Tag archive for "Urban Real Estate" | Blog.PropertiesOnline.com

Gotta Catch ’em All – Pokémon Go and the Real Estate Market

Pokémon Go seems to be taking over the world. But the real estate market? Really? It’s no joke. The app is taking over real estate trends for 2016. Back from the late 90s like a bad sweater vest, the game is now larger than life, sending overgrown children everywhere out in search of Pokémon, everywhere from their backyard to public venues.

Lost already?
You’re not alone, but the 4-1-1 is that the game is a resurgence of an old Japanese anime cartoon in which people lived in a magical world where they captured and trained the cutely named fictional little beasts, each with their own unique characteristics for battle. Millennials then grew up (sort of) and moved on to more adult entertainment, no longer zoning out to cartoons but social media and gazillions of smart device-driven apps.

How on earth are people integrating Pokémon Go into real estate trends for 2016?

Get a buyer… Or get a life?
Sellers are cashing in on the game, boasting about area Pokémon training gyms and neighborhood PokéStops in home descriptions.

Brilliant agent architecture… Or maddening misrepresentation?
Agents are also capitalizing on the trend, using the game to draw potential buyers to open houses. (Want in? Beware of copyright infringement to avoid a PokéSuit.)

Craigslist crackpot… Or marketing mastermind?
One Craigslist user even tried to attract roommates with walkable PokéStops.

Stop the insanity?
I guess that depends on if you’re the one profiting. Android and iOS versions of the game challenge players to (gasp) leave the couch and battle trainers at other locations. Like the closest home listing conveniently located between 2 Pokémon Gyms with 6 Pokéstops. Players are taking the prodding to heart, engaging in our 43 minutes per day in play (later Instagram!).

Bowled over by the latest real estate trends for 2016? “Catch” the latest on Properties Online today.

What Real Estate Trends Are We Watching in 2016?

Bucking a mass of negative global economic trends and soaring into 2016, the real estate industry is still on the upswing after years of positive performance. In fact, according to the latest report on real estate trends by the Urban Land Institute, the outlook of the next 12 months is looking pretty darn good.

What real estate trends should you be on the lookout for this year?

Second-tier cities continuing their rise in popularity.
18-hour cities like Austin, San Antonio, Nashville, Portland, Raleigh-Durham, and more offer increased availability, lower cost of living, and ease of access to main metropolises.

The ‘rents moving to the ‘burbs.
Millennial parents, long painted as urbanesque, actually want homes in the ‘burbs, with good neighborhoods and schools like their parents and grandparents. In fact, because this generation has put parenthood on delay, a quickly-fueled suburban boom in upcoming years is expected.

Changes in housing options and ideas.
The affordability factor, which has led to homeownership dropping to pre-depression era rates, is leading to increased rental housing demands, concepts like micro-housing, and creative home loan options allowing multiple family members and generations to share in mortgage obligations.

Urban agriculture grows.
An increasing number of homeowners are becoming interested in urban farms, rooftop, and vertical gardening as food safety and health issues continue to fuel the push for better food, sparking a rise in municipalities allowing residents to raise backyard livestock.

A rising need for niche lenders.
Larger institutions constrained by recent regulations are making way for smaller banks and community lenders.

A change of landscape in the commercial sector.
Job growth has spurred a need for office space, however the latest real estate trends point toward open office plans allowing for co-working and less square feet per worker, prompting the need for the redevelopment of space.

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