Most Competitive U.S. Neighborhoods for Homebuyers in 2019 Revealed

According to new research by Redfin, the San Francisco Bay Area neighborhood White Oaks is the most competitive neighborhood of the year for homebuyers. Alger Heights in Grand Rapids, MI and East Arlington in Boston rounded out the top three competitive neighbourhoods. "While neighborhoods in the Bay Area and Boston are still among the most competitive in the country, robust competition for homes in Grand Rapids, Minneapolis and Tacoma neighborhoods signals the desirability of more affordable areas," said Redfin chief economist Daryl Fairweather. "An influx of buyers from more expensive neighborhoods contributes to competition in these affordable neighborhoods, especially because they can make higher offers than local residents when they sell their previous homes." Of the 10 Bay Area neighborhoods among the most competitive in the country, half are in Oakland. Although the median sale price in Oakland is more than double the national median--$720,000 versus $312,000 for the typical home in the U.S. in November--it's still well below that of San Francisco ($1.4 million) and San Jose ($1.1 million).

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Venterra Realty Acquires Avasa Grove West Community in Wesley Chapel

PR Newswire | October 03, 2023

Venterra Realty recently acquired the Avasa Grove West community located in Wesley Chapel, Florida. The 330-unit, multi-family community was built in 2023 and offers modern one, two, and three-bedroom garden-style residences that range from 782 – 1563 square feet in eight unique floor plans. The apartments offer high-end unit interiors that feature quartz countertops, stainless steel appliances, prep islands, large soaking tubs or stand-up showers, ample closet space, and screened-in patios. The property provides renters with a best-in-class amenity package that includes a resort-style pool area, complete with pergolas, poolside grills, a California kitchen and TVs, our 24/7 fitness center, a Yoga / Spin studio, and an upscale clubhouse. Located in the fast-growing area of Wesley Chapel, Florida, the community is approximately 20 miles north of downtown Tampa, along Interstate-75. The property is directly adjacent to The Grove at Wesley Chapel and Krate, two large retail developments that boast an array of unique shopping and dining experiences for residents to enjoy. Venterra will implement its resident-focused programs such as the Live it. Love it. Guarantee.™, the 48-Hour Maintenance Guarantee, and SMARTLEASING. "We have seen excellent growth in the Tampa metropolitan area, and are excited to expand our Florida portfolio with the addition of the amenity-rich property Avasa at Grove West," said John Foresi, CEO of Venterra Realty. "Venterra has become known as a company that is committed to providing a market-leading living experience, and we look forward to identifying opportunities to further enhance the standard of living at Avasa Grove West by implementing Venterra's customer-focused management platform," added Venterra Chairman, Andrew Stewart. About Venterra Founded in 2001, Venterra Realty owns and manages approximately 80 communities and more than 23,000 apartment units across 19 major US cities that provide housing to over 45,000 people and 15,000 pets. The organization has completed over $9 billion in real estate transactions and currently manages a portfolio of multi-family real estate assets valued at over $4.8 billion. Venterra is committed to improving the lives of its residents by delivering industry-leading customer experience.

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Flyhomes Enters Definitive Agreement to Acquire Assets from Home Sale Assured

Flyhomes | September 12, 2023

Flyhomes, creator of the world’s best home buying and selling experience, has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase certain assets from Innovative Holdings, LLC, doing business as Home Sale Assured, a leader in the field of ‘buy before you sell.’ Founded in early 2022 by Eric Meadow, Home Sale Assured’s flagship product is the Guaranteed Backup Contract, which empowers existing homeowners to buy their next home before closing on the sale of their current one. As part of the deal, Flyhomes will be acquiring the Home Sale Assured brand, and Meadow will be joining Flyhomes in a senior executive capacity where he’ll report to EVP of Mortgage & Closing, Dan Richards. “Eric is a seasoned mortgage professional who has built something really special with the Guaranteed Backup Contract,” said Tushar Garg, co-founder and CEO at Flyhomes. “Its ability to remove friction from the buying and selling process, while adding assurance, flexibility, and customer-centricity, aligns perfectly with our core tenants here at Flyhomes. This deal strengthens our offerings and gives us more tools to serve more customers looking for a better way to buy and sell a home.” Following the close of the deal, lender and realtor partners will be able to continue offering their customers access to the Guaranteed Backup Contract through the Home Sale Assured brand at Flyhomes. Understanding the importance of the customer-agent relationship, Guaranteed Backup Contract was designed to enhance the role of real estate agents and lenders. This ensures everyone moves in unison toward the common goals of seamlessly transitioning the customer into their new home and selling their prior home for maximum value. “We’re thrilled to be adding Eric and the Home Sale Assured brand to the Flyhomes family of products,” said Dan Richards, EVP of Mortgage & Closing at Flyhomes. “Eric brings 25 years of mortgage industry experience, from his time as President of Celebrity Home Loans (at the time a national multi-billion dollar retail lender) to his recent success as an entrepreneur at Home Sale Assured. His deep operational knowledge and network of relationships will play a key role in extending our portfolio of products nationwide.” “It’s an honor to be joining Flyhomes at such a critical point in residential real estate,” said Eric Meadow, CEO and founder of Home Sale Assured. “There remain far too many obstacles to home ownership these days, be it first-time home buyers, or in the case of Home Sale Assured, current homeowners trying to move. Consumers, agents and lenders are all looking for practical solutions to overcome these institutional challenges and Flyhomes has been at the forefront of this category. I’m ecstatic to now be able to leverage their advanced infrastructure and resources to bring the Guaranteed Backup Contract to more customers.” Benefits of the Guaranteed Backup Contract: With a valid purchase offer, a lender is able to apply standard agency guidelines to remove the departing debt obligation from the consumer’s debt to income ratio. Thus allowing the lender to approve the loan on the new home before the consumer closes on the sale of their prior home. The consumer is able to close on and move into their new home and take up to 90 days to close on the sale of their prior home. The consumer can work with a real estate agent to list their prior home for sale during this 90-day option period. If the consumer receives a better offer, they can cancel the Guaranteed Backup Contract and sell their home to the higher offer. About Flyhomes Flyhomes is building the world’s best homebuying and selling experience. Launched in 2016, Flyhomes has reinvented the homebuying and selling process at every step, making the process smoother and simpler for consumers with offerings like the Flyhomes Cash Offer and Buy Before You Sell. They back these services with a unique guarantee that gives both buyers and sellers certainty and peace of mind that is unheard of in real estate. To date, they’ve helped clients close on more than $6 billion worth of homes at prices ranging from $150,000 to $7 million.

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Zillow unveils a new look for property pages, their biggest redesign in 5 years

PR Newswire | October 25, 2023

Zillow is launching a big update to the look and feel of for-sale property listings on its website, improving home shoppers' experience with a more intuitive and simplified layout. The enhanced design of for-sale property listings on Zillow.com offers a wider, single-scroll format, making it easier for home shoppers to find key information, such as square footage, the Zestimate feature, lot size and home type. The new layout also introduces a media section at the top of the page that better showcases photos and 3D tours. By clicking on a photo, the media section expands, providing a full-page, magazine-style layout for seamless navigation through the rest of the home's photography. "The new design delivers a fun and efficient way to browse homes on the Zillow website, making it easier for home shoppers to navigate and process information," said Jenny Arden, chief design officer at Zillow. "We introduced a wider layout for images, larger fonts for the most important facts and a clearer articulation of what makes the home special to help our users quickly understand if the home is right for them." Zillow's app updates: Navigate with ease and simplify financing with the Home Loans tab In addition to the redesign on the Zillow website, for-sale property listings on the Zillow app (iOS) are also receiving an update. This new look minimizes excessive scrolling by allowing users to more easily find the information that matters the most to them, whether that's home facts and features, a cost calculator or the Zestimate history. When viewing a for-sale listing on the app, users will see a new look that presents the home details categorized into sections such as "What's Special,"' "Market Value," "Monthly Cost" and "Neighborhood." Users can click into particular sections of interest to find more details. This new look will be available before the end of the year on the Zillow iOS app. Zillow is also introducing a new "Home Loans" tab on the Zillow app to help shoppers become buyers. Users can now easily figure out their budget, connect with a lender, get prequalified with Zillow Home Loans℠, and track their loan status — all in one place. "Financing is a critical part of the home-buying process, and 60% of buyers say setting their budget is their first step when buying a home. With this update, we're helping the millions of people browsing the Zillow app better understand what they can afford within their budget and see a clear path toward getting the mortgage they need," said Matt Daimler, senior vice president of product at Zillow. "We're already seeing an impact: Customers are saying it's easier than ever to access and use our financing tools and get prequalified with Zillow Home Loans."

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