Real Estate, Updates, News & Tips - Becky Montoya - iPro Real Estate

Cities That Recovered the Most From Recession

During the Great Recession, home values dropped an average of 30 percent in several metros. Now, nearly a decade later, how are those markets faring?SmartAsset, a personal finance resource, sought to pinpoint the metros that have recovered the most since the recession. They factored in several metrics, including the unemployment rate, poverty rate, change in median household income, and the change in median home values.Four of the top 10 cities t

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Warning Signs of Underlying Property Defects

When you and your buyers are touring open houses, tell them to watch for signs of larger issues with the property. Jenna Dougherty and Greta Eoff of the DeMasi Group at Keller Williams Realty in Davis, Calif., shared items that should raise alarms for buyers.Overpowering scent. If sellers are being too heavy-handed with scented candles or other fragrances, it could mean they are trying to cover up the source of more serious odors, such as a must

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Company Updates

This month we set a new record on number of members hired. With 12 new salespeople, we're on pace to hit 100 members by the New Year!The 12 members gearing up are Nancy Chou dealing North DFW, Heidi Huff dealing the Fort Worth area (and possibly teaming up with another current member), Tania Sorel dealing the S. F. Bay area, Didier Jow that was referred on by another member dealing the DFW area, Junyi Sun dealing the S. F. Bay area, Rodney

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New Loan Helps Reduce Down Payments

Many renters say saving for the down payment is a major obstacle that is preventing them from purchasing a home. A new mortgage offering says it wants to help remove some of that burden for renters.Home Partners of America, a rent-to-own firm, is touting its new mortgage product that allows tenants to apply some of the appreciation in their home’s value during the time they live there to reducing the down payment. In some cases, it could reduce

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Mortgage Rates Sink Lower This Week

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is averaging lower than it did a year ago, and remains well below the 4 percent threshold this week.“The 30-year fixed mortgage rate fell two basis points to 3.9 percent in this week’s survey, but we closed our survey prior to a surge in long-term interest rates following an upward revision to third quarter U.S. Real GDP growth and comments by Federal Reserve Chair Yellen touting a broad-based economic expansio

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These Markets Are Getting the Most Movers

Markets in Colorado, New Hampshire, Illinois, Washington, D.C., and Tennessee are likely to see the biggest amount of new movers in the fourth quarter, according to a new analysis from ATTOM Data Solutions, a real estate data firm.The top 10 metros in the country that are attracting the most new residents: Colorado Springs, Colo.; Manchester-Nashua, N.H.; Chicago; Washington, D.C.; Nashville; Reno, Nev.; Tampa-St. Petersburg, Fla.; Las Vegas; Jac

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Non-Creepy Ways To Stalk A Future Home

Home buyers and renters can turn up plenty of information about their new home with just a little digging online. Curbed.com offers a few tips on how home shoppers can scour the internet to discover more about a property’s history before making an offer:Look closer at the online listings.Plenty of sites—like realtor.com®—are available to help them search for properties. Many of these sites also track the property’s listing history. Buye

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REALTORS: 4 Ways to Put Relocating Clients at Ease

About 1.5 million employer-assisted relocations occur each year, according to the Employee Relocation Council. Each of these clients may be relying on you to help ease their transition into a new city.Relocating clients tend to face pressure in learning a new city and buying a home under a compressed timeline. As such, they may require more showings than local clients as they get acquainted to the area’s housing market. Relocating clients may a

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5 Overlooked Dirt Spots Buyers Will Notice

Jan M. Dougherty, author of The Lost Art of House Cleaning: A Clean House Is a Happy Home, shared with HouseLogic several spots that homeowners are likely missing, including:1. Light fixturesLight fixtures can be a magnet for dust and dead bugs. Spritz and wipe them with a cleaning solution to get them shining again.2. The body of the toiletDougherty recommends washing the porcelain thrones all over. Start with the top of the tank and spray al

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How Neighborly Are Americans? Not Very

Nearly 30 percent of Americans admit they don’t know their neighbor’s first name. But at least 90 percent have smiled or spoken to their neighbors—at least once, according to a new survey of more than 1,000 Americans released by Safehome.org, a home security systems review resource.Fifty-three percent of Americans say they’ve introduced themselves when a new neighbor initially moved in, but they won’t likely become best buddies. Only

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