Cover Story

Lender sentiment slips amid growing competition and savvy borrowers

Heading into the end of a year filled with volatility, the mortgage lending industry continues to look at its present and future performance as a glass half-empty. According to the latest Mortgage Lender Sentiment Survey by Fannie Mae, the

Cover story: Lending experts on what to expect in home financing

With technology integration becoming the norm throughout all aspects of the homebuying process, there is still no replacement for the hands-on expertise of a mortgage professional. Between navigating the rising interest rates and guiding first-time buyers through the borrowing

Mortgage fraud grows as home prices and demand increases

Instances of mortgage fraud risk grew 12.4 percent since last year, according to CoreLogic’s Mortgage Application Fraud Risk Index. Approximately one in 109 applications, or 0.92 percent, of all mortgage applications contained indications of fraud. This is up from

Marketing for new construction homes: The top tips and techniques from the experts

To launch and execute a comprehensive marketing strategy that generates measurable results, it’s important for developers to effectively reach both buyers and real estate agents. As the Houston market continues to see great growth, the most successful developers are

Developing Houston: Living the dream – Pulte offers affordable, single-family homes with Briarmont

Answering the call for affordable housing within minutes of Houston’s employment, entertainment and shopping centers is Briarmont by Pulte. In this new gated community of two- and three-story single-family homes, residents can take advantage of front and rear deck

Wire transfer fraud: What agents can do to prevent it

In 2017, the real estate industry saw almost $1 billion in attempted or diverted funds from buyers, sellers, title companies and escrow agencies into the pockets of online hackers. Wire transfer fraud is not a new problem for the

How Harvey has impacted the real estate investment world: A Q&A with Brian Spitz from Big State Home Buyers

Brian Spitz opened up Big State Home Buyers 14 years ago after accidentally stumbling into the real estate investment world before planning to start law school. Through Big State Home Buyers, Spitz works with homeowners who need to sell

Survey: Houston agents talk real estate technology

  Read more from our Tech issue Cover Story: Starting a tech revolution in real estate Smart home technology is the new standard The real estate sign — now redesigned with modern tech Wire transfer fraud: What agents can

Smart home technology is the new standard

In today’s digital age, novel inventions that once seemed like an unrealistic dream such as self-driving cars and virtual reality have become an integral part of everyday life. Just as Tesla is revolutionizing the automobile industry, smart homes are

The real estate sign — now redesigned with modern tech

Traditionally, “for sale” signs have been the most visible indicator that a home is on the market. But as the real estate industry continues to use technology to improve productivity in the digital age, some view the ‘For Sale’

Cover Story: Starting a tech revolution in real estate

It wasn’t too long ago that the latest trends in real estate technology were virtual reality tours and drone photography. Now, agents are having to explore what were once far-out concepts like artificial intelligence, machine learning, geofencing and blockchain.

How the luxury market is shifting across the country

Millennials have begun to monopolize the home-owning population, and as a result, new cities across the country are transforming into some of the hottest luxury markets for the first time. The Institute for Luxury Home Marketing just released their

Survey: What do agents experience when selling a luxury home?

Read more from our Luxury issue Cover story: How agents break into the luxury market The dos and don’ts of staging a luxury home Why Will Stolz is getting into the braded development game How the luxury market is

Cover story: How agents break into the luxury market

To many agents, working in the luxury market is the pinnacle of the industry. Oftentimes, selling luxury housing means access to a more exclusive (and maybe even famous) clientele, and it definitely means higher closings and commissions. Being labeled

The dos and don’ts of staging a luxury home

No matter what price range your home is in, vacant homes should be properly staged in order to cater to the price point, target market and style of the home. Krisztina Bell, a professional home stager with No Vacancy

Why Will Stolz is getting into the branded development game

As the luxury condominium market gets more competitive in many American cities, developers have turned to high-end brands to make their products stand out and get headlines. Developer Will Stolz looked at the new trend with trepidation, until he

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