A Magazine for Intero’s Premier Properties

By Alain Pinel, General Manager of Intero Prestigio international, Intero Real Estate Services, Inc.

This month marks the release of the 8th issue of Intero Prestigio Magazine.  Composed of some of the finest luxury estates Intero has to offer, this Prestigio Virtual Magazine gives you a glimpse into the world of high-end homes.  It was designed with ease of circulation in mind, so it can be instantly shared through social media, websites, or email.  As if reading a handheld magazine, you can browse through gorgeous pictures and find the property information and unique qualities of each one of the unique homes featured.

Prestigio is a division of Intero Real Estate Services specializing in the marketing of high end homes and estates in all relevant markets, whether local, regional, state-wide, national and international. We offer the widest scope of marketing coverage to multiply the opportunities of reaching the most qualified buyers.

It is wonderful to see how the program has become the reference in the industry for this type of publication and the standard by which others are judged. The release of our eighth issue attests of the mark that Intero has established in the global high-end market.  Take a look at the beautiful homes that are the finest in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond… you just might find your next home.

 

View the virtual magazine yourself here.

Housing Shows Signs of Seasonal Cooling

By Gino Blefari, President & CEO, Intero Real Estate Services, Inc.

Seasonal cooling in the housing market is normal and expected. And it appears we're now entering that period of cooling off, with existing home sales down in September after hitting post-recession highs.

Total existing home sales, including single-family homes, townhomes, condos and co-ops, fell 1.9% to a rate of 5.29 million last month from August, according to the latest numbers from the National Association of Realtors. However, sales are still trending 10.7% above year-ago levels.

Even as sales slowed, the national median existing-home prices for all housing types was $199,200, 11.7% above levels seen in September a year ago. This also marked the tenth consecutive month of double-digit annual increases in home values.

Buyers are Optimistic



Over the Fence - October

Late getting this up this month, but there are several items that might be helpful as we finish out October. Enjoy!

Seasonal Tips for a Great Looking Property This Fall

by Blog Contributor, Charlene Storozuk, Dezigner Digz

It’s hard to believe that fall is already upon us. Summer may be over, but now is not the time to neglect a home’s exterior, especially if it’s going to soon be listed for-sale this season. Here are a few tips to help you embrace the fall season and keep your property looking its best:

The most obvious tip: rake up leaves on a frequent basis;

Inspect your gutters regularly and remove any leaves that get trapped;

More…

Housing Gets a Solid B+

By Gino Blefari, President & CEO, Intero Real Estate Services, Inc.

Slowly but surely, we're seeing more and more metropolitan areas return to pre-recession activity levels, giving more steam to the housing recovery at the national level and more confidence in housing overall.

In its latest data release, the National Association of Home Builders found that 52 out of approximately 350 metro areas nationwide have now returned to or exceeded their pre-recession activity in housing. NAHB's latest index puts housing at 85% of normal activity.

We're in solid B+ territory if we were to grade housing like a college professor.

The Government Shutdown And Housing

By Gino Blefari, President & CEO, Intero Real Estate Services, Inc.

We're a little over a week into the government shutdown and many are wondering whether the closing of federal offices has or will impact the housing market.

The short answer at this point is no. But since none of us can predict how long this may last or what the outcome may be, it's hard to say with certainty that no glitches will arise.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac back the majority of mortgages in the U.S., and thus far have not been affected by the shutdown. However, the Federal Housing Administration is operating with a reduced staff, which means that FHA loans may experience delays in processing due to the lack of staff.

In fact, news sources say that the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which oversees the FHA, has just 64 of the nearly 3,000 employees who normally work at its offices reporting to work right now.

Features Buyers Value When Purchasing a Home

 

Low Interest Rates Continue to Fuel Housing

By Gino Blefari, President & CEO, Intero Real Estate Services, Inc.

Remember earlier this year when interest rates started to rise and everyone worried that it spelled the end of the housing recovery? As interest rates have crept up for long-term mortgages throughout much of the summer, many have speculated the impact on home buying as inevitably negative.

 However, we're not seeing much evidence to support that.

Mortgage rates have continued to be really attractive throughout the year, with rates on the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaging 4.32% in Freddie Mac's survey last week, down from 4.5% the previous week. It marked the lowest level for rates since the week ending July 25.

Although rates on long-term mortgages are still higher than they stood a year ago, it's amazing how low they've remained and how it has yet to completely derail buying activity, as some expected.

FHA to Continue Lending During Shutdown

Applications for all government-backed mortgages will continue to be processed during a government shutdown, according to the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

HUD originally said on Friday that it would stop working on applications for loans guaranteed by the FHA if the government shutdown. However, it reversed that position over the weekend.

HUD said it will continue processing loans "in order to support the health and stability of the U.S. mortgage market."

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac also said their operations will be unaffected by the shutdown. The GSEs pay for their operations out of the fees collected from lenders.