Real Estate, Updates, News & Tips - Michael Lebeda - iPro Real Estate

5 Environmentally Smart Landscaping Tips

A home's landscape provides curb appeal and, if designed smartly, it can also offer wellness and environmental benefits. When your clients undertake a new landscaping project, it's important that they keep the local ecosystem and environmental considerations in mind.Since some areas of the country are still experiencing drought conditions, the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) recently created an infographic that shares what your clients l

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Do Your Investors Need Landlord Insurance?

Renting out a property can always be a gamble, with the risk of a bad tenant who could, for example,  smash a hole in the wall or bail on paying rent. In either case, the landlord is left financially liable.But could landlord insurance help investors better protect their property investments?“Landlord insurance is a vital add-on for anyone planning to rent some or all of a property to another party,” insists James J. Whittle, assistant gener

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Walking Trails Overtake Golf Communities

A golf course is no longer the showpiece of a master-planned community. Instead, buyers are showing a greater preference to live near extensive trail networks and shared gardens. Developers are responding with new developments that are pushing out golf courses in favor of other outdoor areas that foster a sense of community.“What we’re seeing is this trend toward helping people interact with each other and helping them interact in natural env

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10 Best College Towns for Investors

A college town can be a great spot for investors. Rents are usually stable and there’s generally always a pool of tenants to choose from.“It’s always great to invest in a location where there is a large pool of tenants, which is exactly what you get when you invest in a property near a school like Georgia Institute of Technology,” says Rory Haigler, a Redfin real estate professional. The Georgia Institute of Technology topped Redfin’s l

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Why Millennials Value Local Real Estate Agents

Millennials love to conduct many aspects of their lives online, but a new survey says that’s not always true when it comes to real estate dealings.Seventy-five percent of millennials recently surveyed by financial wellness website CentSai say they prefer the help of a local real estate agent than an online agent. Seventy-one percent would also prefer to work with a local mortgage lender. They cited more desire for face-to-face collaboration, as

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The Big Boomer Sell-Off Coming in the 2020s?

Baby boomers are expected to sell their homes in large numbers over the next decade.Arthur C. Nelson, a University of Arizona professor, predicts the “great senior sell-off” will occur in the mid to late 2020s. It's a few years later than what Nelson had originally predicted in 2013 (he originally said by 2020). He says baby boomers are living in their homes longer, holding off on selling in the hopes of netting an even higher price later on.

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REALTORS: Turning Setbacks into Success

In every person’s career, there are pivotal moments that stand out. These experiences can range from landing your dream internship to being made partner at a firm, and each holds its own set of lessons. However, I’d argue that the setbacks and failures we experience shape us equally as much as our successes. We are defined by our failures, the lessons we choose to learn, and how close we stay to the pulse of change in order to keep up with ma

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Loan Applications Dip, Despite 2017 Rate Low

Fewer home buyers and refinancers took advantage of the lowest rate of the year last week. Total mortgage applications—including for refinancings and home purchases—dropped by 1.8 percent week over week, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported Wednesday. Mortgage applications are now down 23.5 percent from the same week a year ago.Even low mortgage rates don’t seem to be enough incentive to spark greater activity among homeowners and woul

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Why Removing That Wall Isn’t Always So Easy

Design TV shows make it look so easy: Just remove a wall or two and you have the open floor plan you’ve always wanted. But not so fast.Tearing down a wall could open up a host of other problems—some structural, if not done properly. It could also prove unexpectedly costly.To hire a professional contractor to remove a wall could cost you anywhere from $500 to $4,000, according to HouseLogic.com. To that cost, you’ll likely want to add a stru

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Fewer New Homes in Pipeline Pushes Up Prices

Nationwide housing starts dropped in March, despite continued high buyer demand, which is adding pressure to overall home prices.Housing starts for single-family and multifamily homes dropped 6.8 percent in March to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.22 million units, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday. Broken out, single-family production plunged 6.2 percent to an annual rate of 821,000 units in March month over month, following a stro

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