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Articles by Nick Ron
Baltimore Housing Inventory Surges 35%, Outpacing National Trends and Shifting Market Dynamics
Real estate expert Nick Ron, CEO of House Buyers of America, breaks down the shift toward market stability and what it means for Baltimore sellers.
Real Estate Expert Nick Ron Forecasts a ‘Market Thaw’ for D.C. Housing as Sales Activity Projected to Surge nearly 10%
House Buyers of America CEO highlights increased liquidity and falling mortgage rates as key drivers for a more active Mid-Atlantic market in 2026. As mortgage rates are forecast to settle around 6.15%, we are experiencing a welcome increase in market fluidity.
Buyers Return to the Market, Renewing Momentum in Housing Activity
Volatile rates and global economic pressures are reshaping how homeowners think about timing, certainty, and control.
Global Uncertainty and Mortgage Rate Volatility Put a Premium on Certainty
Mortgage rates are swinging fast amid global uncertainty. Learn what it means for home sellers and why certainty matters more than ever. Many traditional deals don’t fall apart because of the house; they fall apart because financing changes.
Housing Affordability Shows Early Signs of Improvement as Market Moves Toward Balance
New Trends Suggest Buyers May Finally Have Room to Breathe After Years of Squeeze Mortgage costs are easing a bit, incomes are inching up, and prices aren’t surging like they were.
Secrets of a Real Estate Investor
Regardless of whether we're experiencing a seller's market, a buyer's market, or periods of fluctuating demand, real estate will continue to sell. Small-business owners should not be discouraged from achieving their real estate investment goals. When selling an investment property, pay attention to three key aspects -- renovations, pricing, and marketing -- and you will be successful no matter the market conditions.
How to Renovate Investment Properties Quickly
What to do–and not do–to get the most from your real estate investment. Real estate investors need to understand that today’s buyers want homes that are move-in ready, with minimal (if any) work they need to do. Therefore, if you want or need to sell a real estate investment property quickly, and it needs some work, it is important to understand what renovations or upgrades are valuable, given the short time you have, and the investment you have made.
How to Renovate Investment Properties Quickly
By Nick Ron, Founder and CEO of House Buyers of America@HomeBuyersUS Real estate investors need to understand that today's buyers want homes that are move-in ready, with minimal (if any) work they need to do. Therefore, if you want or need to sell a real estate investment property quickly, and it needs some work, it is important to understand what renovations or upgrades are valuable, given the short time you have, and the investment you have made.
The iBuyers Model Is Not Feasible
Over the past several years, we have monitored an emerging category of companies known as iBuyers, short for "instant buyers." The idea of iBuyers is to streamline the often-lengthy process of traditional real estate transactions by offering sellers an "instant" cash price for their homes, in as-is condition, with flexible terms on closing when it suits the seller, and even as soon as a few days or weeks.
HomeServices files motion to compel arbitration in agent commission case
Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Affiliates, HomeServices Franchise Affiliates, HomeServices of America, and The Long & Foster Companies filed a motion to compel arbitration on Friday in the "Moehrl agent commission case," named after its lead plaintiff.
Upstate Curious Team joins Compass
It appears Compass' expansion pause is over. Just days after announcing Arizona-based independent brokerage Launch Real Estate had joined the firm, Compass announced on Monday it is welcoming the New York state-based Upstate Curious Team. The team, which is led by Megan Brenn-White, has 15 real estate agents and five support staff. It serves 11 counties in the Hudson Valley and the Catskills, from Westchester County up to Albany.
The Corcoran Group CMO on staying nimble in a challenging market
The HousingWire award spotlight series highlights the individuals who have been recognized through our Editors' Choice Awards. Nominations for HousingWire's Marketing Leaders award are now open through Friday, April 21, 2023. to nominate someone you know - a client, colleague, boss or friend - it can even be you! Last week's listings rate remained super low and available inventory of homes for sale fell again by almost 1% to 410,000, according to Altos Research.
Lake Homes Realty hires former Zillow and Pacaso execs
Lake Homes Realty is in growth mode. The firm, which touts itself as the nation's largest lake-focused real estate brokerage, has moved into a new office space and hired two new executives to fill growth-related roles, according to an announcement on Tuesday. In late March, the firm doubled its office square footage by moving into a new headquarters in Hoover, Alabama, just south of Birmingham, along with RealSource Title Insurance and Real Estate Closings.
City Real Estate and Polaris Realty merge in San Francisco
Independent real estate teamerage City Real Estate has merged with fellow residential real estate company Polaris Realty. The company will retain City Real Estate's name and operate out of City's flagship office on Divisadero Street. Both City and Polaris are partnered with .
Brian Donnellan to speak at Gathering of Eagles 2023
Brian Donnellan is the president and CEO of Bright MLS. Donnellan will take the stage on June 21 for the panel, "Forging Ahead: Innovation and Collaboration in MLS." Denee Evans, CEO of the Council of Multiple Listing Services (CMLS), Gene Millman, president and CEO of REColorado and David Charron, president of MRIS Investors Inc., will all be joining Donnellan on stage. These leaders in MLS will be discussing the broker-client-MLS relationship.
Right to list agreements banned by five more states
More states are taking action against real estate firms that employ right to list agreements as part of their business model. Five states: Colorado, Georgia, Tennessee, Idaho and North Dakota, have now joined Utah in banning right to list agreements like the ones used by MV Realty, SellWhenever and HomeOptions. According to the American Land Title Association (ALTA), the laws follow a model bill the trade group helped draft with the input of national stakeholders.
NAR announces the 2023 REACH cohort
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) has chosen 14 startups for the 2023 class of , its tech accelerator program, according to an announcement on Tuesday. The program is run by Secondary Century Ventures, the strategic investment arm of NAR. Of the 14 companies, seven are focused on the residential sector. The other seven are commercially focused and part of REACH Commercial. Founded in 2013 by SCV, this is the 11th cohort of residential startups to take part in REACH.
Low inventory is keeping home prices steady
I saw a New York Times headline this week that implied the market was slow because "sellers are unwilling to lower their price." The implication of that headline is that if sellers dropped prices, then we would have more home sales. But that's not true. There are more buyers than sellers. Buyers are buying homes at these prices. This is a supply-constrained market. Homeowners are simply unwilling to sell. We have more demand than supply at these prices. We know this from a number of different metrics.
Threats and opportunity in the housing market
The industry threat of the loss of cooperation and compensation is very real. And, brokers are starting to pay attention after hearing about a recent ruling by Judge Andrea R. Wood of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois that the "Moehrl case," named after its lead plaintiff, had achieved class certification, nearly a year after a similar federal lawsuit known as Sitzer/Burnett received class certification.
The key to repeat and referral business revealed
When it comes to getting a leg up in today's market, it's no surprise that real estate agents overwhelmingly said that researching the market and continually connecting with her sphere of influence are key. "Staying top of mind with my sphere of influence and past clients through events and regular communication brings me more business than I could ever generate on my own," says Troy Williams, an agent with Williams Realty Partners/Keller Williams Coastal Realty in Maine.
Russ Cofano on artificial intelligence in real estate marketing
Today's RealTrending features Russ Cofano, CEO of Collabra Technology, a digital marketing technology and analytics firm. Russ has more than 30 years of senior leadership experience in nearly all facets of the real estate industry, including brokerage, technology, MLS, associations and affiliated businesses. We speak to Russ about trends in real estate marketing, the pros and cons of artificial intelligence like ChatGPT and specifics about how agents can succeed in today's uncertain market.
Are iBuyers dead?
Despite some iBuyers attempting to reinvent themselves, succeeding will be difficult unless they make fundamental changes to their model. One of the trends over the past several years has been iBuying, where companies called iBuyers offer sellers so-called instant offers to buy their homes. In addition to receiving cash quickly, the iBuyer handles all necessary repairs. Some iBuyers had initial successes.
What Supply, Demand, and the Fed Indicate for 2023
The real estate market, similar to the U.S. economy, is fueled by supply and demand--with stimulation from the Fed when it decides such action is necessary. In real estate, demand is still outpacing supply. According to the most recent activity and data, we still are experiencing a seller's market. At House Buyers of America, we are seeing homeowners trying to decide whether to sell in this market or to instead rent out their homes.
What Supply, Demand, and the Fed Indicate for 2023
The real estate market, similar to the U.S. economy, is fueled by supply and demand--with stimulation from the Fed when it decides such action is necessary. In real estate, demand is still outpacing supply. According to the most recent activity and data, we still are experiencing a seller's market. At House Buyers of America, we are seeing homeowners trying to decide whether to sell in this market or to instead rent out their homes.
NY AG fines three Long Island brokerages for racial discrimination
After being accused of racial discrimination, three Long Island brokerages are to pay $115,000 in a settlement with New York State. According to an announcement from the New York State Attorney General's office released on Tuesday, Keller Williams Greater Nassau, Keller Williams Realty Elite, and Laffey Real Estate will pay the penalty as part of a settlement. The three brokerages were implicated for racial discrimination in a Newsday investigation in 2019.
Corcoran Group launches new affiliate in Turks and Caicos
The Corcoran Group is expanding its footprint in the Caribbean, launching its first affiliate brokerage in Turks and Caicos, the company announced on Wednesday. This marks the launch of Corcoran's fifth Caribbean affiliate in just over two years. The new Corcoran Turks and Caicos will be owned and led by Stephanie Leathers and Katherine Baryluk.
Surprise! Google searches for "sell my house" explode
It looks like inventory is about to get a boost. An analysis of Google search data reveals that searches for 'sell my house'exploded 147% in the United States as of July 2022 - the highestlevel in internet history for America, according to luxury real estate platform RubyHome. This comes as Americans face rising property and rent costs, with fears of a recession looming.
Learning to advocate, not alienate, with fair housing
"I've had a fair housing violation, so I am taking this journey so that doesn't happen again," said one agent. Student of Dr. Lee Davenport "The majority of my life I have been surrounded by white people. Growing up, I was taught that racism was bad... During the Rodney King riots, I asked my black fraternity brother what was going on. There were black students visibly angry, and it felt like they were looking to take the anger out on any white person.
July buyer demand for housing continues to rebalance
While the Burlington, Vermont market continues to see double-digit showings per listing in July, home showing traffic softened throughout the U.S. The real estate market continues to normalize after last year's record surge, according to the latest data from the ShowingTime Showing Index®. The year-over-year dip in buyer activity follows a general market rebalancing that's taking place across the country as available inventory increases while fewer buyers actively shop for homes.
Homebuyers are not turned off by intense drought
More people are moving in than out of places experiencing intense drought conditions, according to a report from Redfin published Wednesday. In 34 out of the 129 (26%) metros analyzed, more than 50% of homes experienced intense drought in mid-August. Of those 34 metros, 25 saw net inflows in the second quarter of the year.
Gary Keller, founder of Keller Williams, introduced profit-sharing for agents
Lasting Impact: Introduced the concept of profit sharing for agents, built the largest training program in the industry and the country's largest real estate organization. An early experience of the emerging, highly competitive brokerage market caused Gary Keller, founder of Keller Williams Real Estate, to reimagine and redesign the relationship between brokerage firms and their agents to one of interdependence.
Ribbon announces extension of RibbonReserve price lock
Power buying firm announced an expansion of its RibbonReserve product on Tuesday. Homebuyers using the RibbonReserve product will now receive a 12-month price lock on the purchase price of their home. Through RibbonReserve, Ribbon purchases the home on behalf of the buyer, providing up to 12 months to secure financing. Ribbon leases the home to the buyer, then sells back with a guaranteed home price lock for 12 months.
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices expands to Mexico's Pacific Coast
Applegate Realtors, in Puerto Vallarta and the Banderas Bay region, has joined Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and will operate as Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Applegate Realtors. The company will be owned and operated by Moray Applegate, an industry veteran who has more than 25 years of experience in the Puerto Vallarta real estate market.
Zillow dodges Vermont FSBO antitrust lawsuit
The real estate industry is not lacking in antitrust lawsuits. But while industry professionals await the results of the suits against the National Association of Realtors, Zillow has just dodged legal trouble of its own. A lawsuit alleging that Zillow violated the Lanham Act and the Vermont Consumer Protection Act due to use of deceptive tactics in its for-sale-by-owner listing services and advertisements was dismissed last week by a federal judge in Vermont.
United's Rick Haase on acquisitions and lessons learned building an in-house tech platform
Today's RealTrending podcast features Rick Haase, president of United Real Estate. Rick discusses what they look for in a brokerage acquisition, the current real estate technology landscape and lessons learned building an in-house tech platform. Here is a small preview of today's interview with Rick.
4 Positives about today's housing market
Real estate and mortgage professionals must know a lot about what affects the real estate market - both locally and nationally. The stark reality is that true professionals in this space never stop learning. They also use historical information to guide their understanding of current and future marketing conditions and hence, the application of sound strategies. Here are four things to know about real estate right now and into the near future. 1.
HomeLight lays off 19% of workforce
Just days after announcing another $115 million in financing, San Francisco real estate company HomeLight announced a layoff of 19% of its workforce. HomeLight is the latest in a and mortgage companies that announced massive layoffs amid a rise in interest rates and spooked housing consumers. A company spokesperson provided the 19% figure but did not disclose how many employees the business was letting go.
Council Post: Lead Management: Automate To Accelerate
Nick Ron, CEO of House Buyers of America, is a tech-savvy industry veteran with over 20 years of experience as a real estate investor. getty Building a culture of innovation and collaboration has never been more critical within real estate organizations. Thanks to the pandemic and historically low interest rates, this industry underwent the largest digital transformation it has ever experienced — all while serving consumers in one of the hottest markets.
How COVID propelled industry forward
Technology has transformed the real estate industry, enabling contact-less viewings and sales. Over the past six months, nearly every industry in our economy was accelerated by technology due to COVID-19. Whether consumers or businesses were ready, the global pandemic forced us to conduct business almost 100 percent virtually. Residential real estate was undoubtedly one of the industries most affected.
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