Sears and Robuck

Sears and Robuck delivered and built more than 75,000 homes in the United States from 1908 to 1940. Sears sold several styles of homes that were available for purchase from their general merchandise catalog. The homes arrived on rail cars containing more than 30,000 pieces and were assembled by local carpenters and skilled labor. Prices for the homes ranged from $600 to $6000.
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Greek Revival style

Greek Revival style homes were popular in the U.S. from 1825 to 1890. Built for prosperous Americans, these homes were symmetrical in shape and featured a pedimented gable, heavy cornice, wide frieze, and bold, simple moldings. The most prominent feature was the set of pillars in front of the house. The front gable design of Greek Revival has been adapted in newer American houses.
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The Queen Anne home

The Queen Anne home style was popular in the U.S. in the late 1800s. The innovative style was an architectural statement of new technologies and America's industrial growth. The homes were asymmetrical with steeply pitched and irregular roofs. Some had gingerbread exteriors with delicate turned porch posts and ornamental spindles. Others had classical columns, often raised on brick or stone piers.
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William J. Bryan

"Real estate is the best investment for small savings. More money is made from the rise in real estate values than from all other causes combined." - William J. Bryan
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Sound properties

Real estate experts generally recommend that home buyers look for sound properties that only require minor improvements such as painting, cleaning, landscaping, carpets and/or new appliances. Buyers should avoid homes that need a new roof, foundation, siding, plumbing and/or electrical work.
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HUD

The Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) mission is to increase homeownership, support community development and increase access to affordable housing free from discrimination. The department was established on September 9, 1965, when President Lyndon Johnson signed the Department of Housing and Urban Development Act.
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Baby Boom communities

The Baby Boom generation will produce 35 million more elderly residents by 2030. America's towns and cities are preparing accordingly. Cobb County, Georgia created the nation's first "residential senior living zoning district". Many communities are developing building standards for seniors. Others are enlarging street signs, upgrading traffic lights, and revisiting street and sidewalk design.
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The English Tudor

The English Tudor style home was popular in the U.S. in the 1920s and 1930s. The Tudor style features stone or brick exterior walls with exposed beams. Tudor homes have taken on a variety of forms ranging from elaborate mansions to modest homes with faux masonry veneers. Modified suburban Tudors became popular during the 1970s.
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Common U.S. street names

The most common street name in the U.S. is Second Street. This is followed by Third, First, Fourth, and Park. Main Street is the seventh most popular street name. In the United Kingdom, High Street is the most common street name.
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Houston

The Houston, Texas housing market experienced a pronounced housing recession that began after the region's surging oil economy crashed during the late 1980s. The regional housing bust saw Houston's home prices decrease by an average of twenty-one percent from 1985 through 1990.
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Home equity borrowing

Since 2004, home equity borrowing in America has risen 278%, according to a study by 360FinancialLiteracy.org. Nearly $719 billion of home equity credit is on balance in America, which now exceeds the total balance on credit cards. A home equity loan is paid off over time. A home equity line of credit is repaid like credit card debt.
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State and local taxes

State and local taxes include property, sales, income, transfer, and estate taxes. The states of Maine, New York, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin have the highest state and local tax rates, according to a recent study by the Tax Foundation and Bureau of Economic Analysis. The lowest rates are in Alaska, New Hampshire, Delaware, Tennessee, and Alabama.
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Foreclosures

Midwestern states such as Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and Michigan have been leading the nation in home foreclosure rates over the past several years. The two main factors for this concentration of foreclosures are sustained losses in manufacturing jobs over the past five years, and the rise in use of sub prime lending and nontraditional loans for home purchases.
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Home buyers

According to the National Association of Realtors, the typical first-home buyer is 32 years old and has a household income of fifty to sixty thousand dollars. The typical second-home buyer is 46 years old, is married, and has a household income of nearly ninety thousand dollars.
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Elevators

The first passenger elevator was built in 1743 for French King Louis XV. The Otis Brothers installed the first mechanized passenger elevator in New York in 1857. Improvements to elevator technology and safety coupled with steel beam construction made a huge impact on building design. "Tall" buildings went from nine stories in the 1850s to nearly thirty stories at the turn of the century.
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Historic Preservation

The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 established federal laws and funding for the provision of a National Register of Historic Places. The register includes districts, sites, buildings, structures and significant objects in American history, architecture, archaeology and culture. The real estate industry was aided by the use of historic preservation as a means of providing housing.
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The first brick building in the U.S.

Donald Trump was born on June 14, 1946. Trump joined his father's real estate business in 1971 after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania. Over the next three decades, he built a real estate portfolio of high profile office towers, residential buildings, and casinos. Trump has authored several books, opened Trump University, and is famous for hosting the TV show "The Apprentice."

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Home technologies

Pre-wired cable/satellite TV and home security systems are the most important new home technologies, according to a recent Internet Home Alliance survey of new homebuyers. Other desired new home technologies include structured wiring, multi-zone HVAC, air purification systems, wireless networks, energy management systems, and home lighting control systems.
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Joint tenancy

Joint tenancy is a legal device in which two or more persons hold title to property together. As joint tenants, they have a right to equal use and enjoyment of that property. Upon the death of a joint tenant, the deceased joint tenant's share will pass automatically to the other tenants who are still living, rather than to the heirs of the tenant who died.
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Flood insurance

One quarter of all flood loss claims are filed in low flood risk areas. Flood insurance can be purchased from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Flood Insurance Program through private insurers. The National Flood Insurance Program provides an online flood risk evaluation based on property location at floodsmart.gov.
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U.S. Homeowners

According to the latest American Housing Survey, there were about 119 million housing units in the United States. Approximately 68% of all occupied units were owners. The median value of owner occupied homes was $123,887 and the median age of owner occupied homes was 30 years.
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Home-based business

According to a recent report published by the U.S. Department of Labor, fifty-three percent of businesses in the U.S. are home-based businesses. The study also found that nearly sixty percent of all new businesses in the U.S. begin at home.
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Take out half the contents

Among the features a potential buyer looks at in a home is the amount of storage it offers. A general rule of thumb for sellers showing a home is to take out half the contents in the closets and storage areas to make them look more spacious.
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Celebrate the first day

Here are some tips on ways to celebrate the first day in a newly purchased home: take photos of yourself, your family, and your home on the exciting first day; uncork a bottle of your favorite beverage and make a toast to your new home; bless your new home; carry your family members through the front door.
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Spot survey

A spot survey is a visual guide and cursory check of a property's boundaries and its improvements. It may not disclose such matters as encroachments, overlaps, and boundary line or acreage discrepancies. A stake survey physically identifies the property corners, property lines, and the location of all improvements.
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Census tracts

A census tract is a statistical area defined by the U.S. Census that identifies population and housing statistics about a specific part of an urban area. Census tracts contain approximately 1,000-2,000 properties of a similar nature. Their boundaries are relatively permanent making them excellent units of analysis for evaluating change and trends over time.
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Dow Jones U.S. Real Estate Index

The Dow Jones U.S. Real Estate Index provides a broad measure of the U.S. real estate securities market. The index currently over 80 components, which make up the real estate portion of the Dow Jones U.S. total market index. The index consists predominately of real estate investment trust funds (REIT) and real estate operating companies (REOC).
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Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity International is a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry. Since its founding in 1976 by Millard and Linda Fuller, Habitat for Humanity International has built or rehabilitated more than 150,000 houses for families in need, becoming a world leader in addressing the issues of poverty and housing.
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St. Augustine, Florida

Founded in 1565, St. Augustine, Florida is the earliest known settlement of European origin in the United States. Forty-two years before the English colonized Jamestown, and fifty-five years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, the Spanish established at St. Augustine as North America's first enduring settlement.
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Real estate tax revenue

For every dollar of tax revenue generated from a residential subdivision, as much as $1.22 goes out to provide services and infrastructure. For every dollar of tax revenue that comes in from commercial development, at most thirty-two cents is expended, mostly for roads. Agriculture requires only seven cents for every dollar it brings in.
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