Real Estate

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    WSJ.com: Commercial Real Estate

  • Morgan Unloads Crescent

    20 Nov 2009 | 7:41 pm
    Morgan Stanley closed the book on its disastrous $6.5 billion acquisition of Crescent Real Estate Equities by handing the keys to lender Barclays.

  • Morgan Unloads Crescent

    20 Nov 2009 | 7:41 pm
    Morgan Stanley closed the book on its disastrous $6.5 billion acquisition of Crescent Real Estate Equities by handing the keys to lender Barclays.

  • General Growth in Mortgage Pact

    20 Nov 2009 | 6:42 am
    General Growth Properties said it reached a deal to restructure $9 billion in mortgages on 77 malls in hopes of removing them from bankruptcy protection by the end of the year.

  • Starwood to Relocate Its Headquarters to Connecticut

    19 Nov 2009 | 8:35 am
    Starwood will move its corporate headquarters to Stamford, Conn., from New York's Westchester County, after receiving state government incentives worth as much as $89.5 million.

  • Starwood to Relocate Its Headquarters to Connecticut

    19 Nov 2009 | 8:35 am
    Starwood will move its corporate headquarters to Stamford, Conn., from New York's Westchester County, after receiving state government incentives worth as much as $89.5 million.
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    WSJ.com: Real Estate

  • Morgan Unloads Crescent

    20 Nov 2009 | 7:41 pm
    Morgan Stanley closed the book on its disastrous $6.5 billion acquisition of Crescent Real Estate Equities by handing the keys to lender Barclays.

  • General Growth in Mortgage Pact

    20 Nov 2009 | 6:42 am
    General Growth Properties said it reached a deal to restructure $9 billion in mortgages on 77 malls in hopes of removing them from bankruptcy protection by the end of the year.

  • Starwood to Relocate Its Headquarters to Connecticut

    19 Nov 2009 | 8:35 am
    Starwood will move its corporate headquarters to Stamford, Conn., from New York's Westchester County, after receiving state government incentives worth as much as $89.5 million.

  • New York Landmark Burns Its Investors

    19 Nov 2009 | 8:26 am
    The U.S. real estate arm of Africa Israel Investments has tentatively agreed with creditors to restructure its disastrous acquisition of the former New York Times headquarters in a deal that will wipe out $400 million in debt.

  • Trump Drops Casino-Control Bid

    18 Nov 2009 | 6:49 am
    Donald Trump and his daughter, Ivanka, have reached a settlement agreement with a group of creditors in the bankruptcy battle over control of Trump Entertainment Resorts.
 
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    Wash Post Real Estate

  • Housewatch: How to pick the most environmentally friendly countertops

    Katherine Salant
    20 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pm
    Want the greenest countertop on the market? You're going to have to do a bit of research.

  • Featured Advertiser

    20 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pm

  • Trendy now, but not by accident

    Mark Wellborn
    20 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pm
    Mark Milibrand is a rare breed among District home buyers. Before buying a two-bedroom condo in a renovated Victorian rowhouse in Logan Circle at the end of October, he lived in a 4,000-square-foot home in Fairfax. His decision to reverse the traditional migration from city to suburb was driven by a...

  • Do-It-Yourself: Fixing a drafty window on the cheap

    Gene Austin
    20 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pm
    Our house is about 60 years old and has the original wooden, double-hung windows. Several of the windows are drafty and loose, and they rattle when the wind blows. A few won't stay open unless I prop them with a stick. I can't afford new windows and wonder whether there is a less expensive way to...

  • 20 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pm

    Post
    20 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pm
    Mark Wellborn is editor and co-founder of UrbanTurf, a Web site that covers condominiums and other homes in the District and close-in suburbs. This issue of Where We Live was produced in collaboration between The Washington Post and UrbanTurf.
 
 
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    msnbc.com: Real estate

  • Forbes: World's most expensive homes

    20 Nov 2009 | 2:53 pm
    Prices have dipped, but some sellers are certain their nine-figure properties will attract buyers. Forbes - Business - Real estate - Construction and Maintenance - Residential Housing

  • Replacing a real estate agent with a Web site

    20 Nov 2009 | 11:21 am
    Selling a home without a real estate agent can save thousands of dollars in commission fees, but it can also be a painstaking, confusing task. Foregoing an agent, however, is easier these days thanks to Web sites that help homeowners advertise their properties. Real estate broker - Real estate - Business and Economy - United States - Property

  • Video: Video: Tips to find great real estate deals

    20 Nov 2009 | 6:30 am
    Nov. 20: TODAY’s Al Roker talks to TODAY real estate expert Barbara Corcoran about some great deals for homes across America that cost between $200,000 and $500,000. (Today Show) Today - Real estate - Al Roker - Barbara Corcoran - United States

  • Rates on 30-year loans still below 5 percent

    19 Nov 2009 | 9:24 am
    Rates on 30-year mortgages stayed below 5 percent this week but remained above the record set earlier this year, Freddie Mac said Thursday. Freddie Mac - Mortgage - Loan - Macintosh - Apple

  • Mortgage delinquencies hit record high

    19 Nov 2009 | 8:37 am
    A rising proportion of fixed-rate home loans made to people with good credit are sinking into foreclosure, adding to concerns about the strength of the economic recovery. Mortgage - Foreclosure - Business - United States - Financial Services
 
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    Bubble Meter

  • Housing starts fell significantly in October

    James
    19 Nov 2009 | 2:46 am
    Month-over-month housing starts fell in October:In a blow to the optimism that had surrounded the U.S. housing sector in recent months, housing starts fell a sharp 10.6% in October, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday.New construction on housing units dropped to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 529,000, the lowest level since April. The 10.6% drop was the biggest percentage decline for starts since January.Both single-family homes and multifamily units declined last month.Prior to the October decline, housing starts have been flat for four straight months, on the heels of a big…

  • Five myths about homeownership

    James
    18 Nov 2009 | 2:21 am
    Joseph Gyourko, chairman of the real estate department and the director of the Zell/Lurie Real Estate Center at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, lists five myths about home ownership:Housing is a great long-term investment.The homebuyer tax credit makes buying a house more affordable.Homeownership is good for society because owners make better citizens.It's safe to buy a house with a very low down payment.Owning a home is cheaper than renting one because you save on rent.For his explanation of why they are myths, click here. I don't necessarily agree with all of his…

  • When did the housing bubble begin?

    James
    16 Nov 2009 | 7:56 pm
    The Wall Street Journal asks when the housing bubble began:Why should we care when it all began? It’s politics. If the housing bubble began during the Clinton administration, it can be blamed on the Democrats and their efforts to expand homeownership to people who, in some cases, may not have been quite ready for it. If it began under George W. Bush, then it can be imputed to the Republicans’ love of deregulation.Of course, as we all know, the causes of today’s mess are far more complicated than either of those hypotheses allow. But nuance rarely figures in the debates of our age.Edward…

  • Why eminent domain should be used sparingly

    James
    14 Nov 2009 | 2:40 am
    This is karma:The private homes that New London, Conn., took away from Suzette Kelo and her neighbors have been torn down. Their former site is a wasteland of fields of weeds, a monument to the power of eminent domain.But now Pfizer, the drug company whose neighboring research facility had been the original cause of the homes' seizure, has just announced that it is closing up shop in New London.To lure those jobs to New London a decade ago, the local government promised to demolish the older residential neighborhood adjacent to the land Pfizer was buying for next-to-nothing. Suzette Kelo…

  • Jeffrey Sachs: How to stimulate the economy

    James
    13 Nov 2009 | 3:57 am
    Columbia University economist Jeffrey Sachs criticizes the Democratic and Republican ideas for stimulating the economy:Following a Keynesian approach, the Obama administration has focused on restoring consumer spending. They have gone about this with a combination of near-zero interest rates, massive Fed financing of mortgages and various consumption incentives, such as rebates for new homebuyers and cash for clunkers.During the previous bubble, the US consumer was encouraged to over-borrow. Recreating a new bubble is like offering just one more drink, on the government’s account, to…
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    Paper Economy - A US Real Estate Bubble Blog

  • Two Great Bounces! - November 20 2009

    SoldAtTheTop
    21 Nov 2009 | 12:32 am
    The following charts provide a simple comparison between the big stock bounce that occurred in the wake of the DOW crash of 1929 and the bounce we are seeing today in the S&P 500 index.The method of alignment was simple… take the first definitive up trading day off the bottom of the preceding bear market low and set that as the start of the series… then simply re-base both series to a value of 100 so that they can be compared side-by-side.The lower bar chart plots the cumulative percentage change since the start of each bounce.The S&P 500 is up over 51% in a little over 160…

  • Massive Unemployment: Mass Layoffs October 2009

    SoldAtTheTop
    20 Nov 2009 | 1:54 pm
    Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released thier latest installment of the Mass Layoff Report showing continued weakness in nation’s job market with 2127 mass layoff events resulting in 217,182 initial unemployment claimants on a seasonally adjusted basis.On a seasonally un-adjusted basis, the mass layoff events totaled 1934 with 193,904 initial claimants.The BLS considers a mass layoff event to be a condition where there are at least fifty initial claims for unemployment insurance originating from a single employer over a period of five consecutive weeks.

  • Sinking Ships – MA vs. RI October 2009

    SoldAtTheTop
    20 Nov 2009 | 7:20 am
    Subtitle: MA Unemployment … At The Peak?!As I had noted in my original post, historically it has been very unusual for there to be more than a 1.5% difference (either more or less) between the unemployment rates if Massachusetts and Rhode Island.Recently though, we have seen a historically unusual spread between Rhode Island’s high rate and Massachusetts’ far lower rate.In fact, the latest 4% spread now exceeds ALL spreads seen in at least 40 years.This indicates that either Rhode Island’s current rate would need to fall dramatically or the Massachusetts rate would need to increase…

  • Philadelphia Feeling: Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia Business Outlook Survey November 2009

    SoldAtTheTop
    19 Nov 2009 | 12:24 pm
    Today, the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia released the results of their Business Outlook Survey for November showing a slight increase in manufacturing activity with the current activity index still indicating expansion with a reading of 16.7.Also, today’s results show that any recent parallel to the stagflationary eras of the 70s and early 80 which had given way to a stronger stag-deflationary force, and then mildly inflationary inline with the government stimulus now appears to be, at least temporarily, looking marginally double-dipish as latest release shows predictions on future…

  • Follow The Leader: Index of Leading Economic Indicators October 2009

    SoldAtTheTop
    19 Nov 2009 | 11:36 am
    Today’s results of the Conference Board’s Leading Economic Indicators showed another monthly increase climbing .3% compared to September bringing the annual increase to 4.22% and leaving the index at a level of 103.8.On the face of it this is clearly a Bullish “Green Shoots” development as this series (an aggregate of 10 component leading indices) is signaling a clear shift from leading contraction to expansion though the leading index is strongly influenced by stocks (i.e. the inclusion of the S&P 500 as one of the leading indicators) and the pronounced “V”-shaped bounce…
 
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    RecentHeadlnesRSS

  • Manhattan Retail Hit Hard in '09, But Turnaround on Tap

    28 Oct 2009 | 6:04 am
    It's been a rough year for retail, even in tony Manhattan. The crumbling of Wall Street in the fourth-quarter of 2008 spurred the downward spiral of the market and the recession just added salt to the wound, according to a third quarter report by Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services.

  • Germany's Promising Discount Retail Market Lures Behringer Harvard

    28 Oct 2009 | 6:04 am
    With the recession having taken a chunk out of consumers' pocketbooks around the world, the retail real estate market has been struggling for quite some time, and the situation is no different in Germany. However, the discount retail sub-sector is thriving in the country, and Dallas-based commercial real estate firm Behringer Harvard has positioned itself to capitalize on related development opportunities with the recent formation of Behringer Harvard German Retail, a joint venture with Hanover, Germany-based real estate investment and management company Rahlfs Immobilien GmbH.

  • Organization Launches $4B Green Initiative for Affordable Housing

    28 Oct 2009 | 6:04 am
    The green movement in commercial real estate has caught on like wildfire and even with the recession having left most clutching their pocketbooks, it continues to spread. Now Columbia, Md.-based Enterprise Community Investment Inc. plans to take the trend to new heights with the kicking off its $4 billion Green Communities initiative, which is designed to propel the greening of affordable housing development across the country.

  • As San Antonio Office Market Rebounds, Transwestern Takes Over at 2MSF Mixed-Use

    28 Oct 2009 | 6:04 am
    With San Antonio's office market rebounding in the third quarter, Transwestern’s local office hopes to take advantage of that good karma with the contract to handle the real estate services assignment for the Brooks City-Base development there.

  • Economy Watch: Capmark Files for Bankruptcy

    28 Oct 2009 | 6:04 am
    Major commercial real estate lender Capmark Financial Group Inc. and various subsidiaries have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which last month the company had warned was coming. The move will allow the Capmark to reorganize and, very likely, delay selling off some of its $20 billion-plus in assets at less-than-desirable prices.
 
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    Go Beyond MLS

  • Testing BuySellAds.com Advertising Marketplace.

    Vlad Zablotskyy
    20 Nov 2009 | 10:31 am
    Having tried a dozen of different ad managing systems, ranging from WordPress Plugins to Google Ad Manager I am giving BuySellAds.com a spin. BuySellAds.com is an advertising marketplace for small to medium sized website owners and publishers. Once approved, which takes about 24 hours, you can create adzones for your website or blog and add them to your website by simply copying and pasting code. If you blog or website is powered by WordPress, you may also consider using BuySellAds WordPress Plugin by Thaya Kareeson of Omninoggin.com. I personally have not tried the plugin myself yet, however…

  • “Kill Frames” Javascript Code. Do You Really Need It On Yur Site?

    Vlad Zablotskyy
    7 Nov 2009 | 1:48 pm
    Soon after discussing the use of framesets by newly relaunched LeapFish I received a question from dozen of readers and visitors asking me how they can prevent their website from “being framed” by other websites. To prevent your website from being from being viewable in a frame of another website you can add the piece of the following code just above </head> tag on your website: <SCRIPT TYPE="text/javascript">       <!–       if (top.frames.length!=0)            …

  • New and Sexy LeapFish: But Framesets Can Present Issues.

    Vlad Zablotskyy
    6 Nov 2009 | 3:37 pm
    Update Nov. 9, 2009: It appears that LeapFish is no longer using framesets on their website. A mention by US Today, stream of hundreds of Tweets , mentioned by hundreds of blogs, a “cutting edge” video on youtube- LeapFish.com relaunch can certainly be seen as enormous success, except… The leading technology blogs continue to give LeapFish.com nothing short of a “cold shoulder”. All the buzz surrounding the relaunch is focused on how sexy and nice looking the new website is, no one seems to be trying to “flip beyond the cover page”. I would like to…

  • Tips On Keeping Your WordPress Less Vulnerable To Hackers

    Vlad Zablotskyy
    1 Nov 2009 | 2:12 pm
    WordPress, being one of the most popular publishing platforms and content management system also is the most frequent target for spammers. Google reacts quickly to identify the hacked sites – as a result your traffic and sales can drastically drop. The good news is that Google will try to make reasonable attempts to notify webmasters about potential problems via Google Webmasters Tools. However if you do not act quickly, it can be truly a devastating blow to your online presence. So how do you prepare yourself for the event such as your blog being hacked by injecting code into your…

  • Trolls Are Not Allowed!

    Vlad Zablotskyy
    31 Oct 2009 | 4:16 pm
    Within minutes of publishing last post I had a visitor- a very pissed off visitor. Who managed to spew his venom on Bill Hartzer’s blog as well (Bill my apologies for the “nofollow” attribute, I do trust your website- I hate to give LeapFish any juice): While I can speculate who this “Anonymous” may have been- the only certain fact I know is that he came to read the post via Twitter after an entry was posted in my account that announcing that I have written the post. There is no point to communicate with anonymous trolls like that. Most of the time they have no…
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    Housing Doom

  • Flag Day at Igor’s Dungeon

    John M.
    20 Nov 2009 | 8:03 am
    Doom Transcripts: Index & Guide Doom’s collection of transcripts of AEI seminars now features a date-order list of our transcripts and the same list in the context of close to a hundred further events that throw light on some aspect of the subprime crisis, housing bubble or credit crunch while offering an audio and/or video record.  These all now have designation codes in case we want to create transcripts of some of them in future. This made it necessary to change the designations on a couple of our existing transcripts.  So a lot of the links in the participants and…

  • Foreign Cenbank Holdings of US Obligations Weekly Update — to November 18, 2009

    John M.
    19 Nov 2009 | 11:01 pm
    The Board’s H.4.1 statistical release, "Factors Affecting Reserve Balances of Depository Institutions and Condition Statement of Federal Reserve Banks," has been modified to include information related to TALF LLC, a limited liability company formed to purchase and manage any asset-backed securities that might be received by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (FRBNY) in connection with the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility (TALF). This information will be presented in a new table 8, "Information on Principal Accounts of TALF LLC." … - For release2 at…

  • Op-Ed Friday: Fighting For The Right To Hang

    twist
    19 Nov 2009 | 11:01 pm
    It’s Friday, and if you are part of our Doom’s typical demographic, likely as not you are an affluent white male- and this issue might not be near and dear to your heart.  For this mother of five though, I’m watching the battle of HOAs vs. clotheslines heating up- and I’m on the side of the clotheslines: [Hat tip Freedom's Phoenix!] PERKASIE, Pennsylvania (Reuters) - Carin Froehlich pegs her laundry to three clotheslines strung between trees outside her 18th-century farmhouse, knowing that her actions annoy local officials who have asked her to stop. Froehlich is…

  • Will Court Ruling Help Kill Commercial Real Estate Lending?

    twist
    19 Nov 2009 | 11:01 pm
    A recent court ruling forcing Citibank to continue funding a New York development might be a case where developers win a battle, but loose the war: A ruling that Citigroup Inc. must resume lending to a stalled Syracuse, N.Y., mall project could push banks to revisit how they draft construction-loan agreements. The New York State Supreme Court Appellate Division, in a split decision, upheld an lower court’s injunction requiring Citigroup to continue funding a $155 million construction loan on the Destiny USA Holdings project, even though the bank believes the project is a failure. Citi…

  • Toxic Loans Ruled Cause Of Death For Banks

    twist
    19 Nov 2009 | 5:47 am
    This had to be an easy call- no one suspected the Butler.  Toxic loans have been found to be the cause of death for many banks: [Hat tip Freedom's Phoenix!] The coroner’s report left no doubt as to the cause of death: toxic loans. That was the conclusion of a financial autopsy that federal officials performed on Haven Trust Bank, a small bank in Duluth, Ga., that collapsed last December. In what sounds like an episode of “CSI: Wall Street,” dozens of government investigators — the coroners of the financial crisis — are conducting post-mortems on failed…
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    TRANSPARENT REAL ESTATE

  • Virtual Real Estate BarCamps should happen monthly

    Pat Kitano
    17 Nov 2009 | 1:27 pm
    Kudos to Jim Cronin's @retomato and their crew for a successful Virtual REBarcamp. Webinars are a convenient and efficient way to get social media education out to the community and I'm hoping it becomes a monthly institution! ...

  • Special Offer - Inman Connect NYC + One Year Social Media Education

    Pat Kitano
    13 Nov 2009 | 5:44 am
    We've created a Social Media Training Center for Active Rain members that provides continually updated social media education. You can see details at my Active Rain blog.Special offer: If you're going to Inman's Real Estate Connect NYC January 13-15, please register at http://www.inman.com/conferences/real-estate-connect-new-york-city-2010/register. In the discount code box, add "Domus" and you'll receive one year subscription to the Social Media Training Center. Let us know you did that (@pkitano, comment here, email) and we'll register you in the Active Rain Social Media Training…

  • Too busy for social media marketing?

    Pat Kitano
    9 Nov 2009 | 6:29 am
    Pew Internet research says 49% of internet users are on social networks. 25% of total US pageviews are now concentrated on Facebook alone.The tipping point has been reached where social media marketing has become the standard for reaching your community. But social media marketing is much more complex than buying a lead or placing an ad. Domus Consulting Group is offering a new service for brokerages and agents who are just too busy to manage their social media marketing.Full service social media management servicesView more presentations from Pat Kitano. ...

  • Swanepoel Social Media Report 2010

    Pat Kitano
    22 Oct 2009 | 8:26 pm
    I just received Stefan Swanepoel's Social Media Report 2010 in the mail (tx S.); it's a definitive guide to learning about the social media landscape and how to participate in it. I recommend it, particularly for beginners; you can order the publication at www.swanepoel.com/publications/social-media-report.aspWith the ubiquity of the Internet on mobile devices, I notice I read the Report as a publication more like a magazine than a reference resource. When I need to figure out something about social media quickly, the Internet serves up the answer efficiently. A publication can be used as a…

  • The Twitter List for Real Estate

    Pat Kitano
    15 Oct 2009 | 10:06 pm
    Twitter Lists are live now. Apparently only a certain percentage of Twitterers can see and build lists.I just put together a general list of real estate twitterers at twitter.com/pkitano/realestate. The page won't appear if you can't see the lists yet.And you can follow any list: The list is certainly not complete so please @pkitano me or follow me to get included if I missed you.#followfriday will never be the same. I predict an explosion of lists that will simultaneously 1) filter the Twitter feeds so one can see Twitterers categorized and 2) add more noise in the form of lists into the…
 
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    This Month in Real Estate History

  • "There is something vitally stimulating about a convention"

    2 Nov 2009 | 12:40 pm
    NOVEMBER 2009 -- "There is something stimulating about a convention," the National Real Estate Journal reported in November, 1939. "It is enjoyable, for one thing, to greet old friends, to make new ones, to swap stories and experiences in the general companionship of a Realtors' convention." That year 1600 REALTORS® and guests gathered at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. They came from 37 different states and the Territory of Hawaii to discuss issues vital to real estate. Accourding to the Journal, those included "the reclamation of blighted areas of our cities; brokerage problems involved…

  • The REALTORS® Land Institute -- 65 years old (and then some)

    15 Oct 2009 | 1:49 pm
    OCTOBER 2009 -- In October 1944, George Domm, a Michigan farm broker, became the first president of the REALTORS® Land Institute. Originally known as the Agricultural Institute, the new group was an affiliate of the National Association, created to represent the interests of real estate professionals specializing in farmland and rural properties. Over the next three years, Domm organized the Institute’s Board of Directors, created chapters in sixteen states, and nearly tripled the Institute’s original membership of 178. But RLI's story begins much earlier than 1944. By 1920 farm brokers…

  • Staging Advice from Emily Post

    9 Sep 2009 | 11:58 am
    SEPTEMBER 2009 -- “The requirement of a house of charm is that it shall be completely satisfying to live in.” So wrote American etiquette expert Emily Post in September, 1943, for the National Real Estate Journal. “Comfort …means perfect adjustment to whatever it may please you to have or to do…it means the adaptability of the surroundings that are yours, to your family and to you.” “Beautiful objects contribute to a beautiful house,” Post wrote, “and yet, cost as a standard of beauty could not be a less accurate test. Many simple little houses that have scarcely an object…

  • "The backbone of a real estate board"

    17 Aug 2009 | 2:02 pm
    AUGUST 2009 -- Today they are called Association Executives, but in 1914 they were called Secretaries. Then as now they were the backbones of their local REALTOR® associations. The National Association of REALTORS® was only six years old when Milwaukee REALTOR® R. Bruce Douglas gave a speech that was hailed as a classic, “The Backbone of a Real Estate Board.” It was published in the National Real Estate Journal in August 1914. “A board composed of men of character, standing before a public which has been compelled to acknowledge their superior qualities is in position to demand…

  • Interstate highways beckoned REALTORS®

    1 Jul 2009 | 2:24 pm
    JULY 2009 -- In July of 1956 REALTORS® across America saw opportunities in a project that would change the country. The Interstate Highway System had been approved by Congress and would be signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The new program designated 40,000 miles of highway as part of a "Federal Superhighway System." The program's price was set at $33 billion.
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    Death and Taxes Blog

  • 5 Tips for Dealing with Claims: Tip 3

    18 Nov 2009 | 9:36 am
    3. Last time I talked about how you can minimize the claims period by giving notice. If things break correctly, maybe the creditor won't even file the claim. But sometimes a creditor does file the claim -- informally, by sending it to the personal representative or his or her attorney instead of filing it with the court. The personal representative can then send a "Disallowance" of the claim to the creditor, using the procedures set forth in Section 18-11(b) of the Illinois Probate Act. The Disallowance can cut the time for the creditor to file his or her claim with the court, to two months…

  • 5 Tips for Dealing with Claims: Tip 2

    17 Nov 2009 | 12:00 am
    2. Tips 2-4 are similar in that they all require that you (the personal representative) do a full-court press to deal with the claims. This is somewhat counter-intuitive -- I think we're all familiar with the idea of a defendant (like in a foreclosure action) who delays, delays, delays. We want to do the opposite here, since here we're dealing with a notice requirement, and statutes of limitations. Basically the personal representative has to give: -actual notice (via letter) of the probate to the decedent's known (or reasonably ascertainable) creditors; and -notice via publication of the…

  • 5 Tips for Dealing with Claims: Tip 1

    16 Nov 2009 | 12:28 pm
    1. The first thing you have to ask yourself is, "should we even open a probate estate right now?" If a decedent's estate appears insolvent (that is, the value of the potential claims exceeds the value of the decedent's property), maybe you never open an estate. Or, maybe you wait for two years to open it. Two years is the magic number because, under Section 18-12 of the Illinois Probate Act, most claims are barred as of that date (even if no probate was opened). The question in these cases is whether the hardship (of not opening the estate for two years) outweighs the benefit (potential…

  • 5 Tips for Dealing with Claims: Introduction

    13 Nov 2009 | 12:14 pm
    This post starts a series regarding reducing (or minimizing) claims in the probate estate context. A couple of notes before I begin: 1. The claims I'm talking about here are your "typical" claims in probate, for a decedent's debts -- things like credit card bills, medical bills, and the like. I am NOT addressing secured claims (like the mortgage on a decedent's home), government claims, or claims for administrative expenses (post-death claims like funeral expenses or attorney fees). That's because there's very little, if anything, you can do to reduce these types of claims. 2. Different…

  • Wall Street Journal on Will/Trust Programs

    12 Nov 2009 | 5:59 am
    People often ask me things like, "Can't I do my Will on my own, using a computer program? Isn't it just a form?" The answer to the second part of that is easy -- not, it's not just a form. As for the answer to the first part, I don't know. There's no reason for me to spend money buying one of these programs just so I can review it. Today's Wall Street Journal features a comparison of a few Will/Trust computer programs (here), as part of its "Cranky Consumer" series. The biggest program with the article is that it leaves out the most important question: did the documents accomplish what they…
 
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    Real Estate Investing For Real | A BiggerPockets Investment Property Blog

  • Google Street View: Virtual Tours your competitors don’t use

    Justin McClelland
    20 Nov 2009 | 10:47 am
    Google has come a mighty long way regarding innovations pertaining to the World Wide Web.  They are much more than a search engine.  Thus far, I’ve divulged tips using Google applications such as Google Voice and Google Earth. Today I’m going to focus on how you can utilize Google Maps when showcasing properties online. These days it is typical for a property, especially one that is listed with a Realtor, to have a virtual tour of the interior of the house.  Google Maps will allow you to go one step further and create a virtual tour of the exterior of the house and it’s…

  • Foreclosures and Mortgage Delinquencies: A Tale Of Opposites

    Tom Koziol
    20 Nov 2009 | 10:30 am
    Today’s news seems to bring us a tale of opposites every time they report on the real estate market as it exists at this point in time. For example, an article by the AP just the other day said “the pace at which people fell behind on their mortgages slowed during the summer for the third quarter in a row. The bad news is the overall delinquency rate hit another record.” I don’t know about you but a guy could go goofy if he just took what he read at face value. On the other hand, if a guy looked at these reports and decided to sift out the silver lining he could get by…

  • Invest on the Ground Floor

    Winston Westbrook
    20 Nov 2009 | 5:00 am
    My grandfather was born in Guayaquil Ecuador in 1906. He came to America in the 70’s and would tell me stories about his business in Ecuador exporting bananas to the United States. He loved America and all it stood for; he wouldn’t drive anything but American made cars. Chevy to be exact, lol. He stated that he got into the business when exports to America were just beginning to take off, and got into the business on the GROUND FLOOR. After getting into the banana exporting business the industry took off with the economic expansion of America after World War II. He was in the game…

  • What Realtors Should Put on Their Blog

    Christian Russell
    19 Nov 2009 | 2:25 pm
    A good number of Realtors are getting on the ball and putting up a blog. This is smart. It’s a powerful communication tool. It’s a powerful way to build your presence online. However keep a couple important points in mind: It will only serve as a powerful communication tool if you actively use it to communicate. It’s an ongoing process! It will only build your presence online if you actively build it! In other words, a blog doesn’t build itself. Putting it up is step one. Step 2 through to step 10 million-bazillion are all up to you. And if you don’t do it, who’s gonna? To put it…

  • Wait! Before You Buy That Real Estate Course or E-book…

    Shae Bynes
    19 Nov 2009 | 12:05 pm
    Before you get the wrong idea about this post, let me start by saying that I am a huge advocate of learning both before and while doing anything new with real estate investing.I’ve invested plenty of dollars on solid education and mentoring over the years and will continue to make these investments for years to come. There are unlimited options available for e-books, home study courses, systems, and mentoring programs.Many of these products are excellent and will provide you with enough education to get started and be successful. Other products? Well, perhaps not so much. With these…
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    GeekEstate Blog

  • Cities in 3D. Seriously, This is Cool

    Drew Meyers
    20 Nov 2009 | 4:43 pm
    The Google team has done it again with their Cities in 3d program. You can now take a “virtual tour” through the streets of Los Angeles, San Diego, or Washington, DC. Here’s a preview video showcasing Los Angeles: WOW is all I have to say. Think this will change the future of how consumers search for real estate online?

  • Web 3.0 – Discussion #1 – “OMG, I Never Thought of That!”

    TheRECoach
    20 Nov 2009 | 2:15 pm
    I wrote the 1st post “Web 3.0 – A Post Intended to “Define” & “Design”, here on Geek Estate Blog, because I felt it was the best venue to begin an open discussion on a difficult, Technology related, topic and here I am with my 1st follow up post resulting from the very 1st comment I received on my original post on my personal Blog instead. Not that the comments here on GEB weren’t great, because they clearly were, and I am so “Geeked” to follow up on them as well. In fact, they inspired a “Round Table” style discussion that will take place on…

  • 10 Tips I Learned From My First Listing Video Shoot

    Joshua Ferris
    18 Nov 2009 | 11:44 pm
    Ah, video. It’s the sexiest new trend in real estate presentation and is, by far, one of the most difficult skills to build up while juggling every other task an agent has resting on their shoulders. Although there will definitely be a learning curve when you start doing video I can assure you the payoff will be more than worth it. To help save you a ton of time and frustration I’ve outlined ten tips I learned on the path to my first real estate listing video shoot below. I also included my first listing video at the bottom of the post for you to critique. It’s not perfect…

  • Virtual REBarCamp is Tomorrow!!

    Drew Meyers
    16 Nov 2009 | 4:44 pm
    Many of you have likely been to one of the many RE BarCamps that have taken place over the past year and a half, and now that movement is going “virtual“. Tomorrow marks the 1st “Virtual” Real Estate BarCamp from 9-4 PST and it’s free of charge to anyone and everyone. The day is broken into 30 minutes sessions, all of which can be seen here. Whether you are interested in learning about market stats, brokerage blogging strategies, Posterous, LinkedIn, online advertising, or anything in between, you should be covered. And if not, chances are VERY good you can find…

  • Excited About After Effects

    Justin Bartlett
    16 Nov 2009 | 1:51 pm
    I recently discovered Adobe After Effects for the first time, and I am amazed at how powerful and versatile this program is.  After the install and launching the program for the first time, similar to the first time that I took at look at Flash or Photoshop, I’ll admit that the I was a little daunted by the seeming complexity of the program, but as I am becoming more acclimated to it I am, well, getting quite excited. With the explosion of Web 2.0 and social media sites such as YouTube, Digg, Delicious, Linked In, et. al., Real Estate Professionals are communicating, networking, and…
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    MLBroadcast.Com Blog

  • Carnival of Real Estate #165

    9 Nov 2009 | 10:24 am
    This week's edition of CORE had 17 submissions. Here are my picks.Honorable Mention - Matt Swanson - GeekEstate BlogHow To Eliminate The Guesswork From Site DesignWhile I personally think there are many more intracacies and nuances of establishing a winning web presence, Matthew does a great job of exposing readers to some fantastic analytic tools and links to other posts that, when combined, create a tremendous resource for understanding what does and doesn't work in your real estate web presence.Honorable Mention - Erion Shehaj - ErionShehaj.comThe Ray Kroc PrincipleIf you've never had a…

  • UPDATED: Podcast: Paul Chaney Discusses His Upcoming Social Media Book, The Digital Handshake

    19 Aug 2009 | 8:02 pm
    In the latest episode of Mike's Mic, Paul Chaney takes time to discuss his forthcoming book, The Digital Handshake. The book covers proven strategies geared toward small businesses interested in exploring how social media can be used productively and proactively. With the shelves stuffed full of tomes on how to become an expert in the still nascent world of social media, I asked Paul why his would stand out. If the book stands up to his answers, I think it will do very well. As always, I will be doing a follow up book report once the final version is released. If you're a real estate…

  • Yahoo Launches New Real Estate Resource

    5 Aug 2009 | 3:08 pm
    I didn't make it to Inman Connect this year in SF but that hasn't stopped me from enjoying the steady stream of announcements and information coming from the event. I have been tracking #icsf in Twitter and following some of the live Qik streaming that a few people are doing (thanks Rudy @Trulia) and it helps ease the pain of being in Houston in this sweltering weather instead of wearing a sweater out by the bay.One of the more interesting things I saw come across the Twitter stream was an announcement by Yahoo that they have launched a new real estate resource entitled "In The Know". When…

  • "How Cool Is That?" - RE Barcamp 1 Year Later

    16 Jul 2009 | 9:48 am
    Quantity or Quality?Who knew that when Andy Kaufman presented the idea on Twitter a year ago that maybe a Real Estate focused Barcamp was a good idea that close to 30 events will have taken place or been planned to take place by the end of the year? (Don't know what a Barcamp is? Click Here) Who knew that one of our own would be hired by NAR as the Social Media Director or that an RE Barcamp would take place at NAR headquarters with NAR President, Dale Stinton there as one of the Campers? Brad Coy, Todd Carpenter, Jason Berman, yours truly and many others jumped in head first to the inaugural…

  • Mike's Corner Now MLBroadcast Blog - New Website Launched

    6 Jul 2009 | 12:49 pm
    I would like to extend a big thank you to all of the faithful readers of Mike's Corner over the past 3 years. I have thoroughly enjoyed the process of blogging and a platform that has allowed me to share my opinions of the real estate industry and real estate 2.0. No worries, I am not going away, just sort of relocating. MLBroadcast.Com/blog needs to morph into a platform that does a better job of focusing on our product and the niche we serve. As such, I will be working on a new location (and name) for Mike's Corner where I can continue to write the kind of content that seems to resonate…
 
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    Mortgage News Daily

  • Mortgage Industry Leads Accountability and Transparency Reform

    Frank Ceizyk
    20 Nov 2009 | 2:12 pm
    Posted To: Community CommentaryTransparency is the new buzz word in the financial world, especially in the mortgage industry. W hile government officials and financial pundits pay "TRANSPARENCY" plenty of lip service, those of us working on the front lines of origination live with it on a daily basis. I would go as far to say, from a point of sale perspective, MORTGAGE ORIGINATORS HAVE QUICKLY BECOME THE MOST ACCOUNTABLE MEMBERS OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY. Imagine the potential protection consumers might benefit from if all commission based financial services professionals…

  • MBS CLOSE: Extremely Flat, Range-Bound Week

    Matthew Graham
    20 Nov 2009 | 2:01 pm
    Posted To: MBS CommentaryDespite the 4 tick improvement on the day that leaves MBS just about as close to all time highs as we could ask for, the lack of excitement this week is a bit of a let down. Sure, there was plenty of chopatility earlier in the week in MBS, but not only was it mostly confined to the range, prices actually ended exactly where they started on Monday! At least the boring and range-bound nature of the week made for plenty of predictability as the only real technical levels worthy of mention played important roles throughout the week. 101-21 became eerily supportive as the…

  • MBS AFTERNOON: Grinding to the Right

    Adam Quinones
    20 Nov 2009 | 1:28 pm
    Posted To: MBS CommentaryIts 430 on a Friday afternoon. The market is resting after a week's worth of grinding to the right. (Note sarcasm.) It was exciting when the week began...but it sure did fizzle out into the close. Everything we watch turned a profit this week. We hope you followed the crowd and booked a few extra bps yourself. Gobble Gobble. I can smell the mashed potatoes.... Enjoy the weekend PS. Smash someone up Tucker. go 44...(read more)Forward this article via email:  Send a copy of this story to someone you know that may want to read it.

  • MBS LUNCH: Uneventfully Coasting Into The Weekend

    Matthew Graham
    20 Nov 2009 | 11:15 am
    Posted To: MBS CommentaryWith absolutely no exaggeration, all but one, maybe two of the times I've looked at my screens before writing this week MBS have been between -2 and +2 ticks on the day while changes in tsy's have been more pronounced. Same story today, at least on a price level, as 4.5's are up 2 ticks to 101-23 whereas 10's are down 6 ticks, bringing the yield up to 3.362. Neither of those levels are especially interesting as they both lie above levels that have supported 99% of the trade this week. For MBS, the level is obviously 101-21, which has received more than…

  • MBS MORNING: Reminder of Rates Reality

    Adam Quinones
    20 Nov 2009 | 8:23 am
    Posted To: MBS CommentaryMuch of our analysis this week has focused on the technical dynamics of range limits and the interconnected relationship between the market's perception of fundamentals and trader's ongoing short term profit churning positional tactics. While some of the explanatory logic we have provided was mere exploratory reasoning based on the speculative maneuvering and strategery (been waiting to use that one) of performance driven traders, we have continued to rely upon the same concepts and indicators that have driven price action for the majority of 2009: the Federal…
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    Homes101 Real Estate News

  • Green-building Growing, More Jobs, More Buyer Interest

    19 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pm
    According to a new study from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and Booz Allen Hamilton, construction in the green-building industry will support 7.9 million jobs over the next four years while pumping into the American economy $554 billion. Currently, 2 million American jobs are supported by the same industry and more than $100 billion in gross domestic product and wages is generated.

  • 15-Year FRM Drops to Lowest Ever Recorded in Freddie Mac Survey Hi

    19 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pm
    McLean, VA -- Freddie Mac (NYSE:FRE) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) in which the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 4.83 percent with an average 0.7 point for the week ending November 19, 2009, down from last week when it averaged 4.91 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 6.04 percent.

  • Investor Report: HUD's Condo Rules

    19 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pm
    HUD just changed its condominium rules again, and there's both good news and sobering news for investors and developers tucked away in the revisions.

  • Overcoming Five Common Investing Mistakes Made by Property Owners & Managers

    18 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pm
    [Note: To follow is an excerpt of a radio show interview conducted by Peter L. Mosca, host of Income Property Investment Talk, with Robert Cain, who since 1987 has been publishing information, giving speeches and conducting seminars and workshops for landlords and investors on how to buy, rent and manage property more effectively. Cain talks about avoiding five common investing mistakes. To listen to the show archive or download an MP3, go to www.IncomePropertyInvestmentTalk.com/102109.]

  • Low Interest Rates Spur Refinancing, Buying Interest

    18 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pm
    If you purchased a home a year ago and have the equity and creditworthiness to swing it, a refinance today could save you hundreds of dollars a month.
 
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    Talk to CJ

  • Does it come with the house? How to decide.

    CJ Brasiel
    3 Nov 2009 | 7:27 am
    As buyers walk through a home it is not uncommon that they fall in love with a certain room or aspect of the home.  Maybe it is the dining room and the beautiful chandelier.  Maybe it is the basketball hoop in driveway.  Maybe it is the six-burner professional grade gas stove in the kitchen.  Whatever [...]

  • Shadow Inventory – Myth Busted by Foreclosure Radar.com

    CJ Brasiel
    18 Oct 2009 | 5:06 pm
    The number of "notices of defaults" (NODs) are climbing and climbing. But the reality is the current home buyer is not the one being able to take advantage of these returned homes.

  • How’s the Housing Market in Willow Glen – San Jose?

    CJ Brasiel
    8 Oct 2009 | 7:44 pm
    The market barometer that indicates whether or not the Willow Glen area is in a buyer's market or seller's market. Currently, there is only about four months of inventory on hand which would lean toward a seller's market.

  • Inventory Declines, While Pending Sales Continue to Rise. Where are the REOs?

    CJ Brasiel
    10 Sep 2009 | 9:21 pm
    Inventory of single-family, re-sale homes continued falling in August, and it is now down 59.3% year-over-year.  Pending sales, meanwhile, climbed 52.2% from July, and were up 90.7% compared to August 2008.  After rising four months in a row, the median price for homes took a breather last month and was down 6.4% from July, a [...]

  • Is the Real Estate Market in San Jose still a Buyer’s Market? Bottomless Answer.

    CJ Brasiel
    4 Sep 2009 | 1:55 pm
    I have been thinking about this topic for the last two months.  Trying to figure out how to get it encapsulated into the shortest blog post as I am constantly being told blog posts should not be too long.  It seems impossible to crunch this topic into a quick read, but I am going to [...]
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    The Cash Flow Mercenary

  • Michigan Real Estate Investing TV: Life is GREAT, but Lulu Sucks

    Dennis Fassett
    20 Nov 2009 | 7:52 am
    Had a great meeting this morning with a great friend and colleague about raising private equity to buy commercial investment real estate; I’m meeting with my banker this afternoon because they want to host a wine and cheese book signing with me and their high net worth clients; and I’m meeting with another small group of investors this afternoon to talk about raising private equity. So life is great! And then there is Lulu.com. Ugh.

  • Michigan Real Estate Investing TV: Confusing Activity with Accomplishment

    Dennis Fassett
    19 Nov 2009 | 6:48 am
    More and more in the workplace I’m seeing activity take the place of accomplishment. We have meetings where nothing gets decided and no conclusions are reached. I’m fighting this in my real estate business as well, and it’s a constant battle, because these social media tools can be a waste of productive time if not used effectively.

  • Michigan Real Estate Investing TV: I’d Rather Be the USC Trojans Than the Detroit Lions

    Dennis Fassett
    18 Nov 2009 | 8:40 am
    Although my USC Trojans are having an “off” year on the gridiron, I LOVE the fact that they consider a 3 loss season a complete and utter failure and a “rebuilding” year. Contrast that with the Lions that have been complete and utter failures for 50 years, and they would think that a 3 WIN season was a success. Who would you rather emulate in your business?

  • Michigan Real Estate Investing TV: Mr Worf – Lock on Photon Torpedoes

    Dennis Fassett
    17 Nov 2009 | 6:39 am
    The plot thickens with the Westland Housing Commission tenant. Yesterday I received a fax from someone claiming to be a “paralegal” representing the tenant DEMANDING that I release her from all present and future claims BEFORE she moves. Guess what? The guy who sent the fax was really the pastor of her church!

  • Michigan Real Estate Investing TV: You Need to Finish

    Dennis Fassett
    16 Nov 2009 | 6:09 am
    Finishing is the most important part of the process, because you don’t get paid until the job is completely done.
 
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    1000Watt Consulting

  • Google makes yet another big move into real estate territory

    Brian Boero
    20 Nov 2009 | 9:36 am
    Forget the RPR. If you’re interested in the future of real estate, you need to be watching Google closely these days. A couple weeks ago we noted the company’s move to include a real estate overlay on Google Maps, which put listings smack-dab in front of millions of Google users who likely had no idea the company has spent the last several years quietly aggregating this content. Now, today, search engine land reports that Google has taken this one step further to include a unique page for every listing that includes photos, a map (including Street View) property details,…

  • With it. Get it. On it. Big time.

    Marc Davison
    18 Nov 2009 | 5:02 pm
    Friday The NAR show. I could have spent the entire week there. And immersed myself in the chatter and prophetic waxing laced with controversy about real estate’s hottest acronyms. I didn’t. I flew in for the day, enjoyed a bunch of clients and friends, and then left. There were other things, more pressing things – special things – I needed to attend to. Saturday Laughter. They say it cures all ills. I’ve been chuckling a lot lately, but that’s just a painkiller. I was due for a cure. It came by way of my friend in Phoenix, where I touched down on Saturday. A complex,…

  • Things you may have missed while contemplating the RPR

    Brian Boero
    12 Nov 2009 | 8:09 pm
    God, I love that acronym. “Reaper.” There’s so much fun to be had there. Anyway, a few non-RPR items popped up in the past six days that are worth noting. Here’s what caught my eye: Redfin raises another $10 million CEO Glenn Kelman states that this round will allow the company to make some “big bets” like putting “The whole touring, offer and escrow process online.” Big bets indeed. And I hope they place them. Whether or not they ultimately make it, I have enjoyed watching Redfin get way out beyond real estate’s comfort zone. I also am interested to see how big…

  • RPR Madness! NAR unleashes national property database with Cyberhomes

    Brian Boero
    6 Nov 2009 | 5:49 pm
    [What follows is my somewhat stream of consciousness take on today's events. This post is a beast. Interested in your thoughts. And please point out where you think I've missed the mark. More will follow.] The NAR has taken over certain technology assets of Cyberhomes from LPS (formerly known as FNRES) in order to bring its RPR (Realtors Property Resource) project, as well as its consumer-facing play, HouseLogic, to market. To do this, they have created Realtors Property Resource, LLC – a wholly owned subsidiary of the NAR. Certain LPS executives, including Cyberhomes GM Marty Frame,…

  • Better Homes and Gardens takes real estate iPhone Apps beyond listings

    Brian Boero
    5 Nov 2009 | 6:08 am
    Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate [Disclosure: They are a 1000watt Consulting client] released an iPhone app yesterday. The brand, which is just over a year old, has a strong lifestyle vibe. From their perspective, real estate is more about living a life in a great place than simply buying or selling a house. This app reflects that distinction. First of all, this is a real estate application with no listings. It is not a home search app. Rather, it aims to help the user – presumably, here, a buyer – organize and simplify their home search. Users can take photos from the app while…
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    Zillow Blog - Real Estate Market Stats, Celebrity Real Estate, and Zillow News

  • Spencer Rascoff on Fox Business Today

    Jill Simmons
    20 Nov 2009 | 3:22 pm
    Zillow’s COO Spencer Rascoff weighed in on the state of housing on the Fox Business show ”Countdown to the Closing Bell” this afternoon. Watch Spencer discuss how the tidal wave of foreclosure inventory coming in 2010, negative equity, and vacancy rates continue to dampen the housing sector.

  • Lots of Zillow Love at the NAR convention

    Sara Bonert
    20 Nov 2009 | 11:12 am
    Thanks to all who stopped by our booth and helped make the NAR convention so successful for us; we appreciated getting to speak to so many agents who are using the site regularly to help grow their business. Below are a few words from agents and brokers we spoke with at the show! Click here to view the embedded video. Click here to view the embedded video. Click here to view the embedded video. Click here to view the embedded video. While at NAR, Spencer Rascoff, our COO, delivered a fantastic presentation about the Internet Buyer. He posted his powerpoint and video of the presentaiton on his…

  • Top 5 Most-Viewed Celebrity Homes in October

    Sarah Greenleaf
    20 Nov 2009 | 9:45 am
    In looking at our blog posts from October, the top 5 most-viewed celebrity home blog posts on Zillow ranged from a multi-millionaire’s mansion to Whitney Houston’s circular pad. 1. “Ira Rennert’s mansion is largest home in U.S.” See Ira Rennert’s home (photo below) See more Sagaponack, NY real estate. 2. “Haunted Houses in Hollywood” See the Pickfair estate (photo below) See more Famous Scary Homes 3. “Michael Jackson’s “Wonderland” Compound” See the Las Vegas home Michael Jackson almost bought (photo below) See more Las Vegas,…

  • Twilight New Moon Home For Sale

    Whitney Tyner
    19 Nov 2009 | 2:09 pm
    Twilight New Moon fans! Are you looking to expand your Twibrary?  For a shy $3.3 million you can own the on-screen family home of Twilight vampire Edward Cullen in Vancouver, BC. For millions of fans with OCD (Obsessive Cullen Disorder — the term used to describe anyone who is overly obsessed with Robert Pattinson/Edward Cullen) the multi-million dollar price tag is but a nominal fee to pay to be one step closer to the vampires. So, what home amenities do vampires like?  If the Cullen home is any indication, they have an affinity for 20-foot ceilings, Koi ponds, granite countertops,…

  • Boston.com Now Using Zillow API to Power Recent Homes Sales Functionality

    Drew Meyers
    19 Nov 2009 | 1:17 pm
    We’re pleased to announce that Boston.com, the website of the Boston Globe, is now part of the Zillow API program and is using it to power their recent home sales functionality on their real estate landing page. Though our recent sales data is part of the Local Market Explorer WP Plug-in, Boston.com is the first member of the Zillow API program to build a custom integration utilizing our recent sales data. In each region, transaction data for the 20 most recently sold properties can be retrieved and displayed. For example, here are recent sales transactions in Boston, Brookline,…
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    Trulia Blog - Real Estate Blog

  • Kirk Hammett & Curt Schilling - celebs looking to sell

    Sharon, Marketing Coordinator
    12 Nov 2009 | 3:39 pm
    No strangers to the real estate market, Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett and retired Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling have lowered their asking prices in hopes of finding a buyer sooner than later. Kirk Hammett has once again re-listed his property located at 2505 Divisadero Street, San Francisco, CA 94115 in San Francisco’s Pac Heights district where he lives with his wife and two young sons. Billed as the “historic Georgian mansion,” the four-story mansion looks like it got a huge green blanket of leaves draped all over it with a few holes for sunshine. The 9,000 sqft…

  • Trulia on CNBC - Price Reductions, Bernie Madoff and Toll Brothers

    Rudy, Social Media Guru
    11 Nov 2009 | 8:25 am
    CNBC’S Diana Olick talks about Trulia’s price reductions, Bernie Madoff’s price reduction of $1,000,000 from $9,900,000 to $8,900,000 located at 133 East 64th St New York NY 10065 as seen on Trulia and Toll Brothers news of Q4 orders jumping 42% from a year ago. Related PostsPrice Reductions - Hedge Fund Homes - CNBCMadoff scandal and real estatePrice reductions to help attract buyersTrulia CEO Pete Flint on CNBC - Report Card on Home PricesTrulia CEO Pete Flint on CNBC Talking about Increased Home Buyer Interest in Foreclosures

  • Trulia’s November Price Reduction Report - Home Sellers Cut $28.1 Billion off Asking Prices

    Rudy, Social Media Guru
    11 Nov 2009 | 8:01 am
    photo credit: lepiaf.geo Our November home price reduction report shows 25.6% of U.S. homes as of November 1, 2009 have experienced at least 1 price cut of their original asking price during the last 12 months. The total amount slashed off of active for sale listings by home sellers is $28.1billion. The average national price reduction remains 10%. Over 40% of the top 50 metros around the U.S. have price reduction levels above 30%, much higher than the national average. November Price Reduction Highlights 25.6% of U.S. homes as of November 1, 2009 have experienced at least 1 price cut of…

  • What city data is most important to your home search?

    Emily, Community Moderator
    9 Nov 2009 | 12:09 pm
    That’s exactly what San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom wanted to find out to support the launch of DataSF.org. The new site publishes data from the City & County of San Francisco and provides access to everything from police records to restaurant inspection reports. With DataSF the city aims to increase the transparency of government data and to foster innovation in the bay area. And so when Mayor Newsom wanted to find out which data should be included on the site, he turned to the Trulia Voices community with his inquiry: The Mayor’s question received answers from almost 100…

  • Senate and House Approve Tax Credit Extension

    Heather, vp of marketing
    5 Nov 2009 | 2:50 pm
    Here are the details of the tax credit extension/expansion that the House and Senate have passed (HR 3548) First-timers: Extend the $8,000 homebuyer tax credit to contracts signed by April 30 and closed by June 30. Previously was set to expire after Nov. 30.First-time homebuyer is defined as someone who has not owned a residence within the past three years. Existing owners:$6,500 credit for those who buy a home after living in their current house at least five of the last eight years. Extension:Contracts signed by April 30 and closed by June 30. Home requirement: principal residences priced…
 
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    Real Estate Investing For Real | A BiggerPockets Investment Property Blog

  • Google Street View: Virtual Tours your competitors don’t use

    Justin McClelland
    20 Nov 2009 | 10:47 am
    Google has come a mighty long way regarding innovations pertaining to the World Wide Web.  They are much more than a search engine.  Thus far, I’ve divulged tips using Google applications such as Google Voice and Google Earth. Today I’m going to focus on how you can utilize Google Maps when showcasing properties online. These days it is typical for a property, especially one that is listed with a Realtor, to have a virtual tour of the interior of the house.  Google Maps will allow you to go one step further and create a virtual tour of the exterior of the house and it’s…

  • Foreclosures and Mortgage Delinquencies: A Tale Of Opposites

    Tom Koziol
    20 Nov 2009 | 10:30 am
    Today’s news seems to bring us a tale of opposites every time they report on the real estate market as it exists at this point in time. For example, an article by the AP just the other day said “the pace at which people fell behind on their mortgages slowed during the summer for the third quarter in a row. The bad news is the overall delinquency rate hit another record.” I don’t know about you but a guy could go goofy if he just took what he read at face value. On the other hand, if a guy looked at these reports and decided to sift out the silver lining he could get by…

  • Invest on the Ground Floor

    Winston Westbrook
    20 Nov 2009 | 5:00 am
    My grandfather was born in Guayaquil Ecuador in 1906. He came to America in the 70’s and would tell me stories about his business in Ecuador exporting bananas to the United States. He loved America and all it stood for; he wouldn’t drive anything but American made cars. Chevy to be exact, lol. He stated that he got into the business when exports to America were just beginning to take off, and got into the business on the GROUND FLOOR. After getting into the banana exporting business the industry took off with the economic expansion of America after World War II. He was in the game…

  • What Realtors Should Put on Their Blog

    Christian Russell
    19 Nov 2009 | 2:25 pm
    A good number of Realtors are getting on the ball and putting up a blog. This is smart. It’s a powerful communication tool. It’s a powerful way to build your presence online. However keep a couple important points in mind: It will only serve as a powerful communication tool if you actively use it to communicate. It’s an ongoing process! It will only build your presence online if you actively build it! In other words, a blog doesn’t build itself. Putting it up is step one. Step 2 through to step 10 million-bazillion are all up to you. And if you don’t do it, who’s gonna? To put it…

  • Wait! Before You Buy That Real Estate Course or E-book…

    Shae Bynes
    19 Nov 2009 | 12:05 pm
    Before you get the wrong idea about this post, let me start by saying that I am a huge advocate of learning both before and while doing anything new with real estate investing.I’ve invested plenty of dollars on solid education and mentoring over the years and will continue to make these investments for years to come. There are unlimited options available for e-books, home study courses, systems, and mentoring programs.Many of these products are excellent and will provide you with enough education to get started and be successful. Other products? Well, perhaps not so much. With these…
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    RealSeekr.com Blog

  • Unwavering home sales in South Ogden real estate (posted by ogden homes)

    16 Nov 2009 | 6:57 am
      In the past two months, homeprices in South Ogden still continue to rise. Original list price of homes inSouth Ogden was $155,250 while the median sold price was just $155,250. Lastyear's home prices was at $146,000 which means it increased by almost 6%. In South Ogden Utah real estate area therehave been 19 homes sold for the month of October. Homes have been on the marketfor 100 median days. Homes sold have a median dollar per square foot price of $74.63.October home sales were stillsecure in South Ogden UT real estate.Home sales were almost up by 21.05% though last month's sales…

  • Homes sales in West Haven real estate down (posted by ogden homes)

    16 Nov 2009 | 2:01 am
      $89.79 was the median dollar persquare foot price of homes last August 2009 and in October of 2009 median dollarper square foot price went up to $96.12. For the month of October, there are 8homes listed to be under contract and 9 homes listed to be sold in real estate West Haven Utah. Atpresent, there are 103 homes that are for sale on the market for West Haven homes.West Haven homes stayed on the market for 75 median days. The numberof homes sold in October 2009 was only 9 whilst last year's homes sold were 16and thus home sales shrink by around 43.75%. The median sold price for…

  • Prices of homes while sales went up in real estate Roy Utah (posted by ogden homes)

    13 Nov 2009 | 2:43 am
      In the month of October thisyear, median price of homes in Roy Utahreal estate was at $160,000. This is the reason why it's practical for homebuyers to buy houses in particular those who are seeking for affordable ones. Medianoriginal list price of homes in Roy was $169,450. Roy homes were on the market for64 median days so it's been moving fast that homes have been sold in less time.The year over year change in sales price was also fairly increasing. There aretotal of 62 homes that went sold in realestate Roy Utah for the month of October.  ;Concerning the annual home sales,it's…

  • Home sales in North Ogden houses went up (posted by ogden homes)

    12 Nov 2009 | 2:39 am
    Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE In October of this year there are23 homes sold in North Ogden UT real estate.Comparing to last year's number of homes sold it went up by 8.70%. Last month'shome sales slashed by more than 50% and it looks like real estate in North Ogdenwas now trying to struggle with the home sales. The number of homes that are atthis time for sale in North Ogden is 192. And there are 10 homes listed asunder contract. The median original price of all the homes sold for October was$210,000 and the median sold was just $175,000. Last October 2008 median salesprice…

  • Logan Utah Real Estate - Home For Sale (posted by Kaleb Kunz)

    11 Nov 2009 | 11:06 am
    I just listed this beautiful 3 bedroom, 2 car garage Yorkshire Townhome at $127,500.  It's an updated end-unit (More Windows!!!!) with a/c, new carpet, tile, updgraded blinds, crown molding in living room, Dining room and Master, newer kitchen faucet, water heater and more! ;View pictures at Logan Utah Real Estate - Search all Logan Homes For Sale
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    GeekEstate Blog

  • Cities in 3D. Seriously, This is Cool

    Drew Meyers
    20 Nov 2009 | 4:43 pm
    The Google team has done it again with their Cities in 3d program. You can now take a “virtual tour” through the streets of Los Angeles, San Diego, or Washington, DC. Here’s a preview video showcasing Los Angeles: WOW is all I have to say. Think this will change the future of how consumers search for real estate online?

  • Web 3.0 – Discussion #1 – “OMG, I Never Thought of That!”

    TheRECoach
    20 Nov 2009 | 2:15 pm
    I wrote the 1st post “Web 3.0 – A Post Intended to “Define” & “Design”, here on Geek Estate Blog, because I felt it was the best venue to begin an open discussion on a difficult, Technology related, topic and here I am with my 1st follow up post resulting from the very 1st comment I received on my original post on my personal Blog instead. Not that the comments here on GEB weren’t great, because they clearly were, and I am so “Geeked” to follow up on them as well. In fact, they inspired a “Round Table” style discussion that will take place on…

  • 10 Tips I Learned From My First Listing Video Shoot

    Joshua Ferris
    18 Nov 2009 | 11:44 pm
    Ah, video. It’s the sexiest new trend in real estate presentation and is, by far, one of the most difficult skills to build up while juggling every other task an agent has resting on their shoulders. Although there will definitely be a learning curve when you start doing video I can assure you the payoff will be more than worth it. To help save you a ton of time and frustration I’ve outlined ten tips I learned on the path to my first real estate listing video shoot below. I also included my first listing video at the bottom of the post for you to critique. It’s not perfect…

  • Virtual REBarCamp is Tomorrow!!

    Drew Meyers
    16 Nov 2009 | 4:44 pm
    Many of you have likely been to one of the many RE BarCamps that have taken place over the past year and a half, and now that movement is going “virtual“. Tomorrow marks the 1st “Virtual” Real Estate BarCamp from 9-4 PST and it’s free of charge to anyone and everyone. The day is broken into 30 minutes sessions, all of which can be seen here. Whether you are interested in learning about market stats, brokerage blogging strategies, Posterous, LinkedIn, online advertising, or anything in between, you should be covered. And if not, chances are VERY good you can find…

  • Excited About After Effects

    Justin Bartlett
    16 Nov 2009 | 1:51 pm
    I recently discovered Adobe After Effects for the first time, and I am amazed at how powerful and versatile this program is.  After the install and launching the program for the first time, similar to the first time that I took at look at Flash or Photoshop, I’ll admit that the I was a little daunted by the seeming complexity of the program, but as I am becoming more acclimated to it I am, well, getting quite excited. With the explosion of Web 2.0 and social media sites such as YouTube, Digg, Delicious, Linked In, et. al., Real Estate Professionals are communicating, networking, and…
 
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    The Real Estate Bloggers

  • Are FHA Loan Limits Increasing $100,000?

    Tom Royce
    20 Nov 2009 | 3:11 am
    Buried at the bottom of a New York Times article on the trouble FHA housing loans are in is this tidbit, Congressman Barney Frank of Massachusetts wants to raise the lending limits of an FHA loan $100,000. A few weeks ago, Congress extended the higher lending limits for another year. Representative Barney Frank, the Massachusetts Democrat who is chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, said in an interview that he planned to introduce legislation next year raising the maximum F.H.A. loan by $100,000, to $839,750. via the NY Times Now I do not know about you, but this is another…

  • Top 10 Most Affordable Real Estate Markets in 2009

    Tom Royce
    19 Nov 2009 | 10:37 am
    If you are looking to move to someplace affordable, we have the list for you. The criteria that the National Association of Home Builders uses is if the home is affordable for families living at the median income of $64,800. So while these cities are not the top of most folks hit parade, they do provide the ability to live within ones means. Top 10 Most Affordable Real Estate Markets in 2009 1. Kokomo, IN 96.7 2. Springfield, OH 96.1 3. Bay City, MI 96.0 4. Mansfield, OH 95.7 5. Elkhart-Goshen,IN 95.2 6. Indianapolis-Carmel, IN 94.5 7. Canton-Massillon, OH 94.4 8. Youngstown-Warren-Boardman,…

  • 7 Million More Foreclosures To Hit The Market?

    Tom Royce
    19 Nov 2009 | 7:11 am
     How scary is that number, 7 Million. If it was the deficit, it would not even scratch the surface. But it is the number of homes that are essentially in a foreclosure backlog. These 7 million foreclosures represent those that are being negotiated, ones lenders are just plain ignoring, ones that are being worked out, or those that because of different moratoriums are not being acted upon. Now we all know that they will not hit the market at one time, but they are the ticking time-bomb of the housing industry. These homes largely represent loans that are delinquent but have not yet…

  • Lowes See Home Improvement Market Improving In Hard Hit Areas

    Tom Royce
    17 Nov 2009 | 5:14 am
    The housing downturn also took a big chunk out of the profitability of the home improvement stores. Think about it, who wants to invest in a home that is losing value or that you may have to turn over to the bank. When you can not pay the mortgage, preventative maintenance is not a priority. That is why today’s announcement that Lowe’s is seeing a turn around in the hard hit areas of the country shows that people are reinvesting in their home. A small sign maybe, and perhaps an optimistic reading of the tea leaves, but still a hopeful sign. If people are investing in their homes,…

  • Commercial Real Estate Seeing Bottom

    Tom Royce
    16 Nov 2009 | 6:37 am
    After a few years of following real estate, it is interesting to see the difference between the residential real estate market and the commercial markets. For the residential market, real estate is home, a major investment, personal, and passionate. Decisions are not logical and are driven by status and desire. The commercial market is all about the money, with a dash of prestige thrown in to make people stupid at the top end. But these same people know that when the going gets tough, they get out quickly. That is why the commercial market rose quickly, prestige and the chance to make a…
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    Sellsius real estate marketing blog

  • Realtor Property Resource: The Digital MLS Book?

    Joseph Ferrara (2)
    21 Nov 2009 | 5:25 am
    The coming Realtor Property Resource (RPR™ ) will provide “nationwide access to public record information such as tax and assessment data, liens, zoning, permits, environmental information, and information on neighborhoods, school district and community demographics….” (Source: NAR Press Release November 9, 2009). This aggregation of data will make Realtors a valuable resource to consumers: Realtors® are the first, best source for real estate information, and the RPR™ is another emphatic feature to that resource. RPR™ will give Realtors® nationwide data on all…

  • Press Release: NeighborCity Launches AgentMatch to Help Consumers Choose the Best Real Estate Agent

    Joseph Ferrara (2)
    21 Nov 2009 | 4:45 am
    Online Broker provides objective rankings of every agent in its markets based on transaction history, performance and experience by neighborhood San Francisco, CA, November 11th, 2009 – NeighborCity® (http://www.neighborcity.com), an online real estate brokerage that operates in 20 major markets across the United States, announced the launch of AgentMatch®, an online service that helps homebuyers and sellers choose a real estate agent that meets their unique needs. Consumers using AgentMatch® can view rankings of every agent in their area based on transaction histories, performance, and…

  • Create a Place Page on Google Maps for Real Estate or Your Business

    Joseph Ferrara (2)
    20 Nov 2009 | 1:11 pm
    Google lets you create a Place Page for any real estate listing or your business. It will then appear in search results on Google Maps. A Place Page is a web page for every place in the world, organizing all the world’s information for that place. And we really mean every place: there are Place Pages for businesses, points of interest, transit stations, landmarks, and cities all over the world. To find a Place Page, click on “more info” in your Google Maps search results or “more info” in the info bubble on the map. Place Pages contain: listing details photos…

  • RPR Quiz: Is a Real Estate Agent Blog a Consumer Website?

    Joseph Ferrara (2)
    19 Nov 2009 | 6:45 am
    The new Realtor Property Resource (RPR) database is designed to help Realtors and their clients. RPR™ will provide nationwide access to public record information such as tax and assessment data, liens, zoning, permits, environmental information, and information on neighborhoods, school district and community demographics….(Source: NAR Press Release November 9, 2009) But…. There will be no public access to the RPR® and the database and its data cannot be shared through consumer websites. (emphasis added) So…..two questions: 1. What is the definition of a “consumer…

  • Stop Twitter Spam Followers Using TrueTwit

    Joseph Ferrara (2)
    18 Nov 2009 | 6:07 am
    TrueTwit is a service designed to validate your new Twitter followers to see if they are human (not automated bots) using the CAPTCHA system. By signing up now for free, all of your new followers will get a validation notice via direct message. If they too are TrueTwit users or pass the CAPTCHA test, you get an email indicating they are a TrueTwit validated human! Interesting. Technorati Tags: twitter, truetwit, cool tools, spam
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    Rain City Guide

  • Mortgage Rate Update

    Rhonda Porter
    20 Nov 2009 | 8:59 am
    Underwriting guidelines continue to get tougher.  This week FHA tightened her belts on streamline refinances and over the weekend of December 12, 2009,  Fannie Mae’s DU 8.0 will be implemented.   DU 8.0 will require: minimum credit score of 620 for Fannie Mae, FHA, USDA and VA loans. (except for DU Refi Plus) maximum debt to income ratios of 45% (some wiggle room for strong borrowers) Next Friday, I will not be posting rates since our office will be closed November 26 and 27 for the Thanksgiving holiday.   King County will be close on Wednesday, November 25, 2009 (furlough) and…

  • Seattle Schools – Admit by Address

    ARDELL
    19 Nov 2009 | 8:42 am
    The Seattle Times reports that Seattle is returning to a neighborhood-based system. Given it has been about 30 years since Seattle abandoned that system, this is big news for everyone who lives in Seattle, particularly people who are buying homes in Seattle. According to the article, this decision passed by unanimous vote last night at 11 p.m. If we’re going to use our limited resources efficiently, this is a big opportunity to reduce transportation costs, balance out enrollment so that hopefully the vast majority of our schools have enough students in them to be successful,” said…

  • Elusive Value: Title and Escrow

    Tim
    14 Nov 2009 | 3:28 pm
    Working largely in an industry within real estate that provides a service behind the scenes presents problems in conveying value to the people who recommend our services:  Realtors and Loan Officers. It has always been an awkward situation.   Realtors and Loan officers are customers, not clients.  There is a difference, not in importance each plays in a transaction (very important), but in how the relationship is treated by each party to the other. You have essentially two camps: 1)       Agents and loan officers who believe that they control your business by intimidation or by the…

  • The Statutory Warranty Deed: What You Should Know as the Seller

    Craig
    13 Nov 2009 | 1:42 pm
    This is not legal advice. For legal advice, consult an attorney in person, not a blog. In most instances, a buyer will take title to the property by a statutory warranty deed. As the name implies, this deed is defined by statute. That said, this statute merely codified the common law, which evolved over several hundred years (beginning in medieval England). In any event, a statutory warranty deed includes several warranties, or promises, from the seller: (1) That at the time of the making and delivery of such deed he was lawfully seized of an indefeasible estate in fee simple, in and to the…

  • Friday’s Rates: Welcome Back Jumbo!

    Rhonda Porter
    13 Nov 2009 | 11:31 am
    Jumbo’s loans are beginning to make a welcomed reappearance in the mortgage arena.   “Jumbos” are non-conforming mortgages and for King, Snohomish and Pierce Counties that means mortgages with a loan amount of $567,501 and higher for single family dwellings.    Although the jumbo rate below shows a half point improvement–it’s not due to change in pricing in the markets, it’s because of a lender coming back to the non-conforming market.  Bottom line, it’s a relief for those who have higher priced homes to sell and large mortgages to…
 
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    Square Feet

  • The $9B Check

    squarefeet
    20 Nov 2009 | 5:07 pm
    That’s a lot of cheddar! [via Business Insider]

  • Heading North – CA Unemployment Up To 12.5%; Santa Clara County 11.9%

    squarefeet
    20 Nov 2009 | 11:45 am
    The EDD released unemployment figures today, and the rate was up to 12.5% in October, a 20 basis point increase from September’s 12.3%. Last year, it was 8% in October signalling a 50% year-over-year increase! In raw numbers, year-over-year, we’ve shed nearly a million jobs in California alone total, nearly 700K if you look at [...]

  • Crescent Down, San Francisco EOP Assets To Go

    squarefeet
    20 Nov 2009 | 11:21 am
    In the news today is Morgan Stanley’s handing back of the keys on the Crescent Real Estate nightmare they acquired two years ago. The nightmare wasn’t that they were bad assets, the nightmare was the price paid for the portfolio and the subsequent fall in the market. We were out in front of the Crescent deal. [...]

  • Round Trip For 17M SF of Property as Morgan Stanley Hands Back The Keys

    squarefeet
    20 Nov 2009 | 10:18 am
    Morgan Stanley has officially handed the keys back on the Crescent portfolio we posted on last month. Including debt, Morgan picked up Crescent Real Estate Equities for $6.5B. The portfolio consists of some 17M SF of commercial and hospitality product. After providing Morgan with a 3-month extension back in August, the calling for the portfolio [...]

  • Announcement: The Square Feet Blog Holiday Mixer

    squarefeet
    19 Nov 2009 | 7:10 pm
    Join Us For The Square Feet Blog Holiday Mixer Wednesday, December 9, 2009 12-2PM – Downtown Palo Alto It’s the holidays and Square Feet Blog would like to extend a warm holiday greeting by hosting a Holiday Mixer! We’ve never attempted anything like this before, and we’re not event planners, but we think we can pull this off. [...]
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    Real Estate Market Conditions

  • Seattle, WA – Thurston County Housing Market Update for October 2009

    ziprealty
    19 Nov 2009 | 2:00 pm
    County: ThurstonYear to Year Comparison MonthOct-2008Oct-2009% Change% Sold Price to List Price98%98%0%Sold Listings281274-2%Listing Price Per Listing $ 282,617 $ 250,605 -11%Sold Price Per Listing $ 276,996 $ 245,404 -11%Sold Price Per Sq Ft $ 146 $ 133 -9%MLS Days On Market Per Listing1151161%Homes on Market2,1331,818-15%  County: ThurstonMonth to Month Comparison MonthSep-2009Oct-2009% Change% Sold Price to List Price98%98%0%Sold Listings24927410%Listing Price Per Listing $ 268,256 $ 250,605 -7%Sold Price Per Listing $ 263,653 $ 245,404 -7%Sold Price Per Sq Ft $ 137 $ 133…

  • Seattle, WA – Pierce County Housing Market Update for October 2009

    ziprealty
    19 Nov 2009 | 12:00 pm
    County: PierceYear to Year Comparison MonthOct-2008Oct-2009% Change% Sold Price to List Price97%98%1%Sold Listings62884935%Listing Price Per Listing $ 283,289 $ 246,833 -13%Sold Price Per Listing $ 274,510 $ 241,401 -12%Sold Price Per Sq Ft $ 144 $ 131 -9%MLS Days On Market Per Listing156140-10%Homes on Market7,5455,756-24%  County: PierceMonth to Month Comparison MonthSep-2009Oct-2009% Change% Sold Price to List Price98%98%0%Sold Listings77084910%Listing Price Per Listing $ 249,956 $ 246,833 -1%Sold Price Per Listing $ 245,404 $ 241,401 -2%Sold Price Per Sq Ft $ 129 $ 131…

  • Seattle, WA – Kitsap County Housing Market Update for October 2009

    ziprealty
    19 Nov 2009 | 10:00 am
    County: KitsapYear to Year Comparison MonthOct-2008Oct-2009% Change% Sold Price to List Price96%97%1%Sold Listings2432638%Listing Price Per Listing $ 299,939 $ 291,919 -3%Sold Price Per Listing $ 288,556 $ 284,361 -1%Sold Price Per Sq Ft $ 155 $ 148 -4%MLS Days On Market Per Listing151146-4%Homes on Market2,6291,918-27%  County: KitsapMonth to Month Comparison MonthSep-2009Oct-2009% Change% Sold Price to List Price96%97%1%Sold Listings23826311%Listing Price Per Listing $ 295,067 $ 291,919 -1%Sold Price Per Listing $ 283,672 $ 284,361 0%Sold Price Per Sq Ft $ 148 $ 148 0%MLS…

  • Seattle, WA – King County Housing Market Update for October 2009

    ziprealty
    19 Nov 2009 | 8:00 am
    County: KingYear to Year Comparison MonthOct-2008Oct-2009% Change% Sold Price to List Price96%99%2%Sold Listings1,5682,08133%Listing Price Per Listing $ 465,804 $ 438,942 -6%Sold Price Per Listing $ 448,286 $ 432,663 -3%Sold Price Per Sq Ft $ 233 $ 220 -6%MLS Days On Market Per Listing1161215%Homes on Market15,45913,017-16%  County: KingMonth to Month Comparison MonthSep-2009Oct-2009% Change% Sold Price to List Price96%99%3%Sold Listings1,9352,0818%Listing Price Per Listing $ 442,382 $ 438,942 -1%Sold Price Per Listing $ 425,002 $ 432,663 2%Sold Price Per Sq Ft $ 215 $ 220…

  • Seattle, WA – Clallam County Housing Update for October 2009

    ziprealty
    18 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pm
    County: ClallamYear to Year Comparison MonthOct-2008Oct-2009% Change% Sold Price to List Price93%95%2%Sold Listings303827%Listing Price Per Listing $ 280,432 $ 284,471 1%Sold Price Per Listing $ 259,708 $ 269,050 4%Sold Price Per Sq Ft $ 150 $ 150 0%MLS Days On Market Per Listing15323252%Homes on Market472421-11%  County: ClallamMonth to Month Comparison MonthSep-2009Oct-2009% Change% Sold Price to List Price96%95%-1%Sold Listings3938-3%Listing Price Per Listing $ 273,911 $ 284,471 4%Sold Price Per Listing $ 261,979 $ 269,050 3%Sold Price Per Sq Ft $ 149 $ 150 1%MLS Days On…
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    HomeGain Blog

  • Realtors: Share Your Client Smiles With HomeGain

    Jessica Gopalakrishnan
    20 Nov 2009 | 4:17 pm
    Have happy clients? Share the Smiles — with HomeGain! HomeGain has launched a new campaign for Realtor members, called Share The Smiles, in which real estate agent and broker members can send HomeGain photos of their satisfied clients for publishing on HomeGain.com. Here’s how it works: Take a photo of your clients in front of their new [...]

  • REALTORS: Be Your Own Advocate

    Marie Scheuring
    18 Nov 2009 | 1:08 pm
    If you don’t know it yet, you soon will understand that real estate is a tough business.  As an independent contractor, no one is watching out for you; except you.  I would like to offer some words of wisdom and advice to the newby Realtors and others that I wish had been given to me [...]

  • HomeGain Gorilla Goes to the 2009 NAR Conference & Expo

    Jessica Gopalakrishnan
    17 Nov 2009 | 2:15 pm
    Although HomeGain was not an exhibitor this year at the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) Annual Conference & Expo in San Diego, California, we sent our best representative, Max The HomeGain Gorilla, to greet hundreds of Realtors as they entered the real estate trade show over the weekend. Did you spot the Max-mobile truck? (See photos [...]

  • Home Improvement Survey Press Call

    Jessica Gopalakrishnan
    13 Nov 2009 | 10:15 am
    This week we met with Realtor® survey respondents, home stagers, staging bloggers and members of the press to discuss the results of the HomeGain 2009 Top 12 Home Improvements Survey on HomeGain Radio. If you didn’t have a chance to attend, listen to it here: Participant Comments Included: Stephanie Decker, Staged Homes Marin: “The timing of the [...]

  • Home Improvement Survey Results - Regional

    Jessica Gopalakrishnan
    11 Nov 2009 | 8:00 am
    HomeGain.com recently conducted its third nationwide home improvement and home staging Home Sale Maximizer™ survey (previously conducted in 2003 and 2007) to reveal the top 12 low cost*, do-it-yourself (DIY) home improvements for people getting their home ready to sell. Nearly 1,000 REALTORS® responded to the survey. (See complete survey results) Referring to the charts below, the [...]
 
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    MyTechOpinion.com

  • Do you really think I’m visiting your Facebook profile to look for homes? Really!?!

    MyTechOpinion
    11 Nov 2009 | 12:24 pm
    Saturday night brings with it one of my most favorite TV segments…“Really!?! with Seth & Amy”. In this SNL skit, Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers share their snarky take on current affairs. So in the spirit of “Really!?”…I’m going to shed some light on “Real Estate Listings Inside Facebook”! Let’s start with obvious failures inside Facebook…at the moment! MyRealEstateListings (there are 2 of them, as well as a few more similarly named cohorts) but they essentially all do the same thing- create a “MyRealEstate” or “MyListings” tab on your profile. You can then…

  • How to Make Use of Twitter Lists

    MyTechOpinion
    2 Nov 2009 | 2:01 pm
    Twitter has been rolling out their new Lists feature to tweeps over the last few weeks. If you’re still waiting, be patient (or whine about it in the public stream like I did). The feature was made available to me last week and unfortunately I was so busy I had to wait until the weekend to play with it. But now that I have, I’m excited to share my experience and suggestions with you. What are Twitter Lists? Twitter Lists are nothing more than groupings of your tweeps based on categories you choose. For example: I have 3 lists thus far, (1) RE Rockstars, (2) Tech Influencers, and (3)…

  • Goodbye Vista!

    MyTechOpinion
    30 Oct 2009 | 9:55 am
    It is complete. I am now 100% Vista-free. Let me tell you, it feels good. Windows 7 seems lighter, faster and cleaner. It has breathed new life into my aging computers. First Impressions Microsoft has done a good job of simply refining Vista. At first, I was disappointed that Windows 7 is so much like Vista. After upgrading 2 computers and working with the operating system, I am glad Microsoft didn’t start from scratch. Compatibility As an early adopter of Vista, I dealt with software and hardware compatibility issues. This was frustrating and costly as many programs and peripherals had to…

  • AgentPress: The Ideal Theme for Real Estate Bloggers

    MyTechOpinion
    26 Oct 2009 | 7:10 am
    If you’ve been reading MTO for awhile you know we’re huge advocates of WordPress as a platform to power your real estate blog.  And we’re not the only ones who think WordPress rocks! Matt Cutts, the head of the Web Spam team at Google, recently declared WordPress as the best blogging platform in terms of search engine optimization. He went on to say that WordPress automatically solves 80-90% of the mechanics behind SEO, making your site easily crawlable by search engines. Now when it comes to selecting a WordPress theme that delivers a clean design, variety of options, highly optimized…

  • Lucky Number 7

    MyTechOpinion
    20 Oct 2009 | 9:17 am
    Two and a half years has gone by very quickly. It seems like just yesterday that I was booting up my Windows Vista computer for the first time with excitement and anticipation. For me, it was like watching that summer blockbuster you’ve eagerly awaited in hopes of it exceeding your expectations. But, like most summer blockbusters, Windows Vista didn’t live up to expectations. It was a bloated and flawed operating system in many ways. Vista does have quite a few redeeming qualities. It was an improvement over Windows XP to the point that I never considered reformatting and going back the…
 
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    Matrix

  • [The Housing Helix Podcast] Robert Knakal, Chairman, Founding Partner, Massey Knakal Realty Services

    Jonathan Miller
    20 Nov 2009 | 12:26 pm
    I sit down with Bob Knakal, the founding partner and Chairman of Massey Knakal Realty Services, who sell more commercial properties in New York City than any other firm. In 2009, Real Estate Forum magazine named Mr. Knakal one of the top 10 investment sales brokers in the United States. He’s also a prolific commentator on the commercial real estate economy. Check out his blog StreetWise which is an initiative of his firm and GlobeSt.com as well as his weekly commentary in the New York Observer’s Commercial Observer. His recent State Shouldn’t Make a Whole New Ball Game of…

  • [Boston Fed] Its Not How Much You Can Consume, Its How Much You Borrow To Consume

    Jonathan Miller
    18 Nov 2009 | 7:06 am
    A quick shout out to Sam Chandan at Real Estate Econometrics for his invite to me to speak to his MBA real estate class at Wharton last Monday. A lot of fun and no tomatoes thrown. Added bonus, they have Au Bon Pain as snack shop. [click to expand] The widely held belief that houses were used as ATM’s during the credit boom is a valid assumption given the massive withdrawal of home equity. Of course that parallels mortgage lending and as a result, housing activity boomed over the same period. With the post-Lehman credit crunch, millions of homeowners can’t refinance their…

  • [Manhattan Absorption] Price Threshold For Balanced Absorption Is Rising

    Jonathan Miller
    17 Nov 2009 | 2:38 pm
    Absorption defined for the purposes of this chart as: Number of months to sell all listing inventory at the annualized pace of sales activity. [click image to expand] It comes as no surprise by now that the lower price strata of the market is doing better than the upper end, primarily because of the divergence between jumbo and conforming mortgage underwriting requirements. Absorption has been better in the sub-million price strata than above $1M over the past year. In other words, the surge in sales over the summer has increased the pace of absorption. The pace of sales increased relative to…

  • [Over Coffee] Quote: Our man Jonathan Miller drops the truth bomb

    Jonathan Miller
    15 Nov 2009 | 7:25 pm
    In reference to my New York Times quote this weekend by Vivian Toy – Bidding Wars Resume: Jonathan J. Miller, the president of the appraisal firm Miller Samuel, estimated that two-thirds of the roughly 4,000 [8,389] apartments for sale in Manhattan are priced too high for the current market. “So,” Mr. Miller said, “you have this weird situation right now where you have above-average inventory, but people are fighting over the ones that are priced correctly.” (I’m not sure where the 4,000 number came from because Manhattan 3Q 09 showed 8,389 but the specific amount is…

  • [The Housing Helix Podcast] Jonathan Butler, Publisher, Brownstoner Media LLC, Brownstoner.com, BrooklynFlea

    Jonathan Miller
    12 Nov 2009 | 9:05 pm
    Jonathan Butler is the publisher of the essential Brownstoner.com which is a blog et al about Brooklyn. He started out as an anonymous blogger looking to write about his Brooklyn brownstone in Clinton Hill – then removed his mask – and his blog morphed into Brownstoner Media LLC. Some of his efforts include Brooklyn Flea, his Brooklyn flea market in both Fort Greene and under the Brooklyn Bridge, a services directory, a renovation guide, renovation blogs, and recently, a URL shortener/twitter aggregator. The interview is done via cell phone in the middle of a construction site,…
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    The Real Estate Bloggers

  • Are FHA Loan Limits Increasing $100,000?

    Tom Royce
    20 Nov 2009 | 3:11 am
    Buried at the bottom of a New York Times article on the trouble FHA housing loans are in is this tidbit, Congressman Barney Frank of Massachusetts wants to raise the lending limits of an FHA loan $100,000. A few weeks ago, Congress extended the higher lending limits for another year. Representative Barney Frank, the Massachusetts Democrat who is chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, said in an interview that he planned to introduce legislation next year raising the maximum F.H.A. loan by $100,000, to $839,750. via the NY Times Now I do not know about you, but this is another…

  • Top 10 Most Affordable Real Estate Markets in 2009

    Tom Royce
    19 Nov 2009 | 10:37 am
    If you are looking to move to someplace affordable, we have the list for you. The criteria that the National Association of Home Builders uses is if the home is affordable for families living at the median income of $64,800. So while these cities are not the top of most folks hit parade, they do provide the ability to live within ones means. Top 10 Most Affordable Real Estate Markets in 2009 1. Kokomo, IN 96.7 2. Springfield, OH 96.1 3. Bay City, MI 96.0 4. Mansfield, OH 95.7 5. Elkhart-Goshen,IN 95.2 6. Indianapolis-Carmel, IN 94.5 7. Canton-Massillon, OH 94.4 8. Youngstown-Warren-Boardman,…

  • 7 Million More Foreclosures To Hit The Market?

    Tom Royce
    19 Nov 2009 | 7:11 am
     How scary is that number, 7 Million. If it was the deficit, it would not even scratch the surface. But it is the number of homes that are essentially in a foreclosure backlog. These 7 million foreclosures represent those that are being negotiated, ones lenders are just plain ignoring, ones that are being worked out, or those that because of different moratoriums are not being acted upon. Now we all know that they will not hit the market at one time, but they are the ticking time-bomb of the housing industry. These homes largely represent loans that are delinquent but have not yet…

  • Lowes See Home Improvement Market Improving In Hard Hit Areas

    Tom Royce
    17 Nov 2009 | 5:14 am
    The housing downturn also took a big chunk out of the profitability of the home improvement stores. Think about it, who wants to invest in a home that is losing value or that you may have to turn over to the bank. When you can not pay the mortgage, preventative maintenance is not a priority. That is why today’s announcement that Lowe’s is seeing a turn around in the hard hit areas of the country shows that people are reinvesting in their home. A small sign maybe, and perhaps an optimistic reading of the tea leaves, but still a hopeful sign. If people are investing in their homes,…

  • Commercial Real Estate Seeing Bottom

    Tom Royce
    16 Nov 2009 | 6:37 am
    After a few years of following real estate, it is interesting to see the difference between the residential real estate market and the commercial markets. For the residential market, real estate is home, a major investment, personal, and passionate. Decisions are not logical and are driven by status and desire. The commercial market is all about the money, with a dash of prestige thrown in to make people stupid at the top end. But these same people know that when the going gets tough, they get out quickly. That is why the commercial market rose quickly, prestige and the chance to make a…
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    360Digest

  • Super-Freaky: Intellectual dishonesty or disingenuous immorality?

    Marlow Harris
    2 Nov 2009 | 1:05 am
    The new Levitt and Dubner Freakonomics book has come out (called, of course, Super Freakonomics) and the buzz has already started. The two authors are making the talk show circuits and they have a scheduled appearance tonight at Town Hall in Seattle. With the first book, they pissed us off with the “How are real estate agents like the Ku Klux Klan”. But now it gets better with “Why pimps have a greater financial impact than real estate agents”. “Just as you can sell your body with or without the aid of a pimp, you can sell your house with or without a Realtor,”…

  • Kendra Todd in the house

    Marlow Harris
    29 Oct 2009 | 3:26 pm
    A couple weeks ago on one of my afternoon walks I happened upon this For Sale sign: Oh! And then I remembered this: Kendra Todd has left Florida and was moving to Seattle and joining Keller Williams. Then yesterday I received this notice of a REO/Shortsale Panel talk featuring, who else but Kendra Todd: I don’t know Kendra, but she sounds like a busy gal. Her website for Keller Williams, the Kendra Todd Group, is under construction, but her other personal websites are up and appear up to date. She doesn’t seem to have any active listings right now, but perhaps she’s just…

  • Social Media rated by income

    Marlow Harris
    15 Oct 2009 | 11:43 pm
    Is there an online class divide? The research, and our own use, suggests that there is. In “Does your social class determine your online social network?”, author Breeanna Hare found that people in more affluent demographics are 25 percent more likely to be found friending on Facebook, while the less affluent are 37 percent more likely to connect on MySpace. Even more affluent are users of Twitter and LinkedIn, as almost 38 percent of LinkedIn users earn more than $100,000 a year. They also found a strong overlap between those who use Facebook and those who use LinkedIn. But we…

  • Century 21, Coldwell Banker and…. Playboy?

    Marlow Harris
    11 Oct 2009 | 6:28 pm
    Rumor has it that Playboy was quietly being shopped around for $300 million and Apollo Capital Partners who owns Realogy, Century 21, Coldwell Banker and Better Homes & Gardens, has been approached to purchase the floundering dirty magazine business. Former CEO Christie Hefner would have received $1.7 million, on top of her $2-million severance payment, if the adult entertainment company had been acquired by another company before March 31, according to a company filing last week. The battered company’s market capitalization is now around $100 million and nobody has been willing to…

  • Bloggers must disclose payments for reviews

    Marlow Harris
    5 Oct 2009 | 8:29 pm
    It’s always been a good idea and the right thing to do, but now the Federal Trade Commission will require bloggers to clearly disclose any freebies or payments they get from companies for reviewing their products. It is the first time since 1980 that the commission has revised its guidelines on endorsements and testimonials, and the first time the rules have covered bloggers, but the commission stopped short of specifying how bloggers must disclose any conflicts of interest. The FTC said its commissioners voted 4-0 to approve the final guidelines, which had been expected. Penalties…
 
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    A Bird's Eye View

  • Twitter and the Real Estate Agent

    Kim Tracy Prince
    20 Nov 2009 | 4:59 pm
    Real estate professionals have so much to gain from using social media tools, and coming late to the Twitter game may mean losing out on opportunities.

  • “In the Nest” Episode 1 – Special Guest: Tara Hunt, Author of The Whuffie Factor

    Derek Overbey
    19 Nov 2009 | 9:08 am
    This is Episode 1 of our new video series called “In the Nest” where we interview various personalities both inside and outside the real estate industry. In our first episode, we were privileged enough to secure an interview with Tara Hunt (AKA @missrogue) the night before her keynote at the REALTORS Conference & Expo in San Diego this last weekend. We had the opportunity to sit down with her and ask her why she was chosen to speak at the conference [...]

  • Where Does That Large Agent Commission Go?

    Kim Moldofsky
    19 Nov 2009 | 7:00 am
    As I’ve mentioned, my house is for sale, listed on the MLS via a boutique agency that provides little more for us than the listing. For the investment of a few hundred dollars, we figured it was an approach worth trying. At some point we may list with a typical (or is it best to now say “full service”) agent. But it’s dizzying to think about the amount of money we will pay in commission. As a buyer, there’s [...]

  • Recap of The 2009 REALTORS® Conference & Expo and REBarCamp San Diego

    Derek Overbey
    17 Nov 2009 | 2:43 pm
    So I’m back from attending RE BarCamp San Diego and the 2009 REALTORS Conference & Expo in sunny San Diego. It was one of the best that I have ever attended from a content standpoint. The sessions were well thought out and the speakers were intelligent, insightful and some were even humorous ( Teresa Boardman AKA @tboard, this is targeted to you). The Expo was a little smaller than in year’s past and there [...]

  • Helpful Agents or Cheesy Marketing Tactics?

    Kim Moldofsky
    11 Nov 2009 | 3:56 pm
    Last week Kim Tracy Prince and I touched on the complexities of a buyer or seller’s relationship with their real estate agent. I talked about two agent archetypes, the shark and the therapist. Now I’m adding one more: the passive or aggressive agent. Or maybe the frenemy, someone who claims to support you as they exploit your doubts and insecurities. You see, my home is currently listed by owner, though it’s on the MLS thanks to one [...]
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    AgentGenius - Real Estate News & Opinion Magazine

  • My Epiphany is That Flat Rate is the Only Way to Fly

    Jonathan Dalton
    21 Nov 2009 | 8:00 am
    An Epiphany It hit me like a thunderbolt today while I was at lunch. An epiphany about the silliness of paying a professed professional a percentage of the sales price when there were other far more logical alternatives – flat rates, for instance. Or even better, since the professional represents the seller on my purchase and they are being paid by that seller, the possibility of asking the professional for a rebate of what they earn to help offset the costs that I incurred. Why hadn’t I thought of this before? Usually I simply added the tip to my restaurant bill without giving it…

  • SEO Tip – Don’t Forget to Optimize Your Interior Pages

    Jack Leblond
    21 Nov 2009 | 5:00 am
    You need more than just curb appeal to make Google happy Welcome back, time for another SEO Tip. Is your Web site like a Hollywood back-lot?  All snazzy looking up front, but nothing on the inside?  More importantly, does Google think that’s what it is?  I’ve hinted at this a couple times before, but it is very important that you don’t ignore the interior of your sites. It’s nice to have a pretty front page that displays some good content, and maybe shows your blog posts when you add them.  But what happens to those posts when they roll off the front?  Are they…

  • 8 Reasons Dogs Shouldn’t Sell Real Estate

    Gwen Banta
    20 Nov 2009 | 5:00 am
    I love my dog – I truly do. Sophie has been my dedicated companion for almost fifteen years. To me, everything she does is cute. I even excused the hole in my Persian rug as an accident (aw, com’on – there was a stuffed toy involved.) Nonetheless, when she brought in a mangled foreign object with a tail and laid it at my feet today, I was completely underwhelmed by her cuteness. Eventually I revived myself and decided, out of necessity, that Happy Hour would begin early in the Banta household.  It turns out that the rat-looking object was a stuffed something she had buried in the…

  • Conferences Should be about Education, not Profit

    Brandie Young
    18 Nov 2009 | 9:05 pm
    Associations, I’m talking to you… I hope all event planners for industry conferences read this, as IMHO it’s time for some real change around association events.  Specifically, the focus should be solely as an educational opportunity to enrich members, as opposed to a profit center. This week I was fortunate to be among a small group (~300) invited to the Distressed Servicing 2009 Conference was developed and presented by EuroCatalyst and Housing Wire.  The event‘s theme was to challenge best practices in debt servicing and the U.S. Impact on Global Mortgage Markets. Their tag…

  • Showcase Your Networking Presence With an Online Business Card

    Lani Rosales
    18 Nov 2009 | 8:06 pm
    Stand out in the crowd In a world of high volume, high velocity social networking, it’s no longer good enough to just be present, you have to find ways to stand out so you don’t look like every other real estate agent who is following people on Twitter, Facebook, etc. So we found a quick way that you can aggregate all of your social networks that doesn’t take technical knowledge! Getting set up There are many options for creating an online business card that shows all of your social networking and blogging profiles, but our two favorite are card.ly and magntize because they…
 
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    Cremunity.TV RSS Feed

  • Lighthouse Electrical Installs Nantucket Wind Turbine at Bartlett Farm

    21 Nov 2009 | 10:47 am
    The Bartlett's Farm windmill enters the second phase of construction and we check in with the contractors from Lighthouse Electric to learn more about the project.

  • Mayor David N. Cicilline - Providence, RI

    21 Nov 2009 | 10:47 am
    Providence is New England's second largest and fastest growing city and it's winning international headlines and national awards as one of America's most lovable cities. Right now there is more economic development happening in Providence than at any other time in recent history. This comes as a result of the new way of doing business in our city with an open, honest, efficient, and transparent city government. We have been attracting investors from across the country and globe because of the many opportunities Providence presents in its unmatched qualities.

  • Take the FIRST STEP to Reducing Your Building's Energy Use

    21 Nov 2009 | 10:47 am
    As a division of Quality Conservation Services, the GreenSmart Energy Reduction Program is the first important step in putting your building on an energy diet and realizing cost savings. This program will reduce your building's energy use with low-cost, high-impact weatherization measures. Our passive measures reduce your energy usage fast and improve your bottom line cost-effectively.

  • John Picard - NYREJ New York City

    21 Nov 2009 | 10:47 am

  • Maria Hopkins - President of Maria Hopkins Associates

    21 Nov 2009 | 10:47 am
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    About.com Real Estate Business

  • C'mon Trulia, Zillow, NAR and Now Google - Make My Day!

    21 Nov 2009 | 12:50 am
    It's all about national search engines for real estate, and Google is easing its way into the fray. NAR has just announced their new Realtors Property Resource national database. Google is releasing "place pages" for every property in its maps database, and growing Google's presence in all areas of real estate marketing. There is a lot of worry out there about the dilution of the Realtor's control of information. Actually, destruction is a better word than dilution. As I like to work with buyers more than deal with holding the hands of over-priced listing clients, I find that I'm not at all…

  • PPC & Organic Search Play Well Together

    19 Nov 2009 | 1:09 am
    Thanks for a tweet by Tim O'Keefe about a study at New York University of the interdependence of paid click advertising and organic search results. It looks like they're using some very sophisticated models to look at one retail advertiser's results when they have both paid and free organic listings for certain keywords and phrases on the first page in a Google search. They found that the presence of both paid and organic listings improved overall performance of the ads, including CTR (click through ratio) and other ad success measurements. I think I understood correctly that the free organic…

  • Where's That Credit Card I Hid?

    13 Nov 2009 | 8:45 am
    Well, it's going to be a great Christmas, because I can go into a bit more debt. At least that's what Lawrence Yun at NAR says. My income, and yours by the way, is going up 20% next year! I really need to find that credit card I hid from myself. Of course, my income's been down about 60%, but up is good right? I'm already feeling richer. It might have been better if I hadn't read that article till I got back from my wife's school conference this weekend at a Casino hotel. Then again, it sounds like my luck is changing, so look out blackjack tables! Where's That Credit Card I Hid? originally…

  • Missing the Point of Social Media

    12 Nov 2009 | 2:26 am
    Social media is a sinkhole that absorbs time, effort and money that could better be spent on finding listings and selling houses. Powerful words from Mike Parker, and you should read the article. But, as someone who spends less than an hour a week on all my Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn accounts combined, I can't agree with all of his statements. I also don't spend any money on social sites, though I tried a paid upgrade to LinkedIn that I'm not going to renew. First, I've helped a lot of people to buy and sell homes and land in my market. Note that I didn't say I sold them anything, and…

  • Tax Credit Close to Extension

    5 Nov 2009 | 6:18 am
    Realtor.org's article released today, says the home buyer tax credit is close to final approval and signing. The Senate has passed the new version, and the House and President are expected to approve it as well. Here are the high points: Extended to May 1, 2010 $8000 for first time buyers $6500 to repeat buyers with limitations on time of residence Home price capped at $800,000 Income limits now $125k individuals and $225k joint filers Reduced credits for $145k individuals and $245k income joint filers Contracts in place by April 30 will get 60 days to close May the next flurry of activity…
 
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    The Phoenix Real Estate Guy

  • Negative Equity: The Elephant Under The Rug

    Justin McHood
    18 Nov 2009 | 5:05 am
    I have been seeing on the news quite a bit lately how the economic recovery is underway (I read something about Green Shoots months ago now, so logic dictates we are on our way to recovery, right?) but I am still being asked the question of “So what exactly is keeping me current on my mortgage?” more than just a few times a week from people living in many different states, not just here in Arizona. http://www.flickr.com/photos/dr_j0nes/354386695/ Consider a local business leader here in Arizona who posed this question earlier this week as he thought about this problem. Derek is a…

  • With Memories of a Friend in their Heart, the Highland High School Marching Band Wins a State Championship

    Jay Thompson
    15 Nov 2009 | 4:43 am
    Here I am, sitting in a San Diego hotel room at 4:00 in the m0rning, weeping like a baby… Just a few hours ago, the Highland High School Marching Band won first place in the Arizona State Marching Band Championship! My daughter Lauren is a member of that band. I just don’t have the vocabulary or the writing skills to  express how proud of her I am, and how sad I am that I wasn’t there to witness it. She and her band mates worked so hard for this championship. Two hours from now, give or take a few minutes, will mark the one year anniversary of the tragic and senseless death of my…

  • Real Estate Bar Camp San Diego: Video Montage

    Jay Thompson
    14 Nov 2009 | 2:26 am
    Real estate bar camps are an held in an “unconference” format where some of the best and brightest come to share, laugh and learn. On November 12, prior to the National Association of Realtors annual Conference and Expo in San Diego, approximately 400 real estate professionals from across the country gathered for just such an event…   Many more photos available on Flickr. Please consider donating to Mothers Fighting for Others.  

  • Veterans Day 2009

    Jay Thompson
    10 Nov 2009 | 11:10 pm
    For my Dad, Chaplain (COL) Jim Thompson, USA,  Ret. and all who have ever served. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. It is easy to take liberty for granted, when you have never had it taken from you.  – Author unknown In war, there are no unwounded soldiers.  – José Narosky I think there is one higher office than president and I would call that patriot.  – Gary Hart Courage is almost a contradiction in terms.  It means a strong desire to live taking the form of readiness to die.  – G.K. Chesterton America’s veterans have served their country…

  • How Much Do Real Estate Agents Make?

    Jay Thompson
    10 Nov 2009 | 9:10 am
    Spend much time on real estate blogs, internet message boards and the like and it won’t take long to hear Realtor Bashers making wild claims about over-paid real estate agents. And while it’s true that one can make very good money in real estate sales, the simple fact is the vast majority of real estate agents actually earn very little. Here is some data that was shared by the Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service (ARMLS) in a “Broker’s Breakfast” this morning. Apply a little simple math, and it highlights what real estate agents typically earn, at least here in central Arizona…
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    BloodhoundBlog

  • “Google Places” is a “National Real Estate Search Engine”? Not so much.

    John Rowles
    20 Nov 2009 | 3:27 pm
    …at least not yet. On Sept 24th when the Google Blog announcement of Google Places was posted, there was no mention of Place Pages for Real Estate: “A Place Page is a webpage for every place in the world, organizing all the relevant information about it. By every place, we really mean *every* place — there are Place Pages for businesses, points of interest, transit stations, neighborhoods, landmarks and cities all over the world.” Notice they didn’t say “addresses” or “real estate listings”, but today over on SearchEngineLand,  there is a…

  • About the TechnoGeek Cell Phone Debate

    Jeff Brown
    20 Nov 2009 | 9:23 am
    I love it when I’m able to read or witness geeks debating the finer points of TechnoGibberish. Seems most have never learned they’re in the <1% category about which most technology consumers couldn’t give less of a @#%&. Though I harbor genuine and deep respect for those of you who’re able to help us TechTards, there are so few of them who actually DO help. It’s funny to watch, over time, as the vast majority of their ‘can’t miss’ predictions die ugly, without even an audible whimper from TechTards. I bring this up in order to send you…

  • Another 25%? Ouch, that’s going to leave a mark…..

    Tom Vanderwell
    19 Nov 2009 | 3:41 pm
    Okay, a couple of things that this chart assumes: That from 1975 to 1999 was “normal” enough to indicate a statistical trend.   I think the case could be made that it was. That we’re going to eventually get back to that trend line.    I think a case could be made that we will. If both of those assumptions are indeed correct, then we’re heading into a scenario where we have quite an adjustment to go through in terms of a drop in peak housing values until we are back into range with that statistical trend. What do you think?   Tell me…

  • Motorola Droid: First Impressions

    Damon Chetson
    19 Nov 2009 | 5:40 am
    As I mentioned here earlier this week, I’ve been thinking about switching to a different network.  Love the iPhone, but am completely unimpressed with AT&T’s network.  So I went into a Verizon store to look at the Droid over the weekend, and then bought one after work at BestBuy on Monday.  I did the transaction at BestBuy because you get the rebate immediately, instead of having to cut off the label from the box and send it in to Verizon if you were to buy the phone at the Verizon store.  The phone itself is quite nice.  If I hadn’t been spoiled…

  • Taking the Genius of Brian Brady to the Next Level: How to Pipe Linked In Network Updates Into Your Feed Reader

    Mark Green
    17 Nov 2009 | 1:53 pm
    In the spirit of my #1 Bloodhound Blog Unchained takeaway, here’s a 70% ready-to-roll video.  Brian Brady was kind enough to teach me his brilliant way of leveraging Linked In to establish new relationships.  I haven’t been executing the Brady Principles consistently enough.  Check out a little something-something I stumbled upon (no pun intended) today: Here are some related links if you’d like to learn more about Brian Brady’s Linked In techniques or Google Reader: Brian Brady Training on Linked In (awesome webinar we recorded in March) Google Reader vs. Twitter…
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    Blown Mortgage

  • Details on the Home Buyer Tax Credit Extension

    Blaughridge
    19 Nov 2009 | 2:39 pm
    Home sales got a needed boost because of the Obama administration’s $8,000 tax credit for first-time buyers. With the national economy and housing market still fragile, the government recently decided to extend the tax credit through June 2010. The government also rolled out a new tax credit aimed at existing homeowners. Currently in effect, the $6,500 “move-up” tax credit would apply for eligible homeowners who purchase a new permanent residence in the coming months. Housing experts hope the two tax credits can help the struggling housing market rebound in 2010. “The new version…

  • Is Strategic Foreclosing The Best Loan Modification For You

    Andrew
    19 Nov 2009 | 2:08 pm
    Last week I received a very interesting comment on one of my articles on loan modifications. The comment claimed that for most underwater borrowers (homeowners that owe more on their property than it is worth) a “strategic default” is smartest way to go. I had some months ago written an article claiming along similar lines that in many cases foreclosure is the only logical conclusion when homeowners had overspent on their homes and could no longer afford the overpriced luxury homes they had unwisely bought at the crest of the housing boom. Readers response ranged from claims that greedy…

  • Loan Modifications: 3 Reasons They Are So Slow

    Andrew
    17 Nov 2009 | 4:51 pm
    The Mortgage Crisis or Credit Crisis as many are more accurately describing it has left millions of Americans (and Earthlings worldwide for that matter) in or at the brink of foreclosure. Banks and Government have launched an ongoing set of increasingly aggressive programs to solve this terrible problem. Not all the help is coming from the Government either. One association of banks which call themselves the Hope Now Alliance assures they have helped keep over 2 million troubled borrowers in their homes by changing the terms of their loans. Similarly the Government is proud to say they have…

  • Loan Modifications: The Loan Workout Formula To Accelerate Your Modification

    Andrew
    15 Nov 2009 | 4:47 pm
    The News is littered with horror stories of homeowners that have been taken for a red tape ride, paperwork is lost, or applications are dropped because a vital piece of paperwork that was never actually requested is missing, all while homes are ultimately and tragically lost. What can be done to accelerate this process and avoid being a main character in one of these horror stories. The truth is that there are no magic solutions, in some cases loan modifications are simply not an option. That said, lenders have come up with a kind of formula to speed up loan workouts. If you fit these…

  • Loan Modification Companies, Why Doesn’t Government Want You To Use Them

    Andrew
    14 Nov 2009 | 2:39 pm
    One of my latest articles suggested that the best advice you can get on loan modifications is free and supplied by  the Government and that the Government has a vested interest in loan modifications to work, that is to stop families from losing their homes. This elicited an anonymous comment that I feel can be helpful as I believe it touches on many of the issues people are thinking about. The comment is copied in full even though some of the sentiments expressed may have hurt my fragile ego. The readers’ comments are in italics. “The best advice comes from the government and…
 
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    Rofo Blog

  • Start up Spaces and Dealing with your Server Infrastructure

    garrett
    17 Nov 2009 | 10:46 am
    As a young company, you really have a handful of choices for types of spaces to lease and where to host your server infrastructure. Below are some options and things to consider: Executive Suites: These are usually best for start up companies that are looking for part time Team Rooms (large rooms that can fit 4-5 people) or conference room spaces to work together a few times a week. The facilities offer you an address for mail delivery, staff for answering your phone and other admin functions, faxes, copiers, and every other office convenience you can think of. They typically do not offer…

  • Feature of the Week: Map View and Radius Search

    jmiller
    16 Nov 2009 | 12:58 pm
    Map view and radius search are two great search features on Rofo. Occasionally, listing view doesn’t provide quite enough information, especially if you are not familiar with a location. This is where the map view search function can help. It allows you to target your search geographically and see a more dynamic representation of office space search results. If you want a more focused commercial listing search, use the Rofo Radius Search tool. This allows you to display only the listings within a certain distance from an address. Want your office to be near a certain highway, public…

  • Pricing your Commercial Real Estate Space

    garrett
    13 Nov 2009 | 4:21 pm
    What’s the market doing? Where do you think we should price this availability? These are examples of questions the Customer Service team at Rofo hear every day. We thought it might be helpful to put our tips down on paper to help provide a process for pricing your vacant space. Below are some steps and questions to ask yourself: Step 1: Get some rough comparables: Start by searching Rofo, brokerage websites, Craigslist and any site you run into on the web for rent pricing in your city and better yet your neighborhood. Check out For Lease signs in windows near your office, warehouse, or…

  • Types of Commercial Real Estate Leases

    jmiller
    13 Nov 2009 | 3:38 pm
    Type of Lease What Rent Includes Type of Space Industrial Gross (IG) Monthly Base Rent + Tenants Share of Utilites, Janitorial Services Typically warehouse space, industrial, R&D and lower end office space Triple Net Lease (NNN) Monthly Base Rent + Tenants Share of Taxes, Insurance, Janitorial, Common Area Maintenance and Utilities Any commercial lease; tenants should negotiate for favorable NNN terms Fully Serviced Lease (FS) Monthy Base Rent Only Typcially higher end multi-tenant office space. Also common for subleases and shared spaces. Percentage Lease Monthly Base Rent + Percent of…

  • Rofo Success Story: Todd Gaches, San Jose Office Space Provider

    jmiller
    11 Nov 2009 | 3:39 pm
    Local San Jose space provider and building manager Todd Gaches shares his great experience using Rofo. Thanks for being a great Rofo user Todd! Todd used Rofo.com to list commercial space at 2150 Tradezone Blvd., a building he manages in San Jose, California. After two months on Rofo, even in a tough market, he found two new tenants to occupy space in his building. Todd did pretty much everything he could to get his spaces viewed and tenants to tour. He definitely utilized most of the suggestions in the previous blog entry of 10 Tips on Leasing Space. Some of the things Todd did: Priced his…
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    The Mortgage Reports

  • Finding The Best Jumbo And Super Jumbo Mortgage Rates Takes Effort

    Dan Green
    20 Nov 2009 | 5:58 am
    To be classified as "high-cost", an area's median home price must exceed $365,000. 324 areas qualify nationwide and, in each of those regions, the conforming loan limit has been modified to 115% of the median home price. Neither Chicago nor Cincinnati made the list, though. As a result, homeowners are relegated to the $417,000 limits.

  • A Mortgage Rate Prediction For The Next 30 Days (November 19, 2009)

    Dan Green
    19 Nov 2009 | 5:52 am
    Consumer spending drives the economy. Without spending, there's no growth and, as a result, tepid retail sales reports force Wall Street to rethink its bets on U.S. economic recovery. It's a primary reason why rates return to 5 percent again and again. The economy is back from the brink -- banks are healthier, investment is returning, household net worth is up -- but consumers continue to stand en garde. Confidence is down. A recovery is not a recovery until consumers buy-in. Literally. And, right now, that's not happening.

  • 2010 Conforming Loan Limits : Same As 2009, 2008, 2007 and 2006

    Dan Green
    17 Nov 2009 | 3:30 am
    Conforming mortgages are appropriately named; they "conform" to the mortgage underwriting guidelines of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. Mortgages meeting these criteria are securitized on Wall Street as mortgage-backed bonds. As mortgage performance has weakened, however, lending standards have tightened. Today's would-be borrowers are asked to document more income, deeper reserves, and higher credit scores. One underwriting area that hasn't tightened, however, is the maximum allowable loan size. In 2010 -- for the 5th consecutive year -- the single-family conforming mortgage loan limit will be…

  • Trends In Mortgage Rates : What The Fall Season Brings To Rate Shoppers

    Dan Green
    16 Nov 2009 | 7:44 am
    Like in 2006, 2007 and 2008, Autumn 2009 is marked by falling leaves and falling mortgage rates. The trend looks more like a pattern. Based on Freddie Mac data of the last 4 years, 30-year fixed mortgage rates rise from January through August, and fall through fall. There's 6 weeks left until January. The clock may be ticking for today's home buyers and rate shoppers.

  • Of The Top 10 Foreclosure Markets Nationwide, Only 1 Is Getting Worse

    Dan Green
    13 Nov 2009 | 4:19 am
    Overall, this month's foreclosure report is another positive signal in the housing market. Recovery is underway. For homebuyers looking at foreclosed homes, though, the window for "a deal" may be closing. Since foreclosures became "big business" toward the end of 2008, real estate firms found ways to make buying a foreclosed home faster and cheaper. It's no surprise that distressed properties now account for nearly 1/3 of home resales.
 
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    Future of Real Estate Marketing

  • Google Muscles into Real Estate Listings

    Joel Burslem
    20 Nov 2009 | 11:59 am
    I was getting on a plane this morning so I was only able to tweet this news. Brian Boero at 1000Watt Consulting sums it up best. Now, today, search engine land reports that Google has taken this one step further to include a unique page for every listing that includes photos, a map (including Street View) property details, directions, transit information and more. It’s a listing detail page, basically. I wrote back in July that “the game’s about to get interesting” (see Google Gets Serious about Real Estate Search). Today, with the launch of Place Pages for real estate, it…

  • Data Sharing and The Rise of the Market Blog

    Joel Burslem
    18 Nov 2009 | 10:13 am
    Altos Research has released four new WordPress Plugins that make it dead simple to go deep in to the numbers and create data rich local market blogs. Altos is among many real estate data providers out there, but is unique in that many of its core products cater to individual Realtors rather than large institutional or corporate clients. These new plugins allow subscribers to easily embed Altos charts on new posts or pages on their blogs through a very easy interface. The upshot to all this? It makes it dead simple to create new web properties dedicated to answering real estate…

  • FOREM Flash – Redfin gets $10 Million in new funding

    Joel Burslem
    12 Nov 2009 | 11:01 am
    From the Redfin Corporate Blog: Big news! Redfin just announced a $10-million round of financing led by Greylock Partners’ James Slavet and his colleague David Thacker. Redfin’s group of existing investors — Madrona Venture Group, Vulcan Capital, DFJ, The Hillman Company — also pitched in on the round. This new round of financing brings the total investment in the Seattle-based brokerage to just north of $30 Million. Greylock joins Madrona Venture Group, Draper Fisher Jurvertson, Vulcan Capital and the Hillman Company as investors in the firm. Some key metrics released by Redfin in…

  • NeighborCity Serves Up Recommended Agents

    Joel Burslem
    12 Nov 2009 | 9:01 am
    NeighborCity is an real estate search site that operates in 20 markets across the country. Like Estately and a handful of others, NeighborCity is also a brokerage and as a result, gets access to the MLS and is able to display all the active listings in those markets. But NeighborCity is taking it one step further. It’s also displaying all the active agents in those markets and suggesting them alongside any searches done on the site. Right now it has profiles built for over 45,000 agents. The premise is pretty simple, really; say I’m searching for a $400K single family home in the…

  • Real Estate Video Use Rises in 2009

    Joel Burslem
    11 Nov 2009 | 9:22 am
    Online real estate video host Wellcomehost released its first annual report on the use of video in real estate marketing. Significantly, the company found that the use of video is up 95% in the first half of 2009 versus the first half of 2008. Breakouts like Realtor Ian Watt (see Video Isn’t Just About Your Listings) set the bar for the creative use of video and also seemed to have kick-started a whole generation of car-mounted video blog posts. But it’s not only the little guys getting in on the fun; big brands like Corcoran Group are embracing video too. Click here to view the…
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    Tracy's LA Real Estate

  • Shadow Inventory—The Current Real Estate Myth

    Tracy
    17 Nov 2009 | 6:45 pm
    Some buyers have been waiting for the “shadow inventory,” the foreclosed homes the banks are reputedly holding back from the market. They hope and pray that this flood will be unleashed, prices will drop even further, and they will at last find their dream home at, say, year 2000 prices. More buyers have been actively competing in the market, but also praying for the shadow inventory floodgates to burst so they can finally get into a home. Unfortunately, they are all waiting for something that isn’t there. Well, that’s not just my opinion, folks, even the CEO of Foreclosure Radar,…

  • Arts Tour in Northeast Los Angeles

    Tracy
    15 Nov 2009 | 7:24 pm
    The 17th annual Arroyo Arts Collective Recovery Discovery Tour takes place this coming Sunday, November 22, Peter Hess - Intersection 2009. This is a unique event—a self-driving tour that takes place all over northeast Los Angeles and features the work of over 100 artists. To find out more or to buy tickets online, go to www.ArroyoArtsCollective.org or buy tickets in person for $10 each at Galco’s Old World Grocery, 5702 York Boulevard, Highland Park. Tickets at the door are $15, still quite a deal. This year, they are giving $10 “Arroyo Bucks” coupons with each ticket when you…

  • The Metro Gold Line Expands to the East!

    Tracy
    12 Nov 2009 | 8:58 am
    The Gold Line Eastside Extension opens this Sunday, November 15. For all the official details, check out: http://www.metro.net/projects_studies/eastside/default.htm. One nice feature is that you can ride the entire Gold Line from Sierra Madre Villa to East Los Angeles without having to change trains, even at Union Station. The LA Times had an informative article detailing eateries along the 8 stops which go from Little Tokyo to East LA—from sushi to tortas, as they say. Here’s the link to the full story: http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-goldline11b-2009nov11,0,4084038.story. Did…

  • Federal Tax Credit for Home Buyers Expanded and Approved for Eagle Rock Home Buyers!

    Tracy
    8 Nov 2009 | 8:15 am
    Federal Tax Credit Extended and Expanded! The best way to find out all the details is to go to this website: www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com. It’s a simple, clear, comprehensive website from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) that answers most questions you might have about the new law. Highlights include: • You must enter escrow by April 30, 2010, and close by June 30, 2010. • The income limits have been expanded to $125,000 Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) for singles, $225,000 MAGI for married couples filing jointly. • Some move-up buyers now qualify for up to a…

  • Neighborhood Green Fair, Pasadena

    Tracy
    30 Oct 2009 | 9:45 pm
    It’s Halloween! Check out all the details for a completely different Halloween experience at http://greenfair.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/neighbohood-green-fair-flier-october-2009.pdf
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    Real Central VA

  • Hotels in Charlottesville – Courtesy of Hotelicopter

    Jim Duncan
    18 Nov 2009 | 11:19 am
    Now this is an interesting little widget from the folks at hotelicopter. Frequently buyers come to Charlottesville on house-hunting trips and need a place to stay. I’d like to pick the specific ones I recommend and display that widget. What say you hotelicopter? I’m still working on I’ll use this, but I have a few ideas … To view these hotels from hotelicopter, you must enable JavaScript in your browser. Create a hotel list of your own! Powered by hotelicopter Search the Charlottesville MLS Copyright RealCentralVA.com, LLC. If you are not reading this at…

  • NGIC and DIA – Who’s Moving Here?

    Jim Duncan
    18 Nov 2009 | 10:50 am
    Courtesy of the Free Enterprise Forum: Last Wednesday (11/4), the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors received a briefing titled “Survey of DIA Personnel Moving to Rivanna Station”. The survey, conducted by the Center For Regional Economic Competitiveness, a non-profit research organization affiliated with George Mason University, provides interesting analysis of the jobs (and some of the individuals) who will be relocating to the expanded Rivanna Station in Albemarle County. The Free Enterprise Forum has posted the full report (pdf) on our website. The first question most folks were…

  • Friday is Walk to School Day in Crozet

    Jim Duncan
    18 Nov 2009 | 10:49 am
    Wake up a little bit earlier, grab your kids, stop by a coffee shop, and enjoy the morning on Friday! Search the Charlottesville MLS Copyright RealCentralVA.com, LLC. If you are not reading this at RealCentralVA.com the site you see is likely stealing content. Friday is Walk to School Day in Crozet

  • Nest Realty Group Pulls in Another Award

    Jim Duncan
    18 Nov 2009 | 8:52 am
    And we’re even getting a netbook to prove it. Nest Realty was awarded with an HP Realtor Technology Award last week at the National Association of Realtors conference in San Diego. HP honored 5 brokerages across the country that used technology in and out of the office to gain a competitive advantage. Other winners included brokers from California, Ohio, Idaho, and Minnesota. Search the Charlottesville MLS Copyright RealCentralVA.com, LLC. If you are not reading this at RealCentralVA.com the site you see is likely stealing content. Nest Realty Group Pulls in Another Award

  • Toy Lift in Charlottesville 2009

    Jim Duncan
    17 Nov 2009 | 7:02 pm
    Once again, it’s time for the Charlottesville Toy Lift. And once again (thanks to my wife being on the Board for the Toy Lift) it’s time to volunteer. Click through to fill out a volunteer form. What is the Toy Lift? The Kids Lift Foundation believes every child is entitled to a happy and enriched childhood. Our mission is to support local families through volunteerism, community cooperation, morale building, and educational tools. We seek to provide that support through Toy Lift, Books Lift Kids, and Kids and Cops Holiday Shop. The purposes and objectives of the Foundation are…
 
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    Bucking The Real Estate Trend-Waynesville and Maggie Valley Real Estate

  • I Saw Santa, Reindeer, Christmas Trees Last Night at Boyd Mountain Christmas Tree Farm in Waynesville.

    Susie Blackmon
    21 Nov 2009 | 2:36 am
    Boyd Mountain Christmas Tree Farm is where many people in Western North Carolina go to get their Christmas trees every year. Yesterday was ‘opening day’ for Boyd’s Christmas trees and wreaths season. Click here for their hours and dates of operation, directions and information. Posted via email from Susie Blackmon’s Posterous Related articles: Are the Christmas Trees Big at Boyd Mountain Log Cabins and Tree Farm? (buckingtherealestatetrend.com) Lovely Labor Day Butterflies, Photographed at Boyd Mountain Log Cabins. (buckingtherealestatetrend.com) More Boyd Mountain Log…

  • National Real Estate Search Engine Built by Google.

    Susie Blackmon
    21 Nov 2009 | 12:31 am
    Google has made searching for real estate even more interesting “by rolling out individual “place pages” for every property that’s listed in Google Maps.” There doesn’t appear to be any doubt that Google is building a national MLS-like database of property listings. Has the National Association of Realtors’ Realtor Property Resource (RPR) been trumped? Click searchengineland.com to read the rest. via searchengineland.com Posted via web from Susie Blackmon’s Posterous

  • Rainy, with a touch of Christmas at Lake Junaluska yesterday.

    Susie Blackmon
    19 Nov 2009 | 9:28 am
    The beautiful roses are gone (for now) at Lake Junaluska, but the Christmas decorations are adding color and a festive atmosphere in their place. Here is a link to Christmas Events at Lake Junaluska. © Susie Blackmon Posted via email from Susie Blackmon’s Posterous Related articles: Let’s Go For A Drive Along Lake Junaluska In Haywood County, North Carolina. (buckingtherealestatetrend.com)

  • Beautiful Blaze-Faced, Haired-Up Horse Living in Maggie Valley.

    Susie Blackmon
    19 Nov 2009 | 6:56 am
    This gorgeous horse was so friendly and happy to have visitors yesterday that I wanted to take him home. Springing for a few lottery tickets today. © Susie Blackmon Posted via email from Susie Blackmon’s Posterous

  • Mrs. Miller’s Apple Cake ~ The Original Apple Cake Baked and Sold in Maggie Valley for Over 16 Years.

    Susie Blackmon
    19 Nov 2009 | 2:20 am
    Yesterday afternoon I received an Apple Cake ~ but not just any Apple Cake…. it was a ‘Mrs. Miller’s Apple Cake‘ ~ “The ORIGINAL Apple Cake baked and sold in Maggie Valley, NC for over 16 years.” The amazing Apple Cake was a wonderful gift from Susan Miller, one of Mrs. Miller’s daughters. Susan, by the way, is a certified chef and American Culinary Federation Member (since 2000), and has obtained the ServSafe Certification. Mrs. Miller’s Apple Cake should be in the Harry & David catalog, not to mention Neiman-Marcus. It is THAT GOOD.
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    The Wealth Building Guy

  • Kitchener Waterloo Real Estate Market Update: October 2009

    Benjamin Bach
    13 Nov 2009 | 7:28 pm
    Busy busy month! The summer and fall of 2009 has been very busy in Kitchener Waterloo, Ontario.  Real Estate sales are almost at the same level as last year, and volume is up dramatically from the same time last year.  Here is what the press release from the Kitchener Waterloo Real Estate Board says: A new record for residential sales was set in October as MLS® homes sales to the end of October reached 579 units. That’s a 40.5 percent increase from October 2008 and the second consecutive month that sales set a monthly record. “October was an especially busy month for local…

  • Finding Money for your First Real Estate Investment

    Benjamin Bach
    6 Nov 2009 | 3:22 am
    I made this video after speaking to a number of people who wanted to become real estate investors, but were unsure of where they’d get the initial capital for their first investment property.  Here I discuss where some of our clients got money from when they were buying their first properties in the Kitchener Waterloo area.  Some of our clients access ‘dead money’ – the nonperforming equity that’s sitting in most people’s homes; some of our clients use cash from savings; and other clients are (more and more these days) taking money out of the volatile stock market in…

  • Understanding Investment (and Commercial) Real Estate Terms

    Benjamin Bach
    4 Nov 2009 | 12:18 pm
    Ever heard real estate investors talking about NOI, the gross, Cash on Cash return or comparing caps, and not known what they were talking about? In this video, I explain some of the terms investors use when looking at investment opportunities.  Even if you’re shopping outside of Kitchener Waterloo, understanding these terms will help you be a more educated investor.   Click the video above to learn about Net Operating Income, Gross Rental Income, Operating Expenses, Cap (short for Capitalization) Rates and more What terms would you like explained? Let me know in the comments, by…

  • Investing in New Construction Real Estate in Waterloo Region

    Benjamin Bach
    20 Oct 2009 | 7:10 am
    Over at our real estate investment site, we’ve posted a video q & a about investing in new construction condominiums and condo townhouses.  The questions I’ve been asked by Investors about these are pretty similar in most cases, so I thought I’d let you in on the chat.  Click play: What questions do you have about new construction, or about investing in real estate in general?  Leave them in the comments, let me know on twitter @benjaminbach, add me on facebook and send me a msg, or email me at Benjamin@BenjaminBach.com (you can also call me directly at 519 772 4376).

  • Kitchener Waterloo Real Estate Market Update – October 2009

    Benjamin Bach
    20 Oct 2009 | 6:51 am
    September 2009 was a very busy month for real estate in Kitchener Waterloo, Ontario, with an increase in both the number of sales and the dollar value of those sales.  Real Estate Investors and first time homebuyers are taking advantage of historically low mortgage interest rates. Click play to watch this month’s instalment of the Kitchener Waterloo Real Estate market update For information on what’s happening across the broader Canadian Market, we turn to the Keller Williams Real Estate Market Update for Canada: For more info on how you can profit from what’s going on in today’s…
 
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    L.A. Land

  • L.A. Land is moving to Money & Company

    LATimes
    16 Nov 2009 | 1:19 pm
    LA Land has moved to a bigger, brighter, newer home. You can now find it in our Money & Company blog. You will still be able to find all the real estate news, foreclosures, and Hot Property pieces, but now in our uber-business blog.  Before you click the link, make sure to bookmark the new url: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/money_co/real_estate/File photo by Boris Yaro / Los Angeles Times

  • Tree of the Week: The picturesque Aleppo pine

    Nancy Rivera
    14 Nov 2009 | 6:06 am
    Aleppo pine -- Pinus halepensis Tough and rugged as a movie outlaw, the Aleppo pine's asymmetrical shape, leaning habit, sparse foliage, haphazard branching pattern, and grayish branches and needles contribute to a picturesque image. But it isn't a pretty pine tree. Native to coastal areas around the Mediterranean basin, the tree historically was more abundant on the west side (Spain, Morocco, Algeria) than around the Middle East, even though its name derives from the Syrian city of Aleppo. It thrives on thin soil and steep slopes, and prefers deserts and seacoasts, where it develops…

  • Report: Entry-level home buyers make up biggest share of market ever

    Alex Lazo
    13 Nov 2009 | 5:27 pm
    First-time buyers made up a bigger share of the housing market in 2009 than any other year on record, according to a study released this afternoon. The number of first-time home buyers rose to 47% of all home sales from 41% of transactions in last year’s study, and was the highest on record dating back to 1981, according to the Washington-based National Assn. of Realtors. Home sales have been fueled in recent months by cheap foreclosure properties. Both investors and first-time buyers have jumped into the market to snap up these heavily discounted digs. For first-time buyers, one major…

  • This weekend: A flurry of condo and townhome auctions

    Alex Lazo
    13 Nov 2009 | 2:07 pm
    Still sorting out your weekend plans? Maybe it’s time to snap up that discounted downtown loft. Beverly Hills-based auction company Kennedy Wilson is closing out 55 units in the Market Lofts building with a session Saturday. The auction is part of a trend playing out across the region as fancy edifices put up during the boom years are now sitting vacant. From The Times’ May 18 story on the subject: Across Southern California, projects conceived during the housing boom, but completed after the bust, are sitting largely vacant. Developers are desperate to unload these units, but they face…

  • Real estate roundup: Californians in foreclosure limbo

    Alex Lazo
    13 Nov 2009 | 11:07 am
    A rising number of Californians are finding themselves in financial limbo, having defaulted on their mortgages but still living in their homes, a new report has found. The report by Foreclosureradar.com (registration required) found that while the number of properties scheduled for foreclosure sale increased last month, lenders continue to postpone the sales rather than foreclose. After three months of declines, the number of houses taken back by banks in October rose by 22.2% from September and 20.95% from October 2008. Despite that jump, the number of foreclosures remains 42.6% below a peak…
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    Property Qwest Blog

  • U.S. Housing Recovery in 2010?

    PropertyQwest.com
    20 Nov 2009 | 7:30 am
    Courtesy of Bloomberg: "U.S. Housing Recovery Delayed to 2010 as Market Wanes" -- Housing quotes and predictions from some of the biggest players and analyst in the industry.I don't think the housing crisis is over," Mark Zandi, chief economist with Moody's Economy.comNew home sales may begin to pick up by the start of the so-called spring selling season, said Toll Brothers Inc., the largest U.S. luxury homebuilder. Existing house sales may take longer.Residential construction and property sales led the way out of the previous seven recessions going back to 1960, said David Berson, chief…

  • U.S Housing Starts Plunge

    PropertyQwest.com
    18 Nov 2009 | 7:51 am
    As reported by CNNMoney.com, "Home construction at lowest point in 6 months":Homebuilders began construction at an annual rate of 529,000 new homes during the month, 10.6% below the revised September rate of 592,000 and 30.7% below the 763,000 rate during October 2008. It was the lowest level of housing starts since April, when the annual rate was 479,000.Building permits showed weakness as well:That weakness included the number of building permits issued in October, which fell to seasonally adjusted annual rate of 552,000. That was 4% below the revised September rate of 575,000 and 24.3%…

  • Pending Home Sales Index - September 2009

    PropertyQwest.com
    5 Nov 2009 | 7:00 am
    As reported by CNNMoney.com - "Home sales contracts rise for 8th straight month":The number of signed sales contracts to buy homes rose in September for the eighth straight month, according to a real estate industry report released Monday.The September Pending Home Sales Index from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) spiked 6.1% to 110.1, consolidating a 6.4% gain in August. It was the index's highest level since December 2006, when it stood at 112.8.The leap was far better than expected. A panel of analysts surveyed by Briefing.com had forecast a 1.2% rise.No doubt the first-time…

  • Sales of Existing U.S. Homes Rise

    PropertyQwest.com
    21 Aug 2009 | 6:58 am
    As reported by Bloomberg.com - "Sales of Existing U.S. Homes Probably Climbed as Prices Fell":Sales of existing U.S. homes probably climbed in July to the highest level in 10 months, signaling the housing crisis that crippled the world's largest economy is easing, economists said before a report today.Purchases rose 2.1 percent to a 5 million annual rate, according to the median forecast of 64 economists in a Bloomberg News survey. It would be the fourth consecutive gain, capping the longest stretch of increases since 2004.As noted in our previous post, "Housing Affordability", many factors…

  • Housing Affordability

    PropertyQwest.com
    21 Aug 2009 | 6:31 am
    As reported by CNNMoney.com - "Homes still affordable - really affordable":Homes continue to be more affordable than they have been in nearly two decades.The typical American family, making the nation's median income of $64,000 a year, could afford to buy 72.3% of all homes sold in the United States during the second quarter, according a quarterly report from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and Wells Fargo (WFC, Fortune 500).That's off just a tad from the record 72.5% reached during the first three months of 2009, but up substantially from the second quarter of 2008 when only…
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    Lanser on Real Estate

  • What to be thankful for in real estate

    Jon Lansner
    21 Nov 2009 | 12:01 am
    The federal tax credit extension, lower foreclosure rates, rising home prices, increased revenue and some rosy forecasts. Has real estate — after four years of slumping sales and prices –  hit bottom? These thoughts may be some of the things evoking smiles on the recession-weary faces of real estate types this year. Insider Q&A asked some real estate insiders what is there is to be thankful for this in the real estate business this Thanksgiving … “We are thankful for the message the consumer has provided to us as an industry and as a company.  As a 33-year-old…

  • Really? Detroit stadium a 99% loss

    Jon Lansner
    20 Nov 2009 | 6:00 pm
    Real estate news and views from around the globe that make you go, “Really?” Where else but … FUMBLE: Football stadium near Detroit a 99% loss for city (istockanalyst) MORE HERE! OUCH! GM job shift would add to downtown Detroit woes (Detroit Free Press) MORE HERE! SUPPLY: Fewer homes unsold in Detroit area (Detroit Free Press) MORE HERE! BETTER: Michigan foreclosures decline slightly for October (MLive.com) MORE HERE! PUZZLE: Michigan’s young people: To stay or not to stay? (MLive.com) MORE HERE! Post from: Lansner on Real Estate

  • Property tax fights up 8% this year

    Jeff Collins
    20 Nov 2009 | 1:53 pm
    Leonard Ortiz/The Register About 17,520 Orange County property owners have signed up this year to fight the county’s assessment of their real estate’s value in an effort to lower their property taxes. That compares to 16,231 as of Nov. 19 last year, said Pat Martinez, head of the county’s assessment appeals division for the county Clerk of the Board of Supervisor’s Office. The increased pace of tax appeals likely reflects the dismal state of home prices at the start of the year. This year’s tax assessments are based on property values on or around January, when…

  • Police raid Surf City rental service

    Jeff Collins
    20 Nov 2009 | 9:00 am
    Huntington Beach police are conducting a felony investigation of Golden State Rentals, a troubled rental listing service that’s accused to giving out bogus listings and failing to refund customers’ money. Investigators served a search warrant on Golden State Rentals in early October after an undercover officer posed as a customer to gather intelligence about the business, according to a search warrant return filed in West Orange County Superior Court. On Oct. 2, officers found Golden State’s Beach Boulevard office abandoned. Police seized customer files left behind, the…

  • O.C. home price seen rising 10.9% in year

    Jon Lansner
    20 Nov 2009 | 12:02 am
    September sales: Click for details! $532,000 $613,000 $1,450,000 First American CoreLogic’s computers say … Orange County homes prices, in the year ending September 2010, will appreciate 10.94%. Last month, First American projected a 9.53% annual again for year ending August 2010. Orange County homes prices — including distressed sales — declined 6.74% in the year ended in September vs. 7.92% rate of annual decline in August. Excluding distressed transactions, Orange County homes prices year-over-year fell 6.14% in September vs. August’s -7.07%. California…
 
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    Rainmaker Properties

  • Twitter Updates of the Week for 2009-11-15

    Alex H. Wang
    15 Nov 2009 | 1:27 am
    This morning: Big Rig crashes off Bay Bridge; killing driver http://bit.ly/1tboLB http://bit.ly/EpwX1 # Zillow: Home prices flat; fewer homes “Underwater”… http://bit.ly/1czJmV http://bit.ly/3fjhtB # AP News: Home prices down; Home sales up; Median prices drop in 8 of 10 U.S. Cities http://bit.ly/QWkm5 http://bit.ly/2kLbQd # Fascinating Interactive time chart of the U.S. State by State Foreclosure rate… http://bit.ly/3b0gdc http://bit.ly/1ChNb4 # Yahoo Real Estate: 10 ways to increase the value of your home! http://bit.ly/43tWhZ # Trying out YouMail.com… Now I…

  • Twitter Updates of the Week for 2009-11-08

    Alex H. Wang
    8 Nov 2009 | 1:27 am
    [Q&A Series] Send us in your November Real Estate questions! If picked, you win a free gift card on us! So why not?… http://bit.ly/17btED # Breaking News: Washington inches closer to First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit extension by week’s end http://bit.ly/2l1Xbe # U.S. Senate extends Unemployment aid and First time homebuyer tax credit http://bit.ly/2ft4sI http://bit.ly/1asPys # California raising state taxes; how much will paychecks shrink? http://bit.ly/4uLZtB http://bit.ly/29w0DI # Enjoy this post? Get more like it by subscribing to our blog!

  • Twitter Updates of the Week for 2009-11-01

    Alex H. Wang
    1 Nov 2009 | 1:27 am
    Job outlook appears to be looking better, are we really out of the woods? http://bit.ly/XqEjh # U.S. home prices begin to rise in the month of August. http://bit.ly/TM6Ro # Financial mistakes that could HAUNT you for a lifetime. Beware of these traps! http://bit.ly/2NNlH3 # Breaking News! Avoid the Bay Bridge, falling debris; closed indefinitely! http://bit.ly/2PPUrB http://bit.ly/iuIXg # Avoid Bay Bridge; falling debris closes bridge indefinitely! http://bit.ly/2PPUrB http://bit.ly/q89R6 # SFGate: Bay Bridge could take days to re-open. http://bit.ly/1FORVC http://bit.ly/c7SLV # 3.5% Economic…

  • Twitter Updates of the Week for 2009-10-25

    Alex H. Wang
    25 Oct 2009 | 3:27 am
    RealEstateRain.com: Twitter Updates of the Week for 2009-10-18: New 2009 chart: a global view of the housing bubbleh… http://bit.ly/4h9QYa # Ben Bernake: We’ve got to address the Federal Deficit; $1.42 Trillion and counting…http://bit.ly/4oeAj # Ben Bernanke: We’ve got to address the Federal deficit; $1.42 Trillion and counting…http://bit.ly/4oeAj # 1SiliconValley.com: Tips for using Zillow to calculate your home’s value! So how much is it? http://bit.ly/3kfO5r # Hidden Factors in Calculating Your Home’s Value http://bit.ly/3kfO5r # Using Zillow to…

  • Twitter Updates of the Week for 2009-10-18

    Alex H. Wang
    18 Oct 2009 | 3:27 am
    New 2009 chart: a global view of the housing bubble http://bit.ly/3Xi8nd # Today on SFGate: Rent tips: how to negotiate/renegotiate, your lease http://bit.ly/Obdwn # Iphone Users: Free Adobe Photoshop App unleashes awesome mobile pic editing! http://bit.ly/3O1nPg # Next year’s prediction: Bargain homes driving force for Silicon Valley Real Estate http://bit.ly/CnEbh # Washington mulling over first time homebuyer’s credit extension http://bit.ly/sDtTW # Santa Clara county home sales up, but market’s still unsettled http://bit.ly/3aWcDA # RealEstateRain.com: Twitter Updates of…
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    Real Estate in Las Vegas

  • Las Vegas Foreclosure Condos for Sale

    REMAX LAS VEGAS - Bob Ratliff
    6 Nov 2009 | 11:43 pm
    Las Vegas foreclosure condos for sale near Las Vegas Strip and Airport. Las Vegas foreclosure Condos for Sale in close proximity to all major Vegas attractions. Instant equity plus cash flow... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Las Vegas Gated Community Bank Owned Home

    REMAX LAS VEGAS - Bob Ratliff
    6 Nov 2009 | 11:38 pm
    Las Vegas Painted Desert pool home located in gated golf course community. Five bedrooms with three baths and 2700 sq. ft. with three car garage. Solar heated pool with fireplace in master bedroom.... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Las Vegas Bank Owned Strip Condos

    REMAX LAS VEGAS - Bob Ratliff
    6 Nov 2009 | 11:32 pm
    Las Vegas Bank Owned Strip Condos beautiful with a great Las Vegas location. Only a few years old 1,2,3 bedrooms priced from $138K and above. Las Vegas Bank Owned Strip Condos. These Las Vegas condos... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Las Vegas High Rise Foreclosures

    REMAX LAS VEGAS - Bob Ratliff
    6 Nov 2009 | 11:15 pm
    Is the Las Vegas High Rise and luxury condo market going to become another victim of the Las Vegas foreclosure fallout. Vegas realtors Bob Ratliff with The Ratliff Group discuss the possible upcoming... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Summerlin Foreclosures

    REMAX LAS VEGAS - Bob Ratliff
    6 Nov 2009 | 10:30 pm
    Summerlin Foreclosures is truly a unique community with homes that showcase the finest living in the Las Vegas Valley. The Summerlin Foreclosure location is second to none, as the west side of Las... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
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    Ubertor Real Estate Blog

  • Learn to Maximize Your Ubertor Website: Live Ubertor Tour, November 24, 2009

    Uber Bryan
    20 Nov 2009 | 10:42 am
    Get expert advice from an Ubertor specialist on how to use the basics of the system. This is a great start for all new Ubertor users eager to learn how to begin maximizing their website for the most return. This is a live guided tour of Ubertor’s control panel – so if you’re on the fences about Ubertor’s software, click in and join the tour. See how easy it is to get a website up and running. Upcoming Live Tour Dates are labeled below. Join in 2 easy steps (Live Tour is FREE): 1. Register for the Live Tour on November 24, 2009 @ 10:00 AM PST using the widget below, OR simply click on…

  • Augmented Reality

    Stephen Jagger
    19 Nov 2009 | 7:44 am
    Take a moment to check out Lego’s “Digital Box”, an Augmented Reality Kiosk (via www.web-strategist.com): Do you think this type of technology will make its way into the real estate space? Any ideas?

  • Social Media ROI: Socialnomics (video)

    Stephen Jagger
    16 Nov 2009 | 9:48 am
    This video showcases several Social Media ROI examples along with other effective Social Media Strategies. Take a moment to watch this 4:15 video:

  • Ubertor – “Video Focused Real Estate Agent Websites”

    Stephen Jagger
    15 Nov 2009 | 10:17 pm
    We have been working hard to integrate many video features to the Ubertor real estate agent website system over the last year. Have you had a chance to play with these features? Within your Ubertor website, click on the video tab and you can syndicate videos to YouTube and Viddler, host them on Combustion Video as well as record right from your browser through the Ubertor control panel. Not an Ubertor client? signup now to play with the video functionality of the system. Don’t worry, there is no setup fee, no contract, the first 30 days free and no obligation – so go ahead and…

  • Learn to Maximize Your Ubertor Website: Live Ubertor Tour, Thursday, November 19, 2009

    Uber Bryan
    13 Nov 2009 | 3:36 pm
    Get expert advice from an Ubertor specialist on how to use the basics of the system. This is a great start for all new Ubertor users eager to learn how to begin maximizing their website for the most return. This is a live guided tour of Ubertor’s control panel – so if you’re on the fences about Ubertor’s software, click in and join the tour. See how easy it is to get a website up and running. Upcoming Live Tour Dates are labeled below. Join in 2 easy steps (Live Tour is FREE): 1.  Register for the Live Tour on November 19, 2009 @ 4:00 PM PST using the widget below, OR simply click on…
 
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    Appraisal Scoop

  • FHA Drops Two-Appraisal Requirement in Declining Markets: FHA Mortgage Letter 09-48ml

    Brian Davis
    19 Nov 2009 | 3:56 am
    A second-appraisal requirement that had been issued by the Federal Housing Administration at the height of the housing crisis has been repealed for loans that exceed $417,000 in declining markets and for cash-out refinances. A second-appraisal requirement will remain when a property is resold between 91 and 180 days following acquisition by the seller, if the resale price is 100 percent (or more) higher than the price paid by the seller when the property was acquired.   The policy changes can be found in FHA Mortgagee Letter 09-48, which rescinds two previous Mortgagee Letters on the…

  • Federal Regulators Issue Final Model Privacy Notice Form - Must Appraisers Comply?

    Brian Davis
    17 Nov 2009 | 8:14 am
    Eight federal regulatory agencies today released a final model privacy notice form that will make it easier for consumers to understand how financial institutions collect and share information about consumers. Under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLB Act), institutions must notify consumers of their information-sharing practices and inform consumers of their right to opt out of certain sharing practices. The model form issued today can be used by financial institutions to comply with these requirements.  In a previous Appraisal Scoop article, I asked: What does G-L-B have to do with ME?

  • FHA boss: FHA is not the new subprime

    Brian Davis
    15 Nov 2009 | 8:29 am
    Federal Housing Administration Commissioner David Stevens said Saturday that concerns the agency is headed for the same financial trouble that snared Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the subprime sector are unwarranted. Stevens made the remarks during a speech at the National Association of Realtors' annual conference and expo in San Diego. His comments come days after the agency revealed its financial reserves have fallen to a dangerously low level due to more homeowners defaulting on their loans. The FHA does not make loans, but rather offers insurance against default.Source: Business Week

  • Stigmatized Homes - Why Did Nicholas Cage Buy Haunted Houses

    Brian Davis
    15 Nov 2009 | 8:23 am
    According to the Examiner.com in Chicago (full article) "It is believed that Cage bought the homes specifically due to their spooky past. Apparently he thought it was a good idea at the time or else he would not have done it." [Cage claims a poor financial advisor directed him to buy the property selections he did, but most people would not follow advice on buying a home that they would always feel uneasy setting foot in due to claims of haunting.] "However, as now evidenced by the current market value, buying stigmatized properties is seldom a good idea if you ever plan to resell for…

  • NovaStar narrows loss, but liabilities outweigh assets - Counting on AMC StreetLinks

    Brian Davis
    14 Nov 2009 | 8:55 am
    NovaStar Financial Inc. greatly reduced its third-quarter loss compared with the same period last year, but its shareholders’ deficit reached more than $1 billion, and the company said its “ability to continue as a going concern” is in doubt.In a Friday filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Kansas City-based NovaStar (Pink Sheets: NOVS) reported a loss of $17.6 million, or $2.29 a share, for the quarter that ended Sept. 30. This is an 87 percent improvement from a loss of $142.8 million, or $15.81 a share, last year.The company said it plans use its cash on hand to develop…
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    Main Line PA Today

  • Home Buyer Tax Credit Done When Obama Signs

    Judy Peterson
    5 Nov 2009 | 12:17 pm
    Expanded Home Buyers Tax Credit Voted Up By Senate and House Today Just today the United States House of Representatives voted 403-12 to extend and expand the Home Buyers Tax Credit. The National Association of Realtors has provided this helpful document summarizing the details of the new Home Buyers Tax Credit. Following the 48-0 vote by the United States Senate yesterday, and remembering our civics lessons, the Home Buyer Tax Credit will become law effective on the date that President Obama signs the bill. Home Buyer Tax Credit Extension – Highlights of Changes: *First Time Buyer Tax…

  • First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit Cliff Hanger

    Judy Peterson
    30 Oct 2009 | 3:51 am
    First Time Home Buyer Credit Cliff Hanger .  .  .  To Be Continued! The Senate is working on approving  The First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit Extension. Part of the proposal is to Expand The Home Buyers Credit for existing home sellers/home buyers but so far there is no Senate Vote. Possibly next week there may be a vote ready to go to the House and from there who knows? From Soap Operas like Days of Our Lives  (”tune in tomorrow for the next exciting episode”), to Dallas, we’re drawn to cliff hangers. Who didn’t tune in  to find out, Who Shot JR? Remembering Saturday…

  • Lower Merion,Radnor,Willistown-Two Mops For MSI

    Judy Peterson
    28 Oct 2009 | 10:31 am
    Months Supply of Inventory/Absorption Rate: *Lower Merion Township, Radnor Township and Willistown Township  have earned two Mops for their Months Supply of Inventory and Days on Market for September 2009 as compared to September 2007. Of course the market will look a lot healthier when the volume of Sold and Under Contract transactions begins to move in a more positive direction. Township DOM MSI #Sold Lower Merion 102 (+38%) 10.9 (+8%) -14% Radnor 97 (+90%) 8.9 (-25%) Level Easttown 71 (+107) 8.9 (-3%) -56% Willistown 57 (+51%) 7.8 (-36%) -21% West Goshen 58 (-10%) 5.7 (-11%) -33% East…

  • Tredyffrin Third Quarter Real Estate Absorption

    Judy Peterson
    20 Oct 2009 | 5:23 am
    Mops, Sponges and The Months Supply of Inventory The Third Quarter Tredyffrin Real Estate Absorption Rate is looking more like a normal real estate market instead of one drowning in inventory. Some months I have felt like I needed a huge mop to soak up the excess inventory. And in some markets that’s still the image that resonates. But here in Tredyffrin Township for the Third Quarter Real Estate Market, we’re showing signs of recovery. The months supply of inventory is down to 5.6 months.  Keep in mind that the MSI and the Absorption Rate is based on the assumption that no new…

  • Tredyffrin Real Estate September 09 Market Report

    Judy Peterson
    16 Oct 2009 | 6:10 am
    Good New For The Tredyffrin Real Estate Market? Should I take my Listing off the market for the holidays? As the Market Dynamics for Tredyffrin Township show, all of the Median Price indicators are down for September 2009 as compared to September 2008 and September 2007. While it’s painful to write that all of the Median Price indicators are down, we could view these statistics as a positive indicator. Not to get in front of the market, but the fact that the number of sold transactions are actually up by 3% and the number of under contract transactions as of the end of September are also up…
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    Condo Blog

  • Biggest News Since DOJ Win over NAR Anti-trust Lawsuit

    Anthony Longo
    17 Nov 2009 | 6:26 am
    Today’s headlines on Inman news announced in my opinion the biggest win since the victory we had over the NAR in the DOJ vs. NAR anti-trust lawsuit. This week out in San Diego for the annual NAR conference, they made an official statement noting that indexing of MLS listings WILL BE ALLOWED.   As you may know [...]

  • New Temporary Condo Guidelines

    Anthony Longo
    11 Nov 2009 | 1:40 pm
    Last week the FHA released a temporary guidance that relaxed some of the rules for condominiums. From the FHA: Temporary Guidance for Condominium Policy Here are the key points: • Increase from 30 percent to 50 percent the number of units in a project that can be financed with FHA loans. FHA, however, will make exceptions, even [...]

  • National MLS to begin construction

    Anthony Longo
    10 Nov 2009 | 5:36 am
    The long-time talked about topic of creating a national real estate database is coming to fruition.  In today’s Wall Street Journal the article explains that Dale Stinton CEO of NAR (National Association of Realtors) has announced a recent acquisition that will bring together both licensing and compliance and technology to operates such a large database. The [...]

  • Our New Social Media Coordinator: Simon Landau of Washington DC

    Anthony Longo
    8 Nov 2009 | 11:31 am
    Everyone, please give a warm welcome to the newest member of CondoDomain - Simon Landau! Simon is heading up our all of our Social Media and marketing efforts in the Washington DC and Baltimore markets.  Bloggers, Social Media Enthusiast and real estate people…. I am sure you will all be hearing a lot [...]

  • An amazing reality check. Maybe now you understand what we are doing

    Anthony Longo
    5 Nov 2009 | 6:21 pm
 
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    Reverse Mortgage Daily

  • First Mariner Bank May Sell Reverse Mortgage Division

    admin
    20 Nov 2009 | 8:41 am
    First Mariner Bank entered into a profit sharing agreement with a private company related to its reverse mortgage division Next Generation Financial Services (NGFS) and may result in the acquisition of NGFS if certain requirements are satisfied within the next 18 months.  According to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission: The closing of the transaction is subject to numerous conditions, including, without limitation, that the parties obtain consents and approvals from certain lenders and governmental agencies that license and supervise the Bank.  Accordingly, there…

  • Lender Subordinates Loan for Senior to Make Reverse Mortgage Work

    admin
    20 Nov 2009 | 8:38 am
    HeraldNet writer Tom Kelly brings up a great point in his column over the weekend when he says that Seniors find a way by asking, ‘What’s possible?’. While the question might seem simple, Kelly writes that it can spark critical conversations in senior households, especially when times are tough and cash is tight.  Using one couple as an example, they wondered if a lender with a second mortgage on a property would subordinate its position so a senior could could obtain a reverse mortgage and avoid foreclosure.  It turns out they would… Here’s how the reverse mortgage…

  • Choice Home Mortgage Adds to Exclusive Reverse Mortgage Group

    admin
    20 Nov 2009 | 8:37 am
    Choice Home Mortgage Services has added Frank Miller to its exclusive Long Island Reverse Mortgage team said a company statement.  Miller has published articles on reverse mortgages and has presented various seminars on the subject for both senior groups and government agencies. "The Reverse Mortgage is far more that just a mortgage. It is a serious Financial Planning tool that can aid in many aspects of financial planning, and make significant, positive changes in the senior homeowner’s lifestyle," said Miller. Miller has three years of reverse mortgage experience and…

  • HUD Notice Asks Serious Questions About Use of Reverse Mortgage Proceeds

    admin
    19 Nov 2009 | 12:08 pm
    The US Department of Housing and Urban Development will publish an advance notice of rule making concerning reverse mortgages and will “ask some serious questions that a lot of people may find disconcerting,” said Meg Burns, Director, Single-Family Program Development at HUD. Burns spoke at the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association’s annual conference earlier this week and said the notice will ask the following questions: Whether or not FHA should prohibit the proceeds to purchase an annuity altogether? Whether or not FHA should limit how the proceeds are used in general?

  • Financial Freedom Takes Top Wholesale Lender Title for FY 2009

    admin
    19 Nov 2009 | 9:29 am
    Wholesale reverse mortgage volume for the month of September totaled 5,567 units, up 6.1% from August and marking the 6th highest wholesale volume month on record according to data from Reverse Market Insight.  For fiscal year 2009, wholesale endorsements totaled 60,798, dropping just under 1% from FY 2008.  Financial Freedom took home the #1 reverse mortgage wholesale spot in FY 2009 with JB Nutter coming in at #2. Taking a look at the top 5 wholesalers for the month of September shows how much things have changed over the last year, but Financial Freedom still holds the #1…
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    Wallingford Wired

  • Mortgage Rate Update 11/20/09

    The Harriman Team
    21 Nov 2009 | 9:42 am
    A highly anticipated speech on Monday by Fed Chief Bernanke on the economic outlook revealed no change in the Fed’s stance on short-term monetary policy. There were also few surprises in the economic data released during the week. The monthly inflation readings continued to show that inflation is not a cause for concern in the short-term. As a result, mortgage rates barely moved during the week, remaining at historically low levels. The decline in the value of the dollar has received a great deal of attention lately. While Fed officials rarely discuss the value of the dollar, Bernanke…

  • Connecticut Magazine Rates State Cities and Towns (Part 2)

    The Harriman Team
    19 Nov 2009 | 1:16 pm
    CT Magazine Rates State Cities and Towns This is the second in a four part series highlighting the rating of  Connecticut cities and towns by Connecticut Magazine. In our first post, we focused on the largest cities in our state, those with populations of 50,000 or more. To recap, the publication set the following criteria for the rankings: They first sorted the localities into four groups based on population: 10,000 – 15,000 15,000 – 25,000 25,000 – 50,000 50,000+ (Towns with populations below 10,000 will be featured in their own rankings in the March 2010 issue; see here for the 2007…

  • Connecticut Magazine Rates State Cities and Towns (Part 1)

    The Harriman Team
    16 Nov 2009 | 7:01 pm
    CT Magazine Rates State Cities and Towns In the November issue of Connecticut Magazine, the Trumbull-based  publication has, for the first time since 2006, provided a look at how various cities and towns rank based on several criteria. They first sorted the localities into four groups based on population: 10,000 – 15,000 15,000 – 25,000 25,000 – 50,000 50,000+ (Towns with populations below 10,000 will be featured in their own rankings in the March 2010 issue; see here for the 2007 rankings) Then, information was collected in the quality-of-life criteria that are most important to…

  • Mortgage Rate Update 11/13/09

    The Harriman Team
    16 Nov 2009 | 1:15 pm
    Since the Fed meeting on Wednesday of last week, mortgage rates have improved a little each day. There was no major economic data released during the week, and even a weak 30-yr Treasury auction on Thursday failed to stall the rally in mortgage markets. As a result, mortgage rates ended the week moderately lower. At their last meeting, the Fed indicated that monetary policy would remain on hold for quite a while. While the Fed acknowledged that it will eventually have to raise the fed funds rate, the message was clear that rate hikes are still a long way off. A series of Fed speakers this…

  • Home Energy Audit Finds Holes in Home

    The Harriman Team
    15 Nov 2009 | 6:38 pm
    Last December we published this post about having a Home Energy Audit done in your home. Our Yankee Gas service tech told us they were a great way to find out how energy efficient your home was, and they were very inexpensive at the time ($75 for Wallingford residents), so we applied to have one done in our home. Unfortunately, we misplaced the card they sent us to confirm the appointment, so we never got it done last year. This year, we made a commitment to have it done, no matter what. So, after applying again and receiving the confirmation, two gentlemen from Competitive Resources, Inc.,…
 
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    Blogging In The Rain

  • 35 Places to List your Real Estate Business Online for Local Search

    Rebecca Levinson, Real Estate Marketing Consultant (Real Skillz-Clear Marketing for Your Real Estate Vision)
    20 Nov 2009 | 10:15 am
      35 Places to List your Real Estate Business Online for Local Search   BestofCitySearch- Nominate and vote for local businesses. Free BestoftheWeb Local- Business Listing allows contact information, hours of operation, consumer reviews, about us.  Free CitySearch- Directory of local services.  Can create ads and set a budget.  Citysearch has a Mobile App for IPhone, a mobile app forBlackberry, and Palm Pre.- PAID Set a Budget.   CitySquares.com-  List your Business profile.  Free Dex Knows- Local Search Listing- Paid DiscoverourTown- Lists local…

  • 5 Real Estate Take-Aways from PubCon Vegas 2009- Matt Cutts on "What Has Google Done for Users Lately?"

    Rebecca Levinson, Real Estate Marketing Consultant (Real Skillz-Clear Marketing for Your Real Estate Vision)
    19 Nov 2009 | 10:21 am
    5 Real Estate Take-Aways from PubCon Vegas 2009- Matt Cutts on "What Has Google Done for Users Lately?" One of the best sessions I attended at PubCon 2009 Las Vegas was Search Engines and Webmasters-The Smackdown.  It was a session featuring Matt Cutts of Google and Nathan Buggia of Bing discussing their views of search and their companies unique offerings in the search space.  I was very interested in Buggia's confirmation that Bing is committed to capturing 51% of the search space and the reaction from SEO professionals in the room which seemed happy for the competition.  My main…

  • Week of 11/16/09- Real Skillz Freebie Picks- Free Online Reads and Real Estate Marketing Resources for Real Estate Agents and Real Estate Companies

    Rebecca Levinson, Real Estate Marketing Consultant (Real Skillz-Clear Marketing for Your Real Estate Vision)
    17 Nov 2009 | 10:07 am
    Week of 11/16/09- Real Skillz Freebie Picks- Free Online Reads and Real Estate Marketing Resources for Real Estate Agents and Real Estate Companies Create and Manage a Team-Authored Blog:  8 Steps to Reap SEO Gains Subscribe to a free trial to Marketing SHERPA to read this article with great tips on how to create and manage a team authored blog.  Team authored blogs make sense for real estate professionals who have time constraints and who want to add a level of depth to their content by adding the written works of ancillary service providers.  A team authored blog also…

  • How to Use the Power of Social Media and Local Businesses to Fuel a Local Charitable Online Marketing Campaign

    Rebecca Levinson, Real Estate Marketing Consultant (Real Skillz-Clear Marketing for Your Real Estate Vision)
    16 Nov 2009 | 10:17 am
    How to Use the Power of Social Media and Local Businesses to Fuel a Local Charitable Online Marketing Campaign It's the time to pay thanks and what better way for real estate professionals to become actively involved in their communities than to put the power of social media marketing to a charitable use online?  Today I am going to use the GiveNGoble Campaign to illustrate how you can use the power of social media and your local business connections to power a local charitable online marketing campaign. The Give'n'Gobble Campaign is Sherwood Oregon's annual 5Krun/walk and 10K run on…

  • Lessons from PubCon Vegas 2009: It's Time to Think About Local Search and How You Can Make an Impact Online

    Rebecca Levinson, Real Estate Marketing Consultant (Real Skillz-Clear Marketing for Your Real Estate Vision)
    12 Nov 2009 | 10:34 pm
    One of my favorite sessions at PubCon Vegas 2009 was the Local Search and Mobile Optimization session.  I have been following local search for the past five years from a marketing angle.  Quite awhile ago I realized that the SEM field would have to address the needs of consumers.  Consumers want to research and have a need to find local vendors online. The local online space is fascinating because it's a space where the national players can be beat.  Here's a few tips to getting it done in the local search space courtesy of Pubcon Vegas 2009, Local…
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    Anne Marie Malfi - Virtually Assisting You

  • A tool to engage with your readers that will ensure you're meeting their needs...

    Anne Marie Malfi, Real Estate Marketing Consultant/Virtual Asst, Bucks County,PA (Malfi Marketing Solutions ~ for real estate professionals)
    20 Nov 2009 | 9:22 am
    In a blog post that I did back October 2, 2008 I asked the question: Think about the reasons you blog (what are yours?) To build a trust between you and potential clients To provide information and knowledge about your industry and area To network with clients and real estate professionals   Producing quality content for your devoted readers and subscribers is providing an essential service that is one of the reasons you choose to blog.  You're meeting their needs by discussing things that are important to them - things they want to know more about and hitting a cord that…

  • BLOG content IDEAS that will inspire you and your readers...

    Anne Marie Malfi, Real Estate Marketing Consultant/Virtual Asst, Bucks County,PA (Malfi Marketing Solutions ~ for real estate professionals)
    10 Nov 2009 | 7:03 am
    When I think of a BLOG I associate it with the word IDEA. Information - your blog content, an online journal of information, content that fulfills your subsribers and potential client's needs. Dedication - to blogging, your real estate business, to clients, and to your subscribers. Evolution - Real Estate and blogging are constantly evolving. Association - being on a network like AR we are able to connect and associate with link minded professionals as well as extend our reach with social media sites with people we may have never met otherwise.   Isn't it funny how we seem to just…

  • You’re doing it wrong if you’re using the “Baby come back” method of marketing to your past clients…here’s a better way

    Anne Marie Malfi, Real Estate Marketing Consultant/Virtual Asst, Bucks County,PA (Malfi Marketing Solutions ~ for real estate professionals)
    5 Nov 2009 | 10:26 am
    I think by now we've all seen this commercial: The Swiffer commercial has a "regular" mop asking, ok, begging and trying to "woo" the customer to come back to them with flowers and song dedications on the radio, now that they've switched over to using the new and improved Swiffer mop. The woman's reaction - "too little, too late Mr. Mop."  It doesn't matter what you did before, and what you'll do now to try to get me back - I'm convinced I no longer need you. I think the commercial is brilliant for the message Swiffer is trying to communicate to it's consumers - sometimes…

  • A nice addition to your website to encourage visits and revisits from prospects, past clients and search engines

    Anne Marie Malfi, Real Estate Marketing Consultant/Virtual Asst, Bucks County,PA (Malfi Marketing Solutions ~ for real estate professionals)
    4 Nov 2009 | 10:55 am
    Often times websites are created and change very little or only certain pages change.  There are many reasons for this: We build it and forgot about it We are driving visitors/traffic to our other sites (blogs and social media sites - important, yes, but if you have a website you want to make sure it's receiving traffic and directing traffic bank and forth to all your sites) We simply don't have the time to update our sites So here's your opportunity to regularly change the content on your website to encourage visitors (prospects and past clients) to visit again and again and again - you…

  • Using Your Blog to Enhance Relationships ~ How I do it...What I get from it...More importantly ~ What you can get from it...

    Anne Marie Malfi, Real Estate Marketing Consultant/Virtual Asst, Bucks County,PA (Malfi Marketing Solutions ~ for real estate professionals)
    29 Oct 2009 | 1:00 pm
      This post was inspired by Bob Stewarts Blog Challenge when he asked the question "How do you use your  blog to enhance your existing relationships with clients and prospects?"  I have four examples that I want to share that I hope will encourage others to be an active member of this community.  I have used my blog posts (and what I consider to be another version of my websites) to generate interest in my marketing and virtual assistant services as well as provide ideas on how my prospects, readers  and clients can extend their reach and provide great…
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    Buy Owner Blog

  • Interior Decorating to Complement Your Home’s Architectural Style

    Carrie
    20 Nov 2009 | 4:00 am
    There is nothing like buying your first home. Many first-time buyers can’t wait to personalize the property, inside and out, making it their own. However, a lot of people don’t even know where to begin! A good place to start searching for ideas is outside, in front of the house. Take a few steps back and analyze the architectural design of your home. Is it a colonial? A Victorian? A Cape Cod? The list goes on and on, believe it or not. And don’t worry if the previous owner never told you what kind of house you were buying. This handy guide will help you determine the style of your home.

  • Going Green Makes a Difference

    Alicia
    19 Nov 2009 | 4:00 am
    Okay, let’s talk reality. We at Buy Owner are always talking to you about how to live a greener, more eco-friendly life in your house. This interests home sellers who are looking for an advantage over other sellers, and it interests home buyers who are looking for energy-saving, money-saving elements in a new house. But when it comes down to it, do you know how much our environment benefits from green living? Most don’t. To put green living into perspective, here is a list of actual numbers from HomeGuide123. These numbers were derived in 2007. • If every household replaced five of…

  • Don’t Wait to Invest, Part 1

    Alicia
    17 Nov 2009 | 4:00 am
    According to a recent radio trivia question, the most popular regret for people in their 20s and 30s is that they didn’t invest in real estate sooner or at all. Whether you’re in this age group, or you’re well past your 30s, it is never too late to invest in real estate. Don’t become one of these many Americans with this regret later in life! Although real estate has always been a popular investment option, investing during an economic crisis creates new advantages. The prices are low, the options are high and the chance that the economy will turn around in the future brings high…

  • 8 Ways to Improve Curb Appeal

    Shanna
    16 Nov 2009 | 4:02 am
    Remember when you were a house hunter? You may have driven through neighborhoods to get a feel for the types of homes in the area or how close they were to schools, shopping, highways. And right after location, the #1 thing you were noticing was how the place looked outside. When done right, curb appeal has the power to pull potential buyers in, implying that the interior of your home will be just as impressive as the façade. When done wrong, it can turn buyers away and eliminate any interest they had. So what can you do to improve your property’s curb appeal? Here are eight quick areas to…

  • Time Period Decorating

    Alicia
    13 Nov 2009 | 4:00 am
    Need decorating ideas? Feeling uncreative? If you find yourself in a decorating funk, here’s an idea that’s always available: decorate for a certain time period. This type of decorating is popular because it brings history alive in our everyday lives, the choices are abundant, and the décor can’t ever go out of style. To begin, choose a time period that interests you most. Do you like the dark, dramatic décor of the gothic period; the artistic flare of the Roman period; the fun of the 1950s or the bright and flashy colors found in the 1960s? The time period that you choose is…
 
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    Tina Fountain

  • Home Buyer Tax Credit Extended and Expanded

    6 Nov 2009 | 11:16 am
    We've had several phone calls this morning regarding the newly expanded Home Buyer Tax Credit. Of course, buyers who have pending contracts are asking if they will now qualify for an additional tax benefit. Keep in mind that while both the House and...

  • 256 Hanson Way Marietta, Georgia 30064

    26 Oct 2009 | 2:28 pm
    Just Listed - The Park at Anderson Farm 256 Hanson Way Marietta, Georgia 30064 FMLS # 3974713 Located near the historic Marietta Square, 256 Hanson Way is a stunning three story estate with views of Kennesaw Mountain. Homes for sale in The Park...

  • 2322 Tayside Crossing Kennesaw, Georgia 30152

    26 Oct 2009 | 2:04 pm
    Just Listed - Overlook at Marietta Country Club 2322 Tayside Crossing Kennesaw, Georgia 30152 FMLS # 3977413 Located in The Overlook at Marietta Country Club, 2322 Tayside Crossing is a brick traditional home with 5 bedrooms and 5 baths. Homes f...

  • Lake Lanier Has Reached Full Pool

    14 Oct 2009 | 1:58 pm
    The U.S. Geological Survey website is reporting that Lake Lanier reached full pool this morning and is currently at 1,071.01 feet above sea level. Located just north of Atlanta, the Lake Lanier reservoir is the water source for most of the metro Atla...

  • 1020 Quaker Ridge Way Duluth, Georgia 30097

    5 Oct 2009 | 10:44 am
    Just Listed - St. Ives Country Club 1020 Quaker Ridge Way Duluth, Georgia 30097 FMLS # 3967390 Beautiful setting on a golf course homesite in the exclusive St. Ives Country Club Subdivision. This stunning 5 bedroom, 3 full baths and 1 half b...
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    Office Search Toronto

  • Downtown East Office Space – Toronto

    Chris Fyvie - 416-992-9869
    21 Nov 2009 | 9:03 am
    Click on the chart above to enlarge OfficeSearchToronto.com tracks available office space across the GTA. Want a survey or availability report somewhere else in Toronto? Are these space too big? Call us at 416-992-9869 or E-mail Me!. To browse available office space CLICK HERE!. Follow me on Twitter Subscribe to my RSS feed Join me on LinkedIn Shared Offices

  • Virtual Tour – 40,000 sf available in the Davisville Centre Toronto

    Chris Fyvie - 416-992-9869
    20 Nov 2009 | 10:39 am
    Follow me on Twitter Subscribe to my RSS feed OfficeSearchToronto.com on Facebook Join me on LinkedIn Shared Offices

  • Downtown West Toronto – Commercial Real Estate

    Chris Fyvie - 416-992-9869
    20 Nov 2009 | 4:20 am
    Click on the image to enlarge Please note the attached office space is not listed with OfficeSearchToronto.com but call us first at 416-992-9869 or E-mail Me for floor plans and additional information. To browse available office space CLICK HERE! Follow me on Twitter Subscribe to my RSS feed OfficeSearchToronto.com on Facebook Join me on LinkedIn Shared Offices

  • Financial Core Toronto Commercial Real Estate

    Chris Fyvie - 416-992-9869
    19 Nov 2009 | 6:47 am
    Click on the chart to enlarge Please note the attached office space is not listed with OfficeSearchToronto.com but call us first at 416-992-9869 or E-mail Me for floor plans and additional information. To browse available office space CLICK HERE! Follow me on Twitter Subscribe to my RSS feed OfficeSearchToronto.com on Facebook Join me on LinkedIn Shared Offices

  • Midtown Toronto Office Space

    Chris Fyvie - 416-992-9869
    18 Nov 2009 | 6:54 am
    Click on the chart below to enlarge Please note the attached office space is not listed with OfficeSearchToronto.com but call us first at 416-992-9869 or E-mail Me for floor plans and additional information. To browse available office space CLICK HERE!
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    OfficeFinder Blog

  • Jones Lang LaSalle Predicts mid 2010 CRE Recovery

    19 Nov 2009 | 11:44 am
    Washington Business Journal Thursday, November 19, 2009: The initial U.S. commercial real estate recovery is likely to begin in the second half of next year, according to Jones Lang LaSalle’s 2010 forecast. Nationally, leasing demand levels are expected to bottom out this quarter and remain stagnant next year. And national office vacancy are expected to near 20 percent by late 2010. D.C., which has a 12.3 percent vacancy rate that includes sublease space, is expected to come close to topping out at about 15 percent before stabilizing, said John Sikaitis, research manager in the D.C. office…

  • Geithner – Commercial Real Estate to be problem for a long time

    19 Nov 2009 | 10:57 am
    In a joint congressional committee hearing today U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said that he expects commercial real estate to be a national problem for a long time with no quick fix.  He also said that the economy can withstand the continuing commercial real estate challenges. On Oct. 29 (Bloomberg) he said commercial real estate woes won’t set off a new banking crisis, in remarks to the Economic Club of Chicago. “I don’t think so,” Geithner said, when asked whether commercial real estate could set off another banking meltdown. “That’s a problem the economy can manage…

  • Empty MySpace Offices Cost $1 Million Per Month

    17 Nov 2009 | 4:22 pm
    Have you seen any ads for sublease office space on MySpace? Don’t be surprised if you do.  MySpace has around 420,000 square feet of office space in Playa Vista, California with a 12 year lease that is sitting empty. They are currently paying more than $1-million dollars a month for the Los Angeles area office space and have total lease obligation of about $350-million over the 12 year term. Rent is scheduled to go up to nearly $2-million next June. Needless to say, it is not a great time to have excess office space, especially true in California. MySpace signed the 12-year lease in August…

  • Regus and AT&T Team up

    11 Nov 2009 | 10:24 am
    DALLAS, Nov. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Further extending its holistic approach to meeting the needs of small businesses from coast to coast, AT&T announced today an alliance with The Regus Group (LSE: RGU), the world's largest provider of workplace solutions. Under the alliance, Regus will provide AT&T small business customers with affordable, convenient and flexible office space, featuring administrative, communications, printing and technology services. The new alliance offers AT&T small business customers benefits and discounts at Regus business centers, including: -- Six…

  • Protecting your office from the H1N1 and Flu Viruses

    6 Nov 2009 | 8:18 am
    One of the big concerns of this flu season is keeping you office employee from spreading the flu, whether the regular seasonal flu or the H1N1 virus. One of the obvious keys to doing so is to know the symptoms and making sure your employees know the symptoms so that they will not come to work if they are experiencing them. If they don't stay home you will know when to send them home. Symptoms of H1N1 and Flu...and How They Are Different from the Co Symptom Cold H1N1 Flu Fever Fever is rare with a cold. Fever is usually present with the flu in up to 80% of all flu cases. A temperature of…
 
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    Loan Classroom

  • Buying your first home

    Matt Isleib
    19 Nov 2009 | 10:27 am
    Buying your first home is a wonderful experience.  The purpose of LoanClassroom is to help the homeowner stay informed and provide them with information to help them through their purchase or refinance transaction. I would hope that I am the one helping you obtain your mortgage through Eversley Capital Mortgage LLC but by chance that ... Read More

  • New Approach to Mortgage Meltdown

    Matt Isleib
    11 Nov 2009 | 11:46 am
    The new regime in the Government did say they would pull out all the stops to try and stabilize a crippled housing market and economy. And to date there have been numerous ideas, programs and cash and tax credits implemented. And now there is a new one except this time it is Fannie Mae and ... Read More

  • Homebuyer Tax Credit Q & A

    Matt Isleib
    9 Nov 2009 | 10:27 am
    Good news for Connecticut homebuyers, both first time purchasers and “move-up” buyers as well. As LoanClassroom has continuously kept you abreast of legislation for the extension of the homebuyer tax credit with no surprise it is official. It is signed sealed and delivered. The new tax credit is in effect until April 30, 2010. You must ... Read More

  • First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit Extended

    Matt Isleib
    3 Nov 2009 | 10:27 am
    The Senate voted cloture last night on the bill containing the extension of the first time homebuyer tax credit. What that means is by this Friday the tax credit shall be inked. And in laymen terms cloture is a procedure by which the Senate can place a time limit on a bill, the maximum is 30 additional ... Read More

  • Conforming Jumbo Mortgages Extended

    Matt Isleib
    2 Nov 2009 | 12:27 pm
    The U.S. House and Senate have passed the extension of the conforming jumbo mortgage through all of 2010. The mortgages which are securitized through Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac as well as FHA have helped a non-existent jumbo mortgage market. The mortgages are not available in all real estate markets. They are for select “high cost” counties ... Read More
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    Vero Beach Real Estate

  • Vero Beach Real Estate Sales (November 10 – November 16, 2009)

    starfish
    16 Nov 2009 | 11:50 am
    Vero Beach Real Estate Paul Kitchen and Starfish Real Estate provide clients, family and close friends with professional, honest and dependable service. A resident of Vero Beach, Paul is extremely familiar with the local neighborhoods including VERO BEACH, school districts and the Vero Beach Real Estate market in this beautiful Indian River County town. Paul Kitchen Broker-Owner Starfish Real Estate 40 Royal Palm Pointe Vero Beach, FL 32960 (772) 539-8420 (772) 539-8360 fax (800) 793-7304 toll free Vero Beach Real Estate Vero Beach Real Estate Blog

  • BERMUDA CLUB Homes For Sale | Vero Beach Real Estate

    starfish
    16 Nov 2009 | 11:43 am
    Find BERMUDA CLUB Homes For Sale and BERMUDA CLUB Home Values. We also have information on mortgages, insurance, movers and other Vero Beach Real Estate Services for anyone looking to sell or buy a home in beautiful INDIAN RIVER COUNTY Florida. Vero Beach Real Estate Paul Kitchen and Starfish Real Estate provide clients, family and close friends with professional, honest and dependable service. A resident of Vero Beach, Paul is extremely familiar with the local neighborhoods including BERMUDA CLUB, school districts and the Vero Beach Real Estate market in this beautiful Indian River County…

  • Vero Beach Real Estate Sales (November 3 – November 9, 2009)

    starfish
    11 Nov 2009 | 2:48 pm
    Vero Beach Real Estate Paul Kitchen and Starfish Real Estate provide clients, family and close friends with professional, honest and dependable service. A resident of Vero Beach, Paul is extremely familiar with the local neighborhoods including VERO BEACH, school districts and the Vero Beach Real Estate market in this beautiful Indian River County town. Paul Kitchen Broker-Owner Starfish Real Estate 40 Royal Palm Pointe Vero Beach, FL 32960 (772) 539-8420 (772) 539-8360 fax (800) 793-7304 toll free Vero Beach Real Estate Vero Beach Real Estate Blog

  • Homebuyer Tax Credit Extended/Expanded

    starfish
    6 Nov 2009 | 12:56 pm
    With the nation’s unemployment rate busting through the 10% mark in October, President Obama on Friday signed legislation extending the $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit and giving additional tax breaks to certain homeowners trading up. Passed overwhelmingly by Congress, the bill would provide a $6,500 tax credit to homeowners who are buying a new primary residence beginning Dec. 1. The language mandates that to get the credit the homeowner must have owned their home for five consecutive years of the previous eight. But there are caps on the tax credits. They only apply to…

  • Vero Beach Real Estate Sales (October 27 – November 2, 2009)

    starfish
    4 Nov 2009 | 1:32 pm
    Vero Beach Real Estate Paul Kitchen and Starfish Real Estate provide clients, family and close friends with professional, honest and dependable service. A resident of Vero Beach, Paul is extremely familiar with the local neighborhoods including VERO BEACH, school districts and the Vero Beach Real Estate market in this beautiful Indian River County town. Paul Kitchen Broker-Owner Starfish Real Estate 40 Royal Palm Pointe Vero Beach, FL 32960 (772) 539-8420 (772) 539-8360 fax (800) 793-7304 toll free Vero Beach Real Estate Vero Beach Real Estate Blog
 
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    Oh My Apartment

  • Pest Control Solutions for Your Container Garden

    Lisa Bernstein
    20 Nov 2009 | 11:55 am
    Like it or not, pest control will be part of your container garden. Fortunately, pest control is easier when gardening in containers. By understanding how plants become infested, and your options for dealing with infestations, you’ll be able to keep the situation under control. Avoiding Pest Infestations Do a little research. Choose plants resistant to pests. When buying plants from a garden center, inspect them carefully to ensure that they’re healthy and free of pests. To keep your plants healthy, always use sterile potting soil and sterile containers. Thoroughly wash and…

  • The Benefits of Dating Your Neighbor

    Staff Writer
    20 Nov 2009 | 11:45 am
    Dating a neighbor can be a very smart move. Your date certainly never has to go far to pick you up. People have been singing the praises of dating those nearby since long before Judy Garland sang its praises in her famous ballad, “The Boy Next Door” in “Meet Me In St. Louis.” Although it can have the potential downfall of many inevitable awkward moments if things don’t work out, the benefits of dating your neighbor far outweigh the risks. Some say that dating your neighbor is similar to actually living together, but there are things that are special to this…

  • Summer Celebrations: Utilizing Your Apartment’s Recreational Facilities

    Rachael Weiner
    20 Nov 2009 | 11:38 am
    If you’re looking to make use of the amenities available with your apartment, especially during the summer, consider using your your complex’s recreational facilities. Your apartment complex’s recreational facility is an excellent place to host a large party or gathering that wouldn’t necessarily fit in a small apartment setting. Ready to begin planning? Not only is the process of using your apartment’s recreational facilities simple, it opens up options for your summer party plans.Make the Reservation First When you’re looking to use the recreational…

  • Unique Apartment Pets: Reptiles

    Staff Writer
    20 Nov 2009 | 11:26 am
    Reptiles may not be traditional apartment pets, but they’re perfect for the smaller home environment because of their size, habitats and relatively simple care. While every kind of reptile requires individualized care, there are some basic facts about caring for reptiles that anyone considering reptile pets should know. Types of Reptiles for Beginners The best apartment pets for first-time reptile owners include: Bearded dragon lizards Blue-tongued skinks Box turtles California kingsnakes Corn snakes Leopard geckos Slider turtles These reptiles are relatively inexpensive, easy to find…

  • Choose the Right Los Angeles Neighborhood for You

    Staff Writer
    20 Nov 2009 | 11:22 am
    Los Angeles is a melting point of cultures from all over the country and world. Oftentimes a Los Angeles neighborhood reflects a rainbow of diversity, and there’s a lot of neighborhood hopping in this sprawled-out city where heavy traffic is simply a way of life. Where you’ll want to live depends on why you are here and what parts of the city you plan on working and playing in. Area Codes Some observe that L.A. is divided by its varying area codes. The area code 323 includes Hollywood and the Mid-Wilshire area (south of Hollywood). The 213 area code includes downtown Los Angeles,…
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    Missouri Living at it's BEST

  • Development Acreage for sale along US Highway 160 South.

    Steve Mattison (Souvenir Realty, Inc. )
    20 Nov 2009 | 11:27 am
      Quick Links                     Virtual Tour   Request More Info Email Listing More Photos(13) More Photos(13) 47 acres available.  Steve Mattison ABR e-Pro  Email Steve Work: 417-357-8326Cell: 417-350-9743Fax: 417-357-6976         Address: Lot 2, Calabash Dr. Type: Lots and Land Style: Commercial Suite: No Living Area: Year Built: 0 More Details   Description   Situated along the busy US Hwy 13/160 Corridor behind the Gas Station and Mini-mall businesses that populate this outer-road in…

  • Lot 15 Calabash Drive, Spokane, MO 65754 for sale.

    Steve Mattison (Souvenir Realty, Inc. )
    20 Nov 2009 | 10:42 am
         Steve Mattison ABR e-ProEmail Steve<!--Contact Info in the format [Type of contact]:[number] repeating for each-->Work: 417-357-8326Cell: 417-350-9743Fax: 417-357-6976 More Photos(11) 3+ acres <!--Quick links--> Quick Links                     Virtual Tour   Request More Info Email Listing More Photos(11)     <!--First 10 details in the format [DetailType]:[Detail] next detail-->Address: Lot 15 Calabash Dr Type: Lots and Land Style: Commercial Suite: No Living Area: Year Built: 0 More…

  • 109 Fritts Way, Branson West, Missouri 65737 for sale.

    Steve Mattison (Souvenir Realty, Inc. )
    20 Nov 2009 | 10:22 am
      Souvenir Realty, Inc. Steve Mattison ABR e-ProEmail SteveWork: 417-357-8326Cell: 417-350-9743Fax: 417-357-6976 More Photos(12) Home sits back of garage   Quick Links                     Virtual Tour   Request More Info Email Listing More Photos(12)   Details   Address: 109 Fritts Way Type: Residential Style: Single Story Bedrooms: 3 Bathrooms: 2 Suite: Yes Living Area: 1,158 square feet Year Built: 1993 More Details   Description   Income property in great location &/or energy saver investment for…

  • 82 Santana Circle, Reeds Spring, MO 65737 for sale.

    Steve Mattison (Souvenir Realty, Inc. )
    17 Nov 2009 | 1:31 pm
    $165,000 lakeside lifestye at normal residential price! Souvenir Realty, Inc. Steve Mattison ABR e-ProEmail SteveWork: 417-357-8326Cell: 417-350-9743Fax: 417-357-6976 More Photos(36) Home is like new inside & out Quick Links                     Virtual Tour   Request More Info Email Listing More Photos(36) Details   Address: 82 Santana Circle Type: Residential Style: 2 Story Bedrooms: 2 Bathrooms: 2 Suite: No Living Area: 1,400 square feet Year Built: 2004 More Details   Description   Table Rock Lake access and view…

  • Happy Birthday Semper Fi!

    Steve Mattison (Souvenir Realty, Inc. )
    10 Nov 2009 | 2:10 pm
      To all current and formerly more active Gyrenes, a big shout-out oooraaah to you!!!   Via Lynchburg Campbell County Bedford County Nannette Saunders ASSOCIATE BROKER (RE/MAX 1st Olympic):When my oldest told me he was joining the United States Marines shortly after September 11, I admit I was scared to death.  A year later my youngest did the same thing.  Both of them have served our country and I could not be more proud.  The freedom we have in this country takes on a different meaning for me since they have become Marines.  The sacrifices that our armed forces…
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    Nelson NZ Real Estate

  • The Real Estate Appraisal ~ about to be…..

    David Leggott
    20 Nov 2009 | 1:54 am
    …..about to become the most important thing that you can get from your Real Estate professional? Why? Hang in there and read this through……then tell me your thoughts in the comments section. If what another Voices poster here on this platform said is going to happen, then the NZ Government is about to spend invest a figure approaching [...]

  • Bet you haven’t heard of Sauvignon Gris

    David Leggott
    19 Nov 2009 | 9:18 am
    Courtesy of our temperate climate here in the Top of The South, vineyards and therefore the products they create, seem to flourish. When friends and family visit from far away, there’s nothing more enjoyable that driving around (with a designated driver of course) vineyards for a tasting, then dropping off for a light lunch to test [...]

  • Nelson wins 2 National House of the Year 2009 Awards

    David Leggott
    18 Nov 2009 | 9:49 am
    Local tradesmen shine in National awards. In case you missed it the Placemakers House of the Year 2009 Awards were handed out in Auckland last weekend. Although the winning home mentioned here was in Auckland, Nelson did receive two notable NZ overall Category wins. Local company Tasman Holdings won Gold in the best new home construction under [...]

  • Former Real Estate Agent set to become multi-Billionaire….

    David Leggott
    17 Nov 2009 | 12:11 am
    17th November 2009 Can a career in Real Estate really give you a “step up” for future prosperity? Well ……if this is anything to go by, a yes vote comes to mind. Monday 16th Nov 2009….and the Australian Financial Review reports on their website Front Page above that indeed this could soon happen to a [...]

  • Perhaps my Shortest Post Ever

    David Leggott
    16 Nov 2009 | 10:50 pm
    Hmmmmm. I’ve decided to relinquish - favourite word on the telephone for a Real Estate Agent…but I digress. I’ve relinquished the URL www.nzblog.co.nz, by about 11am tomorrow. So if you are interested…go for it. Frankly all it did was redirect to here anyway. And so anyway……… why am I making this post? One reason folks ~ its not a bad URL [...]
 
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    Andy Tolbert

  • The 3 Foot Giant… How Tall Are You?

    Andy Tolbert
    10 Nov 2009 | 12:53 pm
    I just got back from a full morning of appointments and was all ready to write to you about the USDA/Rural Housing loan programs and how buyers can get ZERO down financing with NO M.I. But first I checked my email… offer on listing (print), closing confirmation for Friday (put in calendar, 1pm), email from my friend Nick: Hmmmmm…. he usually has some great insight to share for my business… let’s take a look! What I found was quite amazing, so I’m covering USDA next week, this week, I want you to meet Sean Stephenson. Author, Motivational Speaker, Therapist, and…

  • Lessons I’ve Learned…

    Andy Tolbert
    5 Nov 2009 | 9:41 am
    You might have read the poem by Robert Fulghum, All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten… You know, share everything, play fair, clean up your own mess, etc. Well lately I’ve been pondering where I learned some of my childhood lessons that have made me the person that I am today and I want to share some with you (who knows…maybe you’ll get some ideas!) This may come as a surprise, but I actually am a country farm girl. No, really. My family had farmland and cattle. My first job was selling watermelons out of the back of the truck at an intersection. My…

  • PROOF of Bank of America’s new Streamlined Short Sale Process!

    Andy Tolbert
    27 Oct 2009 | 12:19 pm
    A few weeks ago I wrote about the NEW streamlined process on short sales at Bank of America (If you missed it, CLICK HERE) I also got lots of comments from people that just don’t believe it! Well, today it was confirmed. We had a buyer fall out on one of my approved shorts and when I contacted BofA for resubmission they sent me a note that said we had to follow the new procedure and they sent me a “brochure” as they called it. Here’s the link to see the new Bank of America Short Sale Brochure… it’s so new that this appears to be a proof that the mitigator…

  • Instructors, Please Control Your Class!

    Andy Tolbert
    21 Oct 2009 | 10:58 am
    Please Control Your Class! I’ve been leading trainings for almost 10 years now, and the longer I do, the more “Bad Andy” rears her head (in case you didn’t know, Bad Andy is my Mii Avatar when I play Wii) When I first started training, I hoped that everyone liked me, I hoped everyone learned something, and I hoped that everyone would give me a good review. After the class I always went straight to the reviews and read every single one, and 99% of them could be rave reviews, but if even 1 said anything negative at all, it would send me into a funk that would sometimes…

  • HOLY COW! Can It Be True? Bank of America Really has Streamlined Shortsales? Finally?

    Andy Tolbert
    8 Oct 2009 | 1:44 pm
    I just got off the phone doing my “status calls” on my short sales… and there might be hope! First of all, “Michael” looked up my first loan number (the one we’ve been working on since December) and he said “can you hold on for a minute?” then about 10 minutes later he came back and said “I had to double check because the notes didn’t make sense… you’ve skipped phase 2 and we have investor (FannieMae) approval while you were still technically in phase 1! I’ve never seen that before!” Now, I already knew we had…
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    Realty Times

  • 15-Year FRM Drops to Lowest Ever Recorded in Freddie Mac Survey Hi

    19 Nov 2009 | 10:00 pm
    Freddie Mac today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) in which the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 4.83 percent with an average 0.7 point for the week ending November 19, 2009, down from last week when it averaged 4.91 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 6.04 percent.

  • Green-building Growing, More Jobs, More Buyer Interest

    19 Nov 2009 | 10:00 pm
    According to a new study from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and Booz Allen Hamilton, construction in the green-building industry will support 7.9 million jobs over the next four years while pumping into the American economy $554 billion. Currently, 2 million American jobs are supported by the same industry and more than $100 billion in gross domestic product and wages is generated.

  • Investor Report: HUD's Condo Rules

    19 Nov 2009 | 10:00 pm
    HUD just changed its condominium rules again, and there's both good news and sobering news for investors and developers tucked away in the revisions.

  • It's Not What Happens, But How You React That Counts

    19 Nov 2009 | 10:00 pm
    A Champion realizes it's not what happens but how they react to it that counts.
 
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    craigmische.com : lakefront real estate in Alexandria, MN

  • Two on South Lake Le Homme Dieu in Alexandria, Minnesota

    Craig Mische
    20 Nov 2009 | 1:38 pm
    There are two properties on the south end of Lake Le Homme Dieu that could share wireless connections and will share the distinction of being two of the best steals of 2009 once they sell. One is bank owned (the current list price is $127,100 lower than Douglas County's Estimated Market Value) the other now has a list price that will make it a short sale (any Purchase Agreement will need to be approved by the lender).

  • Over 50% Off the 2005 Ask Price

    Craig Mische
    19 Nov 2009 | 7:41 am
    A property on Lake Le Homme Dieu is now listed more than 50% lower than it was in 2005. The most recent reduction (dropped $50,000) took place this morning so on this site, or lehommedieu.com, you won't see the reduction until after midnight tonight when the data feed is updated.

  • Another $51,000 Off

    Craig Mische
    18 Nov 2009 | 12:12 pm
    A Maple Lake property with eastern exposure has been reduced by $51,000. This is in addition to earlier price reductions which combined are $596,000 lower than the original list price.

  • 5 and 10 on KSAX Eyewitness News

    Craig Mische
    17 Nov 2009 | 1:37 pm
    If you are in the Alexandria area tonight tune into ABC affiliate KSAX tonight at 5 and 10 for Eyewitness News. I was at a Maple Lake lot this afternoon with KSAX reporter Megan Matthews to talk about lakefront real estate in Alexandria.

  • Operating a Boat in Minnesota

    Craig Mische
    16 Nov 2009 | 8:39 am
    There are nearly 900,000 watercraft registered with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and children under 12 may operate a watercraft of 25 horsepower (hp) or less. A boat with more power may be operated by 12-17 year olds if they have a watercraft operator's permit or someone on board the watercraft that is 21 years or older. [Link: Minnesota Saftety Council : BOAT SAFETY]
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    WSJ.com Video - Real Estate

  • News Hub: Signs of Trouble for Housing Rebound

    18 Nov 2009 | 2:41 pm
    WSJ's Bob Hagerty discusses disappointing data on October housing starts and whether expectations of a rebound may have been premature.

  • Why Housing Won't 'Crater'

    18 Nov 2009 | 9:03 am
    Industry consultant John Burns talks to reporter Nick Timiraos about where the market is headed and the significance of low mortgage rates, the home buyer tax credit and the FHA, which he calls the "new subprime."

  • News Hub: Trump Decides to Fold 'Em

    17 Nov 2009 | 2:34 pm
    The "News Hub" panel discusses Donald Trump's decision to end his bid to regain control of some Atlantic City, N.J., casinos.

  • PM Report: Another Housing Bailout?

    12 Nov 2009 | 1:00 pm
    The U.S. Federal Housing Administration's cash reserves drops well below the congressionally mandated level. The News Hub discusses whether we should expect another housing bailout. Plus, military prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty for alleged Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan.

  • Viewpoints: Laurence Fink on Real Estate Sector

    10 Nov 2009 | 9:40 am
    In the latest Viewpoints Breakfast series, Laurence Fink, Chairman and CEO of BlackRock Inc. says that although commercial real estate took quite a blow during 2006 and 2007, he still likes the sector.
 
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    WSJ.com: Developments

  • Tom Clancy’s $12.6 Million Condo Buy Boosts Baltimore Market

    20 Nov 2009 | 3:25 pm
    Evan Joseph Prices are ’stratospheric’ at the waterside condos. Tom Clancy has given a bit of a boost to the battered condominium market – at least in Baltimore. The novelist this week paid $12.6 million for three condos that will be combined to create an 11,959-square-foot penthouse in the Ritz-Carlton Residences in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, according to published reports and people familiar with the matter. The price amounts to $1,054 per square foot. That’s a stratospheric price tag for gritty Baltimore, where average condo sales run in the range of $300 to $500 per…

  • October Home Sales May Look Unseasonably Hot

    20 Nov 2009 | 2:14 pm
    There’s been a lot of negative housing news lately, but some analysts say existing home sales for October, due to be reported Monday morning by the National Association of Realtors, will be strong, partly because buyers lunged after tax credits. Let’s hear from three of the most respected gurus: Tom Lawler, an independent economist who tracks sales from hundreds of local sources, expects a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.82 million units, up 4.5% from September. Ivy Zelman, CEO of Zelman & Associates, forecasts 5.72 million but says she wouldn’t be surprised by numbers in the…

  • Builders’ Dream Home: A McMansion-Sized Nightmare

    20 Nov 2009 | 11:13 am
    RM Design Studio A rendering of the “New American Home” With all the talk about American preferences shifting to smaller homes, we were surprised that this year’s “New American Home” measures a whopping 6,800 square feet, much larger than the national median of 2,219 square feet. So, for that reason (and many others) it’s hardly surprising the Las Vegas address has fallen on hard times. As we wrote in today’s WSJ, construction has been halted on the showpiece. Crafted to capture emerging trends in residential building and the shifting lifestyles of…

  • Luxury, High-Rise Condo Auction…In The Bronx

    20 Nov 2009 | 10:33 am
    Peter Rymwid The Solaria’s glassy exterior belies a mostly-empty interior How do you get skittish buyers to sign deals on newly constructed condos in a down market? Joseph Korff, a New York City developer thinks he has the answer: Auction. On Sunday, 54 out of the 64 condos at Mr. Korff’s Solaria in the Bronx’s Riverdale neighborhood, hit the block in what will be New York City’s first auction of luxury high-rise apartments. Other city developers, lenders and auctioneers are watching closely, as the Solaria’s success could help determine how others try to unload their…

  • Friday Diversion: Hilfiger Sells in Greenwich, ‘Twilight’ House For Sale

    20 Nov 2009 | 10:21 am
    Sotheby’s International Realty The home in Greenwich that Tommy Hilfiger recently sold The “New American Home” becomes a poster child for the building industry’s woes. Meanwhile, here’s a look at some high-end finished homes making news this week: Fashion mogul Tommy Hilfiger sells his home in Greenwich, Conn., for $20 million. He first listed the four-acres estate more than a year ago for $27.9 million and cut the price earlier this year to $21.9 million. Known as Stone Hill, the eight-bedroom, nine-bathroom mansion measures 20,000 square feet. It includes a…
 
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    BBC News and Sport Search: real estate

  • Nigeria's returning entrepreneurs

    20 Nov 2009 | 4:01 pm
    Many Nigerians have returned home to escape the rigours of the downturn in the West. But with Nigeria experiencing its own credit crunch can the country's brain gain be sustained?

  • Tamil rebels face doubtful future

    17 Nov 2009 | 8:41 am
    In the absence of an active leadership Tamils are wondering whether Tamil Tigers based abroad can revive the movement, says the BBC's Anbarasan Ethirajan.

  • 'No growth' for economy next year

    17 Nov 2009 | 3:01 am
    The Scots economy is forecast to achieve almost no growth during 2010, according to Strathclyde University analysis.

  • Obama seeking China's co-operation

    16 Nov 2009 | 7:31 am
    US President Barack Obama needs China's help on a range of issues from the economy to climate change, says the BBC's Beijing correspondent Damian Grammaticas.

  • Chinese views on Obama's visit

    16 Nov 2009 | 6:27 am
    Residents of Beijing tell the BBC what they think of Barack Obama's first visit as US president to China.
 
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    Real Estate Q&A

  • When Co-op Units Are in Poor Condition

    By JAY ROMANO
    20 Nov 2009 | 3:50 pm
    If an apartment in a co-op building has fallen into serious disrepair, should a prospective buyer worry that there are other such apartments in the building?

  • The Right Time to Show an Apartment

    By JAY ROMANO
    20 Nov 2009 | 3:50 pm
    My landlord has become demanding about showing my rental unit to prospective tenants. When I refused, he accused me of being uncooperative. I am afraid that if I don't comply with his demands, I may not get back my security deposit. What should I do?

  • Knowing Your Delinquent Neighbors

    By JAY ROMANO
    20 Nov 2009 | 3:49 pm
    My condominium recently circulated a list of all owners who are delinquent in paying common charges. Is this legal?

  • Rent Stabilization Tied to Tax Abatement

    By JAY ROMANO
    13 Nov 2009 | 8:22 am
    We are thinking of renting in a new co-op building. We have been told that after the two-year lease ends, we will become rent-stabilized tenants. What would happen if the landlord lost the building or it was sold to someone else? Would we have to move?

  • Individual Meters in a Rental Building

    By JAY ROMANO
    13 Nov 2009 | 8:22 am
    Our landlord is installing individual electric meters in each apartment in our building, which has a mixture of regulated and nonregulated tenants. Each tenant will be paying for his or her own electricity, but at a lower-than-normal rate because of the large total consumption. Is this legal?
 
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    Real Estate News

  • Lawmakers consider new property tax rules

    21 Nov 2009 | 8:26 am
    South Carolina's property tax revisions of 2006 were set up to benefit homeowners and those who own the same property for many years, but those same changes resulted in big tax increases for anyone who bought property starting in 2007.

  • Real estate agents see return of foreign buyers

    21 Nov 2009 | 4:04 am
    Canadian investor Arthur Wong is buying condos in Las Vegas and Phoenix like a shopper at Costco: In bulk, with slashed prices.

  • Many Believe Home Value Has Decreased

    20 Nov 2009 | 11:47 pm
    Wiped out home values continue to be a problem for many home owners and they may not even know it! According to a new report by Zillow.com, nearly half of those asked, believe that their home values have decreased.

  • NH Realtors: Market improving

    20 Nov 2009 | 7:29 pm
    NH Realtors: Market improving MANCHESTER Although national numbers indicate the housing slump may not yet be over, New Hampshire real estate sales show the local housing market is in the midst of a slow and steady recovery.

  • Web sites cater to for-sale-by-owner

    20 Nov 2009 | 3:24 pm
    Selling a home without a real estate agent can save thousands of dollars in commission fees, but it can also be a painstaking, confusing task.
 
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    Mortgage News

  • Ohio public pensions sue ratings agencies

    21 Nov 2009 | 9:30 am
    Ohio's public pension systems are suing Standard & Poor's, Moody's and Fitch - companies that provide credit ratings for investments.

  • Guest column: Break up the big corporations

    21 Nov 2009 | 4:58 am
    We are in the midst of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. More than 27 million American workers are either unemployed, underemployed or have given up looking for work.

  • Florida Bank 124th Banking Failure of 2009 | Problem Bank List

    21 Nov 2009 | 12:34 am
    The latest data from the Mortgage Bankers Association reports that a record breaking one in seven (14%) of all households are 30 days or more overdue on mortgage payments or in foreclosure. Mortgage defaults have steadily increased since 2006 and show no signs of slowing - not exactly a good omen for the banking industry. ...

  • Seven accused of defrauding Inland home investors of millions

    20 Nov 2009 | 11:32 pm
    Seven people were arrested Thursday and charged with operating a $142 million mortgage and security fraud that pushed 201 Riverside County homes into foreclosure and harmed hundreds of investors in California and Arizona, driving many to financial ruin.

  • Rates on 30-year mortgages remain below 5 percent

    20 Nov 2009 | 7:15 pm
    Rates on 30-year mortgages stayed below 5 percent this week but remained above the record set earlier this year, Freddie Mac said Thursday.
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    Foreclosure News

  • D.R. Horton sees 26 perecent spike in 4Q orders

    21 Nov 2009 | 7:35 am
    In this May 7, 2009 file photo, homes built by D.R. Horton Inc. are shown in Cahndler, Ariz.D.R. Horton Inc.

  • FHA feeling the heat to pump up its reserves

    21 Nov 2009 | 3:28 am
    For the past several years, the Federal Housing Administration has been the go-to financing resource for cash-strapped homebuyers who can't come up with a big down payment.

  • Agencies to receive $18 million for ...

    20 Nov 2009 | 11:11 pm
    Housing agencies and developers in five Arkansas cities will get nearly $18 million in loans from the Arkansas Development Finance Authority to build more than 200 homes for low-income households.

  • Ohio AG sues credit agencies for public pensions

    20 Nov 2009 | 6:59 pm
    The three major credit ratings agencies gave mortgage-backed securities unjustifiably high ratings in return for lucrative fees, losing at least $457 million for five Ohio public employee pension and retirement funds, the state's attorney general alleged in a lawsuit filed Friday.

  • Housing Recovery in U.S. Is Set Back to 2010 With Market on `Life Support'

    20 Nov 2009 | 2:53 pm
    A recovery in U.S. housing will have to wait at least until next year. The outlook for the home market dimmed this week as residential construction and mortgage applications fell and loan delinquencies reached a record.
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    HUD Press Releases

  • Statements by DHS Secretary Napolitano and HUD Secretary Donovan On Today's Disaster Recovery Stakeholder Forum in Salt Lake City

    19 Nov 2009 | 4:00 am
    SALT LAKE CITY-The Long Term Disaster Recovery Working Group held its fourth of five planned stakeholder forums today in Salt Lake City-designed to encourage stakeholders to provide direct input and ideas for disaster recovery

  • President Obama Establishes Interagency Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force

    11 Nov 2009 | 4:00 am
    WASHINGTON - Attorney General Eric Holder, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan, and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairwoman Mary Schapiro today announced that President Barack Obama has established by Executive Order an interagency Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force to strengthen efforts to combat financial crime. The Department of Justice will lead the task force and the Department of Treasury, HUD and the SEC will serve on the steering committee. The task force's leadership, along with representatives from a broad…

  • Long term Disaster Recovery working group holds inaugural stakeholder forum in New Orleans

    4 Nov 2009 | 4:00 am
    NEW ORLEANS-The Long Term Disaster Recovery Working Group held the first of five planned stakeholder forums today in New Orleans. The Working Group, co-chaired by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano and Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan and comprised of the Secretaries and Administrators of approximately 20 departments and agencies, will provide President Obama with recommendations on how to improve long-term disaster recovery with a particular focus on catastrophic disasters.

  • HUD takes action against reverse mortgage lender in Hawaii

    30 Oct 2009 | 5:00 am
    WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today announced that its Mortgagee Review Board (MRB) is proposing to permanently withdraw the HUD/FHA approval of Financial Mortgage USA, Inc., a Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM or reverse mortgage) lender based in Honolulu, Hawaii. HUD's MRB alleges the Company failed to implement an FHA-required quality control plan; separate its lending operations from those of its affiliated insurance company; conform to prudent lending practices; and properly provide borrowers with housing counseling services.

  • Administration calls on Congress to approve key housing measures

    29 Oct 2009 | 5:00 am
    WASHINGTON, DC - Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan called on Congress to approve three important measures to improve housing and the housing market for Americans: extension of the First Time Homebuyers Tax Credit for a limited period, extension of higher loan limits for home mortgages, and secure funding for the Housing Trust Fund.
 
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    What's New on HUDclips

  • Federal Register - FR-5280-N-45

    20 Nov 2009 | 4:30 am
    Federal Property Suitable as Facilities To Assist the Homeless

  • Mortgagee Letter 2009-49

    19 Nov 2009 | 10:45 pm
    Home Equity Conversion Mortgage Program: Subordinate Liens

  • Federal Registers

    19 Nov 2009 | 5:54 am
    FR-5281-N-96 Recovery Act Reporting for the Community Development Block Grant Program for Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Villages (ICDBG) FR-5281-N-95 Recovery Act Reporting for the Native American Housing Block Grant (NAHBG) Competitive Program FR-5281-N-94 Neighborhood Stabilization Program 2 (NSP2) FR-5281-N-93 Neighborhood Networks Management and Tracking Data Collection Instruments

  • PIH Notice 2009-47

    19 Nov 2009 | 5:53 am
    Public Housing Operating Subsidy Calculations for Calendar Year 2010

  • Mortgagee Letter 2009-48

    18 Nov 2009 | 8:45 am
    Second Appraisal Reporting Requirements
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    Housing Wire

  • House Amendment Allows Dismantling of ‘Too Big to Fail’ Firms

    AUSTIN KILGORE
    20 Nov 2009 | 12:48 pm
    A House Financial Services Committee amendment that passed this week would empower federal regulators to dismantle financial firms considered “too big to fail.” The amendment, authored by House Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government Sponsored Enterprises chair Paul Kanjorski (D-PA), was included to the Financial Stability Improvement Act with a vote of 38-29. The [...]

  • Fed Buys Another $16Bn of Agency MBS

    DIANA GOLOBAY
    20 Nov 2009 | 11:01 am
    The Federal Reserve Bank of New York bought another $16bn of agency mortgage-backed securities (MBS) in the week ending November 18. The Fed’s gross weekly purchases totaled $17.2bn. The Fed bought $5.9bn from Freddie Mac (FRE: 1.14 -1.72%), $4.55bn from Fannie Mae (FNM: 1.02 -0.97%) and $6.77bn from Ginnie Mae. The Fed also sold $1.23bn of agency [...]

  • ABCP Outstandings Slip 35% in 2009

    DIANA GOLOBAY
    20 Nov 2009 | 9:06 am
    Total US asset-backed commercial paper (ABCP) outstandings were at $455bn as of November 4, a 35% decline from the beginning of 2009, according to market commentary by Fitch Ratings. The fall in ABCP outstandings comes at a time when the industry is anticipating financial accountancy changes in January and the effect of global risk management regulations [...]

  • FHA Condo Financing Evaporating

    JON PRIOR
    20 Nov 2009 | 8:55 am
    [Update 1: clarifies time line of the new guidelines] In a letter to lenders, the Federal Housing Agency (FHA) produced new guidelines that would constrict financing for condominiums. Since then, brokers and condo owners report that FHA financing for condos is going from a flood to a trickle. In a letter released Nov. 6, the FHA provided [...]

  • PMI Group Sees Mixed Housing Activity in September

    AUSTIN KILGORE
    20 Nov 2009 | 7:59 am
    Housing activity was mixed in September, with existing sales up sharply, new sales down modestly, and starts about unchanged, PMI Group (PMI: 2.12 -0.93%) said in its monthly housing report. “We continue to project modest increases in home sales over the course of this year and next in response to high levels of affordability, investors and [...]
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    Housing Market

  • Behind the Home Building 'Shocker'

    The fitful nature of the housing sector's healing process was apparent Wednesday when a government report on new-home construction came in much weaker than economists had expected. The Commerce Department reported that October housing starts dropped nearly 11 percent from September and almost 31 percent from a year earlier. "The headline number is a shocker," Patrick Newport, U.S. economist at IHS Global Insight, said in a report. Here are four things you need to know about the development: 1. Single and multifamily drop: While single-family housing starts dropped nearly 7 percent…

  • Cheaper Prices—More Than Tax Credit—Motivating Home Buyers

    As the deadline approached, the National Association of Realtors urged lawmakers to extend the $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit, insisting that the perk had played such a vital role in the housing market's recent stability that its expiration was too risky. "Without congressional action now, the market and our national economy may freeze again—possibly as soon as this month," Ron Phipps, NAR's first vice president, told a Senate panel on October 20. Congress complied, passing bills to generously extend and expand the credit. The legislation—which President Obama…

  • What's Behind the Foreclosure Decrease

    Even as the housing market continues to stagger, foreclosure filings in October declined for the third month in a row. Foreclosure filings were reported on 332,292 properties last month, or 3 percent fewer than September's tally, real estate firm RealtyTrac said today. Even though filings remained 19 percent higher than a year earlier, "[t]hree consecutive monthly declines is unprecedented for our report," RealtyTrac CEO James Saccacio said in a statement. But with unemployment busting through the 10 percent threshold and a slew of state and federal initiatives against foreclosures…

  • 10 Tips for Selling Your Home in the Sluggish Winter Months

    While many Americans can't wait to cook their turkeys and decorate their Christmas trees, anyone trying to sell a home in the coming months will have an entirely different perspective of the holidays. More than three years after home prices peaked, sellers are still facing an unaccommodating market. On average, it takes between seven and eight weeks to sell a home these days. That's up sharply from four to five weeks back in September of 2005, according to the National Association of Realtors. But the real estate market's seasonal pattern will insert an additional hurdle in front of home…

  • 4 Reasons Your Retirement Is at Risk

    Whether it's over or not, the recession has made retirement at age 65 more difficult. New analysis from the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College found that 51 percent of Americans have a high risk of not being able to maintain their current lifestyle in retirement, up from 44 percent in 2007. "If they retire at age 65, they will not be able to maintain the same standard of living as they did before," says the center's director, Alicia Munnell, about the households at risk. These Americans will have to significantly cut their expenses when they leave the workforce at age…
 
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    Housing Predictor

  • Out of the Economic Mess

    1 Nov 2009 | 12:01 pm
    The key question financial experts in New York are asking is, "Can we ever get out of this mess?"

  • Investors to the Rescue

    27 Oct 2009 | 11:52 am
    A small Ohio company is coming to the rescue of homeowners at risk of foreclosure, matching private investors to buy homes.

  • Biggest Buyer Markets

    25 Oct 2009 | 6:08 pm
    In 2010 home buyers will get deals like it's a blue light special at K-Mart.

  • Holding Out

    25 Oct 2009 | 6:07 pm
    Early winter snows haven't chilled the markets in Minnesota, where the downturn isn't as bad as other places.

  • On the Come Back

    21 Oct 2009 | 8:28 am
    The turn around is starting in some areas of Arizona as markets signal early signs of hitting bottom.
 
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    The Business Insider: Housing Crisis

  • FHA Loans Help Three Broke Dudes Buy A Million-Dollar Building In San Francisco

    Joe Weisenthal
    20 Nov 2009 | 3:41 am
    The NYT brings us yet another lovely story about the FHA's relentless drive to create a new bubble in housing, by returning to the worst of the pre-bust practices. This story takes place in San Francisco In January, Mike Rowland was so broke that he had to raid his retirement savings to move here from Boston. A week ago, he and a couple of buddies bought a two-unit apartment building for nearly a million dollars. They had only a little cash to bring to the table but, with the federal government insuring the transaction, a large down payment was not necessary. “It was kind of crazy we…

  • Yow! One In Seven Homeowners With Mortgages Are In Trouble

    John Carney
    19 Nov 2009 | 1:07 pm
    The Mortgage Bankers Association released a grim report today revealing that nearly one in seven households with mortgages is behind on payments or already in foreclosure.Last year, only one in 10 were behind. Two years ago, the number was just 7.3%.We’re now in what is clearly the second leg downward of the mortgage mess. While the early days of the mortgage crisis were driven largely by people saddled with complex mortgages they couldn’t afford to pay, now even homeowners with relatively sane mortgages are running into trouble as unemployment soars into the double digits.In a…

  • The Most Important Housing Chart Shows Things Are Still Getting Worse

    Henry Blodget
    19 Nov 2009 | 2:39 am
    Bulls are beside themselves about the recent housing recovery in house prices: It's off to the races again! This is a happy theory, but the trouble with it that the fundamental problem in the housing market is still getting worse, not better.  To wit: In the bubble years, we just built too damn many houses. This overbuilding has led to record vacancy rates, both in rentals and in rentals plus owner-occupied (not) housing.  This situation is not getting better.  On the contrary, it is getting worse. This chart from Calculated Risk tells the story.  The red line is…

  • The Housing Double Dip Has Arrived

    Joe Weisenthal
    19 Nov 2009 | 2:09 am
    After publicly doubting recovery all through the summer and early fall, the housing bears are definitely getting their moment, after two key numbers (mortgages and starts) came in particularly weak yesterday. Today the WSJ adds some further evidence that the much-feared "double dip" is happening. On Wednesday Pulte Homes Inc., the nation's largest home builder, warned investors of a grim outlook. "As we look out to 2010, we are expecting difficult conditions to continue," said chief executive Richard Dugas. Meanwhile, more Americans who bought homes during the boom are falling into mortgage…

  • Bob Toll: FHA Lending Is A "Train Wreck"

    Vince Veneziani
    18 Nov 2009 | 1:48 pm
    Robert Toll, CEO of Toll Brothers (TOL), the largest luxury homebuilder in the U.S., is cautioning that the Federal Housing Administration is going to end up as the next subprime mortgage crisis. And with good reason, too: Bloomberg: “Yesterday’s subprime is today’s FHA,” Toll said today at a New York conference for builders sponsored by UBS AG. “It’s a definite train wreck and the flag will go up in the next couple of months: Bail us out. Give us more money.” Toll Brothers is largest U.S. luxury homes builder. Alas, Housing and Urban Development…
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    Housing Crisis

  • The Fix Housing First Job is Not Done Yet

    jmcmanus
    19 Nov 2009 | 6:18 am
    When Raleigh, N.C.-based St. Lawrence Homes executive Rich Ohmann speaks, we know we have to listen. Yesterday, it was what Rich made of the media’s take on housing starts, which portrays home builders collectively as a villainous drag on a fragile economic recovery. Here’s Ohmann’s reaction: I love this story. It blames housing for dragging down the ‘budding economic recovery’.   I would submit that the prior turns of homebuilding were fueled by the creation of new homebuilding firms (we were one of them in the mid 1980’s). Today’s languishing condition is only…

  • Housing Heads Up

    jmcmanus
    16 Nov 2009 | 9:35 am
    As localized as residential real estate is, it should come as no surprise that there are as many views on the timing and shape of a housing recovery as there are people in the room. We’re with those who feel that volatility and uncertainty will figure powerfully into the next 12 to 18 months as people’s resilience and resourcefulness counter the heavy weight of foreclosures, a commercial real estate meltdown, and a 21st century economy that to date is very unsure of its footing. What is clear is housing is an economic issue, but one where politics and policy are involved at…

  • The Big Builder ‘09 Virtual Program Line Up

    jmcmanus
    12 Nov 2009 | 2:40 pm
    Click image for registration site. Big Builder Week is set to kick off Monday, Nov. 16. All in the home building community are invited to participate in this five-day event, which offers a rich educational program that will help event participants from up and down the management ranks at home building organizations nationwide sharpen their skills. Through live seminar events, online collaboration, and on-demand learning, this multimedia program teaches participants how to detect opportunity in a market, better reach target home buyers, manage more meaningfully and measurably, and get on plan…

  • Get Ready for BB09 Virtual, Get Ready for 2010

    jmcmanus
    12 Nov 2009 | 12:47 pm
    The news, you all know by now is that Bob Toll is starting to feel better about things in the home building business. Still, sales trends won’t feel comfortable as they knife up and down and everybody overreacts to immediate, short-term data, volatility reigns, banks continue to fail, consumers continue to owe more than they can spend, and people keep on getting pink-slipped. The headlines will report glowing recovery tidings one week, and two weeks later will be blasting out word of sputtering gains and imminent relapses into the worst of times. It won’t be true, but it will be…

  • Housing Policy Places a Big Bet on Home Builders

    jmcmanus
    9 Nov 2009 | 12:57 pm
    An extended, expanded home buyer tax credit and an expanded Net Operating Loss tax carryback measure last week rode the coat tails of the passage of law adding to the benefits period for those who are unemployed. Don’t think this outcome is not a triumph for those who fought for every Congressional vote, and don’t think for a moment that all this government beneficence was a given. Many, many other advocates and champions lobbied hard to have their respective proposals and resolutions bolted on to the freshly signed Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009. The…
 
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    Inman Blog

  • ARM'd for Halloween

    Inman_News
    30 Oct 2009 | 12:07 pm
    read more

  • The RE Barcamp DC reviews are in! One lucky blogger wins pass to Connect NYC '10

    RealEstateZebra
    30 Oct 2009 | 8:54 am
    On Tuesday, I attended RE Barcamp DC, in Herndon, VA.  Industry professionals came from all over to gather at the latest installment of RE Barcamp.  I know that I had a great time, and I'm sure a great time was had by all.  There was a lot of sharing, a lot of learning, and plenty of fun had throughout the day.One the great things about attending RE Barcamps as the Inman Community Manager is that I get the opporunity to give away great prizes.  This time, the prize was a Free Pass to Connect NYC '10 in January.  Needless to say, it was a coveted prize.  That makes me kinda like Santa…

  • Breaking open brokerages

    Inman_News
    20 Oct 2009 | 2:00 pm
    A new Inman News survey (click here to take the survey) explores the day-to-day challenges facing real estate brokers. Inman News is seeking participation from real estate brokers across the country in this survey. We define brokers, for the purposes of this survey, as those who manage/supervise agents/sales associates in some capacity, or who are sole proprietors who own the brokerage company but do not supervise agents/sales associates. If you are not a broker, please share this survey link with a broker you know: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=ww6nM2Vf6Qj1YLwuo_2fpUiw_3d_3d. Inman…

  • A New Twist on REbarCamp - Virtual REbarCamp

    MATTFAGIOLI1
    17 Oct 2009 | 3:53 pm
    Just got word about a very interesting new idea from Jim Cronin at Real Estate Tomato.  Jim is putting together the first ever virtual REbarCamp to be held on Nov 17th (2009) right after the NAR convention in San Diego.  A key aspect of most bar camps is the on-the-fly nature of the sessions.  Things just develop organically - based on who is there and whatever they want to talk about.  This new bar camp will be a full day of predetermined webinars with unlimited participants. Having the schedule set in advance makes great sense because it would be really hard to manage potentially…

  • Beach house for sale ...

    Inman_News
    16 Oct 2009 | 9:49 am
    Got a funny caption suggestion? Type a comment to share it with other readers. read more
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    Housing Wire

  • House Amendment Allows Dismantling of ‘Too Big to Fail’ Firms

    AUSTIN KILGORE
    20 Nov 2009 | 12:48 pm
    A House Financial Services Committee amendment that passed this week would empower federal regulators to dismantle financial firms considered “too big to fail.” The amendment, authored by House Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government Sponsored Enterprises chair Paul Kanjorski (D-PA), was included to the Financial Stability Improvement Act with a vote of 38-29. The [...]

  • Fed Buys Another $16Bn of Agency MBS

    DIANA GOLOBAY
    20 Nov 2009 | 11:01 am
    The Federal Reserve Bank of New York bought another $16bn of agency mortgage-backed securities (MBS) in the week ending November 18. The Fed’s gross weekly purchases totaled $17.2bn. The Fed bought $5.9bn from Freddie Mac (FRE: 1.14 -1.72%), $4.55bn from Fannie Mae (FNM: 1.02 -0.97%) and $6.77bn from Ginnie Mae. The Fed also sold $1.23bn of agency [...]

  • ABCP Outstandings Slip 35% in 2009

    DIANA GOLOBAY
    20 Nov 2009 | 9:06 am
    Total US asset-backed commercial paper (ABCP) outstandings were at $455bn as of November 4, a 35% decline from the beginning of 2009, according to market commentary by Fitch Ratings. The fall in ABCP outstandings comes at a time when the industry is anticipating financial accountancy changes in January and the effect of global risk management regulations [...]

  • FHA Condo Financing Evaporating

    JON PRIOR
    20 Nov 2009 | 8:55 am
    [Update 1: clarifies time line of the new guidelines] In a letter to lenders, the Federal Housing Agency (FHA) produced new guidelines that would constrict financing for condominiums. Since then, brokers and condo owners report that FHA financing for condos is going from a flood to a trickle. In a letter released Nov. 6, the FHA provided [...]

  • PMI Group Sees Mixed Housing Activity in September

    AUSTIN KILGORE
    20 Nov 2009 | 7:59 am
    Housing activity was mixed in September, with existing sales up sharply, new sales down modestly, and starts about unchanged, PMI Group (PMI: 2.12 -0.93%) said in its monthly housing report. “We continue to project modest increases in home sales over the course of this year and next in response to high levels of affordability, investors and [...]
 
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    Wash Post Housing Market

  • Real Estate Matters: There's more than the rate to consider in a refinance

    Ilyce R. Glink and Samuel J. Tamkin
    20 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pm
    Mortgage interest rates below 5 percent, combined with the recent extension and expansion of the home-buyer tax credits, give buyers a unique opportunity to purchase a home. But if you have enough equity in your property, it may also be a great time to lock in a lower interest rate and refinance...

  • Color of Money Book Club

    Michelle Singletary
    19 Nov 2009 | 9:00 am
    Personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary hosts a discussion with Lynn Jimenez, author of "¿Se Habla Dinero? The Everyday Guide to Financial Success," a personal finance book geared toward multigenerational Hispanic families.

  • The FHA's nose dive

    Post
    15 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pm
    THE COST of the housing bailout continues to rise. The government-run mortgage giant Fannie Mae requested another $15 billion from the Treasury this month, to help cover a loss of $19.8 billion in the third quarter. That brings the total tab for rescuing Fannie to $60 billion so far. Fannie's twi...

  • Joseph Gyourko -- 5 myths about homeownership

    Joseph Gyourko
    14 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pm
    Even as we wade through the wreckage of the housing collapse, Americans remain a staunchly house-proud people. And our government is apparently determined to encourage us: This month, President Obama signed into law an extension and expansion of the popular homebuyer tax credit, which had been...

  • A Brookings index of 'How We're Doing'

    Post
    14 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pm
    The economy's expansion last quarter, for the first time in more than a year, has prompted much speculation that the recession is over. This turning point, however, simply marks an end to the decline in activity. The unemployment rate is at the highest level since the early 1980s, and full...
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    WSJ.com: Developments

  • Tom Clancy’s $12.6 Million Condo Buy Boosts Baltimore Market

    20 Nov 2009 | 3:25 pm
    Evan Joseph Prices are ’stratospheric’ at the waterside condos. Tom Clancy has given a bit of a boost to the battered condominium market – at least in Baltimore. The novelist this week paid $12.6 million for three condos that will be combined to create an 11,959-square-foot penthouse in the Ritz-Carlton Residences in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, according to published reports and people familiar with the matter. The price amounts to $1,054 per square foot. That’s a stratospheric price tag for gritty Baltimore, where average condo sales run in the range of $300 to $500 per…

  • October Home Sales May Look Unseasonably Hot

    20 Nov 2009 | 2:14 pm
    There’s been a lot of negative housing news lately, but some analysts say existing home sales for October, due to be reported Monday morning by the National Association of Realtors, will be strong, partly because buyers lunged after tax credits. Let’s hear from three of the most respected gurus: Tom Lawler, an independent economist who tracks sales from hundreds of local sources, expects a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.82 million units, up 4.5% from September. Ivy Zelman, CEO of Zelman & Associates, forecasts 5.72 million but says she wouldn’t be surprised by numbers in the…

  • Builders’ Dream Home: A McMansion-Sized Nightmare

    20 Nov 2009 | 11:13 am
    RM Design Studio A rendering of the “New American Home” With all the talk about American preferences shifting to smaller homes, we were surprised that this year’s “New American Home” measures a whopping 6,800 square feet, much larger than the national median of 2,219 square feet. So, for that reason (and many others) it’s hardly surprising the Las Vegas address has fallen on hard times. As we wrote in today’s WSJ, construction has been halted on the showpiece. Crafted to capture emerging trends in residential building and the shifting lifestyles of…

  • Luxury, High-Rise Condo Auction…In The Bronx

    20 Nov 2009 | 10:33 am
    Peter Rymwid The Solaria’s glassy exterior belies a mostly-empty interior How do you get skittish buyers to sign deals on newly constructed condos in a down market? Joseph Korff, a New York City developer thinks he has the answer: Auction. On Sunday, 54 out of the 64 condos at Mr. Korff’s Solaria in the Bronx’s Riverdale neighborhood, hit the block in what will be New York City’s first auction of luxury high-rise apartments. Other city developers, lenders and auctioneers are watching closely, as the Solaria’s success could help determine how others try to unload their…

  • Friday Diversion: Hilfiger Sells in Greenwich, ‘Twilight’ House For Sale

    20 Nov 2009 | 10:21 am
    Sotheby’s International Realty The home in Greenwich that Tommy Hilfiger recently sold The “New American Home” becomes a poster child for the building industry’s woes. Meanwhile, here’s a look at some high-end finished homes making news this week: Fashion mogul Tommy Hilfiger sells his home in Greenwich, Conn., for $20 million. He first listed the four-acres estate more than a year ago for $27.9 million and cut the price earlier this year to $21.9 million. Known as Stone Hill, the eight-bedroom, nine-bathroom mansion measures 20,000 square feet. It includes a…
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    InvestorCentric

  • Job Growth Missing In Action

    The Capital Spectator
    20 Nov 2009 | 5:51 am
    Jobless claims staying over 500,000 may cause more worry about economic recovery turning into a double-dip recession. While the crowd has been conditioned to expect extreme outcomes due to recent events, we should be careful not to be overly pessimistic or optimistic says James Picerno. See the following article from The Capital SpectatorThe danger is not the past, but the future.Today’s update on weekly jobless claims may be the warning sign. New filings for jobless benefits were unchanged last week, hovering at 505,000, matching the previous week’s tally. Although this number is down…

  • Mortgage Delinquencies Reach Frightening New Record

    NuWire Investor
    20 Nov 2009 | 5:48 am
    One area of the economy that isn't improving is foreclosures which are not expected to peak until 2011 by some estimates. More bad news is that delinquencies have reached a new record with nearly 10% of home mortgages behind by at least one payment. See the following post from Expected ReturnsAs I've expected for months now, 'green shoots' are wilting before our very eyes. I've never heard of a recovery characterized by rising unemployment, record foreclosures, collapsing consumer credit, and falling consumer confidence, but hey, maybe we're in a new paradigm. From the New York Times, U.S.

  • Obama Changes His Tune On Deficit

    NuWire Investor
    19 Nov 2009 | 5:53 am
    After campaigning for and signing into effect more than $800 billion in federal stimulus, President Obama now is worried that too much debt could create a double-dip recession and recently spoke out against deficit spending. Although the federal stimulus package delivered limited and underwhelming job growth results, Democrats in Congress are already at work on a second package targeted at spurring job growth – one that will likely result in more deficit spending. See the following from The StreetPresident Obama, the champion of stimulus spending, is suddenly worried about an overload of…

  • Obama Wrong About Deficits Causing A Double-Dip Recession

    Economist's View
    19 Nov 2009 | 5:50 am
    Mark Thoma discusses why Obama is wrong about the deficit causing a double-dip recession. While he may be trying to reassure China about their US dollar concerns, a premature attempt to balance the budget before the economy is fully recovered is more likely to lead to a second recession. See the following post from Economist's ViewEdward Harrison catches this quote from Obama: The president is in Beijing as part of his tour through several Asian countries to address economic challenges. He spoke candidly about the precarious balancing act his administration is trying to perform. He wants to…

  • Why Gold Bubble Advocates Could Be Wrong

    NuWire Investor
    18 Nov 2009 | 5:59 am
    Gold has risen to an unprecedented $1140, causing some to conclude the market is a bubble about to burst. Moses Kim makes a case for resisting the urge to short gold as political tensions, particularly class conflict and concerns over taxation, will cause instability, volatility, and an increased demand for the security offered by gold. See the following post from Expected ReturnsThat is, if you want to survive as a trader. Anyone who has been trading actively for a reasonable period of time knows that gold and silver move to their own unique rhythm, and that shorting gold over the past…
 
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    The Housing Chronicles Blog

  • November column for "Builder & Developer" magazine now online

    20 Nov 2009 | 4:47 pm
    My column for the November issue of Builder & Developer magazine -- celebrating the 20th anniversary of the title -- is now online. In this issue, I wanted to explore how the future of how we use cars will impact new developments of all types. An excerpt:Ask any architect of a high-density development what the biggest challenge is to make the overall design work, and he (or she) will probably answer “parking.”Whether we’re talking about condominiums, apartments or a project which mixes residential with retail and office uses, poorly designed parking can doom an entire…

  • Design-Plan-Build Presentation now online

    20 Nov 2009 | 3:48 pm
    Along with KTGY's Damian Taitano and Simmetec USA's Bill Larson, the "Design-Plan-Build" session at the BIS '09 show in Long Beach went very well. If you missed it, you can still find a copy of my presentation on current trends -- along with best-selling projects in various counties of Southern California -- here.

  • Commercial REOs and CRE 2010 forecast

    20 Nov 2009 | 3:45 pm
    We had a great turn-out this morning for the BIS '09 session on Residential, Commercial and REO Forecasts. But fear not -- if you missed my presentation on what lies ahead for national commercial markets, you can still find it here.

  • Southern California housing update & economic forecast

    20 Nov 2009 | 3:38 pm
    If you missed my presentation for the Town Square at the 2009 Building Industry Show in Long Beach, you can find it here.

  • The mantra at ULI this week: prepare for major change

    6 Nov 2009 | 10:10 am
    I'll blog about this in more detail next week, but the major trend at this year's ULI Fall Meeting & Urban Expo is about preparing for change. We're not talking about minor changes in terms of architecture or product mix -- we're talking about significant changes due to demographic shifts in the U.S. population between now and 2050. Besides getting older, the U.S. will also get browner, as the birth rates for the Caucasian population is not high enough to replace itself.There have been some very interesting sessions this week, into which I hope to delve into more closely next week.
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    House Keys: Buying, selling, insuring your property | Sun-Sentinel Blogs

  • PSC staff recommends higher energy conservation goals for FPL

    20 Nov 2009 | 1:15 pm
    The Florida Public Service Commission staff recommends that Florida Power & Light conserve more than two times the energy it wants to save by 2019. Commissioner Nathan Skop chastised staffers for recommending goals close to the utility's proposal this month and the panel unanimously voted to direct staff to redo the recommendation with higher goals. The new recommendation would require FPL to conserve 2,177 gigawatt-hours of electricity by 2019 -- 2.5 times higher than the utility's proposed goal of 878 gigawatt-hours. PSC employees said in the report that they don't recommend Florida…

  • Citizens insurance rates will rise in South Florida by up to 12 percent

    20 Nov 2009 | 9:45 am
    Citizens Property Insurance Corp.’s average rates in Broward and Palm Beach counties will rise by nearly 12 percent next year for coastal homeowners, state officials said Friday. But rates for renters with coastal policies in Broward County and parts of Palm Beach County will decrease by 9.3 percent to 9.4 percent on average. Coastal condo unit owners’ rates will also drop in some parts of the two counties. Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty announced the final batch of rate hikes for Citizens on Friday. The rate changes – which work out to about 4 to 5 percent on average…

  • Ask a real estate professional: Can I qualify for a loan with an unemployment check?

    20 Nov 2009 | 8:32 am
    Louis Spagnuolo of WCS Lending in Boca Raton answers questions from readers. Today, he will address arm's-length transactions and qualifying for home loans. To ask a question that Louis may answer next week, click here. Q: I will be out of a job next month after seven years of employment and wanted to know if I will qualify for a home loan using my unemployment check? -- Richard A: Unfortunately, most underwriters expect that the income continue for at least three years in order to use it for qualification purposes. While no one knows for certain that any income is permanent (especially in…

  • Some good news for consumers as state tackles property insurance

    18 Nov 2009 | 5:30 pm
    Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty told the Florida Cabinet Tuesday that State Farm may not leave the state's property insurance market as planned and the state is developing a report card on insurers to help consumers and increase competition. “We’d like them to be a good neighbor so long as they are a fair neighbor," Gov. Charlie Crist said about McCarty's prediction that State Farm will stay in Florida in a smaller form. On the other side of the Capitol, a panel of insurers, contractors and others discussed how to speed up hurricane insurance claims. Insurance Consumer Advocate Sean…

  • Homeowners who downsize also can qualify for tax credit

    18 Nov 2009 | 7:30 am
    The expansion and extension of the $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit contains some interesting provisions that you probably haven't heard of until now. Under the new plan, “move up” buyers can receive $6,500 if they have lived in their prior homes for at least five years. Louis Spagnuolo of WCS Lending in Boca Raton did a little digging and found that people who want to downsize also can qualify for the credit. So if you want to unload, say, a $500,000 home for a $100,000 condo, you can get Uncle Sam’s cash. Also, Spagnuolo said, you don’t actually have to sell your existing…
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    Latest News (RSS)

  • Volunteers from Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity in Thailand for Habitat for Humanity’s 2009 Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project.

    18 Nov 2009 | 9:28 am
    MINNEAPOLIS, November 16, 2009 – Sixteen board members and staff from Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity (TCHFH) are in Thailand this week to volunteer alongside former U.S. President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn. TCHFH volunteers have joined thousands of other volunteers to build and rehabilitate 175 homes during the 26th annual Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project in Southeast Asia.  Read More...   

  • Finding the Silk Purse (Wall Street Journal)

    10 Nov 2009 | 9:02 am
    Many nonprofit organizations have been in survival mode since the economy went sour and donations began shrinking. But some are doing more than just getting by—they're finding ways to take advantage of the situation.  Read More... 

  • ‘Little House on the Prairie: The Musical’ volunteers on a Habitat for Humanity project in the Twin Cities

    15 Oct 2009 | 10:40 am
    St. Paul – Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity has partnered with “Little House on the Prairie, the Musical” to draw attention to the need for affordable housing. The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts is hosting the musical production October 13 - 25, and at the culmination of the tour the musical will make a minimum donation of $1,500 to Habitat for Humanity affiliates in each of the show’s tour markets.  Read more...

  • Cargill, Staley family sponsor first LEED Habitat for Humanity home in Hopkins

    25 Sep 2009 | 12:16 pm
    MINNEAPOLIS – Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity broke ground this month on the first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified Habitat for Humanity home to be built in Hopkins, Minn. The organization is hosting a kick-off celebration at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, September 29, at 146 Harrison Avenue in Hopkins.  Read More...

  • Take KARE of your MONEY: Foreclosure postponement law (KARE 11)

    25 Sep 2009 | 9:23 am
    Numbers from the first half of this year show that more than 11,000 foreclosures were recorded in Minnesota. But thanks to a new law, Sally Fresquez' home isn't yet on that list. And you may benefit from the same legislation.  Read More...
 
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    msnbc.com: Real estate

  • Forbes: World's most expensive homes

    20 Nov 2009 | 2:53 pm
    Prices have dipped, but some sellers are certain their nine-figure properties will attract buyers. Forbes - Business - Real estate - Construction and Maintenance - Residential Housing

  • Replacing a real estate agent with a Web site

    20 Nov 2009 | 11:21 am
    Selling a home without a real estate agent can save thousands of dollars in commission fees, but it can also be a painstaking, confusing task. Foregoing an agent, however, is easier these days thanks to Web sites that help homeowners advertise their properties. Real estate broker - Real estate - Business and Economy - United States - Property

  • Video: Video: Tips to find great real estate deals

    20 Nov 2009 | 6:30 am
    Nov. 20: TODAY’s Al Roker talks to TODAY real estate expert Barbara Corcoran about some great deals for homes across America that cost between $200,000 and $500,000. (Today Show) Today - Real estate - Al Roker - Barbara Corcoran - United States

  • Rates on 30-year loans still below 5 percent

    19 Nov 2009 | 9:24 am
    Rates on 30-year mortgages stayed below 5 percent this week but remained above the record set earlier this year, Freddie Mac said Thursday. Freddie Mac - Mortgage - Loan - Macintosh - Apple

  • Mortgage delinquencies hit record high

    19 Nov 2009 | 8:37 am
    A rising proportion of fixed-rate home loans made to people with good credit are sinking into foreclosure, adding to concerns about the strength of the economic recovery. Mortgage - Foreclosure - Business - United States - Financial Services
 
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    Foreclosure Assistance - Foreclosure Information - Free Help

  • HOWTO: Loan Audits and Qualified Attorneys

    admin
    17 Nov 2009 | 8:10 am
    Contributed by Rob Harrington co-founder, LoanChex, Inc. I basically got into the loan audit business as a means to save my properties. As a small-fish RE investor, I was able to retire in 2005, only to wake up in 2007 and find I was possibly going to lose everything. I started the same way many of you are starting–by researching the fraud in my own two WAMU loans. My Florida nightmare had begun. A few weeks ago, after 2 and 1/2 years of pure hell, fear, misery, frustration…. (sound familiar…?) opposing counsel and whoever purported to “own my loan” failed to…

  • Will Option ARM Loans Still Implode?

    admin
    26 Oct 2009 | 9:52 pm
    Contributed by Patrick Pulatie, CEO, Loan Fraud Investigations Be seen — contribute an article. Contact us for more. For the last year and one-half, there have been projections regarding the coming implosion of Option ARM loans. So far, it has yet to materialize on the scale that was projected. What happened to the implosion? When can it be expected? In order to answer these questions, an understanding of the mechanics of the Option ARM must first be acquired. What is an Option ARM mortgage? The Option ARM (sometimes marketed as “Pick-a-pay” or known as “neg-am” loans to…

  • Forensic Loan Audits – Debunked and Demystified

    admin
    30 Sep 2009 | 2:24 pm
    Contributed by Patrick Pulatie, CEO, Loan Fraud Investigations If you would like to contribute an article, contact us. When researching loan modification companies or attorneys, one will often see a reference to the firm doing a “Forensic Loan Audit” of your documents. It is claimed that the audit will “discover violations of TILA/RESPA, find fraudulent misrepresentation, and identify the terms of your loan, fees and other “pertinent” information. Then, you should take the audit to an attorney who can use it to achieve a loan modification, or file a lawsuit. What does this mean? Is…

  • The Trouble With MERS

    admin
    24 Sep 2009 | 3:57 pm
    Welcome IamFacingForeclosure reader! We are back, and will be presenting regular, cutting-edge, original articles from those on the front-lines fighting the foreclosure war all around the country. You won’t be able to find these insights anywhere else, so make sure to bookmark/subscribe to us. And do drop us a line if you think you can contribute. Stay tuned for a new design and expanded roster of contributors. The Trouble With MERS by Patrick Pulatie, CEO, Loan Fraud Investigations As a homeowner begins research into the lending and foreclosure crisis, there will be many unfamiliar…

  • Why Aren’t Lenders Doing More Loan Modifications?

    iaff_staff
    26 Aug 2009 | 2:40 pm
    Welcome IamFacingForeclosure reader! We are back, and will be presenting regular, cutting-edge, original articles from those on the front-lines fighting the foreclosure war all around the country.  You won’t be able to find these insights anywhere else, so make sure to bookmark/subscribe to us.  And do drop us a line if you think you can contribute.  Stay tuned for a new design and expanded roster of contributors. Why Aren’t Lenders Doing More Loan Modifications? by Patrick Pulatie, CEO, Loan Fraud Investigations Daily, in the newspapers, radio, television and the internet,…
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    The Housing Helix

  • [Interview] Robert Knakal, Chairman, Founding Partner, Massey Knakal Realty Services

    jmiller@millersamuel.com (Jonathan Miller)
    20 Nov 2009 | 9:01 am
    I sit down with Bob Knakal, the founding partner and Chairman of Massey Knakal Realty Services, who sell more commercial properties in New York City than any other firm.  In 2009, Real Estate Forum magazine named Mr. Knakal one of the top 10 investment sales brokers in the United States. He’s also a prolific commentator on the commercial real estate economy.  Check out his blog StreetWise which is an initiative of his firm and GlobeSt.com as well as his weekly commentary in the New York Observer’s Commercial Observer. His recent State Shouldn’t Make a Whole New Ball Game of…

  • [Interview] Jonathan Butler, Publisher, Brownstoner Media LLC, Brownstoner.com, BrooklynFlea

    jmiller@millersamuel.com (Jonathan Miller)
    12 Nov 2009 | 8:29 pm
    Jonathan Butler is the publisher of the essential Brownstoner.com which is a blog et al about Brooklyn.  He started out as an anonymous blogger looking to write about his Brooklyn brownstone in Clinton Hill – then removed his mask – and his blog morphed into Brownstoner Media LLC.  Some of his efforts include Brooklyn Flea, his Brooklyn flea market in both Fort Greene and under the Brooklyn Bridge, a services directory, a renovation guide, renovation blogs, and recently, a URL shortener/twitter aggregator. The interview is done via cell phone in the middle of a construction…

  • [Interview] Bill Rayburn PHD, Co-founder, Chairman & CEO, FNC

    jmiller@millersamuel.com (Jonathan Miller)
    9 Nov 2009 | 7:24 am
    I had a “fantastic” conversation with Dr. Bill Rayburn who is the co-founder, Chairman & CEO of FNC, Inc. Their value proposition has been on collateral side of mortgage origination. He’s a fascinating industry leader who pulls no punches.

  • [Interview] Michael McPartland, Managing Director, Citi Private Bank, Global Wealth Management

    jmiller@millersamuel.com (Jonathan Miller)
    6 Nov 2009 | 7:36 am
    I speak with my friend and colleague Michael McPartland of the Citi Private Bank. He’s the managing director of residential real estate at their Citi Global Wealth Management group. The discussion focuses on “lending” versus “originating.”

  • [Interview] John Heithaus, Senior Vice President, SentriLock

    jmiller@millersamuel.com (Jonathan Miller)
    3 Nov 2009 | 7:04 pm
    I get to catch up with a long time colleague and real estate veteran John Heithaus, Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing and REALTOR® Alliances at SentriLock. He has twenty-nine years of experience in corporate relocation management and residential real estate. His career includes executive positions with Merrill Lynch Realty, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage and Relocation, Monster.com and Prudential Real Estate & Relocation. John’s entrepreneurial ventures include co-founding very successful startups and emerging businesses: Virtual Relocation.com (acquired by Monster.com);…
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    WestchesterCribs

  • Real Estate is not rocket science

    Jaime Tineo
    12 Nov 2009 | 3:00 am
    I remember the time when I was looking for a home, before I became a Realtor®.  I only wished for one thing: to have access to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) like my Realtor® did.  If only I could get in there and performed my own searches, I thought to myself.  I wish I had my Realtors®’ login information, then it would be easier to find a home.   Herein lies the duality of being a Realtor®, if the customer has the access to the MLS, then what would they need a Realtor® for? In the old days agents were trained to keep information from their clients and potential clients.

  • First Time Home Buyer Credit has been extended in more than one way

    Jaime Tineo
    6 Nov 2009 | 7:26 am
    This is great news for home buyers.  The plan has certainly contributed to stimulating the real estate market. I guess the government thinks it needs more stimulation because the credit has been extended. The date by which someone needs to buy a house has been extended to April 30th, 2010. The credit has been expanded to include existing homeowners that are in the process of buying a home (up to $6,500). The income limits have been increased to $125k single and $225k married from $75k and $150k respectively. Unfortunately, the purchase price has been capped off at $800,000. For more details,…

  • Statistics on real estate agents

    Jaime Tineo
    2 Nov 2009 | 3:00 am
    I ran across an interesting article  called “Study provides insight into typical New York REALTOR®”  released by the New York State Association of Realtors® in the September/October 2009 issue of Realtor® Magazine.  The article outlined the results of a statewide and nationwide survey of 91 questions sent out to approximately 100,000 random Realtors®.  How many actually responded was not printed.  I can assure you with complete certainty that not all 100,000 responded. Here are a few points that were highlighted in the article: On the Practitioner The typical New York…

  • Westchester Real Estate Quarterly Numbers

    Jaime Tineo
    28 Oct 2009 | 4:00 am
    The bad news is that number of sales are down by 24% in Westchester County in the last 9 months compared to the first 9 months of 2008.  The good news is that sales have actually increased from last quarter by approximately 35%.   Although this is positive news for the local real estate market, I think another number to keep a close eye on is Inventory or the number of homes for sale.  This past quarter the numbers indicate that inventories have also decreased. According to Westchester/Putnam County Board of  Realtors®, on a nine-month basis, Westchester County’s sales volume of 3,975…

  • No more getting shorted on a Short Sale

    Jaime Tineo
    26 Oct 2009 | 4:00 am
    I’ve Added a New Service: Do you currently own a home? Are you behind on your mortgage payments? Do you owe more than the home is worth in today’s market? Have you lost your job or endured financial hardship? If you answered YES to these 4 questions, then I can help.  Unfortunately short sales have become part of the everyday real estate landscape.  Short sale have not hit Westchester County like the rest of the country, but without a doubt it is dominating our local real estate market.  They’re here, so we might as well try to help as many people as we can.  In the past…
 
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    Alter NOW

  • Will Yankees World Series Victory Unleash the Bulls on Wall Street?

    John Coletta
    19 Nov 2009 | 12:13 pm
    There’s a rather odd correlation between the New York Yankees winning the World Series and Wall Street.   A Yankee win historically has coincided with a bull market.  An analysis by Standard & Poor’s Capital IQ reveals an average of double-digit yearly returns from stocks when the Yankees win the World Series.  By contrast, the stock market tends to fall in years when the Yankees lose the championship. An analysis of the 22 years since 1936 in which the Yankees won the World Series found that the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index rose a minimum of 10 percent over…

  • Warren Buffett’s Riding the “Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe”

    Pat Gallagher
    18 Nov 2009 | 8:04 am
    Omaha billionaire Warren Buffett’s purchase of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad (BNSF) is a $34 billion bet on the future of the nation’s economy.  BNSF’s acquisition by Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. is significant because it is the country’s second largest railroad and the primary hauler of food and coal, which makes it a barometer of the nation’s economic health.  Analysts believe that Buffett is staking his claim in an industry that is expected to grow as the economy stabilizes.  If approved by two-thirds of shareholders and antitrust regulators, the…

  • Student Housing Appears to Be Recession Proof

    Matt Ward
    17 Nov 2009 | 10:37 am
    Because the United States is producing an increasing number of high school graduates who go on to attend college, student housing apparently is recession-proof  real estate.  This is the finding of a recently released report from the National Multi Housing Council (NMHC) that studied the recession’s impact on college enrollment and on-campus dormitory vacancy rates. According to Jim Arbury, NMHC’s senior vice president, the study - entitled “Special Student Housing Report:  Has the Recession Had an Impact?” - examined freshman application data for 63 universities…

  • A Rebound in Offshore Activity Signals India’s Recovery

    Jacob Cherian
    16 Nov 2009 | 8:26 am
    A report by India’s Economic Times indicates that up to 11 multinational firms including Wells Fargo, Standard Chartered and Ingersoll Rand set up back office facilities in India during the 3rd quarter of 2009. A research firm, Everest Group, says this bodes well for the overall business momentum in India picking up in 2010.  Two of the reasons cited for India’s resurgence are the depreciation of the Indian currency and the reduction in operating costs which have enticed outsourcing operations back. Although there was movement of outsourcing projects to facilities in Latin…

  • Young Entrepreneur Responds to Recession

    Tom Silva
    12 Nov 2009 | 11:30 am
    Jason Sadler, a 26-year-old former marketing professional from Florida has resolved his unemployment woes  by founding his own company - I Wear Your Shirt.  The entrepreneurial concept is simple.  Sadler wears a T-shirt provided by any company for a day and uses social media tools to promote the firm.  And it’s earning Sadler nearly $85,000 this year. The cost for Sadler’s service is the face value of the day.  On January 1, he charges just $1; that rises to $365 by December 31.  All 2009 dates are taken, and Sadler’s 2010 calendar is rapidly filling up with companies…
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    iNET Property - Colorado Real Estate Blog

  • Home Buyer Tax Credit Extended, Includes Current Homeowners!

    Rich Barnhart
    5 Nov 2009 | 3:10 pm
    In a long awaited move, the Senate and House voted in favor of extending the first-time homebuyer tax credit. President Obama is expected to sign the bill tomorrow. The amount of the tax credit to first time home buyers remains the same at $8,000. However, the bill includes some interesting amendments that are beneficial to first time homebuyers and current homeowners. All amendments and updates to the current bill become effective immediately when President Obama signs the bill. Here are some highlights of the new bill:First Time Homebuyer UpdatesTax credit remains the same at $8,000Property…

  • Last Chance to be Heard - Extend the Home Buyer Tax Credit!

    Rich Barnhart
    30 Oct 2009 | 10:15 am
    OK, I've blogged about the First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit before and I have asked Congress nicely to extend it on several occasions. But, one more time is not going to hurt and it just might make a difference. I'm not going to rant about it; I'll just ask that you reach out to Congress and be heard. This is not just about getting money in the hands of first time homebuyers, but more about the housing recovery and our economy. Whether you are buying, selling or not even involved in the real estate market right now, this is important for you and for your country. We need the stimulus, we need…

  • Are Loan Modifications Working?

    Rich Barnhart
    1 Oct 2009 | 5:58 am
    Mortgage Metrics ReportLast March the Obama administration announced the Making Homes Affordable (MHA) program to help as many as 9 million households struggling with their mortgage payments, primarily utilizing loan modification or refinance. The success of the program has yet to be determined, but yesterday the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS) released their Mortgage Metrics report that, depending how you look at it, could be good news or bad news.To fully understand the OCC report, you have to first understand their definitions. The…

  • The Housing Recovery Needs Your Help

    Rich Barnhart
    13 Sep 2009 | 9:07 pm
    I tend to be an eternal optimist. I believe the housing market is going to rebound sooner than most people because I believe that most Americans truly want to own a home (or stay in their home). I also believe that we are seeing strong signs of a housing market recovery here in Denver, Colorado. The fact is that we are luckier than many parts of the country and no matter what happens, Denver will likely rebound faster than most. However, I also believe that we could rebound much faster as a nation if our government could act faster to save our economy. Everyone agrees that without a housing…

  • First Time Homebuyers On the Sidelines?

    Rich Barnhart
    27 Aug 2009 | 4:18 pm
    We hosted a First Time Homebuyer seminar last week and the majority of our audience was primarily interested in the First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit of $8,000. I can't say I blame them either. After all, $8,000 is real money and not just for first timers. Without getting too political I think it is safe to say that most people agree that government stimulus is getting mixed reviews - some of it is working and some of it, well, not so much. Listen up Congress: This $8,000 tax credit is something that is working and needs to get extended. Now, most people agree that will happen, but when will it…
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    NHC Open House Blog

  • New $500 Million Goldman Sachs “10,000 Small Businesses” Initiative Addresses Rising U.S. Unemployment that is Fueling the Foreclosure Crisis

    19 Nov 2009 | 11:14 am
    Statement by Conrad EganPresident and CEO of the National Housing Conference"We applaud Goldman Sachs for the launch of their new ‘10,000 Small Businesses’ initiative – a $500 million investment in jobs and economic development nationwide. Rising unemployment is fueling the current foreclosure crisis, devastating American families and communities. Small businesses employ more than half of U.S. workers and play an integral role in economic growth. Yet, only half of small businesses survive the first five years.This new initiative is an unprecedented investment in small businesses, our…

  • NeighborWorks Partners to Help Combat Mortgage Loan Modification Scammers

    19 Nov 2009 | 9:45 am
    Today's Columbus Dispatch highlights a new, nationwide initiative led by NHC Housing Leadership Support Program Partner NeighborWorks America to combat scammers preying on homeowners seeking mortgage loan modifications.Launched in October 2009, the Loan Modification Scam Alert Campaign was created to empower homeowners to protect themselves against loan modification scams, find trusted help and report illegal activity to authorities. NeighborWorks is working with national, state and local partners on the ground and 235 community-based affiliates to combat this issue.The campaign's roll out in…

  • Guest Blogger Judy Jacobson: Making NSP Effective

    18 Nov 2009 | 11:07 am
    When Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) first said that he’d advance legislation to stabilize neighborhoods through the acquisition of foreclosed properties, those of us in Massachusetts working on this issue were thrilled. In Massachusetts we had already organized ourselves into a state-wide task force focused on all aspects of foreclosed properties: acquisition, funding, holding properties for redevelopment, and exit strategies. The task force resulted in products such as a $22 million revolving Neighborhood Stabilization Loan Fund and a statewide lender-owned properties REO clearinghouse…

  • Live at the Forum: The Impacts of High Housing and Transportation Costs in the San Francisco Bay Area

    17 Nov 2009 | 12:46 pm
    This Thursday, November 19 from 2-4 p.m., the Center for Housing Policy will host its next "Live at the Forum" event to learn more about a new report from the Urban Land Institute's Terwilliger Center for Workforce Housing and the Center for Housing Policy, based on data from the Center for Neighborhood Technology, Bay Area Burden: Examining the Costs and Impacts of Housing and Transportation on Bay Area Residents, Their Neighborhoods, and the Environment. In addition to describing key findings from Bay Area Burden, this two-part event will allow you to get answers to your questions from the…

  • WSJ Letter-to-the-Editor: FHA Will Not Need to Ask the American Taxpayer for Assistance, Agency's Role is Integral to the Housing Recovery

    16 Nov 2009 | 8:25 am
    On November 5, NHC President and CEO Conrad Egan submitted the below Letter-to-the-Editor to the Wall Street Journal in response to an article entitled, "FHA Digging Out After Loans Sour." "In recent testimony before the U.S. House Financial Services Committee, Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Commissioner David Stevens emphasized that “based on current projections, absent any catastrophic home price decline, FHA will not need to ask Congress and the American taxpayer for extraordinary assistance [and] will not need a bailout” (“FHA Digging Out After Loans Sour,” Nov. 4).In…
 
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    The Official Real"ad"tor Awards

  • Money(less) Shot

    danaseverson
    20 Nov 2009 | 2:50 pm
    Before Evaporation After Evaporation Oh no Wats! Dude. What happened? It’s just that I thought the three of you looked soooo happy together. I guess, as they say, all good things must come to an end. But, I hate to see it end like this. I must say though, I do like your style. Someone crosses you and … POOF. They’re gone. Almost as if you’ve evaporated them into thin air. Just in case that’s not what happened, I do have one other theory. It’s possible that you traveled back in time and changed the course of history, thus eliminating the physical presence of the missing girl in…

  • The VIP Club

    danaseverson
    13 Nov 2009 | 2:42 pm
    Wowzers gentleman, you really put it all out on the line. Just look at you guys with your fancy hat, sleek tear-off VIP card and eye-pleasing layout. No matter how you walk this puppy, it’s a champion from all directions. Although this beauty is chalk-full of goodies, a few things in particular caught my wandering eye: As any good business person knows, a true measurement of success is when your company is referred to by its initials. You know, like IBM, BK or KFC. With the classic capitalize and colorize method, you’ve managed to begin the long process of branding your peeps to start…

  • la Famiglia

    danaseverson
    6 Nov 2009 | 3:09 pm
    See! I knew it. This is exactly what I was talking about. I’m screwed. Considering that I’m already destined to be buried in the middle of a corn field, outside a small Kansas City town, I might as well tell it like it is. Anthony … or Tony “the specialist” Napoli, as you’d probably prefer — your ad needs work. There, I said it. The picture is dumb. The arrow is unnecessary. The hand-written font doesn’t make sense. Connected didn’t need to be in quotes (although, it’s further proves my theory). And, the gradient fade on your photo is lame. Whew. That felt good. Holla.

  • Erotic Recard

    danaseverson
    4 Nov 2009 | 2:19 pm
    For only $6.95 per minute, Allyse will tell you all of her naughty little real estate secrets. Wanna know what happens at a private showing when the homeowners are away? Do you like taking part in buyer/seller role play? Call the cougar, she’s waiting to hear from you. Grrrrowl for me Allyse. Sign-up for The Official Real”ad”tor Awards by email and receive gems like this in your inbox.

  • Sweet Mobile Home Alabama

    danaseverson
    3 Nov 2009 | 8:44 pm
    While the video you’re about to see is not a Real”ad”tor candidate, it’s important for everyone to see the level of which we judge talent. If you know what a 1996 Chandeluer Double-Wide is, than this video might be for you. If you’ve been hit in the face with a crescent wrench — five times, than this video might be for you. If your wife’s boyfriend has broke your jaw with a fence post, than this video might be for you. If you’re in the market for a floor stained, two-piece home, sold by a family with serious issues, than this video is definitely for…
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    Patrick Stewart Properties Blog

  • New Home Sales: September Report

    Dennis
    17 Nov 2009 | 3:45 pm
    As the New Year quickly approaches, you may be contemplating buying a home or selling the one you already own. We’re here to deliver the latest news regarding the real estate market so you can make an intelligent decision when it comes time to buy or sell your home. According to the latest data released from the U.S. Census Bureau, new home sales for the month of September decreased 3.6 percent from August 2009. Additionally, the September 2009 data was 7.8 percent below the September 2008 data. On a positive note, the average sales price of a new home increased from $256,800 in August…

  • Palm Springs, California Ranked #2 Best Place to Retire by CNN Money

    Stewart
    13 Oct 2009 | 10:12 am
    CNN Money recently released a report of the 25 Best Places to Retire in the United States. Coming in at #2 on the list, just behind Port Charlotte, Florida, is Palm Springs, California. With approximately 42 percent of the population over the age of 50, Palm Springs makes for a welcoming post-work hometown. Mountain views and year-round sunshine add to the town’s appeal, as well as the many cultural activities in the area that offer family-friendly educational entertainment. Perhaps one of the most appealing aspects of Palm Springs for those looking to retire is its general…

  • Summer Breakdown: August 2009 New Home Sales up from July

    Patrick
    5 Oct 2009 | 9:01 am
    Hey all! Dropping in to give you the inside scoop on the real estate market since the summer season has come to an end. According to the latest data released from the U.S. Census Bureau, new home sales for the month of August increased 0.7 percent from July 2009. While this is definitely good news, as it shows that things are looking up in the real estate market as a whole, it should be noted that the August 2009 data was 3.4 percent below the August 2008 data. This indicates that we have not fully recovered to pre-recession strength just yet. Sales are predicted to continue to increase…

  • Patrick Stewart Properties to Host Fundraiser for Desert AIDS Project

    Patrick
    30 Sep 2009 | 11:42 am
    For Immediate Release Media Contact: Holly Harmon, APR 480-510-5307 hollyhrmn@gmail.com Patrick Stewart Properties to Host Fundraiser for Desert AIDS Project Miss California International to Make Her First Official Appearance Palm Springs, Calif. (September 24 2009) – Patrick Stewart Properties, in partnership with The Bungalow Salon, owned by Vikky Hume, will be hosting an event to raise money for Desert AIDS Project (D.A.P.), October 8 from 6 to 9 p.m. D.A.P. provides medical care and comprehensive support services to people living with and at risk for HIV/AIDS in the desert community.

  • Take advantage of the $8000 first-time homebuyer tax credit while you still can!

    Dennis
    11 Sep 2009 | 10:18 am
    If you are a first time homebuyer looking to take advantage of the $8,000 tax credit, you need to be aware that as of right now, you must close escrow by December 1st, 2009 in order to receive this tax credit. There is currently no discussion about extending this opportunity. It normally takes 90 days to close on a house, so act fast while you still can! The credit, passed earlier this year as part of the economic stimulus package, is good for up to $8,000, or 10% of the purchase price of your new home. It only applies to people who have not owned a home in the previous three years and there…
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    Lakeland Real Estate Gate Arty and the Group

  • First Friday - November 2009

    5 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pm
    Friday November 6th, 2009 marks Downtown Lakeland's monthly clebration.  November's First Friday themed "Honoring Service" will begin at 6 pm. On the corner of Pine Street & Kentucky  (in front of Brooke Pottery) a string quartet from The Harrison School of Performing Arts will perform.  After this, the color guard & ROTC drill teams from local schools will perform. Schools represented include: Lake Gibson, Lake Region and George Jenkins High Schools. There will be cloggers & nutcracker dancers along Kentucky Avenue. Senator Paula…

  • Pops by the Lake - 2009

    5 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pm
    A great event will be held at the Lake Mirror Amphitheatre and Promenade. Beginning at 8 pm, the Imperial Symphony Orchestra’s “Pops By The Lake” will perform. The ISO Guild Silent Auction offers opportunities to bid on great items such as vacation getaways, dining, golf, sports packages, concerts, arts and cultural events, family fun and more in the Magnolia Building from 6:30pm through intermission. There will also be plenty to eat & drink at the event so make a picnic out of it! Leroy Sutton’s Fried Chicken will cater. Beer, wine, sodas and other beverages will be available at…

  • High-Water Mark for Foreclosures

    15 Oct 2009 | 10:00 pm
    Foreclosures are at an ALL-TIME HIGH. In the 3rd quarter of this year 937,84 homes received a foreclosure letter. How do you put this in perspective? Well, that means that 1 in every 136 homes were in foreclosure. That’s a 5% increase from the 2nd quarter. It’s also a whopping 24% leap from this point in 2008! These numbers represent the worst 3 month stretch in terms of foreclosures ever. The foreclosure toll this year is reported to be 623,852 & climbing. Perhaps with these numbers on the rise, banks will begin being more cooperative with short-sales? Wouldn't that be rational?

  • High-End Mortgage Foreclosures

    12 Oct 2009 | 10:00 pm
    Recent statistics have shown that the trend of foreclosures is now hitting the top-tier of mortgages. In June 30% of foreclosures involved homes that were in the top 1/3 of local residential values. When the foreclosure crisis began 3 years ago, this figure was around 16%.  On the opposite end of the spectrum, the bottom 1/3 of the residential market only accounts for 35% of foreclosures now. This figure is way down from 55% in 2006. ..Read More

  • The Effect of the $8000 Tax Credit

    17 Sep 2009 | 10:00 pm
    Has the $8000 home-buyer tax credit increased real estate activity? Well, based on a report from the Internal Revenue Service, over 1.4 million buyers have already claimed the new tax credit. The $8000 tax credit is available to home buyers that purchase a home between January thru December 1st, 2009 and you could not have owned a home for the three consecutive years prior to the purchase. .  Unlike the $7,500 first-time homebuyer tax credit that could be applied to sales made between April 2008 and July 1 2009, this refund actually puts money DIRECTLY into consumers' pockets. 1.8 million…
 
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    Cool Austin Texas Real Estate Blog

  • Texas Diabetes & Endocrinology - Austin, Texas - Abysmally Bad Service from Manager

    Jason Crouch, Broker - Austin Texas Real Estate (512-796-7653) (Austin Texas Homes, LLC)
    19 Nov 2009 | 12:25 pm
    I felt the need to help spread the word about Texas Diabetes & Endocrinology, since I was shocked at their truly bad customer service with regard to a penalty that they charged which was related to my late mother-in-law's illness.  My wife dealt with them again today, which resulted in the following that she wrote.  I think it's more powerful and compelling in her words:"These guys took $50 from us for a "missed appointment." It was unfair, and they boldly refused to return it, clearly indicating they didn't care about losing our future business or the business of anyone who…

  • Stone Canyon - Round Rock TX Home for Sale - 8402 Lofty Lane - Offered at $349,900

    Jason Crouch, Broker - Austin Texas Real Estate (512-796-7653) (Austin Texas Homes, LLC)
    18 Nov 2009 | 6:37 pm
    One of our agents listed a terrific home for sale in the Stone Canyon subdivision this week.  It has some phenomenal landscaping in the back yard, along with a terrific floorplan from David Weekley Homes. Some of the highlights: 4 Bedrooms (Master downstairs, and 3 bedrooms up) 3.5 Bathrooms 4 Living Areas (including Study/Office) 2 Dining (Breakfast & Formal) 3589 square feet per tax records Built in 2000 Front & Back Porches Fully Updated, Loaded w/ upgrades Tandem 3 Car Garage Granite Counters Custom Cabinets Double Ovens 5 Burner Gas Cooktop Wood Floors Lush Carpet Recent…

  • North Austin Home for Sale - 11208 Amaranth Lane - Offered at $144,999

    Jason Crouch, Broker - Austin Texas Real Estate (512-796-7653) (Austin Texas Homes, LLC)
    18 Nov 2009 | 6:13 pm
    We just listed a home in north Austin which is nestled on a greenbelt, with no neighbors to the left or to the rear of the property. Features: 3 bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms 1571 square feet per tax records Built in 1996 Well-maintained (super-clean!) Breakfast area and formal dining room Open floor plan Fireplace Upgraded tile in kitchen and breakfast Slate in master bath Over-sized patio Full sprinkler system (front and back) Convenient to Dell Childrens' Hospital, University of Texas, & downtown Austin   Located in the Harris Branch subdivision Offered at just $144,999, this…

  • What Are Your "Can't Miss" Events for 2010? Here are some that I have in mind for myself

    Jason Crouch, Broker - Austin Texas Real Estate (512-796-7653) (Austin Texas Homes, LLC)
    16 Nov 2009 | 3:08 pm
    Over the past few days, I have been reading tons of updates from my friends who are attending the NAR conference in San Diego.  Of course, I expected this, since I probably know several hundred of the attendees by now.  I came within a hair of attending myself, then I decided that I didn't want to leave my wife alone with four kids for a week. However, I do want to attend some conferences and events in 2010, in order to bring my social media efforts to "real life" meetings.  During my time blogging and interacting online via the mainstays of new media (Twitter, Facebook, etc.),…

  • "CRUSH IT!" by Gary Vaynerchuk - Highly Recommended Reading. Period.

    Jason Crouch, Broker - Austin Texas Real Estate (512-796-7653) (Austin Texas Homes, LLC)
    14 Nov 2009 | 5:39 pm
    Recently, I bought a handful of social media books via Amazon.  Since I have been doing some consulting and teaching on the side, I thought this would be a worthy investment.  I intend to review each of them here on my blog.  First up is "Crush It!" by Gary Vaynerchuk.  If you're not familiar with Gary, he started WineLibrary.tv, which is his video blog wherein he gives his (very) honest opinion about various wines.  This may sound boring to you, but I would urge you to check it out.  You can feel Gary's enthusiasm coming off of the screen. Using this tool, Gary…
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    Tom Tousignant

  • Home Buyer Tax Credit Rules

    Tom Tousignant
    19 Nov 2009 | 6:09 am
    Image by Martin Haesemeyer via Flickr General Rules for the Home Buyer Tax Credit: A “first time home buyer” is defined as someone who has not owned a primary home in the last three years. If you are a “first-time home buyer”, your tax credit will amount to 10% of the purchase price of your new home not to exceed $8,000. A “long-time resident” is defined as someone who has lived in the same primary home for 5 out of the past 8 years. If you are a “long-time resident”, your tax credit will amount to 10% of the purchase price of your new home not…

  • APR or Total Cost?

    Tom Tousignant
    18 Nov 2009 | 5:06 am
    APR is an acronym for Annual Percentage Rate.  It’s a government-mandated calculation meant to simplify the comparison of mortgage options.  It is probably the most misunderstood number at any closing or with any application. A loan’s APR can always be found in the top-left corner of the Federal Truth-In-Lending Disclosure. Because APR is expressed as a percentage, many people confuse it for the loan’s interest rate.  It’s not.  APR represents an estimate of the total cost of borrowing over the life of a loan.  “Interest rate” is the basis for…

  • Charlotte area Mortgage Update for the week of Nov 16

    Tom Tousignant
    17 Nov 2009 | 4:01 am
    Mortgage markets improved last week as foreign buyers of mortgage debt helped to push mortgage rates to a 4-week low. The strength of the Stock Market and higher commodity prices should have pushed mortgage interest rates higher, but the bond market refused to play by old rules. It marked the 3rd consecutive week that rates improved, breathing extra life into this year’s ongoing Refi Boom. Fixed-rate, conforming mortgage rates fell about 0.125 percent on the week. ARMs did about the same. There wasn’t much data to move mortgage rates last week; investors worked mostly on momentum…

  • Finally, Stimulus Money for You, too

    Tom Tousignant
    11 Nov 2009 | 6:33 am
    On Nov 6th, the President signed an extension of the First Time Home Buyer’s $8,000 tax credit and added a new benefit – a $6500 Tax Credit for homeowners that are buying a new primary residence between Nov 6th and May 1st. Here are the highlights of the $8,000 tax credit for first time buyers: Who:  Someone who has not owned a principal residence during the three-year period prior to the purchase, who earns less than: -From Jan 1, 2009 through Nov 5th, 2009:  $75,000 Filing Single or $150,000 Married, Filing Jointly -After Jan 6th, the income limits are increased to $125,000…

  • Rent versus Own – run the numbers to see

    Tom Tousignant
    10 Nov 2009 | 7:06 am
    This video shows the Rent vs. Own comparison we customize for our clients to help them make a better choice.  We all make decisions emotionally, but I feel out best decisions are backed up by the numbers. If you would like to get a complimentary analysis like this for your specific scenario, just send me an email to get started.
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    thePrivateMarket.com

  • Whittier City Park Tudor Foreclosure, $199K ;-)

    Paul Barrow
    13 Nov 2009 | 11:17 am
    If you Like Tudors, Buy this is Gem on a Super Block! Private Wholesale Inventory Get a great deal on this private dealer inventory foreclosure property before the remodel begins and walk-into huge equity.   It is a well-built Tudor just a four iron from City Park in the popular Whittier neighborhood.   Many of our customers buy, remodel and then refinance, feel free to ask us how this works. 2 Bedrooms, 1.5 baths, 1 car garage 958 Sqft upstairs, partial basement, partial finish Hardwood floors, roof, mechanicals and are in good condition Kitchen and baths are dated but livable Lots of…

  • “Real Estate Deals Tools Tips and Resources”

    Paul Barrow
    26 Oct 2009 | 11:02 am
    If you’re new here, you may want to Subscribe to the RSS Feed. Please enjoy our analysis tools, industry resources and investment tips each week via email. “Take a Peek” behind the curtain with the links at the top of this page.  Or use the Search Box to find topics. If you’re looking for dealer wholesale, distressed or foreclosure properties for sale, use the Contact Form. Old House Foundation |  FHA Flipping |  How to Flip |  Finance Your Deals | IRA Real Estate

  • Real Estate Investor Abbreviations and Jargon

    Paul Barrow
    21 Oct 2009 | 10:43 am
    ARV – CAP RATE – HUD – MLS – NNN – REO – OWC – ETC… Real estate investors, brokers and agents are as guilty as any other industry practitioners at using jargon and abbreviations that seem commonplace to us, but are often confusing to our clients and customers. As a reminder to slow down and explain these important terms and concepts, especially to new clients, here is a list of the most common jargon and simple explanations: ARV – After-Repaired Value. The estimated resale or new appraisal value of a property after remodeling or repairs…

  • Sewer Line Inspection and Repair Tips

    Paul Barrow
    7 Oct 2009 | 10:21 am
    Camera Sewer Scope Critical for Denver Realtors and Buyers Old House Sewer Pipe Problems:  When Don Nichols visited our real estate office recently, I asked him about his Denver sewer line inspection company. Specifically I wanted to know how it relates Realtors who are buyer agents shopping for older houses in the central Denver area with aging sewer infrastructure. Here is a recap of the questions answered in the short video below offering tips and advice to Realtors, real estate investors, home buyers and home owners about the importance of understanding sewer inspections and repair…

  • Is Leasing to Medical Marijuana Tenants Legal?

    Paul Barrow
    5 Oct 2009 | 12:50 pm
    Amendment 20 Economic Impact in Denver Medical marijuana might seem like an odd topic for a real estate blog, but bear with me and I will explain. There are three interesting social trends happening in Denver in 2009, two have been publicly and proudly announced, and one is a little more underground, but buzzing: A Growth Industry: Solar and “green” movement Exercise and “health” movement Medical Marijuana “growth” movement Growing the Green Movement Seems from the headlines that Denver Colorado is becoming quite enlightened!  New “green” service and construction…
 
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    REALTOR.com® Blogs

  • Benefits of a Home Inspection

    Naj Alikhan
    21 Nov 2009 | 10:00 am
    Home inspections are a must for every buyer. Prior to move in, and typically during the escrow period, the buyer hires a home inspector to check for a variety of household defects and problems. Sellers can also get a home inspection to eliminate any surprises that my crop up and delay their sale. Either way, knowing what to ask your home inspector will guarantee you are getting quality service. Eileen Rivera blogs lists 10 important questions to ask a home inspector: “1. What does your inspection cover? The inspector will ensure that the inspection covers all requirements of your…

  • Oprah Winfrey: Talk Show and Real Estate Mogul

    Jill Kipnis
    20 Nov 2009 | 5:00 pm
    Oprah Winfrey’s reign as queen of daytime TV will soon reach its end. Today, Winfrey officially announced that her hugely successful talk show, “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” will end after its 25th season in 2011. According to the L.A. Times, Winfrey will be focusing on her own cable outlet, the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), in a partnership with Discovery. OWN is set to debut in 2011 in about 75 million U.S. homes. Winfrey will be working on a show specifically for the new network, though details have yet to be announced. Winfrey has long been associated with the Chicago, IL…

  • REALTOR.com® Dreamhomes Application on Facebook

    Jana Schreiber
    20 Nov 2009 | 2:00 pm
    Become a fan of REALTOR.com® today! Share the latest in real estate news and exclusive Realtor.com info, play the dreamhomes application which allows you to share your five favorite dreamhomes with all of your friends. Click on categories like beach homes, mountain homes, high rise condos and celebrity homes. You can select your favorite A-listers who currently have their homes listed on Realtor.com, or suggest a new category to add to the dreamhomes application to facebook@realtor.com. Each home featured links back to the Realtor.com website, so you can get more details about your future…

  • Qualifying for the First-Time Buyer Tax Credit: Ask a REALTOR®

    Naj Alikhan
    20 Nov 2009 | 11:00 am
    I am closing on a $380,000 house the first week of December, and I should gross 110k for ‘09. I have lived in two separate homes deeded to me and my ex (I believe the mortgage on the second home was in his name only) for the consecutive years of 2000-2005. Do I qualify for any of the tax credit? -Marie Congratulations on the new home first of all, that is fantastic news. The tax credit has been both extended and expanded. According to the new tax credit limits, single household income limits have been raised from $75,000 to $125,000 and joint filers from $150,000 to $225,000, so your…

  • Finding a Lender in Today’s Market

    Naj Alikhan
    20 Nov 2009 | 6:00 am
    The process of finding a new home used to begin with open houses and walk- throughs, and meeting with a lender came only after you found that dream home. However, with lenders receiving scrutiny and loans becoming almost impossible to obtain, now, the first step to buying a home is making sure you qualify for a loan. Ki Gray blogs about preparing to buy a home:  “Initially, you’ll want to determine your income, debts, and savings in order to decide what you can afford. Instead of doing all the calculations and attempting to make the determinations yourself, you may want to…
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    LoopNet Commercial Real Estate Blog

  • Football Team Looking for a Home – 80,000 Fans Await.

    Thomas Byrne
    11 Nov 2009 | 1:56 pm
    The Pontiac Michigan Silverdome is on the block and is accepting sealed bids for purchase. This 80,300 seat stadium comes with a number of notable milestones including the largest NFL arena, when opened in 1975, and countless Thanksgiving day games. The opportunity is now yours to own this landmark stadium and host your own turkey bowl games. http://Listing.LoopNet.com/16421265The auction is being conducted by Williams & Williams in partnership with CB Richard Ellis on behalf of the City of Pontiac. Sealed bids are due tomorrow (November 12th) by 4pm Eastern.

  • MIT's Commercial Real Estate Index is Up For The First Time in Over a Year

    Justin - Product Team
    3 Nov 2009 | 7:59 am
    Transaction prices of commercial property sold by major institutional investors rose by more than 4 percent in the third quarter of 2009, according to an index developed and published by the MIT Center for Real Estate (MIT/CRE). The 4.4 percent increase in the transactions-based index (TBI) for the third quarter is the first positive price change in the index in over a year. “The big news this quarter is not just that the price index increased, but that transaction volume substantially increased for the second quarter in a row, reflecting the first increase in market sentiment in two…

  • Q4 Poll Results: When will the Market Recover?

    Mike Manning, VP Marketing
    28 Oct 2009 | 7:53 pm
    More than 1,000 LoopNet members completed our October 2009 poll on the Q4 commercial real estate market. Based on our findings, in the last three months respondents have grown slightly more pessimistic about the timing of recovery in transaction volumes; expect that prices will continue to fall relative to current levels; and believe that access to affordable debt financing is the largest barrier to a recovery. See the PowerPoint below for more details.TimingIn our last survey, run in July 2009, a solid majority (66%) expected the volume of commercial real estate transactions to rebound in…

  • Top LoopNet Trends in Los Angeles

    Michele - Marketing Team
    26 Oct 2009 | 8:00 am
    The average asking price per unit for multifamily property on LoopNet in Los Angeles County had a slight uptick in the third quarter. The 0.89% increase, marked the first time in four quarters that prices did not decline. Last month, an article in The Wall Street Journal Online reported the sale of The Gallery at NoHo Commons, a 438-unit apartment complex in North Hollywood, for $96 million indicating that deals are available in the multifamily sector. To be fair, the article also highlighted several risks related to investing in multifamily, namely the drop in transaction volume nationwide…

  • "Last month I set a company goal of 100% Advisor adoption of social media." - Kevin Maggiacomo, CEO of Sperry Van Ness

    Justin - Product Team
    22 Oct 2009 | 4:51 pm
    Read the entire interview from Real Property Alpha. Have you adopted social media?
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    Web Real Estate Marketing

  • Offline social communities are in the ICU

    Drew
    20 Nov 2009 | 12:47 pm
    Offline social communities are in the ICUActually, offline social communities have been declining for decades .. … Bridge & Bowling Clubs, Kiwanis, even the Masons are now in the ICU on life support! Lets revisit 2000 when Robert D. Putnam published a book entitled Bowling Alone : The Collapse and Revival of American Community, The collapse and revival of American community. (Robert started expounding his theories earlier that that) The book examined trends developing over the previous several decades. There is considerable data to support Roberts theories. Year 2000 facts –…

  • Real Estate Graffiti, under arrest?

    Drew
    19 Nov 2009 | 4:06 pm
    No, the Cop's are not looking for us! We did this online for a bit of fun – you can too if you go to the URL at the bottom right of the image … ©2009 Web Real Estate Marketing. All Rights Reserved..

  • Who has got time for all this Social Networking and Blogging Stuff?

    drewburks
    10 Nov 2009 | 1:30 pm
    Who has got time for all this Social Networking and Blogging Stuff?How do you have time to sell Real Estate … … and spend time on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and all the other Social Networking sites? Why is this important? Consider this fact: 25% of pages viewed in the US are Facebook pages So, yeah – you need to find the time, but how? We get this question from 99.9% of the Realtors we speak with and the answer is simple, Balance and Priority! Yes, all of this social networking can be time consuming and slightly addictive; however, it can also be very effective and…

  • Are you following your passion?

    drewburks
    29 Oct 2009 | 9:03 am
    How do you know if you are following your passion? One easy way to know is by asking yourself some simple questions … Do you absolutely love what you are doing each and every day? Do you wake up excited to go to work? Do you desire to learn as much as you can about what you are doing? OK – perhaps not this sort of passion! (picked from istockphoto – free download of the week) If you answered NO to anyone of these questions, it is likely you are not following your passion.  Most of our grandparents probably told us something like, "Do what you love"! …

  • What consumers don’t see in an IDX home search

    Drew
    27 Oct 2009 | 2:38 pm
    What consumers don’t see in an IDX home search So you have a website with an IDX home search … … or you may possibly have a VOW compliant website (we explain the difference here) You have paid good money to have an IDX or VOW real estate search embedded in your blog/website and you pay a monthly subscription to allow consumers to search for homes, you even send your existing clients there to search – so you don't have to BUT, do you know how many homes are excluded from your consumers property searches? The answer may completely shock you, I know it did me ……
 
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    DanoSongs Free Music Downloads

  • Creative Commons Rock - Free Royalty Free Instrumental Music

    danosongs
    19 Nov 2009 | 7:13 am
    pareeerica on flickr.com As The Crow Flies by Pareeerica Hi, this week my daughter made it a point to get me to see the movie “Where the Wild Things Are” with her. She particularly loves the sound track - she is always finding new bands and music before me on YouTube. Well the movie is incredibly emotional and dark - with James Gandolfini (aka Tony Soprano) delivering a poignant and explosive performance as the main Wild Thing named “Carol”. I love Gandolfini more and more. The directors took a simple children’s book and turned it into a story about growing up,…

  • New Age Music Royalty Free MP3 You Can Listen to or Download

    danosongs
    3 Nov 2009 | 12:36 pm
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/h-k-d/ Ghost Rider by Hartwig Koppdelaney Hi, I hope you had some fun for Halloween. I always dress up and this year I was Palpatine, the Dark Emperor of the Galactic Empire (that’s a Star Wars thing). It turns out he can easily be mistaken for the Grim Reaper. Oh well. Upcoming Online Radio Interview I want to let you know that Christina L. Ibbotson, author of the novel “Love Amid Chaos.” will be interviewing me on her ChrisCross Radio show on on Saturday, Nov 21, at 7 pm EST. You can call in to chat with us too. I’ll send exact details…

  • Free Drum N Bass DJ Remix MP3 Download - Creative Commons Licensed Music

    danosongs
    14 Oct 2009 | 10:23 pm
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarahandiain / CC BY-ND 2.0 Hi! and I hope you are having a great week. Autumn has arrived here in New York and the leaves are turning. This is my favorite time of year and the fall always comes as a quiet surprise. I have been working on a drum and bass remix. I’m playing the music production DJ on this one by mixing dance loops and samples of some gritty reggae boy MCs. This has a  techno feel in some sections and then gets atmospheric at some points in the track. I’ll add the instrumental version to my collections on the home page eventually: Free…

  • Free Relaxation and Meditation MP3 Music Download for YouTube

    danosongs
    22 Sep 2009 | 8:27 am
    http://www.flickr.com/drs2biz/ / CC BY-ND 2.0 Hi, this week I was watching Sting’s new trailer for his CD ‘If On A Winter’s Night…” and I was overcome by the amount of “space” and “being” in the film and songs. These are terms that I got from Eckhart Tolle that explain why people tend to be drawn to certain people, places, art and music. I wrote previously about this and how these same ideas are what I tried to capture in the audio and lyrics for my vocal and acoustic guitar song “The World Will Break Apart” you can check out…

  • New Rock Instrumental Free Creative Commons Music to Use Royalty Free

    danosongs
    9 Sep 2009 | 9:27 am
    http://www.flickr.com/eschipul/ CC BY-SA 2.0 Hey, this week I put together a new rock instrumental song called “SunSpark” with electric and acoustic guitar, piano and organ. It has a kind of a melancholy, deep grainy sound that transitions unexpectedly a few times with some more sweeping synthesizer parts. Free Instrumental Mp3 Download: SunSpark.MP3 - Creative Commons Licensed - More Also I have been meaning to highlight some uses of my tracks from visitors that have contacted me about their projects. I love to hear from people. You can check out all these tunes on my home page:…
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    PRETEC

  • Links for 2009-11-16 [del.icio.us]

    17 Nov 2009 | 12:00 am
    NAR Survey Shows First-Time Home Buyers Set Record in Past Year San Diego, November 13, 2009 First-time home buyers reached the highest market share on record during the past year, according to the latest consumer survey ... Realtor/Broker/Owners &#8211; Take a Brutally Honest Look at Your Organization — PRETEC Here's an opportunity for real estate broker owners to determine where there at in today's market when it comes to change. social media, technology etc

  • Realtor/Broker/Owners – Take a Brutally Honest Look at Your Organization

    mike@mikebowler.com
    16 Nov 2009 | 6:30 pm
    Here’s a small yet important quiz for Realtor/Broker/Owners to take a brutally honest look at your organization to see how it weighs out with the real estate company of the next wave of change in our real estate industry. True or False: Our Company website has been brought up to date to Web2-3 functions that allow [...]

  • Links for 2009-11-14 [del.icio.us]

    15 Nov 2009 | 12:00 am
    Realtors® Confidence Index Gauges Market Trends, Current Conditions San Diego, November 12, 2009 Twenty nine percent of recent buyers purchased a home in foreclosure or through a short sale, according to the latest Realtors® ... Real Estate Blog - Things to Do In Grand Ledge, Waverly, Delta Township & Lansing for The Entire Family There are plenty of events and activities coming up over the next 6 weeks in Grand Ledge, Waverly, Delta Township and Lansing, Michigan for the entire family to enjoy. The Greater Lansing area is a great place to live,work, and play. Check these out and…

  • Links for 2009-11-13 [del.icio.us]

    14 Nov 2009 | 12:00 am
    Things Are Looking Up: 2010 Economic Forecast : Speaking of Real Estate Things Are Looking Up: 2010 Economic Forecast November 14, 2009 by Sarah Trzepacz · Leave a CommentFiled under: Conference

  • Real Estate Virtual BarCamp A Must Attend for REALTORS & Ancillary Businesses

    mike@mikebowler.com
    13 Nov 2009 | 6:03 pm
    I registered for this event next Tuesday and encourage you check it out. There are plenty of free sessions that will help bring you up to speed on the latest changes taking place in our industry, social media, and technology. On November 17th from 9AM until 4PM PST we will be holding the first of its kind, Virtual [...]
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    Panama City Florida Real Estate Blog

  • Panama City Florida Real Estate | 1031 Exchange – it’s about time again

    Jennifer Mackay
    16 Nov 2009 | 4:47 am
    About this time every year I begin to prepare my investor clients for their 1031 exchange purchases and sales. Experienced investors know to contact me directly every November for information regarding property sales statistics, rental market statistics and commercial investment market. However, new investors or those unclear or unaware of the process of 1031 exchanges often miss opportunities. For those customers who are unaware of what a 1031 exchange requires please visit my 1031 Exchange investor information page for reference or contact me directly. Here are just a few items to consider…

  • Panama City real estate | Open house this weekend

    Jennifer Mackay
    14 Nov 2009 | 4:59 am
    We’ll be holding an open house this weekend at 328 La Valencia on Sunday the 15th between 1 and 4. Both Brenda and Kayla will be available to assist everyone with their local Panama City Beach real estate needs. Stop by and view this lovely 3 bedroom, 3 bath Mediterranean style home in the gated community of La Valencia. A short distance from shopping, restaurants and other family entertainment venues make this home a wonderful vacation home or permanent residence! Crown molding, wood and tiled flooring, great room with high ceilings and an open floor plan are just a few of the features…

  • Panama City real estate | Tax credit extension approved!

    Jennifer Mackay
    5 Nov 2009 | 12:40 pm
    More good news for first time buyers, sellers and the economy… The Senate approved $8,000 home buyer tax credit until May 1, 2010.  In addition, they added a $6,500 tax credit for repeat buyers. Read on… The House today and the Senate yesterday passed legislation to extend the $8,000 home buyer tax credit to May 1, 2010, for first-time buyers and add a $6,500 tax credit for repeat buyers if they’ve lived in their home for five of the past eight years. Home prices are capped at $800,000. The legislation in both houses was included in a bill to extend unemployment benefits…

  • Daylight savings time – Did you forget?

    Jennifer Mackay
    1 Nov 2009 | 4:47 am
    Well another Halloween has come and gone. Is it me or does it seem every year, the trick or treaters are getting fewer and fewer? Either way, daylight savings time occurred @ 2:00 a.m. early this morning, November 1st, 2009.  Did you forget to set your clocks back 1 hour? I know they are set back because of the old mnemonic “spring forward, fall back” or “spring ahead and fall back” or whatever helps you remember these times of the year. Fortunately, I don’t have that many clocks to reset but I certainly feel for those that do. Best wishes to everyone as we…

  • The blog is back up and ready to go again

    Jennifer Mackay
    26 Oct 2009 | 12:16 pm
    After experiencing some technical difficulties, I’m very happy to say the Panama City Real Estate Blog is back up and ready to go again. In other news: We’ve added another new team member, Robert Britt.  Look for a release and post soon regarding Robert and the team. Also, our administrator Kayla Davidson has completed her Florida real estate course and is ready to take the test.  No need to cross fingers for her, she’s an incredible addition to the team.  We can’t wait to have Kayla working with many of our new customers. Owners, put my technology to work for…
 
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    St. John's Real Estate Blog

  • Newfoundland Real Estate Stats for October

    Stephen Winters
    4 Nov 2009 | 12:14 am
    CMHC released their Third quarter data for Newfoundland MLS Real estate the other day.  As expected, we are officially in a balanced market now within the  St. John’s Real Estate area.  New MLS listings edged down once again, as did the number of sales compared to September’s Newfoundland Real Estate Stats.  New listings were on par with 2008’s third quarter, but with available inventory 27% higher, this gives buyers more time to shop and compare houses.  Total number of houses that expired in October was up 53% since October of last year.  Having your house priced…

  • Newfoundland Housing Market Third Quarter MLS Trends

    Stephen Winters
    3 Nov 2009 | 2:34 am
    Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation released its data on the third quarter MLS housing market trends for Newfoundland yesterday. MLS® Residential Sales Lower during Third Quarter MLS® sales decreased 11% to 1,504 compared to last year’s record third quarter sales of 1,695 July, August and September MLS® sales were 536, 472 and 496, respectively Third quarter average St. John’s MLS® residential house price climbed 13% to $206,852 compared to $182,306 during the third quarter of 2008 – the only consistent price growth market in Canada during the past 12 month period…

  • 23 Fagan Drive – New St. John’s Real Estate MLS listing

    Stephen Winters
    16 Oct 2009 | 3:46 pm
    Fraser and Stephen Winters have listed a very spacious FOUR bedroom executive home in a prime location in East End St. John’s.  23 Fagan Drive is situated on a mature lot with lots of privacy.  There have been many upgrades in recent years totaling close to $50,000.  Upgrades include: shingles and siding, hardwood floors, ceramic floors, garage door, high efficiency low e argon gas windows, front porch, fiberglass front door, Valor high efficiency propane fireplace with cultured stone hearth and mantle.  23 Fagan Drive is fulled fenced with a new pressure treated fence and is…

  • Commericial Property in East End St. John’s 615 Torbay Road

    Stephen Winters
    10 Oct 2009 | 4:55 am
    Great opportunity for commercial property in East End St. John’s.  615 Torbay Road is located near the Stavanger Drive/Torbay Road intersection, adjacent to the Puglisevich building.  Zoned commercial industrial and located in a high traffic area with great visual exposure.  Survey being completed to determine actual lot size. Can be sold in conjunction with 619 Torbay Road which is listed on MLS as well. Asking price $209,900 Call Fraser or Stephen Winters for more information.

  • Newfoundland Real Estate Stats for September

    Stephen Winters
    6 Oct 2009 | 4:58 am
    September appeared to be a fairly balanced month for the St. John’s Real Estate market.  New MLS listings edged ever so slightly down, as did the number of sales compared to August’s Newfoundland Real Estate Stats.  Both the Canadian Real Estate Association and REMAX released reports last month indicating strong housing sales and positive real estate markets throughout Canada.  Here in St. John’s our 12 month average price for a home is $228,325 (single family home).  Huge increases if you compare past Newfoundland average housing prices of  $170,482 for 2008 and…
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    Ashton Coleman's Weblog ~ Giving You The Low Down On The High End of Sunny Isles, Bal Harbour & Miami Beach Real Estate

  • Art is What You Make It for Sunny Isles Real Estate Developer

    LisaCanfield
    19 Nov 2009 | 5:12 pm
    Say you’ve just purchased a prime piece of Sunny Isles Beach real estate. Now, let’s also say you have a spot in your gorgeous new luxury condo that just cries out for a big piece of art. You know, the kind that makes a real statement about who you are and what you’re [...]

  • Fashion Comes to Miami Beach

    LisaCanfield
    18 Nov 2009 | 6:09 pm
    We like to think of the denizens of our local Miami Beach Real Estate and surrounds as hip, happening, stylish types. But when it comes to the rest of the world, you won’t see Sunny Isles or Aventura listed next to Paris and Milan as a fashion capital. Maybe the Style Gods haven’t gotten past [...]

  • Capri Brings Simple Luxury to the Bayside of South Beach Real Estate

    AshtonColeman
    16 Nov 2009 | 4:20 pm
    Capri Condos South Beach I went with a friend this weekend to preview the latest bayside complex known as Capri South Beach. The 3 buildings are simple & posh boasting a small lap pool and enormous gym featuring high tech equipment, marina with reasonable dock space ($25 per foot) and strong attention to detail from the [...]

  • It’s a Zoo Out There- Miami Zoo

    AshtonColeman
    15 Nov 2009 | 1:02 pm
    It’s a Zoo Out There- Miami Zoo With the holidays just around the corner, and everyone being cost conscious, here is a great way to spend an enjoyable and inexpensive family day by visiting the Miami Zoo.  The zoo offers many shows, tours and rides. Something for everyone. The Miami Zoo is located at 12400 SW 152 [...]

  • What’s It All About – The New Good Faith Estimate and HUD-1?

    AshtonColeman
    13 Nov 2009 | 4:16 pm
    Significant RESPA changes coming The new RESPA (Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act) regulations that were published on November 17, 2008, are going into effect January 1, 2010.  These changes were primarily enacted to protect borrowers against excessive loan fee charges, and to make it easier for borrowers to understand their key loan terms and to determine [...]
 
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    Real Estate Investing Blog

  • The Housing Market is About to Get Even More Oversupplied

    John Burns
    18 Nov 2009 | 5:00 am
    While both the media and stock investors believe that housing has bottomed, they are unaware of the massive supply of homes that are already in the foreclosure process that will certainly drive home prices down even further when they are sold.Thanks for reading The Housing Market is About to Get Even More Oversupplied by Marco Santarelli. For more articles like this, please visit the Real Estate Investment Blog where it was originally published.

  • 10 Credit Report & Credit Score Myths

    Ann-Marie Murphy
    5 Nov 2009 | 6:00 am
    Time to dispel some common myths about credit reports, credit scores and credit cards. Credit has its fair share of myths, legends and misinformation. Pile on top the proprietary nature of credit scores, the formulas for which are closely guarded secrets, and navigating the credit waters becomes even more confusing.Thanks for reading 10 Credit Report & Credit Score Myths by Marco Santarelli. For more articles like this, please visit the Real Estate Investment Blog where it was originally published.

  • If You’re Going to Buy Investment Property, Do it Now

    Marco Santarelli
    4 Nov 2009 | 12:00 am
    It looks like the majority of U.S. housing markets have bottomed. So, if you’ve been thinking about buying an investment property, this may be the time to make your move.Thanks for reading If You’re Going to Buy Investment Property, Do it Now by Marco Santarelli. For more articles like this, please visit the Real Estate Investment Blog where it was originally published.

  • What Housing Bust?

    Les Christie
    28 Oct 2009 | 6:00 am
    During the past three years, home prices grew in the beer-guzzling heartland and fell in the wine-sipping coastal states. If you're a beef-eating, beer-guzzling, pick-up driving resident of heartland America, there's a good chance you escaped the housing bust. But pesto-chomping, chardonnay-sipping, hybrid-driving city-slickers were probably out of luck.Thanks for reading What Housing Bust? by Marco Santarelli. For more articles like this, please visit the Real Estate Investment Blog where it was originally published.

  • Further Home Price Declines Forecast Despite Recent Gains

    Darrell Delamaide
    27 Oct 2009 | 1:08 pm
    Contrary to popular opinion, home prices have not bottomed out yet, according to the financial information and analysis firm Fiserv. The firm projects median home prices will drop 11.3 percent by June 30 of next year.Thanks for reading Further Home Price Declines Forecast Despite Recent Gains by Marco Santarelli. For more articles like this, please visit the Real Estate Investment Blog where it was originally published.
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    Talk Charlotte Real Estate Blog

  • Friday Fun: Do I remind you of the eTrade baby?

    Mike Gibbons
    20 Nov 2009 | 9:39 am
    OK today’s Friday Fun is about to get real serious! I have decided to try my hand at video – as many of you know I am an internet/social media superstar (I checked you can in fact self proclaim yourself a superstar) Kidding aside if you’re going to be a social media star – you have to do video so I’m in the process of testing out my (what I assumed was) an innate talent for online video. Hoping to entertain, inform and maybe inspire millions. Well thanks to my wonderfully candid and no nonsense wife Rhonda – I may have to pull back a bit on my video…

  • Please Remember to Tip Your Realtors!

    Mike Gibbons
    18 Nov 2009 | 9:03 am
    OK it’s a bit of a play on words – but the truth is…a good Realtor can be (as my daughter Emily would say) your BFF (best friend forever) as we are charged** with a serious fiduciary responsibility to be your 100% advocate (the BFF part is just icing). I’ve known the members of our TalkCharlotte team Betsy, Donna, Jackie, Blake and of course my favorite Rhonda for years and I can say without hesitation – I have never encountered a situation where one of us put our interest above those of our clients – not once! Do we make mistakes -YES, do we miss things…

  • GOOG 411 Easy-Peasy Free Charlotte Info and Phone Numbers

    Mike Gibbons
    4 Nov 2009 | 7:58 am
    OK so maybe you know about Google’s free and easy 411 information service (it’s been around a while). Simply dial 1-800-466-4411 and voila (I like that word) you’ll get the phone number, address and even a follow up text message for any Charlotte business. Try it! The great thing about GOOG 411 is it’s free, free, free….and while it may not always be perfect – hey if they give you the wrong number it’s not like you just wasted $1+ using the boneheaded phone company 411! Watch the GOOG 411 video here and if you’re feeling really geeky check out…

  • HomeBuyers Are You On Deck? Better get ready to Step-Up

    Mike Gibbons
    29 Oct 2009 | 2:00 pm
    If you’re a homebuyer and you’re “on deck” you may want to get ready to step-up to the plate! CNBC’s Diana Olick reports today “Home Buyer Tax Credit: Final Deal?” that Congress may be close to extending the popular First Time HomeBuyer Tax Credit program! Good news, but there’s even better news – the revised plan may allow for “step-up” buyers to benefit. That’s right they are finally considering doing for the middle market homebuyers what they’ve done for the lower end / first time buyer! In fact there is some…

  • Halloween Costume Ideas at Charlotte Goodwill

    Mike Gibbons
    28 Oct 2009 | 8:16 am
    Recently I met Bo Hussey reach him here he is doing some pretty cool things at Goodwill Southern Piedmont (Charlotte). Bo is a smart-bold guy who is using social media tools like YouTube in innovative ways to build brand awareness and expand the Goodwill mission here in Charlotte. Bo knows Social Media and he is ahead of the curve (for non profits) in using tools like YouTube to get the word out about Goodwill – a perfect example is this video on the best place in Charlotte to get creative about your 2009 Halloween Costume – watch the video and many more here at Goodwill Southern…
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