Real estate trends

A real estate trend is any consistent pattern or change in the general direction of the real estate industry which, over the course of time, causes a statistically noticeable change. This phenomenon can be a result of the economy, a change in mortgage rates, consumer speculations, or other fundamental and non-fundamental reasons.

MSN reports that home prices have dropped by a record amount and illustrates with a chart of historical real estate prices. Real estate property values have trended upward in the range of 2-5% almost every year since World War II, but since 2006 they have declined. From 2007 to 2008 prices declined as much as 39% per year -though the average decline appears to be lower.

At one time, all real estate brokers and agents, or Realtors, practiced "single agency," meaning they represented only the buyer or the seller. In the 1990s, the concept of buyer agency became popular, allowing a buyer to retain an agent who would represent the best interests of the buyer alone. The first national company to provide this service was The Buyer's Agent, Inc. A 2008 study by Consumer Reports indicates that prior to this development, a Realtor was presumed by state law to be working for the seller. The same study shows that buyers using buyer agents obtained a savings of $5000 in the price of the home as compared to prices paid by unrepresented buyers. It remains true that an unrepresented real estate buyer can still call the sellers agent to arrange a showing of the property. In such cases, the buyer should be advised by Agency Disclosure Laws (a state law in every state in the U.S.) that any information obtained, as well as all conversations and negotiations undertaken, will be for the benefit of the seller.

Historical rates are presented in a report by the Government Accountability Office, Congress's investigative arm. A 2005 study of real estate commission rates, reported that realtors tended to charge, "about 5 percent to 7 percent of a property's selling price...". More recently, CBS News, "60 Minutes" television news magazine reported in 2007 that competitive pressure resulting from a record number of licensed agents has driven down the average sales commission rates paid by sellers. A new breed of marketplaces that enable agents to compete for sellers further adds pressure to the commission rate structure.

Another trend is the emergence of alternatives to the commission model, including flat-fee, hourly home selling, and for sale by owner tools.

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