slower than normal between now and the first week of January. Many sellers also wa ... Read More »

Top Home Design Trends for 2016

Discover the looks that will make your place ultra chic (and which ones have worn out their welcome). Today, Zillow Digs announced the top home design trends for 2016, along with the three soon-to-be forgotten fads of 2015. Results were based on a survey of leading interior design experts and trending photos on Zillow Digs. So what will be 2016’s hottes ... Read More »

Here are Freddie Mac’s five housing predictions for 2016

Prognostications on interest rates, house prices and more With just a few days left in 2015, Freddie Mac is looking towards 2016 and trying to predict just what’s going to happen in housing over the next 12 months. Freddie Mac is already on the record stating that it doesn’t think mortgage interest rate will increase immensely in 2016, despite the Federal ... Read More »

What Is Your New Year’s Resolution for Your Business

And How Will You Pay For It ? During this time of year, we think and dream big. We often do this on a personal level. 2016 will be the year that I lose 10 pounds!! Could this be the year that I wake up at five am every day and go to the gym!! Maybe this will be the year I break through and take two vacation spots off of my bucket list!! Try the same exercis ... Read More »

Want to Become Exceptionally Optimistic in 2016? 10 Practical Things Research Says to Do

Fortunately, optimism is a learned trait. From pruning social media to recording good things that happened, here are practical strategies to be more positive in 2016. My top resolution for 2016? Become more optimistic–because as the saying goes, “perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.” Put differently, believing in positive outcomes makes them more likel ... Read More »

21 Super Inspiring Quotes for Leaders

From Steve Jobs to Sheryl Sandberg to Sam Walton to Oprah, the thoughts of these great achievers will lift your mood–and elevate your game. No one ever said that leading a business is easy–it’s not. In fact, it can be frightening, exasperating, challenging, harrowing, and exhausting. When you feel like your leadership batteries are running low, turn to thes ... Read More »

Why Brand Management Will Be Crucial In 2016

Brand management is everything. Brand management is everything. Especially in the coming year, in a world where consumers make split-second decisions on their opinion of a company based on whatever information is immediately accessible, the manner in which companies are able to portray themselves to the public will greatly influence the public’s view of the ... Read More »