Housing News
Realtor hangs American flag, faces fines if not removed
American flag presented to next of kin at American military cemetery. Photo by Beverly and Pack.
Realtor facing fines
Scottsdale Realtor, Brock O’Neal recently hung an American flag in the window of his condominium and is now facing fines from an unresponsive HOA.
O’Neal says he put the flag up just weeks ago but got a letter from his homeowner’s association on August 17th demanding removal of the flag as it violated property values and the aesthetic appeal of the property. Failure to remove would result in fines for ongoing HOA violations.
O’Neal told CBS5 that he loves his country and wants to show his allegiance by displaying the flag. As a Realtor, he disputes the ability of a flag to diminish the value of the property and claims he would have already removed it if he believed that to be the case.
At first glance, one could argue that the homeowner put up curtains in his home which is likely within HOA guidelines, and the curtains happen to be in the pattern of the American flag:
If the HOA dictates blinds must be kept up, then aesthetic appeal rules have been violated- perhaps O’Neal will put them back up then raise them in protest?
O’Neal claims no neighbors have complained to him and it is unclear whether or not someone called the HOA or if a board member saw it on the property.
“I’m proud to be from here.”
“I’m thankful for a lot of the stuff we have here. I’m proud to be from here and I think flying a flag shows that. It’s a reminder every time I drive in here that I’m from the states and I’m proud of it,” O’Neal told CBS5.
The homeowner alleges he has attempted to contact the HOA who has not responded. He has 15 days from the date the letter was sent to remove the flag or face penalties.
O’Neal isn’t the first to get a letter from the HOA disputing patriotic displays- the Burr family installed a sign in Louisiana supporting their son in the military and faced similar penalties.
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Average age of houses on the rise, so is it now better or worse to buy new?
With aging housing in America, are first-time buyers better off buying new or existing homes? The average age of a home is rising, as is the price of new housing, so a shift could be upon us.
The average home age is higher than ever
(REALUOSO.COM) – In a survey from the Department of Housing and Urban Development American Housing Survey (AHS), the median age of homes in the United States was 35 years old. In Texas, homes are a bit younger with the median age between 19 – 29 years. The northeast has the oldest homes, with the median age between 50 – 61 years. In 1985, the median age of a home was only 23 years.
With more houses around 40 years old, the National Association of Realtors asserts that homeowners will have to undertake remodeling and renovation projects before selling unless the home is sold as-is, in which case the buyer will be responsible to update their new residence. Even homeowners who aren’t selling will need to consider remodeling for structural and aesthetic reasons.
Prices of new homes on the rise
Newer homes cost more than they used to. The price differential between new homes and older homes has increased from 10 percent traditionally to around 37 percent in 2014. This is due to rising construction costs, scarcity of lots, and a low inventory of new homes that doesn’t meet the demand.
Click here to continue reading this story…
Housing News
Are Realtors the real loser in the fight between Zillow Group and Move, Inc.?
The last year has been one of dramatic and rapid change in the real estate tech sector, but Realtors are vulnerable, and we’re worried.
Why Realtors are vulnerable to these rapid changes
(REALUOSO.COM) – Corporate warfare demands headlines in every industry, but in the real estate tech sector, a storm has been brewing for years, which in the last year has come to a head. Zillow Group and Move, Inc. (which is owned by News Corp. and operates ListHub, Realtor.com, TopProducer, and other brands) have been competing for a decade now, and the race has appeared to be an aggressive yet polite boxing match. Last year, the gloves came off, and now, they’ve drawn swords and appear to want blood.
Note: We’ll let you decide which company plays which role in the image above.
So how then, does any of this make Realtors the victims of this sword fight? Let’s get everyone up to speed, and then we’ll discuss.
1. Zillow poaches top talent, Move/NAR sues
It all started last year when the gloves came off – Move’s Chief Strategy Officer (who was also Realtor.com’s President), Errol Samuelson jumped ship and joined Zillow on the same day he phoned in his resignation without notice. He left under questionable circumstances, which has led to a lengthy legal battle (wherein Move and NAR have sued Zillow and Samuelson over allegations of breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, and misappropriation of trade secrets), with the most recent motion being for contempt, which a judge granted to Move/NAR after the mysterious “Samuelson Memo” surfaced.
Salt was added to the wound when Move awarded Samuelson’s job to Move veteran, Curt Beardsley, who days after Samuelson left, also defected to Zillow. This too led to a lawsuit, with allegations including breach of contract, violation of corporations code, illegal dumping of stocks, and Move has sought restitution. These charges are extremely serious, but demanded slightly less attention than the ongoing lawsuit against Samuelson.
2. Two major media brands emerge
Last fall, the News Corp. acquisition of Move, Inc. was given the green light by the feds, and this month, Zillow finalized their acquisition of Trulia.
…Click here to continue reading this story…
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Liz Benitez
August 23, 2011 at 11:31 am
This is very sad. I can't believe any HOA in America would do this.
Mullins Farms
August 24, 2011 at 10:55 am
Absolutely amazing how things have changed these past 100 years.