Houston Real Estate Blogosphere
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Timeshares & Fractional
The most recently published posts in the Timeshares & Fractional category
Vacation-home sales improved in 2012, while investment purchases
remained elevated for a second consecutive year, according to the National Association of REALTORS®.
The association’s 2013 Investment and Vacation Home Buyers Survey,
covering existing- and new-home transactions in 2012, shows
vacation-home sales rose 10.1 percent to 553,000 from 502,000 in 2011.
Investment-home sales decli...
Read Post [Posted on 04/06/2013 By John Askins]
With home values falling over the past few years, some buyers are
seeing a great opportunity to buy their retirement home now instead of
waiting until they retire years later.
For example, in one of the largest retirement areas in the nation —
Century Village in Boca Raton, Fla. — the average age of a new home
buyer has dropped from the mid-70s to the low 60s in the last year. ...
Read Post [Posted on 03/29/2013 By John Askins]
Some of the hardest-hit cities in the housing downturn were from vacation home areas, but now these areas are seeing a surge in sales. Condo sales in Hawaii and Florida are rebounding, Housing Predictor reports.“We’re definitely seeing continual strengthening of the market as more buyers are taking advantage of low prices and low rates to buy second homes and vacation homes,” says Jeff Proste...
Read Post [Posted on 03/12/2013 By John Askins]
TripAdvisor, a travel Web site, recently released a list of America’s top vacation rental hot spots for this year. “Vacation rentals can offer families and groups of travelers significant savings over other accommodation options,” says Hank Hudepohl, director of vacation rentals at TripAdvisor.Their top picks, which factored in search data from its site, include:1. Kissimmee, Fla.2. Big ...
Read Post [Posted on 02/23/2013 By John Askins]
Nationwide apartment rental firm ApartmentGuide.com says the majority of apartment seekers are looking for apartments in the $500 to $700 price range, followed by $700 to $900. Distance from the city center was also a factor, with the majority of apartment hunters seeking homes five miles form the city center, followed by 10 miles, then 20 miles.These are the other top features that apartment seek...
Read Post [Posted on 02/20/2013 By John Askins]
With prices still down in many markets, and second-home hot spots that once were out of reach for many buyers remain affordable, The Wall Street Journal reports.
For example, a property on Hilton Head Island, S.C., that sold for $1.2 million in June 2006 recently sold for $750,000. Other big slashes in home prices have made such markets more affordable, and buyers are jumping on P...
Read Post [Posted on 01/11/2013 By John Askins]
With the local weatherman calling for another freezing cold night, Richard and Vickie Burton packed the car and fled south for the heat of the Texas Rio Grande Valley.The Burton family drove more than 16 hours, joining hundreds of other Winter Texans who migrate to their winter homes.The snowbirds return every year, flocking south in droves to escape the cold and encamp in trailer and RV...
Read Post [Posted on 01/01/2013 By John Askins]
Rental income produced by residential properties rose 12 percent year-over-year in September 2012, CoreLogic reports. “The rapid growth in rental income is a byproduct of fundamental shifts in the housing market, driven by a large increase in affordable investment properties and rising rents,” CoreLogic reports. This residential investment will contribute to additional economic growth. "Overall ma...
Read Post [Posted on 12/21/2012 By John Askins]
Some home buyers may rethink paying a premium for beachfront property following Hurricane Sandy’s wrath along the East Coast in late October.Some home buyers who were already under contract for beachfront properties before Sandy hit are either backing out of the deal or negotiating repairs with sellers. Some buyers are cautious, expecting home insurance premiums to rise 10 to 20 percent. Of a...
Read Post [Posted on 11/30/2012 By John Askins]
Retirees are increasingly flocking to cooler climates and smaller towns than sunny, southern havens in states like Florida or Arizona that generally are popular retirement hot-spots. Baby boomers are looking elsewhere, from Maine to Washington. "Boomers and retirees these days are considering a much wider range of destinations for retirement, often choosing states that don't commonly come to mind,...
Read Post [Posted on 09/23/2012 By John Askins]
Bargain home prices have jump-started sales on vacation or second homes, but more purchasers are opting to buy properties much closer to their primary residence.In the past, second-home buyers tended to buy properties out-of-state or were lured to vacation homes near far-flung resorts and tourist destinations. But second-home purchases these days seem to be more restrained, as more purchasers opt ...
Read Post [Posted on 05/11/2012 By John Askins]
Vacation homes and rental properties are now popular as investments. http://moneyland.time.com/2012/04/02/market-for-investment-and-vacation-homes-has-been-booming/Read how more people last year realized that it was a good time to invest in a vacation home or investment property. In fact, more than 1/4 of buyers fit this category....
Read Post [Posted on 05/04/2012 By Cynthia Guest]
Our MLS has over 60k properties listed at any one point in time. The lease market in and around Houston has been red hot for a few years now. It's been increasingly common for perspective tenants seeking month to month, 3 month or 6 month leases.
Unfortunately the inventory for such requests is practically non-existent. Especially for month-to-month or 3 month leases. You're lucky to find a ...
Read Post [Posted on 02/17/2012 By Gregory Nino]
I'll admit I should have known better but I feel for the the "Ol vacation shell game." Last June I took my family on one of those discounted vacation stays offered by Hilton Grand Vacations at their Orlando Parc Soleil resort. All you have to do is attend one of their presentations on how great membership would be. All the way there my wife and I practiced how we would refuse the...
Read Post [Posted on 12/06/2011 By Bob Kaminski]
How to Protect
Your Vacation Home This Winter
To prevent a storm from causing a major headache
at a vacation home, keep a few things in mind besides locking the doors and
stopping the mail for the winter.
“Turn off all water and blow out (water lines) with
an air compressor if you are turning off heat in a climate that freezes,” says
plumber Tim Walker of River Edge. “Put (non-toxic) an...
Read Post [Posted on 11/11/2011 By Michelle Cannon]
