A father wanted his son to grow up in a castle, so he built one.
Now the 5,000-square-foot castle in Covington, LA, is for sale for $1,150,000.
“The owner built it with his own two hands. He’s a construction guy, and it’s a legitimate castle with lots of features that are medieval in nature, but it’s a newer construction property,” says listing agent Will Frederick, with Keller Williams Realty Services.
Backyard and poolAmanda Pitman Photography
BoxBrownie is adept at championing and building its products around the often unrealized imaging capabilities of today’s mobile phones. SnapSnapSnap is no different.
Many renters crave the extra bedrooms, laundry facility, and backyard big enough for a pair of swings and a slide that single-family houses provide. But they’re facing a for-sale market with still-high housing prices and surging mortgage interest rates, pricing many out of homeownership, at least for now.
But what if you could have that large house without having to come up with a big down payment and get approved for a mortgage?
Many builders are rushing to put up whole communities of single-family homes for rent. And renters seeking more space and privacy—but can’t afford to purchase a home—are turning to this rapidly growing build-to-rent market. While the sector isn’t new, interest ramped up during the COVID-19 pandemic when renters began searching for larger homes, and a greater part of the workforce began working remotely from home.
Sometimes described as “horizontal apartments,” build-to-rent communities are designed and developed with the sole intent of renting out the homes. Over the past few decades, 3% of single-family starts were developed as rentals. By third quarter 2022, that number has jumped to 12%, according to the National Association of Home Builders.
Rocket, Guild and UWM are among lenders providing homebuyers with options, such as temporary rate buydowns and reduced fees on refis if rates come down.
Homebuyer affordability could improve by 9 percent by the end of next year if mortgage rates continue to fall and home prices plateau as expected, First American economist predicts.
Looking for a glam spot to host parties and events? Consider this over-the-top party pad used by William Randolph Hearst during the 1920s and 1930s. The 3,000-square-foot townhome in Los Angeles is available to rent for $25,000 a month.
The unit in the Los Altos apartment complex on Wilshire Boulevard is being represented by Ari Wintraub of Sotheby’s International Realty–Brentwood Brokerage. The terms are for a one-year lease.
“They decked out the unit for entertaining. He created what looks like a mini Hearst Castle. He appointed it at a very grand scale,” says Wintraub. The newspaper baron even had a door connecting to the adjacent unit, occupied by his mistress, actress Marion Davies.
Architect Julia Morgan, who partnered with Hearst on his castle in San Simeon, CA, reportedly designed the lavish spaces.
Alternative homebuilding remains a small section of the market, but everything from cost challenges to worker shortages within the traditional model suggest there’s ample room for automation technologies to change how homes are built.
On the latest “Christina on the Coast,” Christina Hall gives us a good look at her recently purchased forever home—or at least where she hopes to stay for quite some time.
In the episode “Another Dime in the Jukebox,” we learn that the designer and her husband, Joshua Hall, have been living in Dana Point, CA. But given her office and kids’ school are located in Newport Beach, she’s been spending a lot of time commuting. Plus, her kids don’t like being so far from friends, leading Christina to conclude that her current digs just aren’t working anymore.
“It’s time to have a serious talk about moving back to Newport,” she says.
“You want to move again,” Josh guesses after hearing his wife’s grievances. Thankfully, he gets it and is game to start the home search.
"It’s like that roller coaster where it’s going up and up and up and up. You don’t know what’s going to happen when you get to the top." Many investors had a pleasant ride in 2022. But the ride might come to an end.
National home prices tallied a 0.5 percent monthly decrease between September and October, according to data released Tuesday by real estate analytics provider CoreLogic.
Is Steve Wynn cleaning house? The legendary casino and hotel developer has listed properties in Sun Valley, ID; Palm Beach, FL; and New York City, according to recent reports.
The Big Apple property is a penthouse with a jaw-dropping price tag of $90 million. Wynn reportedly paid $70 million for the three-bedroom, 4.5-bath duplex condo apartment in 2012.
The property is located in the former Hotel St. Moritz, which was designed by Emery Roth in 1930. The boutique building offers views of Central Park from the southern border.
Central Park viewsRealtor.com
When a winter storm hits, many homeowners anticipate snow removal will mean quickly shoveling walkways and driveways. But plenty of folks delay the cleanup, or do it incorrectly. And unfortunately, the ramifications of this can be fairly severe.
Not handling snow and ice removal correctly can result in major issues, including roof damage and clogged gutters. At times, mishandling snow removal can even turn dangerous.
From ignoring ice dams to not using pet-safe ice melt, be aware of these common snow removal mistakes.
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During the height of COVID-19, it seemed like everyone knew someone who had bought a home and then remodeled the kitchen, created a home office or gym, or turned the scraggly backyard into an outdoor oasis.
But as the pandemic enters its fourth year, most folks are no longer trapped in their homes obsessing over every flaw. The homebuying frenzy that typically spurs remodeling work has died down. And many people are more concerned with high inflation and the looming threat of a recession than their dream en suite bathroom.
Where does that leave the remodeling industry? In fairly good shape, say most experts. Homeowners are expected to spend even more on remodeling, repairs, and maintenance in 2023 than they did in 2022.
“We are expecting the market to continue to grow, just not nearly as fast as it was the past couple of years,” says Abbe Will, a senior research associate at the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies. “Even if we are in a recession in 2023, I wouldn’t necessarily expect the renovation market to decline.”
Most New Yorkers wish for more space, but moving isn’t the only way to get it. Sometimes you just have to wait out the neighbors.
Most New Yorkers wish for more space, but moving isn’t the only way to get it. Sometimes you just have to wait for the neighbors to sell.
From the places that will be most in demand to the platforms you need to focus on, these statistics will help you hit the ground running as you plan your 2023 marketing strategy.
Satisfying renters is the North Star in the multifamily sector. That is the mundane matter that must be mastered.
As the last couple of years have shown us, the only thing we can rely on is change, according to The Agency president Rainy Hake Austin. Clear out some time on the calendar to put the necessary thought into nailing down your marketing budget this year so that you're ready to communicate through whatever's next.
To better illustrate how capricious the real estate industry was in 2022, Inman searched high and low for rogue data points that drove the housing market and best reflected this year's wild tumble.
Curious what your competition and colleagues are reading? Here are the top 10 most-read articles from Inman contributors this year.
