Parker Associates Archives - Parker Associates

Affordable Housing Gap Continues to Widen

September 11, 2018

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HUD’s Numbers Up Dramatically Conducted every two years, The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R) reports on the severity of worst case needs for affordable rental housing. Worst case needs are defined as renters with very low incomes— no more than 50 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI)—who do not receive government housing assistance and who pay more than one-half of their income for rent, live in severely inadequate conditions, or both. Their findings are staggering. The number of worst case needs has increased by 40.6 percent since 2007, when the recession began, and by 65.6 percent since 2001. Additionally, 33 […]

5 Ways to Enhance Your Home’s Value…BEFORE Selling!

September 11, 2018

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You may already know the basics about prepping a home for sale to make the most profit possible—apply fresh paint…clear out clutter…let in lots of light…and, budget permitting, update antiquated bathrooms and kitchens. But other powerful strategies for prepping a home for sale often are overlooked…and new value-adding strategies have emerged in recent years, in part because of changing buyer preferences. These modifications also make the home more enjoyable for you until you do move out. Make the right changes and you might boost your home’s price by 3% to 7%—maybe more if you invest wisely in some bigger-ticket modifications. Five new and little-used strategies for prepping a home for […]

Costa Rica Heating Up Again

September 11, 2018

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Parker Associates Continues Its Involvement in Costa Rica Costa Rica is an extraordinary country, with long stretches of deserted and undeveloped beaches, dense jungles teeming with exotic wildlife, towering volcanoes, lush green valleys, and hundreds of crystal-clear lakes and rivers all counted among its long list of natural attributes. And, with its diversity of landscapes, climates, and lifestyles, it’s no wonder that it continues to attract eco-tourists, new residents (from all over the world) and unique new home community developments alike. Situated in the central mountain region’s Orosi Valley (arguably the most charming and scenic part of the entire country), is Lago Alto: a 175-acre residential community nestled among the […]

Ten Years After the Financial Crisis

September 11, 2018

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What have we learned? How sound is the financial system today? Our friends at Kiplinger reviewed the current ever evolving environment we live in a recent article begging the question. Ten years after the financial crisis erupted when Lehman Brothers’ collapse jolted the markets, just how sound is the financial system? The simple answer is that the U.S. is less vulnerable to another crash today than it was when sketchy mortgage securities set off a market panic and led to the Great Recession. The reason being, banks are better capitalized now than then. Also, regulators have plans in place to respond if another meltdown looms. In 2008, the government was […]

Boosting Affordable Housing

September 11, 2018

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HUD wants to limit Exclusionary Zoning Uncle Sam wants to boost affordable housing by limiting exclusionary zoning. Exclusionary zonings are part of the city rules that many experts say drive up housing prices by putting restrictions on multifamily housing such as apartments, townhomes, and others that might be considered “undesirable” land uses in some circles. In a recent Kiplinger article, they report that the Housing and Urban Development Department Grants fund some local infrastructure projects. HUD has proposed tying grants to relaxing zoning laws, an idea with broad support. Opponents believe the White House is trying to undercut fair housing laws, though, because HUD is changing restrictive zoning by revision […]

The Rental Market Tech Evolution

September 11, 2018

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| Newsletters, Parker Associates, Press Releases, PTC Computer Solutions, Real Estate, Tech Tidbits

Start Ups are Changing the Rental Market Technology start-ups are changing the rental market. Firms such as Zumper and Cozy are giving tenants new ways to apartment-hunt. A listing service, Zumper lets users apply for a unit instantly. Tenants can use Cozy to pay rent, complain, log maintenance requests and share documents with landlords. Zillow, with its new tools, is shaking things up with its rental market entry. Users can apply for multiple units at once, get credit reports and pay rent online. Some 175 million people visited Zillow’s sites, such as Trulia and Hotpads, in early 2018. Parker Associates and PTC Computer Solutions are experts in helping with Financial […]

Understanding Your Buyer’s Tendencies

September 11, 2018

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Understand Your Buyer Persona To Properly Target Your Audience One of the most effective ways to reach your audience is to understand them by developing a detailed buyer persona. A buyer persona should accurately identify your ideal audience and reflect the specific desires your prospects have when it comes to your products or services. Normally, businesses will have more than one buyer persona to express the likely diversity of the company’s audience. Just like customers with who visit your website, there will be many traits that make up your buyer personas to help you navigate your demographics and build your business around their needs. Here are some important questions you […]

Housing Markets Loosening Up

August 22, 2018

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Market Showing Signs of Slowing After years of demand outstripping supply, the housing market is finally loosening up. Kiplinger reports that builders are scrambling to put up more homes and more homeowners are putting up “For Sale” signs. But, the rebound will be slow and uneven. The process is just getting started. Listings across the US are up one percent from a year ago which is not much of a gain, but it’s the first increase since 2015. In 130 of the nation’s 500 largest metro areas, inventories are rising. That’s up from 70 a year ago. Inventories will remain low a while longer, and prices figure to keep climbing. […]

Millennial Psychographics

August 22, 2018

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At Parker Associates, we have always emphasized the WHO in our approach to positioning and marketing new residential home products and communities. In addition to gathering and analyzing traditional demographic details as we examine the development potential at a particular site, we have been refining our outlook on consumer psychographics for more than 30 years. Our method, based on American psychologist Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs has optimized the sales operations of hundreds of builders and developers throughout United States and abroad. Maslow classified human development in terms of four stages related to advances in living standards from “survival” at the bottom, to “self-actualization” at the top of his hierarchy. […]

Five Steps to Rule Social Media

August 22, 2018

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Whether on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter or something else, ruling the leaderboard is an essential to marketing and brand awareness Social Media is a great place to raise awareness of you and your brand. But, there are some key components to avoid becoming stale in Social Media circles. Here are some key steps to success as a part of some of the research Myopolis has done recently: Post great content – at least once per day, you need to be posting something that is both relevant and recent. Twice per day is even better. Request friends, connections, links, citizenship, or whatever – the more people you can interact with, the […]