Tag: real estate agents
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AI Can Sell Your Home. Genius Move? Or Colossal Blunder Waiting to Happen?
Did you catch that New York Times tech reporter’s article? Yes, the one detailing his attempt—successful, he assures us—to sell a home with a chatbot instead of an agent. Human real estate agents, we can imagine, are not exactly thrilled. Home sales, agents quickly point out, are high-risk transactions. There’s a lot of money at…
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Compass vs. Zillow: Who Will Reign Over Real Estate?
Compass and Zillow Group are in it to win it – but which company will prevail? Just about everyone has used or heard of Zillow’s real estate website, and most people are also familiar with Redfin. In another major industry consolidation, Rocket Companies – the Detroit-based homeownership platform and parent of Rocket Mortgage – completed…
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Insiders Explain: How Some Home Buyers Get Out of These 4 Common Closing Costs
Title agents say home buyers sometimes pay more than they need to at closing. Why? For one thing, picking all the fees apart usually won’t be a priority during the stressful days leading up to a final loan approval. And who wants to get picky at closing? That’s when a buyer is tired and itching…
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Look Who’s Coming for Home Seller Information: Google Expands Real Estate Listings in Search.
There’s some big news out there, involving how we all search for homes. Google real estate listings are back. You might see them if you use Google Search on your phone. After an eight-market pilot, Google and HouseCanary are expanding home listings in mobile search across the United States. It shows listings for greater San…
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Pro-Consumer Trend: New York to Ban Private Listings, Making More Homes Visible to Buyers
Most people visit real estate websites when they kick off their home-buying process. In New York, a proposed state law would ensure they can actually view everything that’s for sale. The New York state Senate just unanimously passed the Fair and Transparent Real Estate Listing Act. If signed by the governor, real estate agents…
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Do Private Listings Hurt Senior Home Sellers?
Once a home is listed on the market, it shows up for sale on the popular real estate websites. That’s almost always best for home sellers and buyers alike. Are there times when a “pocket listing” makes sense? Yes, but that’s the rare case. We’ll explore that in a moment. The main thing is to…
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Seeking Housing Market Info? Today, 61% of Home Buyers Check AI First.
Artificial intelligence is transforming real estate deals, says a new Realtor.com® survey. Through that survey, the National Association of REALTORS® found that eight out of ten U.S. home buyers use artificial intelligence (AI) when making their plans and navigating their home purchases. The top two AI models for buyers are OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini.…
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Can a Criminal Record Stop Someone From Acquiring a Deed?
We begin with the short answer. No. There is no background check when you file a deed with the county recorder’s office. Nor does any government, be it local, state, or federal, put real estate off-limits to people simply on account of prior criminal charges or convictions. Because questions do come up about dealing with…
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Single and Looking (for My Very Own Deed)
Single and looking? Take heart! So many people would love to be in your position. Some never have a home that’s theirs alone. If you think most people in the current real estate market are couples, you’re right. Yet single buyers make up more than a fourth of all buyers. You could join them, and…
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Wire Fraud at Closing. Who’s on the Hook?
Over the past three years, wire fraud in home purchases has gone up sharply. Many victims are turning to court to seek damages after losing much of their life savings to the scammers involved. But who can they go after? The bank? An insurer? The title company? The agent? Some of the players (like banks…
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How to Find and Buy a Fixer-Upper (Before Someone Else Does)
Nabbing a deed to a home these days is no easy feat. In this hostile market, many hopeful buyers are looking around for a fixer-upper just to get a toehold. In fact, there are financing options out there that make restoring a home affordable for buyers who have struggled to enter the market and don’t…
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Seller-Paid Agent Commissions Are Over in August. How Will Buying Homes Change?
Effective August 17, sellers won’t have to agree to pay both sides’ commissions up front when they list their homes for sale. And agents can no longer communicate “offers of compensation” to other agents through their local Multiple Listing Services. August will mark “a time of adjustment,” says Kevin Sears, who recently took the role…
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Say the F Word: Real Estate Agents Need to Warn Us About Fraud
No one wants to fall prey to scam artists. Better guidance from real estate agents would be a big help. After all, a staggering fifth of fraudulent money transfer requests pretend to be coming from real estate professionals. So, why aren’t clients getting stronger warnings?
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Legal Update: NAR’s Ready to Settle Its Lawsuit. Here’s What Home Sellers and Buyers Stand to Gain.
Sellers could soon be spending less to sell their homes. This month, after previously vowing to fight, the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) gave in and made a major change, in order to release itself from lawsuits. NAR and several brokerages were claimed to have colluded to keep agent commissions high. But soon, if a…
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Condo Shopping: Does My Agent Warn Me About HOA Red Flags?
Many of today’s buyers want condos. They’re compact and low-maintenance. Condos are cheaper, typically, than standalone homes. Still, it’s entirely possible to make a costly mistake by missing condo warning signs. Sometimes, a real estate agent notices things the buyer won’t. A good agent becomes that extra pair of eyes, extra ears and nose… Alert…
