Author: anthonylasvegas

Like the broader real estate market, sales of high-end homes took a beating during the housing bust, but they’ve bounced back even faster since the recovery began.In September, the value of homes in the top 5 percent increased nearly 10 percent over the previous year, while the broader market saw gains of just over 6 percent. Although experts don’t expect double-digit gains to continue, they still say strong fundamentals will continue to drive strong sales for high-end homes.Related: 10 Luxury Home Amenities that Are Trending Up“There is a slowdown, but the top 5 percent of the market is faring much better than the U.S. as a whole,” says Zillow economist Svenjya  Gudell. “But the sales are still very robust.”Here are 5 reasons luxury home sales are still going strong:1. The rich are getting richer. The uneven economic recovery has widened the income gap between the wealthiest Americans and poorest. Data published by economists Emmanuel Saez and Thomas Piketty show that the top 1 percent of households by income has captured a staggering 95 percent of income gains between 2009 and 2012, while the bottom 90 percent have seen income fall by 16 percent. High earners also tend to have larger stock portfolios, so they’ve benefited the most from the booming stock market of the last four years. Those lucky enough to have benefited in the downturn are looking for for homes that meet the needs of their lavish lifestyle. Wealthier homebuyers are also less sensitive to rising interest rates, and less likely to let a small increase in rates affect their buying decision.

via 5 Reasons the Luxury Real Estate Market Is Booming | The Fiscal Times.

Several economic reports painted a positive picture for the American housing market, with job layoffs on the decline and overall economic growth edging a bit higher.\”This is generally positive news for housing demand. As more people go back to work, it means more people have income and the financial resources that they need to create households and buy homes,\” said Frank Nothaft, vice president and chief economist for Freddie Mac.The latest unemployment report from the U.S. Department of Labor noted that initial jobless claims dropped by 23,000 filings to 298,000 for the week ended Nov. 30.

via Housing market feeds off positive housing reports | 2013-12-05 | HousingWire.

Its been said that spring and early summer are the best times to sell your house. Competition among buyers can be fierce during these warm months and for whatever reason, the data has consistently shown that homes sell for more in spring and early summer. Maybe theres something psychological to warm weather that entices buyers or maybe it has something to do with the fact that families want to settle in before the school year starts in the fall.Either way, its not always possible to choose when to put your home on the market. But while spring might be the busiest time of the year for real estate transactions, homes get bought and sold every season of the year. Here are some tips for selling your home in the off-season.

via Home-Selling Secrets for Real Estates Off-Season | AOL Real Estate.

As affluent buyers around the world search for safe-haven investments, prices in several property markets continue to rise.Edward de Mallet Morgan, Associate Partner at Knight Frank, talks to Elite Traveler about the trends in the global luxury real estate market and tells us where his clients are looking to invest.With a growing number of affluent individuals around the world, several real estate markets around the globe are seeing a rise in the demand, and prices of, luxury residential properties.

via Global Buyer Trends: The ‘Safe-Haven’ Investments Driving Luxury Real Estate | Elite Traveler.

Homebuilder Robb Beville is a rare breed in Las Vegas: He works for a local company.The valley’s home construction market is dominated by out-of-state, publicly traded builders that are worth billions of dollars, employ thousands of people and sell tens of thousands of homes nationwide each year. They include Miami’s Lennar Corp., Texas’ D.R. Horton and Los Angeles’ KB Home.Beville, president of Las Vegas-based Harmony Homes, has 55 employees and sells about 400 homes a year.Harmony is one of a few local, privately held builders with sizable market share. Las Vegas used to have more of them, but they got wiped out by the recession.

via Competing with the big boys: How a local homebuilder beat the recession – VEGAS INC.

To some degree, every home is the owner’s castle, but these homes take it a step further. With stone walls, turrets and even a guard shack, these residences would fit into medieval Europe, or perhaps a Harry Potter novel.In the ivy-covered league1 Castle Rd, Piermont, NYFor sale: $5.5 million

via These Homes Could Be Your Castle | Zillow Blog.

When youre writing out the holiday shopping list, maybe its time to put your name on it and a home as the gift. If youve been considering buying a home, here are a few reasons why shopping for one during the holiday season can benefit you.Yes, it may involve you really prioritizing your time; the holiday season is a busy time. But if you can make time to house-hunt and you have already been pre-approved so you know how much home you can afford, then this could be a very good experience. And it may lead you to a new home in time for Christmas!Like many businesses, the holiday season can cause things to slow way down. Thats often the case for real estate. However, that doesnt mean you wont find eager sellers hoping youll make an offer on their homes. Even though there are parties, kids social activities and end-of-the-year work commitments, real estate sellers are still ready to let you step inside their homes to see if youll find one is a good fit.

via Benefits Of House-Hunting During The Holiday Season.