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Dive Brief:

  • A new report from the nonprofit investigative journalism outfit ProPublica suggests that Facebook’s option to target ads at users based on what the social media website calls "ethnic affinities" violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Fair Housing Act of 1968 because it lets companies target — or avoid targeting — advertisements at individuals based on race.
  • Facebook’s ad-targeting capabilities, including the exclusion feature, are generally a boon to companies, who use it to reach niche audiences to yield a greater return than simply sending an advertisement to a general audience where the impact may not be as significant.
  • The social media site does not ask users to identify their race but instead determines "ethnic…

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By KRISTEN DREW, KOMO News               Another reason why it's so important to make sure you know and trust the real estate professional you hire to market your home. This agent was affiliated with Windermere at the time on the incident.  

A real estate broker who claimed he was going to show a Renton home to a potential buyer was arrested for stealing prescription painkillers from the homeowner and it was all caught on camera.

See Related: Safety Benefit of Smart Homes for Owners and Agents

"I'm watching it live and I'm like, 'Holy cow, this guy is ripping me off,'" said Doug Wright, who put his home on the market last weekend.

Aaron Peterson, who was employed as a real estate broker for Windermere during the incident,…

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Here are our U.S. housing market forecasts for 2017.

Housing markets in a handful of metro areas will continue to sizzle in 2017, while the rest of the country could experience a cooling trend. Mortgage rates will likely hover in the 3.5% range for the short term, but could rise above 4% through the first half of 2017. Loan limits could also rise in some parts of the country next year, in response to rising home values.

Let’s take a closer look at these and other housing market forecasts and predictions for 2017.

1. Home prices nationwide to rise 3% – 5% over next 12 months.

In October, the economic research team at Zillow issued this 12-month forecast for the U.S. housing market: “United States home values have gone up 5.1% over the past…

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KIRKLAND, Washington (Nov. 4, 2016) – Home sales around Western Washington outgained new listings again in October, fueling competition for scarce inventory and pushing prices higher. Some seasonal slowdown is still expected – and the Nov. 8 elections may be in play as well, according to brokers at Northwest Multiple Listing Service who commented on last month’s activity.   Closed Sales Up 10.1% Pending Sales Up 6.8% Active Listings Down 13%
 
MLS members reported 9,950 pending sales during October, but they added only 7,591 new listings, the lowest number since January. A year-over-year comparison of pending sales shows there were 633 more mutually accepted offers last month than twelve months ago for a gain of 6.8 percent. 
 
Closed sales…

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Remind your clients that even if these “adverse situations” wouldn’t bother them as home owners, they could be the bane of their existence as sellers.

high voltage power lines  

In 2001, when I first got my real estate license, I took a class at my brokerage about how to show properties. Seems silly, right? How hard is it to unlock the door? But this class was about practical ways to make sure the buyer focuses on the most important factors of a home. I still follow some of the tips from this class today. One of them was to advocate caution to a buyer considering a house with an “adverse situation.”

What’s that? It’s a condition that will affect the resale of the property. I remember the instructor saying, “When my past clients call me up and ask me to…

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