Top 10 Real Estate Developments of the ’00s: #1
By Brian Summerfield, Online Editor, REALTOR® Magazine
More than 10 days and 3,000 words later, we’ve finally reached the top-ranked real estate development of the decade. The “winner” is … Read more
Things to Be Thankful for
By Brian Summerfield, Online Editor, REALTOR® Magazine
In the past couple of years, it hasn’t always been easy to find bright spots in real estate. Falling prices, declining sales volume, increases distressed properties, tightening credit, unemployment—all of these things have afflicted, and some still afflict, our industry since the downturn began sometime during late 2007 or early 2008 (depending on where you live). And though many experts are starting to call an official recovery in housing, too many things are still too bleak for many of us to agree.
Thus, it may be harder than in years past to figure out what we can be grateful for in our business. For your consideration, though, here are a few things to be thankful for: Read more
Study Finds Connection Between Neighborhood Walkability and Home Values
By Erica Christoffer, Contributing Editor, REALTOR® Magazine
A recent study released by CEOs for Cities shows homes located in walking-friendly neighborhoods–with nearby amenities such as parks, schools, libraries, restaurants, and coffee shops–sell at higher prices than homes in less walkable neighborhoods.
The data, provided by ZipRealty, was compiled from 94,000 real estate transactions in 15 U.S. markets. Read more
What’s the Shape of Our Recession?
By Brian Summerfield, Online Editor, REALTOR® Magazine
One of the interesting things about this economic downturn has been the debate among serious thinkers about what letter of the alphabet it would most resemble when mapped on a chart. For those of you who haven’t been keeping track, here are the four current challengers:
- The V-Shaped Recession: The best possible scenario right now, the “V” recession would be characterized by a short economic bottoming out, followed by a sharp upturn.
- The U-Shaped Recession: This would be tougher, but still manageable. The difference between “U” and “V” recoveries is that the former has a longer period of economic stagnation and a slower recovery.
- The W-Shaped Recession: In this scenario, businesses and consumers are tantalized with a budding resurgence, but the economy collapses again before it truly improves for the long term.
- The L-Shaped Recession: This would be the worst of all of these options. An “L” recession means that following a drop, the economy essentially would not grow significantly for a sustained period. Read more
