Maureen Mengel Blog

Homes.com, one of the largest home search websites, has rolled out a feature that will let agents synchronize their contacts across different services such as DocuSign. Homes.com debuts new tool to synchronize contacts across different services curated from Inman

Real estate broker Tara King may not necessarily believe in ghosts, but that doesn't mean she hasn't had to deal with a few when it came to selling a client's home. "There are a lot of agents who have had experiences with either clients who felt uncomfortable or they felt uncomfortable in a home," she said. In Colorado real estate market, selling haunted houses sometimes means exorcising a few spirits curated from Real Estate News

Millennials value homeownership above nearly everything else, according to a recent Bank of America report . In the survey, Millennials prioritized homeownership (72%) above getting married (50%) and having children (44%). The only thing that this generation placed higher on their priority list was being able to retire (80%). This age group—ages 23-40 in the report—associate homeownership with personal (53%) and financial (45%) success. And three-quarters plan to buy a home in the next two to five years. For those who don’t own a home yet, they cite the following reasons why: Not enough money saved for a down payment (44%) I don’t know where I’ll be in a few years (33%) I can’t afford the home I want (23%) I can’t afford the location I want (20%) I don’t have good enough credit (16%) I have student loan debt (10%) Given their goals and challenges, here’s some advice from experts on what Millennials should consider before buying: Make sure you really want to buy a home. “

Where should Millennials looking to buy a home move to? RealtyHop , a startup sale and rental listings portal that attempts to predict what a property will rent for, crunched U.S. Census data and figured out the best metropolitan areas for millennials . And the results are fairly surprising: famed destination cities NYC and Los Angeles did not fare well in the analysis. The number one city for millennials today is the metropolitan area connecting Omaha, Nebraska and Council Bluffs, Iowa. The next top two cities on the ranking are Des Moines, Iowa and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. “When it comes time to pick a place to live, there’s an astounding amount of both cultural and social pressure to simply move to where everyone else is – as a result of this, many people move to coastal cities like New York or Los Angeles because it’s ‘the thing to do,’” wrote RealtyHop. Instead it presented a more evidence-based approach to picking cities to move to as a millennial. Here are the top 20:

Philadelphia-based real estate startup Jove  has a new iOS app of the same name that promises to bring Uber-like speed and convenience to buyers in the area, connecting them nearly instantly with nearby agents. If that sounds familiar, it’s because several other competing startups and apps have sprung up in recent years pursuing a similar goal: take the now-familiar interfaces and mechanics of ridesharing/ride-hailing apps and apply them to residential real estate. But Jove’s founders say this is just a starting point — they ultimately want to tackle inefficiencies across the entire industry. The app launched in early October and allows prospective home buyers in the Philadelphia metropolitan area to search and browse available properties on a map. When ready, the app lets all nearby participating agents know when and where the customers would like to view a home. Agents who respond first get the business.   “We found through our research that typically people expect response

Do you wish you could spend most of your time working with numbers? Interpreting the economy? Discovering linkages about land and buildings? If so, you’ve got core curiosity that’s ripe for real estate analysis. As big data grows, and artificial intelligence grabs headlines, there's still a need for informed judgment. Real estate analysis is guidance for decision making, and may be the vocation for you. Real estate analysts account for and evaluate the influence of linkages. In other words, analysts factor relationships between a location and accessibility to, or connections with, other locations and activities. Depending on their specific occupation, real estate analysts may perform site, market or trade analysis or, most likely, a combination and beyond. Competent analysts must understand demand, supply, pricing, timing, planning, marketability, human behavior and attitudes to have any success in their work. Who utilizes the skills and outputs of real estate analysts? Person

After four straight years of declines, the nation’s longest inventory slump in history has finally come to an end, according to the latest data from realtor.com .  Housing inventory was up 2 percent – or 25,000 listings – October 2018, versus October of last year. “Buyers have been struggling for four years to find homes in their price range while dealing with bidding wars and multiple offer situations,” Danielle Hale , chief economist for realtor.com said. “The inventory increase will not solve the problem overnight, but it should provide some relief to those still in the market, especially if the growth we’re seeing in more affordable homes and condos holds steady.” Realtor.com’s “in history” claim is a lofty one, and the home search portal run by News Corp.’s subsidiary Move Inc. has data only going back four years. But a spokesperson tells Inman that the claims are supported by the 20-year-plus dataset from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) , the 1.3-million member

There will come a time when a flood of aging baby boomer clients will turn to you for advice about retirement housing. Here’s a guide to senior housing options you can use to steer folks in the right direction. Article image credited to pixinoo / Shutterstock.com 7 senior housing options every real estate agent needs to know curated from Inman

While ‘Coming Soon’ pre-market listings will likely remain useful for luxury properties and as a tool to test price points, there will be fewer of them all-around, Realtors tell Inman Will the shifting housing market kill off pocket listings? curated from Inman

Today, there is no shortage of apartment owners upgrading their tired properties with unit renovations, clubhouse transformations and new amenities. These improvements work: Landlords can charge higher rents and implement new revenue streams like utility reimbursement, and they will likely sell their property for a higher price than if they never did the renovation. There is profit to be made in deviating from the status quo. However, too many apartment owners and their management companies are doing it wrong and leaving money on the table as a result. New apartment construction targets the high-end renter who can afford condo-like quality and every amenity a renter never knew they needed. The average renter watches their favorite home improvement show and knows what a modern unit looks like. That person, who represents the majority of the renter population, does not want to settle for anything less. Nevertheless, reality eventually sets in, and the average renter makes a compromis

'Freddy hated rats': Convicted mob hitman, 51, serving a life sentence for killing a Mafia boss 'led the deadly attack on Whitey Bulger, 89, inside prison because he didn't like FBI informants' REVEALED: Iraqi refugee who planned to carry out terror attacks with bombs he built in Las Vegas was caught in elaborate FBI sting teaching agents to make IEDs with skills he learned during the Gulf War The big reveal: Millennials are more comfortable sharing their salary details than any other generation - and some experts say wage transparency is key to closing the gender pay gap CDC Director says an epidemic like the Spanish flu outbreak of 1918 that killed 100MILLION is 'very possible' and the thought keeps him awake at night Are you dating a narcissist? Psychologist's warning about the manipulative 'drama triangle' tactic - and the red flags to look out for Wreckage of doomed Indonesia plane ... (more) Start the conversation, or Read more at Dail

For new and experienced agents alike, it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the housing market, whether that’s by achieving your monthly goals or perhaps even falling short. If it’s the latter, it’s especially important to foster a positive, uplifting and inspiring company culture for your fellow agents. Establishing an entrepreneurial environment driven by collaboration and innovation is just one of the many steps required for success and high performance in the real estate industry. Incorporating these four skills and motivational techniques into your daily routine and monthly/annual goals can help shape a team player into a real estate superstar. 1. Set S.M.A.R.T Goals One of the most powerful tools in your arsenal is taking the time to set S.M.A.R.T goals. This means identifying specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound objectives. Our firm establishes goals like “generate 20% more listings in a specific region” or “increase new seller leads

House-flipping TV shows continue to take up an extraordinary amount of screen time. In some ways they have been incredibly helpful for individuals, families and the economy. These "reality" TV shows have also thrown people into a financial minefield they really aren’t equipped to navigate. It’s vital to know where these shows diverge from reality and the traps their narratives have landed others in if you are going to try your hand at investing in real estate. It’s amazing to see how this entertainment trend has turned so many people on to the benefits of real estate investing and inspired individuals to seize control over their lives, their finances and their futures. There are so many incredible success stories, many of which will go on to positively impact future generations and communities around the country. But on the flip side, these shows may also be responsible for sending people rushing into the biggest investments of their lives with nothing more than a few ep

Unfortunately, there are some attendees, guests and speakers who are more creepy than any horror movie. Be on the lookout, and don’t let these frightening characters spoil your experience. Don’t let these 4 scary conference-goers haunt you curated from Inman

Ideal Agent advertises to homesellers that they can save money on their home sale and work with only the top local agents. To listing agents, it promises ready-to-go leads. Here’s how it works. What’s a great lead worth? Ideal Agent puts that question to the test curated from Inman

An already successful Mid-Michigan real estate agent and developer is soaring to new heights with a new initiative called Flipping Flint . Real estate agent Nykole Pfaff leads a four-person team at Keller Williams Realty, selling 125 properties a year. Real estate agent makes mark with house renovation initiative in Flint curated from Real Estate News

New startups aren’t bashful about bringing fresh ideas to market — even when they shatter the comfortable nature of the status quo. Here are four tech-driven startups trying to change the game in real estate. Article image credited to Lightspring / Shutterstock.com 4 startups that want to shake up the real estate world curated from Inman

If you want your sellers to crank things up a notch for a speedy sale, advise them to tackle these eight tasks that’ll have buyers racing to put in an offer. 8 seller tasks that can make or break your sale curated from Inman

Sign up for Inman’s Morning Headlines What you need to know to start your day with all the latest industry developments Sign me up Success! Thank you for subscribing to Morning Headlines. The internet never forgets: Think before you post curated from Inman

Since it's Halloween, we thought we'd get in the menacing mood. That's right-we're going to list five really spooky things clients do that surely give agents goosebumps. 5 Spooky Things Clients Do to Real Estate Agents curated from Real Estate News

Southern California's housing market hit a big pothole in September, with home sales sinking almost 18 percent from the year before as buyers increasingly grapple with rising mortgage rates, higher prices and deteriorating affordability, Irvine-based housing tracker CoreLogic reported Tuesday, Oct. 30. Home prices, meanwhile, were up 3.6 percent from September 2017 levels - the smallest year-over-year appreciation rate in 3A1 2 years. Although local agents say it's too soon to call it a buyer's market, a slowdown reported over the past six months appears to be deepening, they said. Home sales stall, dropping 18% in Southern California curated from Real Estate News

A majority of millennials said they would consider hiring one as a real estate agent, according to a new study A majority of millennials rely on "influencers" to make purchasing decisions - and a whopping 80 percent said they would consider hiring one as a real estate agent, according to a new study by Engel & Volkers released Tuesday. Among more than 1,000 survey takers born between 1982 and 1999 with a yearly income of more than $100,000, 84 percent of so-called "High Earners, Not Rich Yet," or "HENRYs," confirmed that "influencers have impacted their decision to make purchases," while 80 percent would consider hiring one as a real estate agent, according to the study. Millennials prefer - influencers' over agents when it comes to real estate curated from Real Estate News

In 2005, everyone was buying houses. It was common knowledge you were stupid to wait. House prices flourished and loans flowed like drinks at an open bar. Lots of people made money-until they didn’t. In 2009 the music had stopped and people were frantically looking for someone to pass the hot potato to. By 2010, those “smart” people were the ones looking stupid. Foreclosures dominated the market place and the great real estate boom of ‘05 looked more like a ghost town as the real estate downturn hit full effect. Fast forward to 2018 and it’s starting to look a little familiar. In Northern CA, we frequently see homes sell significantly over asking price, regardless of appraisals or the condition of the home. Demand is outpacing supply, and prices are rising again. In hot rental markets across the country, we continually see local investors totally puzzled by how much out of state folks are willing to pay for traditionally modest priced homes. So what do you do? Is now the time to b