Few options to tap the equity in Mom’s empty house
home equity Dear Liz,My 95-year-old mother lives with us in North Carolina, and she owns a house with no mortgage in New Jersey. Her medical bills are piling up. Lenders won’t give her a home equity line of credit (HELOC) on the house in New Jersey because she doesn’t live in it. How can we extract […]
Home remodeling on the rebound, led by millennials
home equity Michelle Arnold and fiancé Justin Bull gutted a bathroom and refinished it, working nights and weekends. Now they plan to remodel the basement of their 1955 house. In August 2015, Michelle Arnold and her fiance bought their first home, a 1955 ranch-style house. Then they set out to make it their own. “Going […]
Home remodeling on the rebound, led by millennials
Hero Images/GettyImages Millions ready to remodel In August 2015, Michelle Arnold and her fiance bought their first home, a 1955 ranch-style house. Then they set out to make it their own. “Going in, we definitely knew there was some extensive work that needed to be done. But we were up for the challenges,” says Arnold, […]
6 ways to squeeze retirement money from your home
Daniel Grill/Getty Images How to use home equity for retirement Retirees are homeowners. Of those with more than $100,000 in savings, about 90% own a home, according to the LIMRA Secure Retirement Institute. Among those with less savings, a still-substantial majority — 70% — are homeowners. The ability to access home equity can save a retiree […]
6 reasons (5 good, 1 bad) to spend your home equity
Westend61/Getty Images Good and bad ways to spend home equity When you need cash now for a major expense, it might be tempting to tap some of the equity in your home. But before you decide on a cash-out refinance, home equity loan or home equity line of credit, think about how you plan to […]
FIRPTA Withholding Rate Increased to 15 Percent for High-End Properties
Good news for the U.S. commercial real estate industry: The Protecting American Taxpayers from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act includes two very positive FIRPTA provisions that are conservatively estimated to boost foreign investment in U.S. commercial real estate by $20-$30 billion per year. However, as part of a package of tax changes to “pay for” the […]
Cash Accounts for 26 Percent of Commercial Transactions in REALTOR® Markets
Commercial real estate investment trends were positive in 2015, with sales of large cap CRE transactions—over $2.5M—totaling $543 billion, based on Real Capital Analytics (RCA) data. However, in the first quarter 2016 sales volume dropped 20 percent on a yearly basis, to $111 billion. Part of the decline was due to large portfolio transactions in […]
Commercial Innovation Grants
The Commercial Innovation Grant Program assists REALTOR® associations with funding to help local and state associations launch new or make innovative enhancements to commercial services. To apply, download and complete the Commercial Innovation Grant Application (.DOC, 35KB). If you have any questions during the application process, please contact Shara Varner at 312-329-8282 or via email […]
2016 Q1 Commercial Real Estate Market Survey
The REALTORS® Commercial Real Estate Market Trends measures quarterly activity in the commercial real estate markets, as reported in a national survey. The survey collects data from REALTORS® engaged in commercial real estate transactions. The survey is designed to provide an overview of market performance, sales and leasing transactions, along with information on current economic […]
Summer 2016: Special Edition – Commercial Recap from the REALTORS® Legislative Meetings in D.C.
Welcome to this special edition of Commercial Connections, with highlights from the commercial perspective and activities during the REALTORS® Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo. While it’s a condensed glimpse of what happened during the week, the important conversations had by your commercial real estate colleagues involved at the national level has great importance and long-lasting […]
