Author: anthonylasvegas

Americans are increasingly showing their desires for walkable neighborhoods that combine a mix of homes and stores. In fact, a new survey shows that the least popular neighborhood is a suburban one with just houses in it. Sixty percent of Americans surveyed say they favor neighborhoods with a mix of houses and stores and other businesses that are easy to walk to over neighborhoods that require greater driving among home, work, and recreation, according to the National Association of REALTORS®’ 2013 Community Preference Survey of 1,500 Americans. “Although there is no one-size-fits-all approach, smart growth is typically characterized by mixed-use development, higher densities, and pedestrian-friendly streets that accommodate a wide diversity of transportation modes,” says NAR President Gary Thomas. “Growth patterns, economic development, and quality-of-life issues are inextricably linked to the success of communities and residents.”

via Neighborhood Preferences Are Changing | Realtor Magazine.

Rhetorical question? Perhaps, for surely everyone does. But increasingly, successful people are taking a harder look at residency. The notion that a moneyed Californian would even consider it provokes outrage among some. Remember the public reaction to Phil Mickelson’s remarks?The question whether “making it” in California requires staying and paying may be a debate with no answer. Yet the tax laws recognize it has always occurred state to state and even country to country. Moreover, the income tax is uniformly an annual reckoning. This fundamental fact about income taxes itself belies the notion that one cannot earn, pay tax and leave before paying more.

via With California Taxes…..Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? – Forbes.

Rising home prices and short supply have investors setting their sights on a new real estate play. Home flipping, loosely defined as buying and selling the same home within six months, fell out of favor during the housing recession, as falling prices left no prospect for profit. Now the market is on the rise again, and flippers are testing the waters, but the game has changed. This time, high rollers are taking the lead, backed by private-equity cash. The million-dollar flip is a high-risk, high-reward play, with investors catering to the latest architectural whims of the highest-end buyers.

via Investors high on high-end house flips – MSN Real Estate.

Starwood Property Trust will spin-off its single-family residential business into a real estate investment trust, as the company looks to become one of the largest publicly-traded single-family property owners.  The new REIT, Starwood Waypoint Residential Trust, will be listed on the New York Stock Exchange and trade under the ticker symbol \”SWAY.\”As of September 30, 2013,

Starwoods single-family residential portfolio, which will be owned by the new REIT, included approximately 5,817 properties, totaling approximately $750 million in investment capital, the company said.The new REITs portfolio will be managed by Sway Management, a subsidiary of Starwood Capital Group, which is merging with Waypoint Real Estate Group. No details were announced for the Waypoint transaction.Barry Sternlicht, “Were buying $50 million to $60 million homes a month and the baby is getting a little large — like Moby-Dick,” Starwood chief executive Barry Sternlicht told Bloomberg. “With Waypoint, well have best-in-class management that has capability proven to get to scale.”

via Starwood Creates Single-Family-Home REIT – WORLD PROPERTY CHANNEL Global News Center.

The Internet has become the first place to look for real estate. In 2007, more than 80% of home buyers actively used the Internet as part of their research process before buying real estate and before contacting an agent. This proportion keeps increasing, making online real estate a very attractive market. However, competition in this space is very fierce. Most real estate agents and companies have already built their own sites, and invest heavily in online marketing. Companies that provide a differentiated online service may have a chance to win this huge market. Online real estate company Trulia NYSE: TRLA    uses interactive maps and strategic acquisitions to capture market share. Competitor Zillow NASDAQ: Z   , on the other hand, emphasizes its \”hidden inventory.\” The company has rich information regarding pre-foreclosures and homes under construction. Then theres Move NASDAQ: MOVE   , owner of Realtor.com, a huge database-driven website with more than 94 million properties. Which of these three companies has a bigger chance to win the promising real estate online market?

via How to Play the Online Real Estate Market.

Is it too soon to offer housing market predictions for 2014? I think not. After all, most home buyers start the research and planning process months before they actually buy a home. And they have questions upon questions:What will home prices do in 2014? Will mortgage rates rise or fall next year? Which way is the market moving? Will it be a good year to buy a home?These is no way to answer these questions with complete accuracy. But we can get close. We can use current trends to make an educated guess about future trends. With that in mind, here is our real estate forecast and outlook for 2014.

via 8 Predictions for the Housing Market in 2014 – Forecast, Trends, Expectations.

Home prices in 20 U.S. cities rose in August from a year ago by the most since February 2006 as stronger demand boosted values.The S&P/Case-Shiller index of property prices in 20 cities increased 12.8% from August 2012, more than forecast, after a 12.3% gain in the year ended in July, a report from the group showed today in New York. The median projection of 28 economists surveyed by Bloomberg called for a 12.5% advance.“You’ve got some momentum,” said Brian Jones, senior U.S. economist at Societe Generale in New York, who forecast a 12.9% increase in home prices. “The more encouraging thing is not just that prices accelerated, every area reported higher selling prices. The breadth of the increase was across the entire country.”

via Housing prices in U.S. cities rise by most since early 2006.

Last week on Forbes.com I offered you my list of frivolous things that luxury real estate buyers waste too much money and attention on. Zen parks, electronics systems, outdoor showers—it’s not surprising that buyers shopping for high-end homes in big cities find these amenities tantalizing.While sex sells, so does quality. And although a seductive marketing campaign can generate premiums unknown, there are certain attributes that a luxury property can’t be without. You already know the adage: location, location, location. But besides location, there are other things that high-end buyers would be wise to spend more energy, money and time on.

via 10 Things, Besides Location, Luxury Real Estate Buyers Should Obsess Over – Forbes.