Renovations can play a big part in the value of your home. In fact, almost 80 percent of sellers in the U.S. do at least one renovation before their house goes on the market. But, sellers, beware: Renovations do not always add value to a home’s appraisal. Here’s how to distinguish the smart investments from the costly vanity projects. 

Start Any Project with Expert Advice

U.S. homeowners spend around $400B a year on renovations and repairs, but while house prices continue to rise, returns on renovations are shrinking. That’s largely because the cost of labor and materials is steadily increasing. According to the benchmark report from [...]

Each Friday, Robbie Briggs, president and CEO of Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty, writes about luxury, trends, business and more in the advertising pages of the Mansion section of The Wall Street Journal. Below is his letter of February 26, 2021.

FROM MY PERSPECTIVE

It’s awards season in the real estate world — the time when the numbers have been crunched, the trophies have been polished and the energy is crackling around the brokerage. Who sold the most? Who broke records? Who had their best year [...]

Although mortgage rates aren’t the only factor to consider when it comes to buying or selling a home, they tend to dictate the tempo and intensity of the housing market. And it was fast and intense in Dallas-Fort Worth and Texas in general in 2020. Now that we’ve rung in a new year, here’s what to expect in 2021.

The Current State of Mortgage Rates in Texas

Trickling down from the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) to regional markets in all 50 states are mortgage rates at [...]

Our agents are known for their experience-based advice. If you or anyone you know have been impacted by February’s winter storms, here are resources we’ve gathered from trusted sources — everything from help with home damages to helping those displaced. Structure-damage funds: Talk with your insurance company first, then [...]

Each Friday, Robbie Briggs, president and CEO of Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty, writes about luxury, trends, business and more in the advertising pages of the Mansion section of The Wall Street Journal. Below is his letter of February 19, 2021.

FROM MY PERSPECTIVE

As the saying goes: The best never rest.

That absolutely applies to the agents and staff of Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty. In one of the wildest markets in our brokerage’s [...]

Each Friday, Robbie Briggs, president and CEO of Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty, writes about luxury, trends, business and more in the advertising pages of the Mansion section of The Wall Street Journal. Below is his letter of February 12, 2021.

FROM MY PERSPECTIVE

For one of its famous virtual happy hours, Hall Wines trades A-list celebrities for top real estate agents — and picks the ultimate place to host them

I can tell you that Coeur Cabernet Sauvignon tastes especially good 14 stories up in the Dallas [...]