New home buyers are being deterred by higher prices, and that became readily apparent in April with a big slump in sales numbers for homes.

Sales of new, single-family homes dropped by 16.6% in April, falling to their weakest pace in two years, according to data from the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau published this week.

Builders say that rising mortgage rates are making new homes less affordable to buyers.

New-home sales are down nearly 27% compared to a year earlier, the report showed.

“The volume of signed sales contracts significantly declined in April as the cost of purchasing a home increased in 2022 as interest rates surged higher,” explained Jerry Konter, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders. “Higher construction costs fueled by rising material prices and supply-side constraints along with limited existing home inventory are pricing many potential home buyers out of the market.”

Owners of commercial buildings must provide a safe working environment to their employees. Based on the size of your building, it must have a secure architectural structure so that your employees can work safely. A great example of a secure building is one where you have installed security cameras to reveal illegal or criminal activities. Another example includes a building that has fire safety equipment. A building can catch fire anytime, so you must get your building furnished with the best fire protection equipment. Let’s find out some ways to help you use the fire protection equipment in Toronto. 

Smoke and fire detectors come first in our list of the best fire protection equipment. You place them in all those spaces that are prone to fires. However, in a few circumstances, commercial building owners choose to equip them in each corner for detecting smoke or fire along with turning on the alarm to warn everybody. Also, you have the option to set up a visual alarm beside the sound alarm for providing better coverage and warning. As stated by their name, smoke and fire detectors function by activating a loud sound when they detect smoke or fire. That sound is like a siren and it triggers when the temperature inside the room raises suddenly or the room is filled with smoke. 

Upon the activation of smoke and fire detectors, the fire suppression system of your building will start and extinguish the fire. But to make that possible, you must maintain the smoke and fire detectors regularly. It is highly recommended to purchase high-quality fire safety equipment and always choose a reliable manufacturer to get the best products. 

In addition to smoke and fire detectors, you also require fire suppressors and fire extinguishers in your commercial building. The best illustration of a fire suppressor is a fire sprinkler system, which scatters water combined with chemicals to put out the fire quickly and efficiently. 

With a fire extinguisher, you can quickly extinguish the fire. But for that, you need to locate fire extinguishers in every building area or floor, based on the recommendations of fire experts. It is advised to place fire extinguishers inside cabinets that are especially constructed for fire extinguishers for protecting them against physical destruction. Also, you are required to maintain fire extinguishers installed in your building. 

A new study from Redfin shows that homebuyers could save an average of $260 per month if they purchase a home now with an adjustable-rate mortgage rather than a traditional fixed-rate loan. That would mean savings of more than $15,000 over the first five years of the loan.

It’s a tempting number that explains why so-called ARMs are in big demand. Earlier this month it was reported that demand for ARMs had reached a 14-year high amid rising interest rates that have made standard mortgages far more expensive.

With ARMs, homebuyers can obtain lower rates for a fixed term of five, seven or 10 years, after which the rate will change depending on market conditions. ARMs are fully underwritten, the same as fixed-rate mortgages, and also require a down payment.

A 5/1 ARM would mean that the interest rate is fixed for the first five years of the loan, and adjusted each year afterwards for the remainder of the loan, which is usually 30 years. Some ARMs only reset after seven years, and 10-year ARMs are also common. They’re different from the fixed-rate mortgage, which stays at the same interest rate for the entire lifetime of the loan.

While ARMs can provide significant savings, they also come with risks. If interest rates rise substantially, borrowers can be left with much higher payments once the rate resets. In addition, many ARMs come with significant fees if borrowers want to pay off the loan early or refinance.

A Home Equity Loan and a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) are not the same thing. In general, a home equity loan is a better financial tool for most consumers. Both are ways to finance large expenses by borrowing against the equity in your home minus closing costs. Equity is the difference between what you owe on your mortgage and what your home is worth. The keywords here are that these are ways to finance large expenses.

Some homeowners treat a home equity loan or HELOC like a credit card by using their home as collateral. Especially a HELOC. Particularly high risk is taking out a line of credit against the equity in their home to pay off high-interest credit cards with a low-interest HELOC. This is seldom a good idea. If you are having trouble paying off credit cards, do you want to put your homeownership at risk to pay for last summer’s wardrobe or too many dinners out? Credit cards are unsecured loans. If you fail to repay money borrowed on credit cards, it will hurt your credit score, but they cannot come after your home. If you move those credit charges over to an equity loan, you have agreed that the lender can foreclose on your home if you fail to repay the money. You want to use the equity in your home in financially smart ways.

What is a HELOC?

A HELOC is very much like a credit card except it is a secured loan instead of an unsecured loan. Like a credit card, you can continue to borrow against it, up to the credit line. As you repay part of the loan, you can borrow that money again at some time in the future. You pay interest only on what you borrow. The fact that it is so much like a credit card is what gets some consumers into serious credit trouble that can cost them their homes. Instead of using a credit card to pay for an occasional night out, the much higher credit limit on a HELOC lets them charge a two-week vacation that they otherwise could not afford.

A HELOC allows you to borrow up to 85% of your home equity. Unlike most home equity loans, a HELOC has a variable interest rate that will change periodically based on market conditions. This makes a HELOC less desirable and riskier during times of rising interest rates like we are experiencing now.

There are two distinct phases to a HELOC. The draw phase and the payback phase. During the draw phase, you spend the money however you want and only make minimum payments or interest-only payments. If you still have more equity in your home, you can usually refinance your HELOC to extend the draw phase.

Challenged to find a suitable home for sale, an increasing number of buyers are looking instead towards more rundown abodes with “good bones” that could potentially be given a lick of paint and a new lease of life.

Buyers today are struggling to find good homes for sale. According to the most recent data from the National Association of Realtors, home inventories are at record lows and continue to fall. In April, home inventory was down 10.4% from one year before.

At the same time, construction of new homes has also declined as builders face challenges around supplies and labor and lot shortages.

As such, some real estate professionals are taking advantage by marketing their listings as renovation opportunities or as teardowns, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Last year, Lauren Ravitz, a real estate pro with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices in Los Angeles, marketed a $6.595 million 1949 colonial home as “a rare opportunity to restore/remodel a timeless classic from a bygone era or to build a magnificent estate in one of the west side’s most coveted locations.” The home sold for $6.795 million. The buyer intends to tear down the home.

Last year was quite challenging for the real estate industry. We witnessed the effects of the global pandemic, which forced people to work from home. Now, with the effects of the pandemic dying down, it is the perfect time for real estate to start rising again. If you are thinking of selling your house in the current year, you probably have made the right decision.

The question is whether your house is ready for sale? I know you might be wondering what I am speaking about. Let me ask this question directly: Do you think any repairs are required in your house to make it sale-ready? If yes, do it without wasting any more time. Also, you might be aware that receiving an offer on a property in the UK traditionally takes 10-12 weeks. 

You might need a further 12 weeks to get done with the sale. But, the good news is with the pandemic effects not so much, you can expect your house to sell quite quickly. In other words, the time between listing and the offer getting accepted has reduced dramatically.

Ensure That Your Property Listing Uses the Latest Technology to Set the Right First Impression in the Minds of the Buyers

Today technology is advancing at a rapid pace. We see the web as the primary source of listing ads for selling properties. To sell your house quickly, you need to tweak it around to make your listing stand out. It will help if you put your property listing so that it appeals to potential buyers. Listings that work on mobile devices are the right way to go ahead.

Ensure that the photos you upload on the site are mobile-friendly and professional. Sharp and crystal clear images on the mobile help make your property stand out to potential buyers. In case they are not intrigued by the photos in the listing, they might not be interested in checking out your property listing.

As a landlord, you know that many risks are associated with owning and renting out property. However, the last thing you need to worry about is whether or not your assets are protected in the event of an accident or liability claim. That’s where landlord insurance comes in. Landlord insurance protects you from any potential losses that may occur due to your rental property business. This article will explain what landlord insurance is and why it is critical for your business.

What Is Landlord Insurance?

Landlord insurance is a type of insurance that specifically covers landlords and their rental properties. This type of insurance protects you from any financial losses that may occur as a result of someone being injured on your property, damage to your property, or any other type of liability claim. It is important to note that landlord insurance does not cover the tenant’s personal belongings – only the landlord’s property and assets.

What Types of Landlord Insurance Are There?

There are two main types of landlord insurance: property damage and liability:

Property damage

Property damage insurance covers any physical damage to your rental property caused by tenants or other factors beyond your control.

A scenario where property damage coverage would apply: A tenant accidentally starts a fire in their unit that spreads to damage other units in your building. In this case, your property damage insurance would cover the cost of repairs for the units damaged by the fire.

As a landlord, you have a lot of responsibility resting on your shoulders. There are lots of expenses to control, regulations to adhere to, and residents to care for. The volume of paperwork, the number of appointments to make, the laws you need to be informed of, can really be overwhelming. Fortunately, progress made in software and other systems can really help you manage it all. If you want to gain more control over the utility expenses in your properties, then electric submeters for landlords may be an option worth looking into.

What is a Sub Meter System?

Traditional water metering involves the installation of one “master” meter that tracks water consumption for an entire building. Then when billing residents, water costs were simply part of the rent, or costs were divided depending on the size of the apartment or number of bedrooms. However, if you need to monitor each tenant’s individual electricity consumption within a building, a sub-metering system can be installed to do just that. 

Where Can They Be Used?

These solutions work under the primary gas/electricity meters and can be installed in buildings of multiple occupancies, or offices of multiple lettings. By doing so, landlords can monitor and accurately claim costs for a retail unit, an independent site, or a part of or an entire floor of a commercial building. This system is ideal for properties like commercial buildings, medical centers, shopping centers, condominiums, military housing, and apartment buildings.  You can use sub meters to keep an eye on electric, water, BTU, gas, and data. 

Outdoor lighting is believed to be one of the most vital features of a property. It may comprise of several components like halogen and induction floodlights, bullet spotlights, recessed lamps, and spotlights. Some property owners in the United States even install lights to illuminate their walkways and gardens for various reasons. Others even position light orbs and torches around trees, maximizing the lighting of every outdoor area they have.

Collectively, the lighting features mentioned above can significantly boost a home’s value. Suppose you’re planning to sell your house in the future. In that case, you may need to consider installing outdoor lamps and spotlights to look forward to a higher resell price. Hiring outdoor lighting pros is said to be a sure route for a quick and suitable lighting installation.

If you’re in a state like Oregon, you may consider looking for these outdoor lighting installation experts, like Oregon Outdoor Lighting and others, to address your outdoor lighting needs. Continue reading to learn more about how outdoor lighting can add value to your living space. 

Outdoor lighting makes the most of your curb appeal. It provides appropriate illumination that highlights the lawn, fences, pavement, and other architectural features present within your property line. In addition, it could offer a brand-new look to the different parts and angles of the curb. 

To thoroughly boost curb appeal, you may also need to choose the outdoor lighting based on the outdoor setup and theme. If you want to brighten up a vast outdoor space, consider installing ambient halogen lighting. This can include general lighting yet it can come with dimmable functions. This way, you could adjust the brightness of the area with ease. 

There’s seemingly no end to rising rental rates. According to realtor.com, the median rental price in the U.S. hit a new high of $1,827 in April.

Realtor.com Chief Economist Danielle Hale said data from April illustrates a “perfect storm” of supply and demand dynamics that’s driving the ongoing surge in rental prices. These dynamics include the low number of rental units available, and higher for-sale housing costs that force many would-be buyers to continue renting.

“Renters are being left with few options to meet higher rents and, in some cases, even offer above asking—whether they can afford to or not,” she said.

Household budgets are being maxed out and that will likely continue for the foreseeable future, Hale said. She forecasts the median rent price to hit $2,000 by the end of August.

Studio rents are growing at the fastest year-over-year pace, up 17.2%, followed by a 15.9% increase for two-bedroom units and a 15.6% increase for one-bedroom units. The rise in studios “is largely due to the ongoing rental market comeback in major downtowns where smaller living spaces are common,” realtor.com noted in its report. Studio rents posted double-digit gains in April in ten of the biggest tech hubs, led by New York City, Boston, and Austin, Texas.

Ask Brian is a weekly column by Real Estate Expert Brian Kline. If you have questions on real estate investing, DIY, home buying/selling, or other housing inquiries please email your questions to askbrian@realtybiznews.com.

Question from Shelly in LA: Hi Brian, We are in bad financial shape and both of us have failing health. The time has come for us to sell our house and move into an assisted living facility. We decided to sell our house as “for sale by owner” to save the agent’s commission. We thought it would be easy because houses have been selling so fast for the past couple of years. After four months, we only had seven people call about the house, and three seemed to look at it seriously. The last one that looked at it made an offer that we accepted. Both the buyer and we signed a generic purchase agreement. That was six weeks ago and now the buyer says he isn’t going to buy the house because he doesn’t have enough money and he doesn’t want to take out a mortgage at an interest rate that is higher than it was when he signed the purchase agreement. What can we do to make him buy the house?

Answer: Hello Shelly. I don’t know what is in your generic purchase agreement. Because it was not written by a professional real estate agent, the contract could have almost anything it. My first thought is that you might be learning why earnest money is an important part of a purchase offer and purchase agreement. But there could be something else involved such as a contingency clause. Because your buyer is saying it is about not taking out a mortgage at today’s interest rate, I’m thinking the earnest money is what you will primarily get from a failed sale of your house. You did get an earnest money deposit, didn’t you?

I’m assuming that once both of you signed the purchase agreement you stopped trying to find another buyer. You probably took down the “For Sale By Owner” sign and stopped running any newspaper or online advertising. It’s normal to stop trying to sell a house while waiting for an appraisal, a home inspection, final mortgage approval, and for the sale to close. The buyer makes an earnest money deposit (usually to an escrow account) to show that he is serious about taking the action needed to complete the purchase. When the sale closes, the earnest money is usually applied towards the purchase price.

It is also normal for the earnest money to have contingencies under which it is refunded. There can be many different contingencies. The seller and buyer sign a contract that defines the conditions of refunding earnest money. Typically, the earnest money is returned to the buyer if the house doesn’t appraise for more than the amount of the mortgage, the inspection reveals a severe defect to the buyer or the mortgage company, or the buyer does not qualify for a mortgage. The last one (buyer does not qualify for a mortgage) is a big reason why most sellers will only accept offers from pre-approved buyers. Another common contingency is when the buyer is unable to sell their current home before closing on the new one.

Are you looking for ways to clear the clutter from your home? When it comes time to sell, a clutter-free home will sell for more money than one completely disorganized.

Potential home buyers need to see your home in its best light. Buyers will be turned off if it looks like a hoarder’s house with enormous amounts of junk, too much furniture, and counters filled with stuff.

Clutter is the number one cause of stress in homes today. It’s hard to focus on anything when everything is hidden, and you can’t see what’s important. Imagine a home buyer trying to do that with a property they have never been inside.

It is next to impossible. You will end up selling your home for less than the actual fair market value. Instead, following these tips when selling will put more money in your pocket.

Let’s have a look at some of the necessary steps to get rid of the clutter, so your house becomes more saleable.