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With a population on the wane since the 19th century, the picturesque Irish island of Arranmore is down to its last 469 residents.

Determined to keep their community alive, islanders have taken an unusual step -- writing open letters to the people of the United States and Australia, asking them to consider moving to the island, three miles off the west coast of County Donegal in Ireland.

Arranmore, known as Arainn Mhor in Gaelic, boasts towering clifftops, unspoiled beaches, a close-knit community -- and high-speed internet, which community leaders hope will entice remote workers. Earlier this year, the island also opened a shared digital workspace.

"We're the most connected island in the world," Adrian Begley, of Arranmore Island Community…

After piling in when the market was hot, investors are facing losses from homes that take too long to sell.

Sean Pan wanted to be rich, and his day job as an aeronautical engineer wasn’t cutting it. So at 27 he started a side gig flipping houses in the booming San Francisco Bay Area. He was hooked after making $300,000 on his first deal. That was two years ago. Now home sales are plunging. One property in Sunnyvale, near Apple Inc.’s headquarters, left Pan and his partners with a $400,000 loss. “I ate it so hard,” he says.

A new crop of flippers, inspired by HGTV reality shows, real estate meetup groups, and get-rich gurus, piled into the market in recent years as rapid price gains helped the last property crash fade from memory. Many newbie…

Contrary to popular belief (and local new construction) homebuyers still want bathtubs.

Yes, yes, we’ve all been told that "bathrooms and kitchens sell houses." But according to an illuminating new survey from realestate.com, one particular bathroom feature is a real deal-maker: a claw-foot bathtub.

For real? Yep, per the survey's participants, homes that had a claw-foot bathtub in the listing sold, on average, for 29 percent above asking price. That's some serious ROI now, folks. 

We were honestly surprised, too: We would have expected a more modern amenity (like a rain head shower or trendy tiling) to be the hot ticket item. But it just goes to show ya that some classic character features have real staying power—especially…

Looking for a dose of instant sunshine to help you through the winter?

This latest deal out of Italy could be just the warm jolt of vitamin D you need.

As of right now, you can buy a house on southern Italy's beautiful island of Sicily for less than the cost of an espresso.

Sambuca, a hilltop town with views over the Mediterranean island and nearby beaches, has placed dozens of dwellings on the market for €1, or just over a dollar.

The deal is aimed at reviving a community that, like many other rural spots in Italy, has suffered from depopulation in recent years as residents move to bigger cities.

It's not the first Italian town to lure in outsiders with tempting offers but, say local officials, Sambuca is scrapping red tape to make…

Housing prices aren't just on the rise in Denver. 

Home purchasing power can greatly depend on where you live. Business Insider put together a snapshot of what you can get in every state for $250,000, from an almost 5000 square foot home in Bridgeport, CN, to a 420 square foot condo in Washington DC.

Here are a couple cities where you are getting lots of land for your $$$

Bridgeport, Connecticut

 

Listing Price: $255,000

Square Feet: 4,791

Price per square foot: $53

Kansas City, Missouri

 

Listing Price: $250,000

Square Feet: 3,560

Price per square foot: $70

Wichita, Kansas

Listing Price: $250,000

Square Feet: 3,504

Price per square foot: $71

Omaha, Nebraska

 

Listing Price:…

In March, the average price of a detached single-family home in metro Denver surpassed $500,000 for the first time. But that's already seeming like the good old days.

Why? The new average price for such a property is up nearly $40,000 in just three months. And over the past four years, that average has leaped skyward by more than $171,000 — an amount that would have bought a young family quite a nice house not all that long ago.

These revelations are contained within the June market trends report from the Denver Metro Association of Realtors. It's accessible below in its entirety.

According to DMAR, the average price for a detached single-family home in metro Denver last month was $540,624. That's an increase of $37,638 since February, or…

Homeowners gained an average of $15,000 in home equity last year, totaling $908 billion, according to CNBC. 

A sharp rise in home values last year gave homeowners a strong infusion of cash, in the form of home equity. It also helped more than half a million borrowers rise above water on their mortgages.

All real estate is, of course, local, and some homeowners saw significantly bigger gains than others, especially those in the Western region of the nation. Overall, however, they gained the most equity of any year since 2013.

Homeowners with a mortgage, representing about 63 percent of all properties, saw their equity increase 12 percent over the course of last year, according to CoreLogic. That comes to an average of $15,000 per homeowner and…

From a closet in Manhattan to a mansion in Memphis: How the buying power of $200,000 varies across U.S. housing markets

How much home can you buy with $200,000 in America? The answer varies dramatically depending on where you live.

In Manhattan, the most expensive housing market in the country, that price will only purchase a 125-square-foot closet, according to a new report by PropertyShark. The city has a median price per square foot of $1,585.

San Francisco is close behind: $200,000 would buy a paltry 260 square feet, followed by Boston (371 square feet); San Jose (376); and Washington D.C. (423)

At the other end of the spectrum, that sum would buy a palatial 3,769 square feet in Cleveland - nearly 30 times the buying power of…

WELCOME TO OUR SERIES, MOVING OUT OF DENVER. 

It's no secret that the team at West + Main Homes is passionate about life in the Denver Metro area. Our agents live all over the city and in the nearby suburbs. Many of us grew up here, and the rest of us got here as fast as we could.

But, Denver is quickly growing + changing, and we understand that it might not be a perfect fit for you and your family as both housing cost increases and population growth show no signs of slowing down anytime soon.



So, if you're thinking about cashing in on your home's equity and moving to a smaller Colorado town, up to the mountains, or even out of State, we are here to help. From preparing and listing your local home for sale, to introducing you to a great Realtor…

The Realist's Guide to Denver Real Estate 

I've been patiently awaiting my May issue of 5280 Magazine because they always do a big feature on real estate this month.

Last year, their reporting blew me away and I have every new client read this article before I even meet with them. The gist of the story this year is "... desperate protagonists resigning themselves to paying more than expected for a house that - because it's smaller, or in a dicier zip code, or less quaint than the house they envisioned  - definitely the home of their dreams."

It dawns on me, this frustrating market is all I know. I'm now a professional at helping people find that compromise, boost their budget by considering roommate, and looking at the tax benefits that they…