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Where residents of 17 New York City neighborhoods could move abroad and live for the same price

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CP montecarlo copy

It's no surprise that New York City is expensive — but to give you an idea of just how expensive, startup NeighborhoodX compared New York City neighborhoods to luxury destinations around the world.

Manhattan's Murray Hill, for example, is equivalent in purchase price per square foot of real estate to the romantic La Parte Vieja neighborhood in San Sebastian, Spain.

And Carroll Gardens in Brooklyn compares to an exclusive residential neighborhood in Oslo, Norway.

NeighborhoodX compiled data primarily on two-bedroom apartments. Their data set came from a mixture of proprietary research, public data sets from the real estate portals, and analysis from real estate analyst Jonathan Miller of Miller Samuel.

Here, we've highlighted 17 of the most expensive New York City neighborhoods and their luxurious counterparts around the world, where New Yorkers would pay nearly the same price for their homes:

SEE ALSO: 13 facts about San Francisco that will make you think twice about whether you can afford to live there

17. Williamsburg, Brooklyn

At $782 per square foot, Williamsburg compares to the Centro Storico neighborhood of Rome, Italy ($778/square foot).

With a rich history of over 3,000 years, Centro Storico was once the center of the world and is now the heart of Rome, brimming with Baroque art, museums, and magnificent churches.



16. Cobble Hill, Brooklyn

At $1,028 per square foot, Cobble Hill compares to the Piazza Santa Trinita neighborhood of Florence, Italy ($1,019/square foot).

You'll find the beginning of the luxurious and chic shopping street, Via de' Tornabuoni, in the Piazza Santa Trinita, along with its namesake, the Church of Santa Trinita.



15. Fort Greene, Brooklyn

At $1,063 per square foot, Fort Greene compares to the Ponte Vecchio neighborhood of Florence, Italy ($1,020/square foot). 

Dante, Michelangelo, Galileo, and Boccaccio all once walked the streets of this picturesque neighborhood.



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These 6 maps prove you can score a sweet housing deal if you're willing to commute

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chicago winter commute

In my 26 years in the business, the price discount available to someone who is willing to commute has never been greater.

As shown in the 6 maps below created by our consulting team, this discount occurs throughout the country.

Impact of Social Shifts

While the closer-in locations typically recover first after a downturn, the recovery in the outlying areas is taking much longer, and the price discount for those willing to commute is as big as ever. Two countervailing demographic shifts that make this trend even more interesting are:

  • Fewer drivers. Only 78% of 20–24 year olds today drive, compared to 93% in 1978. While I don’t have the stats for older buyers, suffice it to say that more households are opting not to own a car, and Uber will likely exacerbate this trend.

Percent of 20 24 year olds with a drivers license fixed title 1024x566

  • More telecommuters. 26% of workers aged 26–45 report that they telecommute, which is 5% more than those aged 46–55 and 10% more than those aged 56–65. The Internet has clearly enabled more knowledge workers to live wherever they want, as evidenced in our own company by great employees who live in Green Bay, Utica, and Portsmouth. So why aren’t more people opting for affordable housing on the fringes?

Key Questions

This raises huge questions:

  1. Price appreciation. Will the discounts associated with being further from the job centers return to normal, resulting in far more price appreciation in these outlying areas, or has there been a permanent shift where homes in the outlying areas will be valued at a greater than historical discount—or is the answer somewhere in between?
  2. Construction volumes. This lack of “commuter demand” is one major reason why new home construction remains low, as most of the available developable land is on the urban fringes. If a permanent shift in relative value between cities has occurred, how big are the negative implications for new home construction volumes? 
  3. Homeownership. What are the implications for homeownership, as housing close to job centers remains quite expensive? From 1900 through 1945, the era before highway construction opened up the suburbs, US homeownership was 45%+/-. We should note that mortgage qualification was also far more difficult prior to 1945.

Drive Until You Qualify

There is an old industry saying that home buyers get in their car and drive until they can find the home they want in their price range. $1,000 in savings per mile used to be an industry rule of thumb. This “drive until you qualify” discount far exceeds the industry rule of thumb today. To show this, our consulting team calculated the values in various cities in comparison to their prior peak values.

Chicago

Along Chicago’s I-294 corridor, consultant Lance Ramella calculates that values in Deerfield have recovered to within 15% of prior peak pricing, with much less recovery all the way out to McHenry, where homes are priced 30% below peak.

The same is true along Chicago’s I-88 corridor, where Naperville has recovered to within 6% of peak pricing, yet more distant Aurora remains 34% below peak.



Los Angeles

In Los Angeles, where the entire county average is 11% below peak pricing, consultant Pete Reeb calculates Glendale has recovered to within 2% of peak, Santa Clarita has recovered to within 14%, and Palmdale remains 37% below peak.

Pete notes that similar ratios ring true throughout the Southland, where Carlsbad in San Diego County now exceeds prior peak by 2%, but Vista remains 11% below peak, and Ramona remains 22% below. In the Inland Empire, which feeds off Los Angeles, homes in Fontana remain 28% below peak, while distant Victorville remains 43% below peak.



Washington DC

In the Washington, DC suburbs, consultant Dan Fulton calculates that homes in Arlington are 8% above prior peak, while Reston is 6% below peak, Ashburn is 16% below peak, and distant Winchester remains a whopping 29% below peak.



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What $600,000 will buy you in all 5 of NYC’s boroughs

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An assortment of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments (and houses, should your search extend to Staten Island) are for sale this week for $600,000.

We’ve already done the legwork, so sit back and browse below.

SEE ALSO: What NYC's most famous fictional apartments would cost in real life

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Prospect Heights, Brooklyn

A one-bedroom, one-bath condo with radiant floor heating and a washer/dryer in an elevator building with a rooftop terrace at 735-737 Bergen Street (between Underhill and Grand).

$605,000 plus $473/month common charges, $324/month taxes.



Central Harlem, Manhattan

A two-bedroom, one-bath condo with a pass-through, windowed kitchen and two closets in each bedroom on the fourth floor of a building with a common courtyard located at 233 West 134th Street (between Frederick Douglass Boulevard and Adam Clayton Powell Junior Boulevard).

$600,000 plus $500/month common charges (includes heat and hot water), $89/month taxes.



Chelsea, Manhattan

A one-bedroom, one-bath co-op with exposed brick and a working fireplace in a prewar, pet-friendly building at 252 West 20th Street (between Seventh and Eighth).

$615,000 plus $1,019/month maintenance.



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The biggest mansion in Alabama is being auctioned — and it could be 'the buy of a lifetime'

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7 Montagel

Birmingham's most infamous luxury listing is hitting the auction block on Halloween.

Known as "The Guitar House" and touted as Alabama's biggest estate, 7 Montagel Way is the dream home of Larry House, the former CEO of MedPartners, a healthcare-staffing firm. House resigned his position in 1998, right before the company was sued by its shareholders. This happened around the same time that House settled a costly divorce.

Though the 27-acre estate was sold by another auction house in 2003, a spokesperson explains that House "put the home up for auction and it was purchased by a bank, which he then bought it back from." The house was sold for a reported $3.95 million at the 2003 auction.

The private auction on October 31 is in collaboration with DeCaro Luxury Auctions, and the bidding will start at $0. The auction house describes the property as "the buy of a lifetime."

Keep scrolling to check out the house with a guitar-shaped driveway and palatial interiors.

SEE ALSO: Take a tour of an incredible $19.5 million log cabin once owned by Howard Hughes

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Welcome to Birmingham's 50,000-square-foot Guitar House. Auctioned in 2003 for $3.95 million, the home was listed in 2011 for $17.9 million.

Source: Zillow



By early 2015, the listing price fell to $9.9 million.

Source: Zillow



Architect Bill Sheppard modeled the design after historic castles in Italy and France. As you walk through the foyer, don't forget to look up.



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'Million Dollar Listing' star explains how waking up at 4:30 a.m. supercharges his productivity

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ryan serhant

Ryan Serhant is one of the stars of Bravo's reality show "Million Dollar Listing New York," but that's primarily a marketing tool.

His business, The Serhant Team, is the No. 1 real-estate team by sales volume in New York, and No. 6 in the US, according to REAL Trends.

Serhant is an associate broker of Nest Seekers International, so he's an independent contractor working for a larger brokerage firm. But he's essentially an entrepreneur in charge of his own business.

We recently caught up with Serhant, at the LinkedIn Next Wave party, where he was being honored as an industry leader under age 35. We asked if he had a favorite habit that's significantly boosted his productivity.

"I wake up very early — 4:30," he said.

He started the habit a couple years ago because he "found that most real estate agents don't understand how to become their own boss. They run around with clients all day long, they go home, they pass out, they're exhausted, and then they wake up 15 years later."

When you're in charge of your own business, you don't have someone expecting you to arrive at the office by a certain time. This freedom allows for some indulgences like extra sleep, but it also creates opportunities to take advantage of those with less resolve, Serhant said.

By waking up early, he said he gains up to four extra hours each weekday. When you add that up over the year, allowing for some time off, "you have, like, an extra month of life," he said.

"That's craziness. It's what you have that all of your competition doesn't have."

SEE ALSO: 'Shark Tank' investor Barbara Corcoran reveals the productivity trick every entrepreneur should use

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A 24-year-old college dropout explains how he went from $10,000 in savings to $4 million in real estate

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mike henkel

In 2010, Mike Henkel dropped out of college after only two years at Central Michigan University.

"It was always in the back of my mind that I never wanted to work for anyone else," he explains. "I was going to college and doing what everyone else was doing, and one day I stopped."

Henkel got his real estate license in only eight days and, two weeks later, he started looking for properties to buy with the $10,000 in his bank account saved from years of summer jobs.

At 20 years old, he bought a five-bedroom condo for about $60,000 near the college campus, and rented the four spare bedrooms to friends for $300 a month.

The income provided him with a free place to live while he spent his time replenishing his bank account by holding three jobs: a morning position as a realtor, an afternoon gig as a leasing agent at an apartment complex, and another night and weekend job working at a combination bowling alley/golf course.

In the spring of 2011, the opportunity arose to buy two more five-bedroom units in the same area. "I had saved barely enough to put down a down payment, and I didn't have enough money to close," Henkel remembers. "I have three credit cards, and I took out three cash advances and went to a payday loans place and bought five $800 loans. As soon as I closed, I used every dime I got to pay off those little loans." He estimates it took him about 2-3 months to eliminate about $6,000 of debt, and that fall, he bought another unit.

Henkel turned his attention to making the units easier to rent to local college students. "The units were five bedrooms, two bathrooms, 1,700 square feet, near the university — it was strange they weren't renting out well. I went in there and said 'Ok, if I was going to live here — and I did live there! — what would I want done?'"

He ended up spending about $5,000 per unit ("I put it on the credit card and then paid that off as soon as I could") to replace the flooring with laminate and new carpet, coat the walls in fresh paint, and bring in new appliances.

chip villageOver the next few years, Henkel kept acquiring new properties near campus. In 2012, he got a deal to buy six new places for only 5% down, which ended up costing him about $14,000. That year, he bought a total of eight units.

"At that point, every time I bought something, my bank account would go to zero or pretty close, and then I would build it up and do it again," he remembers. "I know it was risky, but I was 21 and 22 and I wanted to just go."

He admits that taking on so much risk made him uneasy. "It used to really get to me," he says. "I'd get really stressed. With the first couple of units I was taking a leap of faith. I would puke every other day, and I wouldn't sleep. But I think there's something about working in the business and doing it, you get to the point where stressing out isn't going to do anything about it. Now I feel like I react. Like I told a friend: If someone chucks a ball at you, you're not going to freak out about that ball coming — you're going to get the hell out of the way. Worrying about the ball won't stop it from coming."

In 2013, he bought another 15 (14 of which he purchased with a partner), and in 2014, another group of 15. The units now sell for closer to $80,000, and he puts about $8,000 into renovating each one before renting them to local students for about $300 per bedroom each month. He slowly phased out his three jobs, and now devotes his full time to managing his properties out of his three-bedroom apartment in one of the bigger buildings, which he turns into a leasing office in the afternoons. 

broomfield frontRenting to college students comes with its own set of challenges. Henkel says he's seen his properties completely trashed, and makes a point of doing joint leases that make every roommate responsible for the unit.

He estimates he has to take one out of every 10 groups of renters to small claims court for unpaid rent, and he sends damages to collections. However, he explains, so far he's been able to work out payment plans with errant tenants and not had to go so far in the process that their delinquency appears on their credit reports.

"When I was 19 or 20, so many people I looked at that did what I was doing — pinching pennies and trying to save and spend this much — that wasn't for me," he shares. "I want more in life. I don't want to be tied down to a job. If my units are filled, I want to get to the point where I can hire other people, so if I want to go to Vegas next week, I can go. If I have kids someday, I can go places with them without worrying about work."

Henkel now owns a total of 42 units (177 rentable bedrooms) worth about $4 million. "My goal is to get enough units to where I can have a team," he continues. He explains that his strengths are filling the rooms and figuring out what's needed to attract tenants, but says he struggles with remaining organized. "My first employee will be someone really organized so I can worry about filing the units, then I'll get another person to rent the units and slowly take myself out of the equation."

SEE ALSO: How teaching online courses helped one entrepreneur put a down payment on a house

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10 incredible home theaters that you can buy right now

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9 Terrace Cir- home theaters

Forget swimming pools. Today's high net worth home buyers would rather have a tricked-out home theater. 

According to a recent survey by Coldwell Banker, home theaters outrank pools, wine cellars, and tennis courts as one of the most desirable real estate amenities that the super rich look for. 

With the help of Zillow, the largest real estate network on the web, we've found 10 of the most elaborate home theaters that you can buy right now. 

Keep scrolling to see their swanky concession stands, plush leather seats, and more.  

SEE ALSO: 9 enormous log cabins that have all the luxuries of a modern mansion

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$9.7 million | 5 Longwood Road, Sands Point, New York

Located on the lower level of a 17,5000-square-foot estate, this 17-seat theater is a hop-skip from an equally luxe massage room, wet bar, game room, and gym. 

The fireplace is an extremely nice touch that you don't often see in home theaters. 

To view the listing, click here »



$6.45 million | 9 Terrace Circle, Armonk, New York

Sitting on almost three acres of land, 9 Terrace Circle was designed for luxury entertaining. Behind the stone exterior lies an elegant wine cellar with a long tasting table and intricate chandelier, a 12-person hot tub, and a sleek home theater.

Don't want to sit in a chair? Opt for the super-size bean bag in the front left corner. 

To view the listing, click here »



$7.35 million | 630 Stonehouse Lane, Santa Barbara, California

This state-of-the-art home theater holds court in an airy country estate that's surrounded by oak trees and beautiful mountains. The dimly lit theater is conveniently located on the same wing as the master suite.   

To view the listing, click here »



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How I found an amazing apartment near San Francisco with only my phone — and without using Craigslist

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golden gate

Last month, I moved out of my apartment in San Francisco to a place in Burlingame, a suburban area 30 minutes south of the city.

Finding a place in the suburbs is no easy deal: public transportation is limited and the apartments are far apart. I didn’t even have a car back then.

But it was surprisingly easy to find a new place. I relied on just 3 apps — and didn't have to use Craigslist at all. Here’s how I did it.

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I lived in an area called Japantown/Lower Pac Heights, 15 minutes west of downtown San Francisco.



It’s a nice neighborhood with a bunch of shops nearby. But I wanted to move out of the city, to somewhere warmer and quieter: the suburbs.



…where there are more palm trees and an outdoor pool.



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Tour a $149 million mansion in Beverly Hills that has a 27-car garage and bowling alley

Take a tour of the swanky Miami condos attracting big-shot DJs and professional athletes

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granparaiso miami

Paraiso, a new set of ultra-luxurious condo towers under development in Miami, is already drawing some pretty high-profile names in the entertainment industry, and it isn't even finished yet. Set on 10 acres of land in Miami's Edgewater neighborhood, Paraiso is one of the biggest real estate projects in the city's history. 

Perennial baseball star Alex Rodriguez is the latest to buy in, purchasing a 3,200-square-foot penthouse on the 53rd floor of the fourth and final tower in the complex, Gran Paraiso. His neighbors in the tower will include DJ David Guetta, NBA player Manu Ginóbili, and tennis champion Arantxa Sánchez Vicario. 

With amenities like wraparound terraces, private elevator access, tennis courts, putting green, movie theater, bowling alley, and a beach club, it's no surprise they're interested.

The towers are being designed by Arquitectonica and marketed by The Related Group, who haven't disclosed purchase prices. They did note, however, that similar units in the area have recently sold for north of $4 million. 

SEE ALSO: The biggest mansion in Alabama is being auctioned — and it could be 'the buy of a lifetime'

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GranParaiso is under construction on the Biscayne Bay waterfront. Paraiso Bay is also being built beside it, though the two towers will have separate entrances.



The lobby and public spaces were designed by noted Italian architect Piero Lissoni. Private elevators lead up to each unit.



Here's a look at what A-Rod's penthouse might look like once he moves in. The master bath has a stand-alone tub, plus large glass walls that give a view onto the master bedroom and the ocean behind it.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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This interactive map shows how unaffordable San Francisco has become since 2010

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urban houses san francisco

San Francisco has the highest percentage of million-dollar homes in the United States, according to a study released this morning by online real estate broker Trulia.

A whopping 63% of homes in the city are now worth more than a million dollars, based on calculations Trulia did using factors like square footage and recent sales in the neighborhood.

There's a lot of discussion in the city right now as to whether the rise in real estate prices is a result of the tech boom, increased foreign investment in real estate, a lack of new housing stock, or some combination of those factors. But Trulia's data shows that a couple neighborhoods that tech workers favor — Bernal Heights and the Mission — now have the greatest percentage of million-dollar homes in the city. Five years ago, those two neighborhoods weren't even in the top ten. 

Both neighborhoods are centrally located, highly walkable, and — probably most important — close to shuttle stops for the buses that take tech workers down to Silicon Valley campuses like Google, Facebook, Apple, and Yahoo.

Not surprisingly, San Francisco is the setting for the latest version of Bravo's Million Dollar Listing reality TV show. 

This interactive map shows exactly where and how fast the boom in million-dollar houses has occurred (the red dots are million dollar homes):

 

SEE ALSO: Here's what everybody in San Francisco is REALLY talking about...

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Here are the 15 least affordable housing markets in the US

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gore creek drive vail co

Houses are expensive, and getting a bad deal can make financing a home that much more painful.

RealtyTrac, which analyzes US property data, compiled the least affordable places to live in the US.

Surveying 582 counties across the country, the firm compiled home price and wage data. They developed a ranking of affordability by dividing the region's average mortgage payment by average weekly wages.

From RealtyTrac's data, we compiled a list of the 15 counties where is takes more than 80% of average wages to make an average house payment. 

California dominates the list, with 9 of the top 15 counties. But the most expensive county is a bit to the east and it takes 138.5% of a the average wage to make the average home financing payment.

Check out the full list below from most to least affordable, along with the metro area, average house price and average weekly wages for the county.

Sonoma County, CA

Metro Area: Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA

Affordability Percentage: 80.5%

Average House Price: $345,551

Average Weekly Wages: $895



Santa Barbara County, CA

Metro Area: Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta, CA

Affordability Percentage: 82.9%

Average House Price: $395,159

Average Weekly Wages: $961



Fairfax City, VA

Metro Area: Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

Affordability Percentage: 84.4%

Average House Price: $474,494

Average Weekly Wages: $1,162



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4 reasons to buy a home before the end of the year

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buying a house realtor

With the dog days of summer behind us, the real estate market should soon be experiencing an end-of-season cool-down. But that doesn’t mean prospective homebuyers should cool off, as well. 

If you’ve been thinking about buying a home, taking the plunge before year-end could save you money, give you extra negotiating power and potentially even increase your future take-home pay.

Here are three things that make the fourth quarter of 2015 a great time to buy a home.

1. Low interest rates

After months of rumblings about raising the federal funds rate – a key benchmark used to set mortgage interest rates – the Federal Reserve decided to keep rates at record lows during its September meeting.

However, analysts believe the Fed will begin the rate “liftoff” soon – perhaps even as early as their next meeting in December. Expectations are that rates will be raised gradually, but even an extra half point can make a big difference in monthly payments as well as the lifetime cost of a loan.

For example, for a $1 million fixed rate loan at 4.5%, monthly payments are $5,067 and the total cost of the loan over 30 years would be $1,824,120. At a 5% interest rate, the monthly payment goes up by more than $300 to $5,368, and the cost of the loan over 30 years increases just over $108,000 to $1,932,480.

2. Less Competition

Real estate sales tend to slow down during the fourth quarter for a variety of reasons – people get busy with the school year and the holidays, and inclement weather keeps people from venturing out to look at homes. But for some hot housing markets, this winter may be a slower season than they’ve seen in a while.

Trulia Housing Economist Ralph McLaughlin says that after several years of tight inventory and large price gains, certain fast-moving markets like Seattle, Denver, Salt Lake City and the San Francisco Bay Area are finally showing signs of a slowdown.

This market moderation, which can result in a lack of competing bids for choice properties, can put you in a strong negotiating position, especially if you have been preapproved by your lender.

house for sale rent sign

Your position is strengthened further when motivated sellers are looking for a quick sale to downsize, move for a new job or access built-up equity. Under the right circumstances, as the “only game in town”, you may be able to shave thousands of dollars off the listed price and/or negotiate concessions that can lower your closing costs.

3. Tax Deductions

Buying a home comes with a variety of tax benefits, the biggest being the ability to deduct interest paid on the mortgage

Of course, to maximize tax deductions it’s best to buy earlier in the year, but the sooner you’re paying interest on that new home, the more interest you’ll be able to deduct come next April.

One of the immediate benefits, especially if you’ll be deducting mortgage interest for the first time, is that you may be able to reduce the amount of federal income tax withheld from your income – resulting in a higher paycheck each month.

Property taxes (also known as real estate taxes) and some closing costs are also tax deductible. It’s always a good idea to consult with a tax professional to determine how these deductions could affect your bottom line.

Home for sale sign

4. Low Down Payment Options

For many years, 20% has been considered the magic number for a mortgage down payment – anything less could end up costing you in the form of expensive private mortgage insurance (PMI).

Fortunately, today there are lenders out there who offer less than 20% down payment options without PMI.

It’s important to consider how adjusting your down payment will affect your interest rate (generally the less you put down, the higher your rate will be), but if getting into a home quickly is your priority, a low down payment can facilitate that goal.

If not now, when?

A slow fourth quarter for real estate could be just the right speed to get you into your new home. Consider taking advantage of an environment that combines four big advantages: historically low borrowing rates, reduced buy-side competition, the tax benefits of home ownership and inexpensive low down payment options.

SEE ALSO: Here are the 14 most affordable housing markets in the US

Join the conversation about this story »

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The most expensive zip codes in 15 major US cities

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fisher island, florida

City life is expensive — but city life in the swankiest neighborhoods in the US can be outrageous.

The median listing price for homes in the quaint Boston neighborhood of Beacon Hill is over $3.7 million. And if you head to Atherton in San Francisco, the median home price exceeds $10 million.

Online real estate site Trulia analyzed the median price per square foot of homes across the biggest metropolitan areas in the US and provided Business Insider with a list of the most expensive zip codes in each.

Here, we've highlighted the most expensive zips in 15 major cities, ranked in order of price per square foot of real estate, the neighborhood (or island) they're most closely associated with, and the median listing price in each neighborhood.

SEE ALSO: Here's how much it costs for a family to live in 20 major US cities

15. St. Louis, Missouri: 63124 | Ladue

Median listing price: $889,495

Price per square foot: $248



14. Tampa, Florida: 33786 | Belleair Beach

Median listing price: $725,000

Price per square foot: $380



13. Newark, New Jersey: 07078 | Short Hills

Median listing price: $1,849,500

Price per square foot: $409



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Take a tour of the most expensive home for sale in Seattle

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Laurelhurst Seattle mansion

The most expensive listing in Seattle isn't a city slicker's penthouse. It's a tree-covered paradise on the shores of Lake Washington.

Designed by architect Craig Stillwell, the northwestern contemporary home was built in 2008.

Dave Malcolm, the managing director of Microsoft Accelerator, along with wife Shelley, bought the property in 2004 for $3.5 million and spent four years building the gorgeous house, according to Curbed.

The waterfront home, with nearly 12,000 square feet of space, is currently listed at $13.25 million.

Keep scrolling for an inside-out tour. 

SEE ALSO: We can finally peek inside the home of the world's second-richest man

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Seattle's most expensive home has just hit the market.



It's a lakefront beauty incorporating modern design and breathtaking views of Lake Washington.



Natural wood finishes comingle with beamed ceilings.



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A 23-year-old YouTube star just bought a $4.5 million mansion in Hollywood

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jordan maron house 2

Jordan Maron, a 23-year-old YouTube star, has purchased a huge hilltop mansion for $4.575 million under a private trust, according to Variety.

Maron is known in the YouTube world as "CaptainSparklez," and his channel has racked up more than 8.8 million subscribers and 1.9 billion views.

The channel primarily features videos of him playing "Minecraft," and he's signed by Polaris, a division of Maker Studios.

All of that gaming has clearly paid off — his brand-new home has amazing views and more than 4,100 square feet of space.

The home is located above the Sunset Strip in the Hollywood Hills, not far from where Markus Persson, the creator of Minecraft himself, bought a $70 million home in December 2014.

SEE ALSO: 13 crazy facts about the mansion the founder of Minecraft bought for $70 million

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Maron's house is set on a lot overlooking Los Angeles in the Hollywood Hills.



Its living spaces are spacious and open. The previous owner incorporated lots of Monopoly-inspired artwork throughout, including this painting of the Monopoly man placed over the fireplace.



The kitchen is sleek and contemporary.



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T-Mobile CEO John Legere just bought an $18 million penthouse that looks like a church

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john legere penthouse

T-Mobile CEO John Legere has just purchased a penthouse fronting New York's Central Park for $18 million, Curbed NY reports.

The penthouse once belonged to publishing mogul William Randolph Hearst and first appeared on the market for $27.5 million a year ago. 

Originally built in 1926, the unit has some historic features, like oak paneling, a tower library with 14-foot ceilings, and stained glass windows throughout. 

SEE ALSO: A 23-year-old YouTube star just bought a $4.5 million mansion in Hollywood

Legere's new penthouse is one of two that Hearst's estate as attempting to sell in New York City. The other, a slightly larger property on the Riverside Drive, sold in July.



This penthouse is a duplex with four bedrooms and four bathrooms.



A tower library on the second floor has 14.5-foot ceilings and a handcrafted wood bar.



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A Hong Kong real estate tycoon is giving away 15 million Hong Kong dollars to celebrate the birth of his grandson

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Lee Shau-kee

Henderson Land chairman Lee Shau-kee is celebrating the birth of his seventh grandchild – and plans to give away HK$15 million in lai see money to his staff and friends.

The boy, Lee Jianzi, was born recently to Lee's younger son Martin Lee Ka-shing and daughter-in-law Cathy Tsui Chi-kei. The baby, who is the second son and fourth child for the couple, was named by Lee Shau-kee.

Martin Lee and Tsui said in a statement, released through Henderson today, that the Lee family was excited about its new addition.

"Elder sisters Leanna and Hayley and brother Triston are very excited about the addition of a little brother," they said.

As part of the celebration for the newborn, Lee Shau-kee will give away HK$10,000 in cash to each of his 1,500 staff and friends, according to a Henderson Land spokeswoman.

This will cost Lee Shau-kee at least HK$15 million in cash.

The spokeswoman added that this was the fifth time Lee had given away lai see for a major family occasion.

Three other times he doled out cash for the birth of a grandchild, and did so for Martin's wedding. With this payout, his lai see giveaways over the past nine years will total HK$60 million.

“Uncle Four is extremely happy about the newborn grandson,” said the spokeswoman, referring to the elder Lee’s family nickname.

The baby is the seventh grandchild between his two sons, Peter Lee Ka-kit and Martin.

The boy has yet to be given an English name.

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SEE ALSO: The global financial crisis has affected China in a way that will last for decades

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This mundane Texas house has a secret room that makes it one in a million

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Star Trek House

"Star Trek" super fan built the most authentic Trekkie paradise this side of the Alpha Quadrant in a suburb of Houston, Texas.

And now he's selling it. 

Listed for $1.27 million, the focal point of the 6,000-square-foot mansion is a cinema room decked out like the Starship Enterprise, down to the most minute detail. 

“He's always been interested in space travel, in being in the stars, and he decided that if there was no way to travel to the stars, he’d bring them here,” listing agent William Machupa said of the seller. 

Keep scrolling for a tour of the unusual home with a completely ordinary façade. 

SEE ALSO: Take a tour of the most expensive home for sale in Seattle

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This unassuming new construction home is actually one in a million.



The four bedroom, four bathroom house has a huge kitchen and crisp new interiors.



As you pass the lagoon-style indoor pool, a staircase beams you right into...



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Take a look inside a famous designer's 'Bubble Palace' that just sold for $336 million

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bubble2It took $335.8 million to burst Pierre Cardin’s bubble!

The Italian-born French designer's Palais Bulles (read: Bubble Palace) in France has finally been sold. 

Nestled atop Massif de L’Esterel, a volcanic mountain range known for its red hues, the 1,200-square-meter complex comprises of 10 giant terracotta-colored bubbles.

The uniquely designed estate, which has been listed as a historic monument by the French Ministry of Culture, is also home to twenty-eight spherical rooms, including 10 suites with round beds, three swimming pools, lush gardens and a 500-seater amphitheater.

bubble_palace

Offering stunning views of the Mediterranean Bay, the one-of-a-kind French Riviera estate was built by Hungarian architect Antti Lovag between 1975 and 1989.

bubble3Though the house was conceptualized by Lovag, Cardin’s love for bubbles can be observed in the famous bubble dress he designed in 1954. 

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The 92-year-old fashion designer has said that round shapes have always inspired him and the bubble-shaped paradise is like a gallery of living art which is a constant and powerful image of creativity.

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The Bubble Palace has not only been the designer’s home, but also a hub for celebrity parties and fashion shows. It was also available for rent for private holidays.

SEE ALSO: This tree-covered Italian skyscraper gives new meaning to 'green architecture'

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