Author: Daniel Bortz

If You Build It…

Posted in REALTOR magazineTagged ,

In a normal year, Grant Johnson, a real estate agent at RE/MAX Results in Minneapolis–St. Paul, Minn., divides his time equally between selling existing homes and developing land for new- home construction. But the pandemic has flipped Johnson’s business on its head.

“Listings have been very difficult to come by,” says Johnson. As a result, he decided to scale up his land development work. “Typically, the builder that I work with and I put together 20 to 30 lots a year,” he says. “This year we’re going to be developing 70 lots.” In addition to procuring the land, Johnson will represent the builder as a listing agent. “Creating our own inventory has helped us survive the pandemic,” he says.

Diversifying business streams amid a period of record-low inventory has been a productive move for Johnson and many real estate agents and brokers this year. National Association of REALTORS® Chief Economist Lawrence Yun says, “2021 is likely to have the most acute shortage of homes for sale in history.”

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4 Pandemic Home Improvements to Increase Value

Posted in Northwestern MutualTagged , ,

If home remodeling is on your mind, you’re not alone. Two-thirds of homeowners said spending more time at home during the pandemic made them want to do more renovations and repairs, according to a recent study by home loan lender LightStream.

The best renovations will not only boost the enjoyment of your home but will also help raise its market value. Here are four pandemic home improvements to increase value in today’s market.

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What Your HR Resume Should Look Like After the Pandemic

Posted in HR magazineTagged , ,

Human resource practitioners have met an array of challenges during the pandemic. That makes now an ideal time for industry professionals to update their resumes.

“The pandemic turned the world of work on its head, requiring HR professionals to develop strategies, programs and procedures to meet the challenges and opportunities of a rapidly evolving workforce,” says Alyssa Gelbard, founder and CEO of Point Road Group, a New York City-based career consulting firm. “This resulted in development of new skill sets to effectively manage, recruit and onboard distributed teams; keep employees safe; drive remote engagement; and support new ways of operating. These skills should be reflected on their resumes.”

This Season’s Wedding Crashers: Cicadas

Posted in The New York TimesTagged , ,

The bride and groom were in the middle of exchanging vows when something landed on David Levi’s head. “I particularly don’t like flying bugs, so you could imagine my reaction when a cicada landed on my head and started moving its tiny legs on my scalp,” said Mr. Levi of Bristol, Conn.

Mr. Levi, the owner of a cryptocurrency investment business based in Israel, let out a scream. “Thankfully, my friend came to the rescue and swatted off the cicada, but it didn’t stop there,” he said, describing a May 25 outdoor wedding he had attended in Volant, Pa. “During the reception, I saw some guests swatting at the air, trying to get cicadas away. I also saw some cicadas crawling on our table.”

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Half of Homes Are Selling for Over Asking Price. Here’s How to Decide What to Bid

Posted in Money magazineTagged , ,

Home prices have always been negotiable. Usually, that has meant buyers pushing sellers below their asking price. But lately, in a nation marked by a record-low supply of homes for sale, the opposite has been happening.

Consider: half of U.S. homes sold for more than their list price during the four-week period ending May 16, according to Redfin. That marks a record high since 2012, when the brokerage began tracking.

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Selling Your Home in a Seller’s Market

Posted in The New York TimesTagged , , ,

By the time they got the last offer, Quinn and Daryn Shapurji had received 54 bids on their four-bedroom, single-family house in Fishers, Ind., in just three days. Ms. Shapurji said they felt totally overwhelmed — and a bit melancholy.

“We felt bad that we had to say no to so many people, because we got a lot of beautiful letters from buyers saying how much they loved our house and why they wanted to live in the area,” said Ms. Shapurji, 32, a closing coordinator for a home builder. “Some buyers had already struck out on five or six homes.”

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The Real Costs of Selling a Home

Posted in AARP the magazineTagged , ,

We’re a mostly stay-put nation: Nearly half of American homeowners 50 and older have been in the same residence for 20-plus years. Which means that when it finally comes time to move on, you should be prepared for some sticker shock. Selling a home costs a lot of money, often as much as 10 percent of the sales price. But you can reduce that with a little negotiating, planning and do-it-yourself taskwork. Here’s the lowdown.

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Can the Housing Market Get Any Hotter? A Guide to Home Buying This Spring

Posted in Money magazineTagged , ,

The words “spring home buying season” carry a very different meaning this year than they did last year.

Normally spring is the hottest time of year for home sales — more buyers surface when the warmer weather emerges and families prefer to move before the next school year begins. Last year’s spring market, though, was an anomaly. The coronavirus crisis ground the housing market to a halt in mid-March, as states locked down and house hunters put their home search on ice while following stay-at-home orders.

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7 Types of People Who Never Get Ahead at Work

Posted in Monster.comTagged , ,

We all like to think of ourselves as all-star employees, but here’s a reality check: While some workers appear to be riding an escalator to the top of the food chain, there are others whose professional growth simply isn’t what it should be. If you don’t know how to get ahead at work, chances are you may be one of these seven employee archetypes. These tips can help you make some moves.

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How Homebuyers Can Win a Bidding War

Posted in Northwestern MutualTagged , , ,

If you’re buying a home right now, you might find the competition is stiff: More than 60 percent of homes faced a bidding war, a recent Redfin report found, thanks to low mortgage rates and scarce inventory.

Your offer will need to rise to the top. But how? We asked some real estate pros how to make an offer that will win a bidding war.

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