Michael Catarevas, RISMedia Journalist Profile

Articles

Strategies Sellers Should Embrace With Other Homes for Sale Close By

1 week ago | rismedia.com | Michael Catarevas

Editor’s note: This story is the second of a two-part RISMedia report on how to calm sellers’ fears and rationalize situations that may arise when homes similar to theirs and in close proximity are on the market. For part one, go here. Preparing a home to be sold isn’t difficult. But when there are similar ones next door also for sale, there can be an added challenge.
How to Calm Jittery Sellers When Similar Homes Close by Are Also for Sale

1 week ago | rismedia.com | Michael Catarevas

Editor’s note: This story is the first part of a two-part RISMedia report on how to calm sellers’ fears and rationalize situations that may arise when homes similar to theirs and in close proximity are on the market. Look for part two in the coming days. At 103 Valley Road in Westport, Connecticut, sits a little house for sale shaped just like a Monopoly game hotel, except it’s blue, not red.
Meet the Mortgage Maven, a 40-Year Industry Icon Still Rockin’

2 weeks ago | rismedia.com | Michael Catarevas

Above, Melissa Cohn. Photo by Jill LotenbergMelissa Cohn knew early on in life that she had the drive and desire to do something exceptional with her life. She just didn’t know what it would be yet. “I’ve always been very entrepreneurial,” she says. “I started my first business when I was nine years old, selling brownies during the summer to a general store on Martha’s Vineyard. I’ve always been a horse rider, and when my parents gave me a pony I taught lessons on it.
Red Alert! 4 Paint Choices That Can Impact a Home’s Value

2 weeks ago | rismedia.com | Michael Catarevas

It’s an owner’s choice to display whatever colors they like inside and outside their home. But that may need to change when they decide to sell. Then they should be trying to appeal to as many potential buyers as possible. The avoidance of trendy or overly bold colors can lead to a more versatile and timeless look. Here are four paint choices that can make a difference in the sale price…and your commission.
Investors Selling Homes Fast—and Getting Picky About Where They Buy New Ones

2 weeks ago | rismedia.com | Michael Catarevas

In a new report from Realtor.com®, real estate investors were found to have sold homes at a record pace in 2024, while choosing carefully which states they valued when deciding to buy new ones. Looking at the raw sales numbers, investors offloaded about 509,000 properties last year, which was fewer than in 2021 and 2022, but significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels.
United Real Estate's Forward-Thinking, Agent-Centric Approach Fosters Continued Growth

3 weeks ago | rismedia.com | Michael Catarevas

If ever national real estate brands, regional brokerages and agents wonder how United Real Estate manages to keep growing bigger and stronger year after year even as the industry experiences choppy seas, the answer is a simple, timeworn phrase—they don’t rest on their laurels.
Powell Speech Lauds History of the Fed; No New Rate Updates

3 weeks ago | rismedia.com | Michael Catarevas

Fed Chair Jerome Powell, speaking at the Federal Reserve Board’s International Finance Division 75th Anniversary Conference in Washington, D.C., June 2, did not shed any light on what, if any, decisions may or may not be upcoming regarding the economy and lowering of interest rates, instead focusing on the organization’s previous accomplishments. “The U.S. emerged from World War II as a global economic superpower,” he said.
Inflation Numbers Mild in April; Tariffs Not Impactful Yet

4 weeks ago | rismedia.com | Michael Catarevas

Government Big Data Management Inflation was mild in April as President Trump’s tariffs policy, which has generally been put on hold for the time being, did not impact numbers dramatically. Whether the oft-changing trade measures lead to noticeably higher prices by year’s end remains to be seen. From the same month one year ago, the PCE price index for April increased 2.1%. Excluding food and energy, the PCE price index increased 2.5% from one year ago.
Spring Has Sprung Forward; Have Your Home Sales Followed Suit?

1 month ago | rismedia.com | Michael Catarevas

Spring is to homebuying what winter is to skiing. Sure, they’re both doable during other times of the year, but pale in comparison to the peak three-month seasons. Unfortunately, for many residential real estate agents and brokers, spring 2025 will likely mirror how schussers would recall a winter season with limited snowfall quality and quantity on their favorite slopes…disappointing, but certainly not devastating. A myriad of sometimes conflicting factors have combined to define spring 2025.
10 Key Strategies From Experienced Agents to KO the Competition

1 month ago | rismedia.com | Michael Catarevas

It could be said that in many ways real estate sales mirror pugilism. It’s an intense competition to not only land clients and listings, but to decisively defeat competing agents by closing sales and collecting commissions. Boxing is a legitimate comparison, because just as a homebuyer having their offer accepted after a bidding war, there is only one winner following a boxing match.