Knowledgebase
All of Think Realty's extensive content archive is at your fingertips. Filter by media type and keyword to hone in on exactly what you need.
Knowledgebase
All of Think Realty's extensive content archive is at your fingertips. Filter by media type and keyword to hone in on exactly what you need.
Trash the Tile: Paint on Backsplash Cuts Cost, Saves Time
If you’ve ever remodeled a kitchen, you know the pain — and steep cost — of replacing a backsplash. One St. Louis company, however, hopes to make a new backsplash as simple as painting it onto your wall, simplifying the process to a few hours. Established in 2006, Giani was ...
Five Proptech Data Platforms to Help Real Estate Investors Make Smart Decisions
Continuing our series on innovation in real estate to help investors, we now look at the proptech data tools within this booming industry. As a refresher, proptech — otherwise known as property technology that aims to improve the real estate market — is rapidly expanding throughout the U.S. In fact, ...
Study: Home Flipping Hit a Summer Slump in 2018
It may have been one of the hottest summers on record, but not for real estate investors flipping homes. U.S. home flipping was down about 12 percent in the third quarter of 2018 when compared to the same period in 2017, according to an analysis by ATTOM Data Solutions, a ...
The Housing Slowdown is Starting to Hit this U.S. Region Hardest
After nearly a decade of surging growth, the U.S. housing market is finally starting to slow down. New home sales have declined for 11 consecutive months, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Despite the median price for new homes dropping, the data also show that sales of newly ...
Renters Warehouse Acquires OwnAmerica, Creating ‘Total Solution’ for Real Estate Investors
One of the fastest-growing residential property management companies in America has acquired the second largest single-family rental investment marketplace in the nation. Based in Bloomington, Minnesota, Renters Warehouse on Tuesday announced its purchase of OwnAmerica, creating a new platform through which renters can find homes to lease, and investors can ...
Renovation Rockstar: Layers of History in Kansas City
Project Notes: Built in 1890 4 bedrooms/4 bathrooms 3,010 square feet Original floors and staircase Kitchen with 12-foot ceilings Purchase Price: $122,000 Rehab & Carrying Costs: $200,000 Appraised Value After Rehab: $468,000* *Because the neighborhood is dominated by multigenerational households and rentals, comps for Hatley’s property were nonexistent. This is ...
Powerful Data Produces Good Business
“The role of chief economist at Fannie Mae is a little different than a chief economist role anywhere else,” Doug Duncan, Fannie Mae’s chief economist, started out. He then went on to detail a list of responsibilities, data and analytics sources and reports, and economic teams under his supervision that ...
Crime and Your Investment Strategy: Study Reveals Safest U.S. Cities in America
Regardless of familial status, the safety of an area is always high on prospective homebuyers’ priority list. That’s why a recent nationwide study by WalletHub should be on real estate investors’ minds before buying property in a market with which they’re unfamiliar. From cybercrime and home burglaries to the presence ...
Big Flip Potential? Here are the 25 Richest Counties in America
Real estate investors looking for top-dollar homes to flip can hone their prospects thanks to a recently released list of the richest counties in the U.S. There are many usual suspects on the list, however, a few areas might surprise you as areas with the highest wages doesn’t necessarily correspond ...
3 Elements in Home Design that Withstand the Test of Time
If you’re like me, sometimes the search for design inspiration can be something of a black hole. I love searching through online images to find unique finishes and special touches that work within our investing strategy framework, but too much time in that space can sort of skew your perspective ...
Think Realty Magazine December 2018
+ WHAT'S INSIDE Think Realty | News & Events •The Dark Side of Equipment Ownership Investor Stories | 3 Lessons from Helping a Small Business Invest • Powerful Data Produces Good Business Design Point | Renovation Rockstar: Small House, Big Makeover Special Section: 2019 Outlook | Sector Breakdown: Multifamily Real ...
Wildfires Becoming a Serious Danger to More Homeowners
Weeks after wildfires in California decimated entire cities, killed 88 people and wreaked billions of dollars in losses, an investigation has revealed that an increasing number of Americans are living in and moving to areas facing serious fire risks. Even with the growing risks, millions of more Americans have ...
Study: 386,000 Homes Are at Risk of Coastal Flooding by 2050
If environmental and emissions trends hold steady, rising sea levels and typical annual flooding will put more than 386,000 homes at risk by 2050. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts that by 2050, up to $106 billion worth of coastal property will likely be below sea level. That projection ...
5 Things to Consider Before a Home Giveaway
It’s as much a part of the season as mistletoe and silver bells. The annual home giveaway season starts just after Halloween when Christmas lights and holiday dazzle show up on your retailer’s shelves. Among the biggest operators of home-giveaways is St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. St. Jude's raffles local ...
With ‘Backyard’ Initiative, Airbnb Will Enter Homebuilding Space in 2019
After years of surging growth in the short-term rental space, Airbnb is looking ahead to diversify its offerings with the addition of home design and building services. Valued at roughly $38 billion, the Silicon Valley tech giant announced Thursday its new home building initiative titled “Backyard.” The company said it’s ...
Short-Term Rental Market Case Study: Niagara Falls, NY
Case to be made: Niagara Falls, New York, is a profitable location for an Airbnb rental property. Data points to analyze: Short-term rental cap rate Attraction points for visitors Local legislation Deal availability Strategic options The vacation- and short-term rental game is changing. Many investors are buying vacation rentals in ...
The True Cost of Homeownership in 2018
2018 has been a banner year for homeowners in many regards. For example, cumulatively homeowners gained nearly $1 trillion in home equity in the first half of the year alone. More than 95 percent of mortgaged homes are now showing positive equity, leaving fewer than five percent of homeowners with ...
Real Estate Market Spotlight: Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids, Michigan, has recently received an ambitious title: “A Grand Investment.” The label, derived from an ongoing series of studies and articles commissioned and created by a local “destination marketing organization,” certainly fits the local real estate market. In the past 18 months, the second-largest city in Michigan has ...
Report Reveals a New Haven for the Youngest U.S. Homeowners
While Florida is still the top locale for the oldest U.S. homeowners, a new state is attracting the nation’s youngest homeowners, according to a recent study by Lending Tree. Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau on the 100 largest metro areas in the United States, Lending Tree found that ...
Metal, Shades of Gray and Boomers: Master Bathroom Remodel Trends
Modernizing your master bathroom remains one of the most cost-effective room renovations to add value to your home. And thanks to a recent survey of 1,144 U.S. homeowners on Houzz, a variety of trends have emerged that might maximize the return on your bathroom redo. Here are six of those ...
Design Your Property Outside the Box
These days, so many investors are using the exact same materials over and over again in their flips. For my husband, Ken, and I, we find that when we go outside the box and do things in our investment properties that nobody else is doing in terms of creativity, we ...
4 Tips to Perfect Your YouTube Video Marketing
When most people think about YouTube, they think of music videos, how-to trainings, or maybe video marketing. However, YouTube can be used for so much more than that, especially in real estate. Whether you are using YouTube to promote your properties for sale or rent or to help stay Fair ...
Rehab Regrets: Four Common Rookie Mistakes to Avoid
Newbie real estate investors and homebuyers often are attracted to affordable homes that need repairs with the intention of revamping it to become their dream home. Rehab projects, however, can quickly grow nasty — and expensive — if you’re not realistic and prepared before you buy. Here are four things to consider before ...
Our Responsibility to Speak Up for Real Estate [Industry Opinion]
The opinions stated in this article are solely those of the author. Make your voice heard on this topic on the Think Realty forums. Our own federal government has no idea who we are. That may sound like absolute heaven to a lot of you reading this, but the fact ...
Prevent a Holiday Cooking Fire Disaster in Your Investment Properties
Cooking is the leading cause of home structure fires according to research conducted by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), and the number of cooking fires increases significantly around Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Cooking fires are also one of the most preventable losses in real estate. With regular maintenance and ...
