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☆ I was a first-time homebuyer and got scammed out of $167,000 of my life savings
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-23 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Pat and Marisa Lawlor were the victims of real estate wire fraud in 2022. The realizationThe real email came exactly one week after the scammers made off with Lawlor's money, he said. The methodIt turns out that the scammers hacked into the escrow office's email server through a process called business email compromise. With real estate wire fraud, they target mom-and-pop independent brokers, escrow, or title companies like the one we used. We've started a GoFundMe fundraiser to get that money back and raise awareness about real estate wire fraud.

Persons: Pat, Marisa Lawlor, They've, —, Pat Lawlor, Marisa, We'd, San Fernando Valley, Lawlor, That's, it's, It's, we've, We've Organizations: Service, California Association of Realtors, Riverside, States Secret Services Locations: Los Angeles, San Fernando, Riverside County

☆ Storms in California hit homeowners already facing an insurance crisis
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Anna Bahney | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Washington, DC CNN —The storms pummeling California this week hit a part of the US already being battered by a home insurance crisis. With insurers strained by climate change and inflation, many are demanding higher premiums, making it much harder to find affordable (or any) home and fire insurance. But it is not just California; homeowners in other areas prone to weather events like Florida, Louisiana, and Texas are also facing challenges. Meanwhile, in hurricane-battered Florida, Farmers Insurance deemed it too risky to continue insuring homes and pulled out of that market entirely. “This isn’t just climate change, it is climate-change-plus,” Bach said.

Persons: ”, Amy Bach, United, Michael Monaghan, Sellers, you’ve, Jennifer Branchini, Bach, Hurricane Andrew, ” Bach, mitigations Organizations: DC CNN, Allstate, Farmers Insurance, Coldwell, California Association of Realtors, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Hurricane, FAIR, California Department of Insurance Locations: Washington, California, Florida , Louisiana, Texas, San Francisco, California’s, Golden State, Florida, Vermont, Colorado, Pleasanton, United, “ Florida, Louisiana

☆ Why are real estate commissions 6%? – and why that’s about to change
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( Anna Bahney | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Many thought the internet would eventually kill the 6% real estate commission. Even as the ranks of stockbrokers and travel agents have dropped in recent years as commissions petered out, the number of real estate agents has grown and their typical commissions are bigger than ever as home prices have risen. That is largely because of the power of the National Association of Realtors, an influential lobbying group that represents 1.5 million real estate agents. How real estate commissions workHome sellers are usually on the hook for their real estate agent’s commission as well as for paying the agent that represents the buyer. Real estate agents will tell you commissions are negotiable — and they are.

Persons: Sellers, ”, Jordan Barry, “, Tiffany Hagler, won’t, Babiracki Barlow, “ we’ve, Vasi Organizations: DC CNN, Kansas City, Brookings Institution, stockbrokers, National Association of Realtors, University of Southern, National Association of Real, Exchanges, NAR, Association, Geard, Bloomberg, Getty, realtors, Agents, MLS, Department of Justice, DOJ, California Association of Realtors, New, Real, Board Locations: Washington, New York City, University of Southern California, Larchmont , New York, Boston, New York, New York —, York

☆ 'Selling Sunset' agents are freaking out about LA's new mansion tax — but it's not just millionaires who should be worried
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

This time, it hinges on Los Angeles' new mansion tax, which impacts homes sold for over $5 million. She added of the city's mansion tax, "This is a very reasonable and equitable way to generate some resources that can support those needs." Unintended consequences of a mansion taxColloquially known as a mansion tax, United to House LA (Measure ULA) passed in November 2022 with 58% support. Shane Phillips, a UCLA housing researcher whose work helped inspire LA's mansion tax, is worried about the mansion tax depressing new development, particularly of multi-family buildings. Phillips argued that if the law is tweaked to exempt first-time sales, the mansion tax "will unquestionably do more good than harm."

Persons: —, Mary Fitzgerald, Nicole Young, Jason Oppenheim, It's, Oppenheim, — aren't, Mari Castaldi, Karen Bass, Shane Phillips, Phillips, that's, Billy Rose, you'll, Rose, doesn't, Castaldi, Phillips isn't Organizations: Service, Netflix, Oppenheim Group, realtors, California Association of Realtors, Budget, House, LA Times, UCLA, Agency Locations: Angeles, Los Angeles, New York, Washington, Massachusetts, Chicago, Santa Fe, California, LA

☆ Homeowner insurance and climate have become major factors in real estate
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Anna Bahney | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Farmers Insurance deemed it too risky to continue insuring homes in Florida and pulled out of the market there entirely. The average cost for homeowners’ insurance in the United States is about $1,820, according to an analysis by NerdWallet, but there are many variables. As climate risks continue, a standoff has developed over who should pay the cost of insuring homes against ever-growing risks. And for many of the properties that are on the market you can’t obtain insurance? “We’ll have to see some creative solutions in the near term to create that competitive marketplace for insurance,” she said.

Persons: Michael Monaghan, Sellers, “, ’ ” Monaghan, ”, Monaghan, Will, Amy Bach, United, Hurricane Andrew, ” Bach, mitigations, Bach, Jennifer Branchini, Branchini Organizations: DC CNN, Coldwell, Allstate, . Farmers Insurance, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Hurricane, FAIR, California Department of Insurance, California Association of Realtors, State Farm, Farm, “ Locations: Washington, California, Bayside, ”, Florida, Monaghan, United States, “, San Francisco, “ Florida, Louisiana, WUI, Pleasanton

☆ Loma Linda, California, the only Blue Zone in the US, has cheaper homes than elsewhere in the state
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Home buyers seeking a Blue Zone lifestyle in the US have limited options. Loma Linda, CA, is among the smallest Blue Zones by population and its real estate market is tight. Despite high demand, a typical home sale in Loma Linda is still less pricey than the state average. Loma Linda, California is located about 60 miles east of Los Angeles. Hulda Crooks Park in Loma Linda David Keith Canete/Getty ImagesAverage home sales in Loma Linda, according to RedFin and Zillow, ran between $545,000 and $603,000 in the last year.

Persons: Loma, Brandon Rivinius, Rivinius, you'll, Crooks, Loma Linda David Keith Canete, I've Organizations: Service, Loma Linda, Loma, Google, Brandon, Reliable, tote, National Association of Realtors, California Association of Realtors, Loma Linda University, Group, Blue Zone Locations: Loma Linda, CA, Wall, Silicon, States, California, Los Angeles, Loma, Loma Linda , California

☆ Don't bother writing a 'love letter' to home sellers. They're a waste of time and someone could get screwed.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( Aj Latrace | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Moved by the note, dubbed a "love letter" in real-estate parlance, Byington decided to sell the house to her. Elizabeth Scire's "Barbie House" love letter to the seller. EtsyLove letters risk discriminationDeeply personal and emotionally written love letters, however, open sellers and their agents up to legal risks. In a 2020 blog post, the National Association of Realtors said love letters would be more accurately described as "liability letters." In September 2021, Oregon became the first state to enact a law that banned the practice of writing or sharing real-estate love letters during the homebuying process.

☆ Homebuyers have a better shot at scoring a deal on a house in the 14 cities where home prices have plummeted the most
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Aj Latrace | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

According to Black Knight, 14 of the 50 largest US markets have seen home prices fall by 6% or more. The San Francisco Bay Area leads the nation with the largest drop in home prices. Softening home prices in some of the most expensive cities will benefit buyers. But there's a chance for them to come off the sidelines — in fact, some already have — as prices fall in some key areas. Leading the nation with the largest drop from the 2022 peak is San Francisco, where home prices have fallen nearly 17%.

☆ Here's what you can do now to be ready to buy a home this spring
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Anna Bahney | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Mortgage rates have been ticking down, yet remain volatile. If you are ready and able to buy a home, the day-to-day movements of rates should matter less than finding a home you can afford. Borrowers can also lower monthly payments by paying more upfront to buy down their mortgage rate. Buyers can then use that money to buy down the interest rate on their mortgage and reduce their payments. Mortgage rates are trending down, but it’s not going to be a perfect downward curve, said Melissa Cohn, regional vice president of William Raveis Mortgage.

☆ California's housing market is cooling off faster than any other US state, even though it's still really costly to buy a home there
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Alcynna Lloyd | Madison Hoff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

However, several cities, including San Francisco, Los Angeles and Sacramento, have all seen home prices fall by more than 5% from peak sale prices. Additionally, Stockton has seen its median sale price drop 4.8% from its peak. That brings California's total to seven metros out of the top 20 for the nation that have seen the most severe drop in housing prices. So far it appears that 2023 is likely to be an even slower year for the state's housing market, especially if locals continue to leave and move to more affordable states. The pullback in demand could ultimately result in the state's median home price declining 8.8% to $758,600, the report adds.

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