Ali Ata

  The world is still reeling from the pandemic. Ali Ata understands that even with the massive demand in the housing market, home sellers may still be apprehensive about the situation. It ’ s essential to maintain an edge in the market if you ’ re trying to sell your home in 2021. If you want your home to sell for a great price and to the right buyer, think about the following reminders:    •     Amp up the perks. If you have an empty room or space that hasn ’ t been utilized yet, transform it into an extra “ benefit” room. It could be a home sauna, a gym, a playroom, a hobby room—just something that most homes might not have in their most essential features. Ali Ata feels that these added “ perks ” to the house will entice even more buyers, and it can also add to the value of the home. •     Utilize social media. 2021 is a highly digitized year; everyone is at home and online. So make your home appealing to the eyes of social media us...

  It ’ s an age-old adage that Ali Ata knows well: with real estate, it ’ s always location, location, location. And this saying isn ’ t just for investors—buyers should also keep it in mind. There ’ s currently a shortage in the housing market for some areas, but that doesn ’ t mean that you should jump to the first available location you see. Some places are better than others, even if it costs a little more.    Here ’ s why:   Centrality Matters If you ’ ve already identified a city to live in, it also matters where within the city the property is located. This is what experts call  centrality , and it plays a crucial role in the price of your home or property investment. Ali Ata explains that there isn ’ t a lot of land, especially in developed areas. The properties in the central areas have their prices driven upward. And when the cities try to expand, it ’ s the outlying areas that usually decline if a lot of the population leaves.   Emp...

Experts like Ali Ata understand the sentiments of home buyers completely: they're worried that the new home they just purchased isn't as sanitized as it could be. And given the world's current situation, it makes sense that they would be concerned about it. One of the significant challenges for home sellers is making their homes as clean as possible before selling. It's already considered one of the seller's responsibilities to clean and tidy their home, especially when presenting it for sale. It's one of the best ways to make a good impression on buyers. But Ali Ata feels that some extra sanitation could be in order. Here's how you can do so: Check the CDC procedures. The CDC has issued clear-cut procedures on disinfecting just about any area of the house and the most useful cleaning agents to use for various areas and surfaces. Taking note of these techniques and tools helps thoroughly sanitize a home. Clean from top to bottom. Start with shelves, fa...

  Missing middle” describes neighborhoods composed of houses that are somewhere between high-rise apartment buildings and single-family homes. Ali Ata says cities and towns across the US are beginning to see the benefits of developing missing middle housing.       The term “ missing middle” came from architect and urban planner  Daniel Parolek  in 2013, but the concept isn ’ t new. Before the 1940s, small-scale, multi-unit housing types are found interspersed throughout neighborhoods in the US. Duplexes, triplexes, townhouses, rowhouses, and other missing middle housing types are generally built to the same scale as single-family homes, allowing them to blend discreetly among neighborhoods consisting mostly of detached units.   After World War II, factors such as zoning laws and changed home-buying preferences led to the popularity of single-family housing and the development of car-dependent suburbs. Ali Ata says fewer communities develop...

Ali Ata believes that the housing market is one of the industry’s sectors that is significantly driving its recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. The market drastically improved in August as economic concerns continued to ease for both house sellers and buyers. But the uncertainty remains as the economy faces a long and bumpy recovery in the upcoming months.   Housing prices rose during the first few months of lockdown. Ali Ata believes that it can increase even further because of the significant shortage of supply and heavy buyer competition.   As rising prices made sellers rejoice and list more homes, Ali Ata believes the buyers worried as home prices increased during the quarantine. But the record-low mortgage rates and shortage of inventory kept the US housing market healthy. Buyers are moving much faster with unusually high buyer interest, which is better than this time last year. Consumers quickly take new listings out of the market because of the heavy buyer compet...

With most of the world under lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ali Ata shares it’s highly unlikely for people to be going on vacations any time soon. This means that if you’re running an Airbnb, you can expect slow business in the coming months.   What can you do? If you don’t want to let go of your business, you can consider transitioning to long-term rental. This is a great way to ensure a steady stream of income despite the drastically low tourism rates. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get started:   Tip #1: Assess Nearby Long-Term Properties Set aside some time to assess the performance of long-term rental properties in the area. Doing so will help you assess the feasibility of your new venture.   Tip #2: Recalculate Profits See how much you should charge to make a profit on leasing your Airbnb long-term. Make sure to subtract monthly dues such as maintenance and mortgage.   Tip #3: Draft a New Lease Agreement Long-term rental c...

Ali Ata notes that Manhattan's real estate sales have fallen to zero at the end of March. Industry experts predict that prices could dive 30% or more once business resumes. Total sales volume rose 14% from January to early March of 2020, powered by a robust first two months, says a  Douglas Elliman and Miller Samuel report . However, the average sale price for a Manhattan apartment dove 11% in that quarter to about $1,887,740.  Market in shock When the coronavirus outbreak began to affect the area in the last two weeks of March, the market went into shock. According to a report from Olshan Realty, only two contracts above $4 million were signed in the last week of the month. Ali Ata observes that it was the worst week for the market since that fateful August in 2009 when the financial crisis hit. New listings went down by 85% in the latter end of March compared with the figures from a year ago, says a  report by UrbanDigs . Sellers pulled off existin...