Homeownership Trivia

1. The highest interest rates were in October 1981, a whopping 18.45 percent.
2. The concept of a housewarming party began due to the need to literally warm up the house. Guests brought firewood for the new fireplace.
3. New York homeowners are required to comply with a “Ghostbusters Ruling” when listing their property for sale. This involves disclosing whether any ghosts inhabit or frequently visit the home.
4. In the first month of January 2021, more than 993,000 new houses were sold in the US. This is an increase of 4% compared to previous month and an increase of 19.3% compared to one year before.
5. When you first enter your new house, bring bread so those in the home will never know hunger.
6. When you move into a new home, throw away your old broom and get yourself a new one.  It is considered bad luck to bring an old broom into a new home.
7. A red door has been a historic symbol of protection and refuge. However, in Scotland, it signifies that the home’s owner has paid off the mortgage.
8. Only 30 percent of Americans have home security systems. 60 percent of burglars said that if they had noticed an alarm, they would have moved on.
9. The median distance between the homes people purchased and those they moved from is just 15 miles.
10. The most common street names in the U.S. are “Second” in first place “Third” in second place, and “First” is in third place.
11. The median size of a new home for the U.S. in 2021 was 2,297 square feet.
12. According to Zillow, homes that have a front door that is either black or gray, can increase the home’s value by at least $6,271.
13. 85% of Gen Zer’s plan to own their first home by the age of 35.
14. More than two thirds of homeowners would pass up the perfect home if it wasn’t a good fit for their dog according to realtor.com.
15. In the United States, the average American home has over 300,000 items in it.
16. The average homeowner will move up to 12 times in their life and on average will own 3 homes in their life.
17. Video tours and virtual showings are now one of the most common ways to view a new home. Video tours make up one third of all home showings.
18. In the year 2020, there were the most first-time home buyers ever in history at 2.38 million.
19. The average age for a first-time homebuyer is 36 years old.
20. The term mortgage is a French word that indirectly translates to “death pledge.” They use this term to symbolize that when the pledge dies the home mortgage debt is fully paid.
21. It’s illegal to have a donkey in your bathtub in Brooklyn or to keep an alligator in your tub in Arkansas. And forget about keeping your horse in a bathtub in South Carolina.
22. In 1997, Pepsi and FOX ran a contest that offered a grand prize of a full-sized, habitable, accurate-down-to-the-furniture version of the Simpson’s house. The winner of the contest could take the home or $75,000 cash, and tragically, they opted for cash instead.
23. A study revealed that homes described using the words “gorgeous” or “beautiful” statistically sold 15 percent faster than other properties.
24. Tired of looking for the right home on this planet? You can purchase an acre of land on the moon or on Mars for as little as $30. Apparently, over 250 celebrities have already bought land on the moon, including William Shatner, Tom Cruise, Mick Jagger, Harrison Ford, John Travolta and Clint Eastwood.
25. The average home size in many developing countries is 75 square feet!
26. There are 18.9 million vacant homes in the USA. This means there are more than five times as many vacant apartments as there are homeless people.
27. Utah started the Housing First program in its capital Salt Lake City. The state chose 17 of the most challenging cases of chronic homelessness who had spent an average of 25 years on the street and provided shelter for them. The apartments were not subject to any conditions, there were no restrictions or rules. The participants only received the offer to be supported by caseworkers. 22 months later, all 17 former homeless people were still housed.
28. The median price of a home in the U.S. is now $408,100, which is $85,500 more than it was in Jan. 2020, according to price information from the St. Louis Fed.
29. Highest average sales price of single-family homes is USA by region: West with $448,700.
30. The number of “million-dollar cities” with home listing values exceeding an average of $1 million has tripled since 2020.

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