So far real estate brokers have done very well in the Internet era.
Last month, around 18,000 people gathered in New Orleans to look at the future of real estate brokerage. Inside the massive Ernest N. Morial Convention Center booth after booth at the 2014 Realtors Conference & Expo extolled the joys and efficiencies of the new electronic economy and the technologies which can make brokers and lenders more efficient and profitable.
Continue reading… “Is the realtor an endangered species?”
We have been talking about how much solar panels increase the value of your home for years. We use a simple calculation to determine the increase in value: We add the energy savings you’ll see per year for 20 years. Well, it looks like we’re not just blowing solar smoke; study after study after study comparing sales of solar and non-solar houses show clearly that homes—even near-identical homes in the same community—sell for more with solar. But we know you don’t want to read a 200-page PDF to find out, so we’ve collected some of the most important information below.
Continue reading… “Are homes with solar worth more than non-solar homes?”
Your home will start thinking and be able to detect the presence of people, pets, cars, smoke, humidity, moisture, lighting, temperature, vibration, angle, and movement.
It will be possible to communicate with nearly every device in your home sometime in the near future. The value people will get from communicating with these previously dumb, lifeless things will far outweigh the costs of learning their language. They will be able to capture data, communicate vital information to us that we wouldn’t otherwise know and even act when different events take place.
Continue reading… “The programmable world begins in our homes”
Hedge funds, Wall Street investors and other institutions are crowding out individual home buyers.
Wall Street investors are pouring unprecedented amounts of money into real estate hard hit by the housing crash, bringing those moribund markets back to life but raising the prospect of another Wall Street-fueled bubble that won’t be sustainable.
Continue reading… “Wall Street investors buying up distressed area single family homes”
Staircase slide and bookcase staircase
Circular stairs were commonplace in castle towers during medieval times. Staircases were designed to go the same direction all the way around, ascending clockwise, to suit right-handed swordsmen for ease in hindering the attacker. Fast forward to the late 1800s and stair design changes dramatically when steel and reinforced concrete are introduced, and the use of dramatic curves and fantastic sweeps become important elements in staircase workmanship. Even today, stair-crafting ingenuity continues, with many staircases doubling for incredible feats of gravity and eye-popping works of art. (Pics)
Continue reading… “5 homes with amazing staircases”
“Mushroom House” in upstate N.Y. is different, but not the strangest home of 2011.
A quest to find the world’s strangest homes of 2011 began with a compellingly eccentric home located in an exotic place. (Pics)
Continue reading… “Top 10 strangest homes of 2011”
Futurist Thomas Frey: Understanding trends is more of an art form than an exact science. But for those who can read the tealeaves, and make bold moves, leveraging trends can give them a serious competitive advantage.
Continue reading… “28 Major Trends for 2012 and Beyond – Part 2”
Foreclosures are ramping up again, prices are coming down again.
Home prices in the U.S are right back where they were at the beginning of 2003. The effect on home ownership could continue for decades to come.
Continue reading… “Home ownerships hits new lows as home prices fall more than expected”
Airdrop House
Mankind has forever dreamed of what the future might hold. Many dreanm of what advances in architecture would be and would the advances make houses look all curvy, like on the animated TV show “The Jetsons”? (Pics)
Continue reading… “10 strange-looking homes of the future”
Festivals will be so much better with composting toilets.
As festival season rolls on, many party goers will have been putting up with the ordeal of smelly, chemical-laden and often disgustingly soiled portable toilets. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Roskilde’s p-trees have already tackled public urination, and I’ve written before about how the green-minded and ultra-friendly UK Shambala Festival has embraced some delightfully airy and well-maintained composting loos. But it’s worth giving a shout out to the folks behind those loos—and noting that they are available for purchase for private homes, camp sites, and just about anywhere where pooping takes place…
Continue reading… “Portable composting toilets for festivals, homes and more”
The worst-hit county in Florida is Collier — home of Naples — with a whopping 32% of homes empty.
It’s not always easy to feel sorry for sunny Florida. But it just got hit with another blow. The Census Bureau revealed that 18% — or 1.6 million — of the Sunshine State’s homes are sitting vacant. That’s a rise of more than 63% over the past 10 years.
Continue reading… “18% of Homes in Florida Are Vacant”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.