Real Estate, Updates, News & Tips - Patricia Otero - iPro Real Estate

Buyers Face Fewer Choices

Many markets are seeing so few new listings that they may not be able to meet the strong buyer demand heading into real estate’s traditionally busiest season. Listings are down more than 7 percent compared to a year ago across the country, according to the latest data by the National Association of REALTORS®.“Competition is likely to heat up even more heading into the spring for house hunters looking for homes in the lower- and mid-market pr

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Landlords Seek to Reinvent Shopping Malls

The shopping mall is getting a big makeover across the country. Faced with a shrinking number of shoppers, mall landlords are looking to reinvent shopping centers, mixing in everything from apartments to concerts, to get more foot traffic.One giant in the mall space, Westfield Corp., has cut its portfolio of shopping centers in half from 66 to 33 since 2004. It’s now testing the waters in apartment buildings, organizing concerts and other event

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Hidden Home Fire Dangers That Lurk

More than 47,000 home fires reported to U.S. fire departments involved some type of electrical failure or other household malfunction, according to the National Fire Protection Association.Homeowners sometimes discover that fires can be caused by some unexpected objects. Realtor.com® recently featured some of the hidden fire dangers that may lurk in a home:DishwashersMany dishwasher fires are caused by liquids that come into contact with the app

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BROKERS: 5 Commercial Tech Companies to Know

For years the commercial real estate market remained relatively unchanged when it came to technology, lagging behind the rest of the real estate industry during the Dot Com Boom and the more recent rise of automation and cloud-based technologies. But commercial real estate recovered following the recession and profits began to grow, attracting younger brokers with different needs than their predecessors.These shifts in the industry have led to a

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You May Not Be Saving Enough for Retirement

Two-thirds of Americans fail to contribute anything to a 401(k) or other retirement account available through their employer, according to the Census Bureau.The latest data is alarming financial experts, who say Americans are not saving enough for retirement. Only about a third of workers are saving in a 401(k) or similar tax-deferred retirement plan, according to researchers Michael Gideon and Joshua Mitchell, who analyzed W-2 tax records from 2

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Where FHA Loans Are the Most Popular

In 2016, 15.5 percent of home purchases were completed using Federal Housing Administration loans, according to ATTOM Data Solutions. For many borrowers, the FHA requires a down payment of just 3.5 percent of the purchase price of a home.The following are the eight metros with populations of more than 200,000 that had the largest percentage of purchases using FHA-insured loans in 2016.1. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas FHA sales: 35%2. Ogden-Clea

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REALTORS: Satisfied Agents

 Satified AgentsA BETTER WAY OF LIVING!Learn how iPro can grow your business, save time and money.LEARN MOREiPro Real Estate was founded on the idea of building a better living with champion service. We focus on incorporating and mastering the latest technologies and procedures keeping you above the crowd. Our team of professionals set a stronger standard of business, abide by a strict code of ethics and give superior service.AGENT PROFILE S

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Existing-Home Sales Reach Decade High

Existing-home sales in January reached their fastest pace in nearly a decade, with all major regions except the Midwest posting gains last month, the National Association of REALTORS® reports.Total existing-home sales—completed transactions that include single-family homes, townhomes, condos, and co-ops—rose 3.3 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.69 million in January. That's 3.8 percent higher than a year ago and marks the st

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Aging in Place May Be Financially Impossible

Forty-three million American homeowners aged 55 and older say they plan to live out the rest of their years in their current home. But adding the necessary features they'll need to age in place could prove costly—and possibly financially impossible for some—according to a new analysis by mortgage financing giant Freddie Mac.About 1.5 million existing homes require retrofitting, such as widened doorways and hallways, adding levered handles, or

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Minimum Salaries Needed to Buy in 27 Cities

An increase in interest rates means home shoppers likely will need a higher salary in order to afford a median-priced home in 27 of the largest metro areas, according to mortgage data provider HSH.com's fourth-quarter 2016 salary-homeownership analysis.Couple that with higher home prices, which are rising year over year, and it takes more to afford the principal, interest, taxes, and insurance payments on a median-priced home. Take a look at the

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