What’s up in real estate?
Housing outlook 2014: 10 predictions from the experts
Forbes
In 2013 the housing recovery was a welcome bright spot for the economy: prices were shooting up, fewer homeowners were underwater, and builder confidence was finally on the upswing. It’s looking like 2014 should be another good year for housing – mostly.
What are your gripes about closings?
Realtor Magazine
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is asking for feedback on the most stressful, confusing, and problematic areas for consumers when it comes to the closing process in a home purchase.
For the last month Phil Jones has been recreating the ads from local realtors and then taping over them with his own version. He called it The Faces Of Real Estate.
Local news
Photos: Metro shows off railcar of the future
DCist
Metro today gave the media a look at its new 7000 series railcar, which was greeted at the Greenbelt station by Mayor Vince Gray, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley and other politicians.
New condo supply on the rise
DC Urban Turf
The number of unsold condo units in new projects or those under construction (and not yet marketing) rose to 3,308 in the DC area by the end of 2013, an increase of 1,000 units from the third quarter when the new condo supply hit its lowest level in a decade.
Report: DC-area condo prices to keep rising for the next three years
Washington Business Journal
In its quarterly snapshot of the Washington condo market, Delta notes the year-over-year change in condo prices in the third quarter was positive for the sixth consecutive quarter, even as sales volume fell to the lowest level since the final quarter of 2011.
Technology
4 methods for your mobile house hunt madness
Trulia Blog
You’ll want to make sure you find the best solution (home), with the most efficiency (time, money, etc.) and strategic smarts (not driving yourself wild with anxiety or overwhelm). What you need is a little method to avoid the madness that mobile house hunting can bring.
5 DC startups positioned for major growth in 2014
Huffington Post
HomeSnap makes hunting for real estate a breeze. The algorithm uses a combination of big data and iPhone features (accelerometer, gyroscope, location services) to determine where you are and then present a home’s details.
Home Improvement
7 storage solutions you didn’t know you had
House Logic
Every square foot of your home is valuable. These storage solutions take advantage of underused nooks and crannies. And just for fun, we did some back-of-the-napkin calculations based on the average price per square foot of a U.S. home ($81) to attach a theoretical value to the bonus space.
Low-cost cabinet makeovers
Better Homes & Gardens
Save thousands of dollars by using paint and new hardware to update your existing kitchen cabinets instead of buying new ones. These colorful, budget-friendly examples will help you get started.