Current News and Trends in the Real Estate Industry
Study: 26-Year-Olds Still Likely to Live With Parents

Fifty years ago, 76% of people this age lived with a spouse. Today, that figure has dropped to just 24%.

Yard Appeal Is a Priority for Buyers
M any home shoppers are putting outdoor space at the top of their house hunt list. Here’s what they desire most.

Top Delays in Closings

An infographic showing the top delays that occurred for closings during the months of April to June based on the REALTORS® Confidence Survey.

The Dawn of a New Era for Title

DS News spoke to an array of title professionals about the state of the industry, how it can best leverage technology, and what challenges await as 2020 closes in. Read about Michele Gilbert's insights on the changing times for title.
Tip of the Day .......
 A tiny space—like that sad windowless bathroom nobody ever uses in your house.

Over at Apartment Therapy they’ve shared some tips and tricks for maximizing the visual space in your way-too-small bathroom. While we like all the tips, our favorite by far is the most risky, design wise: painting the whole room inky black.

It might feel counterintuitive to make a dark space feel even dimmer, but dark does not necessarily equal gloomy. Caitlin Murray, the founder and designer of Black Lacquer Design, remodeled a small bathroom without any windows last year and made it into a moody, dark, and sexy retreat. This made the lack of windows feel almost intentional.

The trick was to focus on metallic accents, which helped to both grab the small amount of light and amp up the glamour. After all, there’s a difference between a bat cave and slinky room. “
For October, the staff played the game Penny War. A penny war is a fundraising competition where two or more groups collect coins and bills in an effort to score points based on the amount and denomination collected.

Each group has a bucket for collecting the money; typically groups collect coins, but dollar bills may also be accepted. The value of any pennies collected by a group count toward that group's point total, while the value of other coins or dollar bills are subtracted. Hence, in a competition between Group A and Group B, a contributor who wants Group A to win will place pennies into Group A's bucket and nickels, dimes, quarters, or dollar bills into Group B's bucket. At the end, a winner among groups is declared, sometimes earning a small prize. The proceeds are donated to a specified charity or cause.   

We decided to use the funds collected and purchase wreaths for Wreaths Across America. The wreaths will be laid on December 14th across graves in honor of those who served.