Top 5 REALTOR® Updates | Week of October 12th

October 14, 2015

Check out these five real estate updates to help you stay in-the-know with the latest happenings in our industry.

Learn about NAR's 3-Hour Safety Course for REALTOR® Associations. This course is an essential primer on how real estate professionals can limit risk to preserve safety and facilitate positive business outcomes. Topics covered during the course include: risk considerations in the brokerage of real estate, safety systems and tools, safety protocol for showing properties and listing appointments, understanding physical and instinctual response to threats or attacks, conceal and carry considerations, and more! Read More...

2. Study: Most Buyers Fail to Shop for a Mortgage

Nearly 80 percent of Americans consider themselves bargain hunters, with the majority saying they search prices online before purchasing an item. However, when consumers are asked how often they search for better prices on big-ticket items, like a mortgage, they fail to shop around, according to a new LendingTree survey of more than 1,000 American customers. Less than one-third – or 30 percent – of consumers say they always shop around for the best rates on major financial loans, such as a mortgage or auto loan, the survey found. Read More...

3. 5 Common Buyer's Remorse Culprits

Some home buyers suffer from post-purchase regret. Realtor.com® recently spoke to real estate industry experts to find out what home features tend to spark the biggest regrets among buyers. Topping the list: buying too big of a home, awkward layouts, not considering what’s missing, pools, and falling for fads. Read More...

4. Bad Cell Phone Reception A Deal Killer?

Ninety percent of American adults own a cell phone, with 29 percent of cell owners admitting their phone is "something they can't imagine living without." With more consumers getting rid of landline phone service, staying connected to the world via a smartphone is becoming a necessity.So when a house or an apartment doesn't have powerful and consistent wireless connection, it can impact and frustrate your buyers' day-to-day lives. But can it be a real estate deal killer? Read More...

5. First-Time Buyer Share Edging Up

First-time home buyers comprised 32 percent of existing-home sales in August, up from 29 percent a year ago, according to the August 2015 REALTORS® Confidence Index Survey. “Sustained net job creation, a low interest rate environment with 30-year fixed rates at below four percent for most of 2015, and better pricing of FHA-insured mortgages appear to be helping first-time home buyers,” according to the REALTORS® survey. Buyers age 34 and under accounted for 29 percent of sales reported by the respondents. Nearly half of buyers were 35- to 55-years-old. Renters, meanwhile, accounted for 38 percent of sales. Read More...