Many Smart Homes Sell Faster Today
The Technology of Tomorrow Helps: Smart home appliances and technology are becoming more common, and home buyers are increasingly 
choosing homes that boast the latest tech savvy features. An uncovered what smart features home buyers most desire, and how those features are impacting a home’s sale. Buyers today are more interested in homes with smart home features and technology
than they were two to five years ago. Respondents say they’re seeing
more buyers interested in controlling their home technology through
their smart phone or tablet. Highlighting smart home technology can really pay off. One in three noted that homes with smart home features and technology tend to sell faster than homes without them, See Smart Home Features.
The Next Big Thing?
Micro Apartments: Tiny studio apartments may be the next trend for the 
multifamily sector.
Developers see the small apartments -- averaging about 380 square feet
-- as a big draw to urban-dwelling millennials as they break out to form
new households. Developers built about 1,000 micro units in 2013 and 2014 and about 2,200 more are under construction.
Just like the overall rental market, rents for micro units are rising rapidly.
or proposed. Many of these
micro apartments are mostly centered in high-cost housing markets. Continuing to rent is not a great solution to the affordability problem, either. Mortgage Rates Drop Even Lower This Week (Interested in learning about mortgages? Check out our video.
How High Can A Landlord Raise The Rent?
When news broke last week that a San Francisco woman’s rent was increasing by 400% (yes, you read that right, 400%), we all clutched our 
pearls and muttered through clenched jaws, “Only in the Bay Area.” Except it’s not. While
the Bernal Heights woman’s situation is somewhat nuanced and unique
(her place had been rent-controlled, but the landlord got the building
rezoned so those regulations would no longer apply), the issue of skyrocketing rent is affecting people across the country. In 2014, rents nationwide increased an average of 3.6%, and nearly 11% over the past three years, Read more.
Attention Potential Sellers Sitting On The Fence
It could be time to make a move. Do potential sellers in your market need 
convincing? An article in CNN Money highlighted several reasons why this spring would be the perfect time for home owners to get off the fence. After all, many markets across the country are still tilting in sellers’ favor. Here’s why: Less competition: A limited number of homes on the market will help sellers nab top dollar, and may even spur bidding wars and multiple offers. Inventory levels nationwide were at a 4.6-month supply in February. A balanced market is considered to fall between a five- to seven-month supply. Mortgage rate hikes loom and Soaring rental costs, read more.
It's Spring-and Home Buyers are Shopping!
How can you get a deal in a seller's market? When it’s time to sell your 
house, conventional wisdom says selling in the prime season, which begins in spring and lasts through summer, is the best way to go. But what if you wanted to wait until the off-season—is that a savvy move, or would you be leaving money on the table? Spring marks the beginning of the busiest home-selling and home-buying season in most areas.
With the warmer weather, more daylight, and the impetus to get a new
house, buyers are more likely to shop during this time of year,
with home buying peaking in June. Bidding wars mean, They also usually mean buyers are less likely to make repair requests or other demands, read more.
Home Prices Surge, Higher Than a Year Ago
Existing-home sales showed some improvement in February, but remain 
constrained by low inventories of homes for-sale that are pushing price growth to the fastest pace in a year. The median existing-home price for all housing types was $202,600 in February – 7.5 percent higher than a year ago.
"Stronger price growth is a boon for home owners looking to build
additional equity, but it continues to be an obstacle for current buyers
looking to close before [mortgage] rates rise." "Insufficient supply appears to be hampering prospective buyers in several areas of the country and is hiking prices to near unsustainable levels." Read more.
Hot Housing Market Trails a Hot Job Market in Utah
Here's Where Hiring is on the Rise: Usually a hot housing market trails a 
hot job market. Could the same hold true for these booming employment centers? The top two places garnering the most jobs lately: Austin, Texas, and Salt Lake City, according to Gallup’s Salt
Lake City are attractive places for tech workers since the salaries are
more competitive and the cities boast a lower cost of living than
in
the traditional tech-hub of California, according to the Gallup index.
Salt Lake City is also seeing a growth in tourism and energy sector
jobs.index, read more.
