The percentage of U.S. households who find their water bill unaffordable could triple over the next five years, growing from 11.9 percent to 35.6 percent, according to a new study by the Michigan State University.Further complicating the issue, water utility companies may face a surge in defaulting bills that will make it more difficult for them to cover their own costs, which will lead to even higher bills to customers then.Water costs have surg
Pests are a homeowner's nemesis, no matter where you live. But some cities are seeing a big increase in pest infestations.For example, in New York, complaints about rats rose 7 percent from 2015 to 2016 and rose by 16 percent in Boston, according to the newly released American Housing Survey by the Census Bureau. In 2015, 11 percent of households encountered rats or mice and 12 percent spotted cockroaches, according to the survey. Bedbugs are on
Pending home sales bounced back in December, despite ongoing inventory challenges and mortgage rate increases. Solid gains in contract signings in the South and West last month offset weakening activity in the Northeast and Midwest, the National Association of REALTORS® reported Tuesday.NAR’s Pending Home Sales Index – a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings – rose 1.6 percent to 109 in December over November’s reading. Th
Keith Strong wasn't about to give up in his battle over a mailbox feud with his neighborhood's homeowners association. It was a battle that took seven years to resolve in court, but he has no regrets. He believes he took a stand for property rights.Strong purchased a $35 wooden mailbox in 2009 for his home, which is in a golf community in the Washington suburbs that features million-dollar homes. But two months after Strong installed the mailbox,
North Dakota is the top family-friendly state for 2017, according to new findings from a WalletHub analysis. WalletHub's research team compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on 40 key indicators, such as housing affordability, the unemployment rate, median family salary, education, health and safety, and more.Here are the states that emerged on top as most family friendly for 2017: North Dakota New Hampshire Vermont Minnesota N
Watch the extensions of the documents you attach in your emails. Google announced it will start blocking Javascript attachments in Gmail starting Feb. 13. That is an expansion of Gmail’s already restricted file attachments, which also includes .exe, .msc, and .bat.Users who try to attach a .js file to an email after Feb. 13 will receive a notification that says the message will be blocked “because its content presents a potential security iss
Good schools pay off in a home sale. Indeed, having a high rating on sites like GreatSchools, which rates public schools based on statewide assessments, can be a boon to a home’s value. Realtor.com® researchers analyzed 1.6 million home listings in the U.S. through the first six months of 2016 and found that houses in public-school districts with GreatSchools' highest ratings, 9 or 10, were priced on average 77 percent higher than homes in nea
Consumers today don’t just want the basics. They what more information, accurate information, and details about your past clients’ experiences — and they’re going to multiple sources to get it.In a recent Adweek webinar, “What Influences Conversions? The Why Before (and After) the Buy,” representatives from YP Marketing Solutions and Thrive Analytics discussed the results of a recent consumer study of 5,418 adults in eight purchasing
Following several weeks of decreases, mortgage rates were back on the rise this week."The 10-year Treasury yield increased more than 10 basis points this week,” says Sean Becketti, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “The 30-year mortgage rate moved up as well to 4.19 percent, a 10 basis point jump. This week marks the first increase in the mortgage rate since December 29. The 2.8 percent decline in existing home sales in December is a reminder
The mortgage industry loves jargon and it can quickly confuse a real estate professional and all the moreso a borrower. The Fannie Mae Sellers Guide alone has 91 different acronyms and abbreviations.The National Mortgage News recently offered up a few of the most common acronyms buyers and professionals should know while going through the homebuying process.DTI: Debt to income Underwriters turn to this ratio to determine if a borrower can financi
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