 |
| @savvy.lane |
Savvy Lane has bridged the gap between for sale by owner and traditional brokerages. We realize real estate is not a one size fits all traditional commission. Our do-it-yourself platform enables our customers to buy and sell real estate for a fixed fee. Join the thousands that have save millions by using our services.
Wednesday, October 24, 2018
#SavvySeller
Savvy Lane set out to change a 100 year old industry. Technology and innovation have yet to change a commission structure that is completely outdated. Hundreds of companies have tried and only a handful have been successful. The Founders created a software platform where buyers and sellers have the tools to do-it-themselves with professional support, or be hands off with a local dedicated agent. By creating a process that is more transparent and streamlined, we are able to save time and money. This means we are able to adjust our fees to fit your budget with our tiered options. Today we are the #1 Flat Fee MLS real estate provider on the West Coast.
Mortgage Rates Fall Slightly
Long-term U.S. mortgage rates dipped slightly this week, taking a pause after weeks of steady increases stoked by rising interest rates.
Home borrowing rates remain at their highest levels in more than seven years, with the key 30-year rate approaching 5 percent. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday the rate on 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages declined to an average 4.85 percent this week from 4.90 percent last week.
Last week's average was the highest level for the benchmark rate since spring 2011. A year ago, it stood at 3.88 percent.
The average rate on 15-year, fixed-rate loans eased to 4.26 percent this week from 4.29 percent last week. Full Article
Savvy Lane has a great buyer program that offers cash back.
Home borrowing rates remain at their highest levels in more than seven years, with the key 30-year rate approaching 5 percent. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday the rate on 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages declined to an average 4.85 percent this week from 4.90 percent last week.
Last week's average was the highest level for the benchmark rate since spring 2011. A year ago, it stood at 3.88 percent.
The average rate on 15-year, fixed-rate loans eased to 4.26 percent this week from 4.29 percent last week. Full Article
Markets In Hot Cities Are Slowing, But Prices Expected To Rise In 2019
A recent report showed that some of the nation’s hottest housing markets are beginning to slow down. Slower home sales have been reported in housing markets like Denver, Oakland, Seattle and San Jose. But despite this trend, the latest real estate forecasts suggest that home prices in most of these “cooling” markets will continue to climb in 2019. Full Article
Hot Housing Markets Are Slowing Down
Is a cooling trend coming to the U.S. real estate market? In some cities and metro areas, the answer appears to be yes. In fact, cooling trends are being reported for some of the nation’s hottest housing markets, like Denver, San Jose and Seattle.
According to a recent report published by Redfin, a nationwide real estate brokerage, the markets with the fastest home sales during the spring of 2018 are now experiencing a significant slowdown.
The company based its analysis on the speed at which homes sell within a particular area. In some of the hottest and fastest-moving real estate markets (like Seattle and San Jose), the average number of days on market has dropped considerably. This suggests a softening of demand in those areas.
To quote the report: “…this spring [2018] there were fourteen metro areas around the country where half or more of the homes that were listed for sale between March 5 and April 29 went under contract within two weeks. By mid-September, every single market saw its share of homes selling that quickly fall to below 50 percent, with spring’s fastest markets, namely Seattle and San Jose, California, seeing the largest declines, falling by more than 35 percentage points since spring and over 20 percentage points from a year earlier.”
Sellers Dropping Their Asking Prices
Price reductions are also becoming more common in the nation’s hottest housing markets, like Denver, Seattle and San Jose. Sellers in these and other areas are realizing there’s not the same level of demand as there was in 2016 or 2017. Homes are staying on the market longer.
Forecast: Home Prices Expected to Keep Rising
Despite the slowing sales cited above, hot housing markets like Seattle, San Jose and Denver still tend to favor sellers over buyers. Strong demand and limited inventory will keep these markets highly competitive for the foreseeable future.
Sell your home with Savvy Lane in any market and save on commissions.
Hot Housing Markets Are Slowing Down
Is a cooling trend coming to the U.S. real estate market? In some cities and metro areas, the answer appears to be yes. In fact, cooling trends are being reported for some of the nation’s hottest housing markets, like Denver, San Jose and Seattle.
According to a recent report published by Redfin, a nationwide real estate brokerage, the markets with the fastest home sales during the spring of 2018 are now experiencing a significant slowdown.
The company based its analysis on the speed at which homes sell within a particular area. In some of the hottest and fastest-moving real estate markets (like Seattle and San Jose), the average number of days on market has dropped considerably. This suggests a softening of demand in those areas.
To quote the report: “…this spring [2018] there were fourteen metro areas around the country where half or more of the homes that were listed for sale between March 5 and April 29 went under contract within two weeks. By mid-September, every single market saw its share of homes selling that quickly fall to below 50 percent, with spring’s fastest markets, namely Seattle and San Jose, California, seeing the largest declines, falling by more than 35 percentage points since spring and over 20 percentage points from a year earlier.”
Sellers Dropping Their Asking Prices
Price reductions are also becoming more common in the nation’s hottest housing markets, like Denver, Seattle and San Jose. Sellers in these and other areas are realizing there’s not the same level of demand as there was in 2016 or 2017. Homes are staying on the market longer.
Forecast: Home Prices Expected to Keep Rising
Despite the slowing sales cited above, hot housing markets like Seattle, San Jose and Denver still tend to favor sellers over buyers. Strong demand and limited inventory will keep these markets highly competitive for the foreseeable future.
Sell your home with Savvy Lane in any market and save on commissions.
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Sell your home the Savvy Way
Savvy Lane set out to change a 100 year old industry. Technology and innovation have yet to change a commission structure that is completely outdated. Sell your home the Savvy Way #savvyseller
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
How To Stage Your Home Like A Pro
Whether you’re selling your home or staying put, staging techniques make the most of your space with minimal cost. All you need for most upgrades are the muscles to rearrange furniture, the patience to sift through what you already have, and the willingness to get rid of what you don’t need. Meridith Baer, a professional luxury home stager with offices in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, and London, chimed in on her top tips to make your space more spacious and streamlined. Full Article
Keep it clean. Remember when your mother used to pester you to clean your room? Well, she was right. The easiest way to brighten up your pad is to give it a good wipe-down. Removing clutter is also crucial. Shred outdated paperwork. Get rid of clothes that don’t fit. Toss any knick-knack that isn’t useful or aesthetically pleasing. This is where those Rubbermaid storage bins you see at big box retailers come in handy. They’re cheap, they’re stackable, and they make organization so much easier. If you want to be able to find things again later (think season-specific clothing or holiday decorations), buy transparent tubs. If you want to keep your stuff safe from roving eyes, stick to solid colored tubs. Have a basement? An empty closet? A storage locker? Use it. Live in a shoebox apartment? There’s always the old standby otherwise known as Mom and Dad’s garage.
The grand entrance. The first impression guests have of your home should be a stylish one. Find a small table, storage bench, or other unobtrusive piece of furniture for your entryway. Make it functional by adding a lamp or a bowl for your keys. Display a sculpture or travel memento if you’re feeling fancy.
Let the light in. Everything looks better in natural light. If your window treatments are old and mangy, take them down.
Look alive, living room! Neutral colors and clean lines are the rules of thumb for living room decorating. Arrange furniture to facilitate conversation and make sure to have a coffee table to accommodate drinks. Angle furniture towards the best view, whether that’s a big bay window or a fireplace.
If your living room is the only gathering room you have, you’ll likely end up planting your TV there. Consider a cabinet to cover it up when not in use—yes, they make them for flat screens, too, in plenty of styles. “It’s always good to be able to hide that stuff when you need to,” Baer says. If a cabinet is not in your budget, at the very least, center the flat screen over a solid, quality piece of furniture so the TV blends into the room rather than dominates it. And keep cords in control; there’s nothing more unsightly than a serpentine-like mess of wires on the floor.
Table work when guests come over. If your dining room or kitchen table is multi-purpose (students and telecommuters, we’re looking at you), clear your work away before guests arrive. Laptops, piles of paperwork, and textbooks are not centerpieces. But you know what is? A big bowl of lemons or apples. Simple, inexpensive, and lower maintenance than a vase of flowers.
Deck the walls, sparingly. “For young men especially, less is more,” Baer says when it comes to wall decor. Rather than hurriedly accumulating things to hang up, let the art come to you. “Give yourself a chance to spend your time being out for a walk and finding something you like,” Baer says. Don’t purchase anything that you don’t love, and certainly don’t buy anything just because it’s of-the-moment or provocative. If you’re not comfortable with what’s on your walls, no one else will be, either.
Be a little bit anonymous. If you’re selling your home, you’ll be advised to remove photos, diplomas, fridge magnets, and any other visual “tell” that makes your space feel like an open diary. This isn’t a bad idea even if you’re staying: guests don’t need to see you posing in front of every landmark from your last vacation or huddled together with relatives in matching T-shirts at the family reunion. If those pictures are meaningful to you, great, keep them up. If not, it can be refreshing to live among subtle objects that have private meaning you can choose to divulge or keep to yourself. After all, if someone really wants to see your selfies, they can stalk your Instagram from the privacy of their own home.
The bedroom isn’t just for sleeping. You already know that adult bedrooms require bedside tables and lamps, right? Now take it up a notch and turn your boudoir into a suite. If space is tight, all you need are two small chairs and table where you can enjoy your coffee, read the paper, or put your shoes and socks on. Blessed with a big bedroom? Incorporate a love seat, reading chair, and an ottoman. Regardless of space constraints, remember this: no headboards in front of the window. “That’s the last thing you want to do,” Baer says.
Never underestimate the power of paint. Painting is one of the simplest things you can do to make your space look new again. It bears repeating: stick to neutral hues. Make sure to do test patches before tackling entire walls; the color on the sample card might look different once applied. Always use painter’s tape for a clean edge and protect your floors and furniture with drop cloths.
 |
| Photo: @meridithbaerhome on Instagram. |
Keep it clean. Remember when your mother used to pester you to clean your room? Well, she was right. The easiest way to brighten up your pad is to give it a good wipe-down. Removing clutter is also crucial. Shred outdated paperwork. Get rid of clothes that don’t fit. Toss any knick-knack that isn’t useful or aesthetically pleasing. This is where those Rubbermaid storage bins you see at big box retailers come in handy. They’re cheap, they’re stackable, and they make organization so much easier. If you want to be able to find things again later (think season-specific clothing or holiday decorations), buy transparent tubs. If you want to keep your stuff safe from roving eyes, stick to solid colored tubs. Have a basement? An empty closet? A storage locker? Use it. Live in a shoebox apartment? There’s always the old standby otherwise known as Mom and Dad’s garage.
The grand entrance. The first impression guests have of your home should be a stylish one. Find a small table, storage bench, or other unobtrusive piece of furniture for your entryway. Make it functional by adding a lamp or a bowl for your keys. Display a sculpture or travel memento if you’re feeling fancy.
Let the light in. Everything looks better in natural light. If your window treatments are old and mangy, take them down.
Look alive, living room! Neutral colors and clean lines are the rules of thumb for living room decorating. Arrange furniture to facilitate conversation and make sure to have a coffee table to accommodate drinks. Angle furniture towards the best view, whether that’s a big bay window or a fireplace.
If your living room is the only gathering room you have, you’ll likely end up planting your TV there. Consider a cabinet to cover it up when not in use—yes, they make them for flat screens, too, in plenty of styles. “It’s always good to be able to hide that stuff when you need to,” Baer says. If a cabinet is not in your budget, at the very least, center the flat screen over a solid, quality piece of furniture so the TV blends into the room rather than dominates it. And keep cords in control; there’s nothing more unsightly than a serpentine-like mess of wires on the floor.
Table work when guests come over. If your dining room or kitchen table is multi-purpose (students and telecommuters, we’re looking at you), clear your work away before guests arrive. Laptops, piles of paperwork, and textbooks are not centerpieces. But you know what is? A big bowl of lemons or apples. Simple, inexpensive, and lower maintenance than a vase of flowers.
Deck the walls, sparingly. “For young men especially, less is more,” Baer says when it comes to wall decor. Rather than hurriedly accumulating things to hang up, let the art come to you. “Give yourself a chance to spend your time being out for a walk and finding something you like,” Baer says. Don’t purchase anything that you don’t love, and certainly don’t buy anything just because it’s of-the-moment or provocative. If you’re not comfortable with what’s on your walls, no one else will be, either.
Be a little bit anonymous. If you’re selling your home, you’ll be advised to remove photos, diplomas, fridge magnets, and any other visual “tell” that makes your space feel like an open diary. This isn’t a bad idea even if you’re staying: guests don’t need to see you posing in front of every landmark from your last vacation or huddled together with relatives in matching T-shirts at the family reunion. If those pictures are meaningful to you, great, keep them up. If not, it can be refreshing to live among subtle objects that have private meaning you can choose to divulge or keep to yourself. After all, if someone really wants to see your selfies, they can stalk your Instagram from the privacy of their own home.
The bedroom isn’t just for sleeping. You already know that adult bedrooms require bedside tables and lamps, right? Now take it up a notch and turn your boudoir into a suite. If space is tight, all you need are two small chairs and table where you can enjoy your coffee, read the paper, or put your shoes and socks on. Blessed with a big bedroom? Incorporate a love seat, reading chair, and an ottoman. Regardless of space constraints, remember this: no headboards in front of the window. “That’s the last thing you want to do,” Baer says.
Never underestimate the power of paint. Painting is one of the simplest things you can do to make your space look new again. It bears repeating: stick to neutral hues. Make sure to do test patches before tackling entire walls; the color on the sample card might look different once applied. Always use painter’s tape for a clean edge and protect your floors and furniture with drop cloths.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)