Educational insights

Is it time for a kitchen remodel or to renovate your dated kitchen, finish the basement, or update your main bathroom? Before you dive into any major home renovation project, there are crucial steps you need to take. Without knowing what to look for – and what to look out for – your dream project could quickly turn into a money-pit nightmare. Finding a trustworthy contractor is the first crucial step that can make or break your home improvement experience.

When a real estate investor buys a home that has completed a presale renovation, they purchase a home that they are confident will have staying power. When buying a place that has gone through a presale renovation by Revive, real estate investors know the high quality of the finished product.

As a real estate professional, you understand that first impressions matter when it comes to selling a property, in fact – first impressions are everything! In dating, in the workplace, and in building out your personal brand. One of the most effective ways to ensure a great first impression is by renovating your listings before they hit the market. Pre-sale renovations can make all the difference in how quickly a property sells and how much it sells for.

Valentine's Day is a time to show love and appreciation, and what better way to do so than by giving some attention to the properties you represent?

Listings are tough to win, perhaps today more than in a long time. Inventory is restricted because so many homeowners’ mortgage interest rates are incredibly low. They aren’t interested in moving because today’s mortgage rates are typically more than double their current rate.

Today, in the process of getting a house ready to sell, presale renovation services like Revive's complete turnkey solution are a game-changer for real estate agents and their homeowner clients. Revive offers home renovations — from minor prep work to full remodels that cost up to $300,000 or more — with $0 due from the homeowner until closing. Why is it vital that sellers avoid an "as-is" listing and bring their home to market move-in ready? Here are the top five reasons sellers will want their agents to list a move-in ready home:

When you’re getting ready to buy a house, you want every chance possible to make sure your offer wins you the house of your dreams. Unfortunately, if you’re up against a cash buyer, chances are slim that your financed offer will even be considered and that’s because in the world of real estate cash is king.

Whether you’re a veteran real estate agent or new to the business, you know that commission-based income fluctuates. To gain the highest commission and generate a steady stream of income, you’ll need to multitask. One focus should always be to provide the best possible positioning and marketing for your clients who are selling their home, and the due diligence and honest advice your buyers need. At the same time, you need to be marketing your services to your next group of clients. Thankfully, providing excellent service to your current clients can create a pipeline of referrals and a great reputation.

The spike in home sales during the middle of the pandemic took nearly everyone by surprise. Previous housing predictions had been dire. The March 19, 2020, headline from CNBC recapped the initial universal sentiment among industry experts: "Home sales could fall 35%, as coronavirus stalls spring housing market, new analysis says."

Buyers and sellers may feel a bit confused by how fast the housing market changes. First, there was a pause at the beginning of the pandemic, then a buying frenzy that gave sellers additional power, followed by a slower pace as mortgage rates quickly rose throughout 2022.

As the housing market shifts to one that is balanced between buyers and sellers, home sellers are more likely to want to take the extra step of renovating their home for maximum profits. Several companies including Revive now offer concierge services that provide design guidance, project management, contractors and financing to renovate a home to appeal to today’s buyers.

A new category has emerged called Concierge Services. It's driven by savvy startups, including Revive Real Estate. Companies like Revive have taken this old dog and taught it some new tricks.The result is a better way for sellers to hire and pay for renovations. Today, most homeowners miss out on 15% to 20% of the value of their homes when they sell. Presale renovations prevent that from happening.

Whether you’re buying your first home or you’re a repeat buyer, you’ll be happy to know you have plenty of choices when it comes to financing your purchase. Shopping around with a few lenders is the best way to learn about loan programs that are only available from some financial institutions and to get advice about which loan programs might be best for your individual circumstances.

The rapid rise of mortgage rates in the spring of 2022 sent a shock wave through the housing market. While buyers and sellers are beginning to adjust and accept that mortgage rates aren’t likely to dip back to 3% or less anytime soon, rates that hover around 5% to 6% reduce affordability for buyers compared to those historically low rates.

For the last couple of decades, the real estate industry’s focus on improving the home sale experience has centered on speed. Marketing messaging promises faster sales, speedier loan processing, and quicker closings. The emergence of iBuyers and cash-backed offer programs promises to finalize a home sale “in as little as 10 days — or less.”

Every seller aspires to receive the highest possible price for their home. Whether they want to use the proceeds to buy or build their next home, to fund their retirement, or for other investments, maximizing the sales price is always a goal. While sellers can’t control market conditions, they can take steps that may boost the offers they receive from buyers.‍

No matter what local market conditions are like, many real estate agents work pretty much all the time. After all, they need to be available when their clients are free, and they need to constantly refresh their knowledge of their local market. And yet, there are some real estate agents who manage their work-life integration seamlessly and carve out time for their family, friends and relaxation. How do they do it? One way is to rely on timesaving programs to speed up or outsource some of their tasks.

Modern house flipping can be traced back to the autumn of 1960, when President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) into law. Believe it or not, the legislation creating REITs was tucked into the Cigar Excise Tax Extension Act. For the first time ever, a broad base of investors could now pool resources for real estate projects, specifically commercial real estate development. In effect, REITS gave birth to the democratization of real estate investment.