507 Jones Avenue, Buhl – $145,900

http://raor.paragonrels.com/publink/default.aspx?GUID=50db977d-1fa2-4779-9f6b-067c2bfbb53d&Report=Yes

This is a truly remarkable home! Beautifully updated and carefully maintained! Includes: 4 bedrooms; 1.5 Bathrooms; very spacious living room, dining room, and kitchen; den/sun room; bonus room and large hallway closet on upper level; poured, dry basement; 2.5 stall insulated heated/cooled finished garage w/ workshop area; new 1 stall garage with yard and alley access; and a beautiful large empty lot next door! Other features include: new furnace, sidewalks, garage openers and steel roofs on both garages! A very special property!

Why New Homes Are Getting Pricier

June 25, 2018
More than 90 percent of builders say that rising lumber prices are hampering the affordability of new homes, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index. Recently surveyed builders say that the higher construction costs are causing more prospective buyers to back out of purchasing a new home as well.
Builders are blaming the rising construction costs on the increase in lumber prices over the past year and a half. (They also say a shortage of labor is having an effect.) Ninety-five percent of builders surveyed said that recent increases in lumber prices were hurting the affordability of their new homes, evenly split on whether it’s a “minor” or “significant” impact.
U.S. lumber prices have increased 62 percent since January 2017, according to Robert Dietz, the NAHB’s chief economist. He estimates that a lumber tariff has pushed up the typical new-home price by $9,000.
Shortages of framing lumber are widespread, builders say. More than 30 percent of single-family builders surveyed reported a shortage of framing lumber, the highest percentage since the NAHB began tracking such data since 1994.

© NAHB

Source: “Builders Say Lumber Prices Are Hurting Affordability,” National Association of Home Builders’ Eye on Housing blog (June 22, 2018) and “U.S. Builders Say Trump’s Tariffs Are Adding $9,000 to New Home Price, and That’s Not All,” The Morning Call (June 25, 2018)

 

 

 

Are Millennials Finally Flying the Coop?

June 21, 2018

More millennials may be ready to leave Mom and Dad’s basement to start their own household. The number of 18- to 34-year-olds living with their parents last year dropped slightly from 2016, according to new data released from the CoStar Group, a commercial data firm.
In 2017, 31.5 percent of that age group was living with their parents, down from 32 percent in 2016. The percentage remains elevated from the historical average of 28 percent. But economists say the downward trend likely will continue as the economy improves.
“There are more individuals in that age cohort who are employed,” Michael Cohen, director of advisory services at CoStar, told CNBC. “We also should see some wage gains in that age range. … That gives me some degree of confidence that we’ll see some more momentum … in [young adults] moving out of Mom’s place.”
Many millennials chose to live with their parents as they built their careers and tried to pay down student debt. The generation carries the majority of the $1.5 trillion in student debt. Also, their wages are lower than their parents’ salaries were when they were in their 20s.
More than a third of workers are millennials, now the largest generation in the labor force, according to the Pew Research Center.

Source: “Millennials Moving Out of Mom and Dad’s Place, Study Shows,” CNBC (June 20, 2018)

http://raor.paragonrels.com/publink/default.aspx…

This home was built on the edge of Hibbing in 1974 and has had only one family calling it home. It faces 41st Street, which is newly paved and the backyard extends over 300 feet through the woods to Hwy 37. It has central air conditioning and a new gas furnace put in 3 years ago. Additional wiring was installed in 1999, for emergency situations, so the house can be powered by the generator, which has been rarely used. A painting studio/workshop was built in 1996 that is insulated and heated, and also has double doors to accommodate larger items for storage.

7 Habits to Boost Business in 2018
If you want to realize your goals in the coming year, set up a routine to make it happen.

The New Year is here, and no doubt you’ve thought long and hard about your company goals for 2018. But are they SMART goals (S-specific; M-measurable; A-achievable; R-realistic; T-timely)?
In order to realize your SMART goals, you’ll have to get into a healthy business routine. Here are seven habits to consistently practice every day to make 2018 the best year for you and your brokerage.
1. Praise your team for their efforts, not results. Everyone thrives on praise. Praise encourages, motivates, and inspires people to achieve greater heights. But how you praise people is key.
Praise your agents on their individual and group efforts. Never assume their talents or smarts are a given. Otherwise, they may think, “What if I don’t get a deal done next time? Maybe I’m not as smart as you think. Next time I might fail.”
Praising effort creates a work environment that values growth and improvement. Strive to create a culture where agents think anything is possible.
Regardless of whether a deal closes, provide encouragement such as, “I have total confidence in you. I’ve never seen you give up. I know you’re going to get there.”
2. Be calm and unflappable, regardless of what happened before you walked in the door. You are the broker—the leader. Your mood sets the tone in the firm every day. Being calm enables you to sit in the driver’s seat and focus on your priorities to get things done. Calm brains are hardwired to perform.
3. Do not check your email in the morning. If there is an emergency, you’ll know or find out about it immediately. No one finds out about an emergency in an email.
Give your best, most productive hours of the day to your own goals, not someone else’s as stated in their email.
Set yourself up to act on an email, not react to it.
Do not allow your priorities and goals to be hijacked by an email.
4. Only do what’s important.
Complete your planned activities first, and ask yourself whether anything else is essential.
There is a direct correlation between your use of time and your output, which is driven entirely by hours spent on your planned activities.
5. Make any and all distractions go away. Distractions are “culturally-generated ADD,” according to Ed Hallowell, former professor at Harvard Medical School and author of Driven to Distraction.
Change your environment by changing your behavior. For example, try working for an hour at home in the morning so that you won’t be interrupted every five minutes with a question or email.
6. Create a consistent routine. Routines work because they become automatic; you don’t have to think about them.
Apply the 8-2 rule: Of the 10 things you do each day, only two of them are really responsible for the success of your company. Figure out what those two things are and do them every day. Try to eliminate doing the other eight things.
7. Define tomorrow’s one or two priorities or goals the night before.
Make those goals SMART.
Write them down.
Take that list with you in the morning.
As long as you are clear about your SMART brokerage goals for 2018, these seven daily habits will help your firm—and you—make 2018 your best year yet.

December 21, 2017
by Tim and Julie Harris

http://raor.paragonrels.com/publink/default.aspx…

Spacious multi-living 4 bedroom 2 bath home located in a great location. All rooms are large with lots of storage. Newer appliances many upgrades, large deck to enjoy summer BBQ’s plus a 3 stall garage for all your toys. The home is very well maintained…………Its perfect!!! Call today don’t miss it!

Millennials Are the ‘Renovation Generation’

Millennials aren’t turned off by home improvement projects. They are more likely than any other generation to remodel any part of their home, according to a HomeAdvisor’s 2018 True Cost Survey. Millennials are twice as likely as baby boomers to complete bathroom and kitchen remodeling projects. They are also more likely to build a deck or porch and paint a home’s exterior than other generations too.
Millennials, those born between 1980 and 1994, have completed the most home projects in the past 12 months—more than baby boomers, Generation X, or the silent generation, according to the study. However, baby boomers tend to outspend all generations in home improvement projects.

Nevertheless, “the millennial generation is becoming increasingly important” in the home improvement industry, notes Brad Hunter, HomeAdvisor’s chief economist. “Most millennials have had to compromise on the size and condition of their starter homes—with many purchasing older homes in need of repair just to be able to afford homeownership. Many of the millennials who did buy a home in the last few years are seeking to upgrade. But a lack of housing inventory, coupled with inflated home prices and rising mortgage rates, has them renovating their existing homes instead of selling and moving. Luckily, many have built up the equity to afford the cost of some improvements.”
More than half of the millennials surveyed say they want to move to a home with more space or to upgrade to a nicer home. But a lack of homes for sale is keeping them stuck in place.
As such, they’ve got big plans for their current home: 82 percent of millennials surveyed—the highest compared to other generations surveyed—say they plan to spend as much as they did in the last 12 months on home improvement projects next year. More than half of millennials say they expect to spend more than they did last year.
“With rapidly rising home values spurring sudden equity, young homeowners are making improvements to beautify and personalize their spaces,” according to the report.

Daily Real Estate News | Wednesday, June 13, 2018
Source: “True Cost Report,” HomeAdvisor (June 2018)

Is Break in Rate Hikes Significant to Buyers?

For the second consecutive week, mortgage rates decreased as the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell two basis points to average 4.54 percent, Freddie Mac reports. Rates had been on a steady incline for weeks before breaking trend.
“Home buyers have taken advantage of the recent moderation in rates, which led to a 4 percent increase in purchase applications last week,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “Although demand has remained steadfast against the backdrop of this year’s higher borrowing costs, it’s important to note that the growth rate of purchase loan balances has moderated so far this year—and particularly since March. This slowdown indicates that buyers are having difficulty stretching to keep up with the pace of home price growth. … Listings for new and existing homes need to increase in the months ahead to moderate price growth and reignite sales activity.”
Freddie Mac reports the following national averages with mortgage rates for the week ending June 7:

1. 30-year fixed-rate mortgages: averaged 4.54 percent, with an average 0.5 point, dropping from last week’s 4.56 percent average. Last year at this time, 30-year rates averaged 3.89 percent.
2. 15-year fixed-rate mortgages: averaged 4.01 percent, with an average 0.4 point, falling from last week’s 4.06 percent average. A year ago, 15-year rates averaged 3.16 percent.
3. 5-year hybrid adjustable-rate mortgages: averaged 3.74 percent, with an average 0.4 point, falling from last week’s 3.80 percent average. A year ago, 5-year ARMs averaged 3.11 percent.

Source: Freddie Mac

Daily Real Estate News | Friday, June 08, 2018

507 Jones Avenue, Buhl – $149,900.00

http://raor.paragonrels.com/publink/default.aspx…

This is a truly remarkable home! Beautifully updated and carefully maintained! Includes: 4 bedrooms; 1.5 Bathrooms; very spacious living room, dining room, and kitchen; den/sun room; bonus room and large hallway closet on upper level; poured, dry basement; 2.5 stall insulated heated/cooled finished garage w/ workshop area; new 1 stall garage with yard and alley access; and a beautiful large empty lot next door! Other features include: new furnace, sidewalks, garage openers and steel roofs on both garages! A very special property!

REDUCED PRICE!

http://raor.paragonrels.com/publink/default.aspx?GUID=50463eb1-70eb-4531-9e2a-33a93785d2a4&Report=Yes

Perfect fixer upper near Greenhaven school! Efficient use of space / 3 bedrooms / 1.5 bathrooms / Bonus room in basement / Hardwood floors in all 3 bedrooms / Partial bathroom in basement / Affordably priced! Would make a great rental property. Sold as-is, most items in house are available to buyer. Great opportunity with lots of potential!