Property Management
Technical details are a pain in the arse, I know, but these details
Sometimes to get great search engine placement so consumers can find
With Congress in recess, all the housing action in Washington is centering around the Obama administration"s massive relief package for 8 million-plus financially-troubled home owners.
Homestore has expanded its alliance with iPIX into a $12 million licensing agreement which allows Homestore the exclusive right to sell IPIX tours in the U.S. real estate industry. Why is this deal so important?
With his courtly manners and Southern drawl, 22-year real estate veteran Jim Lee hardly seems the type to lead an uprising. In 1999, he was voted as the Knoxville Area Association of Realtors 1999 "Realtor of the Year," a popular and respected member of the old guard of the double-dip. But, like the Revolutionary War"s Swamp Fox, Lee has a double life. He"s also the unofficial leader and negotiator for a growing militia of real estate cyberguerrillas. Their self-appointed mission is to monitor Realtor.com and make sure that the NAR"s partner does right by Realtors.
Dear Mr. Internet:I"ve had a Web site for several years now but I"m frustrated in trying to make it stand out from allthe thousands of other real estate sites out there --what do you suggest I do?
Real estate professionals are taking advantage of the power of CyberSpace. Members of the Real Estate CyberSpace Society share their tips and tricks for using these tools to leverage their effectiveness and profitability. I"m a quarterback receiving those tips and it is one of my joys to pass these Cyber tips and tricks along with pointers to special Internet places of special interest to real estate owners, investors and related professionals.
Realtors® are always asking me, “How can I get the search engines to rank my Web site higher.”
The latest trend in online real estate is for the bank to come to the agent via the desktop.
Chris Newell, ABR, CRES, RMM, CEI, is a cyber REALTOR® with Main Street Realty/Better Homes and Gardens, Milton Ontario. He says, "Don"t let the fact that technology delivered the buyer to you cloud the issue. You are at the same point you would be in the transaction if you had never heard of the Internet. You are now at the buyer qualification stage."
There is a mad struggle to get to the top of search engines! People are alternatively pulling their hair out, reveling in their success, or staring at their monitor, totally mystified. In the midst of this mad struggle come the "experts", claiming they know exactly what search engines are looking for. But it"s not true. They don"t know. No one does.
A computer virus dubbed the "Love Bug"" caused havoc with computer systems worldwide on Thursday (5/4/00), shutting down email servers at major companies and penetrating the Pentagon and Britain"s parliament.
If you have been designing your Web site with style over substance, you may be making a mistake. According to an independent study performed by the Poynter Institute called "Eyetrack," consumers are proving to behave differently online than they do offline.
Advertisements like this are plastered all over the web: "Submit your web site to 400 search engines for $59!" (Even Microsoft plays this game.) Sounds great, doesn"t it? But it is another web myth.
A computer virus you get from an e-mail message might eat all your files, including client records. And you might end up being obligated to inform dozens of people that you inadvertently forwarded the virus to them.
With the passing of each day, more and more consumers come to prefer email
There is a new type of referral client, at least for those of us who generate a lot of traffic on our web sites.
According to the Third Quarter 1999 California Housing Finance Survey (HFS) released by the California Association of REALTORS® (C.A.R.,) the Internet played a bigger role in the real estate transaction. Gains were posted in every question regarding Internet communication with Realtors and finding a mortgage online.
You can make your web site get more visitors by knowing what key words people enter into search engines to find sites like yours. For example, the majority of people search for real estate-related sites using key word phrases that include the name of the county, or city, with "real estate" such as in "Orange County Real Estate" or "Santa Ana Real Estate."
First time buyers will get an improved, higher, nonrepayable version of last year"s repayable $7,500 tax credit under Congress"s massive $789 billion economic stimulus package.
Realtor Dusty Meads has turned her obsession with the Internet into a full-time job, but not for selling
As the first company to offer online listing customization nation-wide, OnlineVisit.com is jockeying for REALTOR® loyalty along with Free Web page and listing aggregators HomeSeekers and HomeAdvisor. The difference is that OnlineVisit.com isn"t offering free Web pages, or asking permission to download your listings from your MLS, - it"s offering free, customizable listing uploads directly to the site. And you don"t have to be a techie to do it.
"Dear Nancy (or Carl or Betty), how would you like to cut down on the expense of getting your listings and buyer needs known to your colleagues? Or learn of new listings, price reductions and ready buyers immediately?"
A new computer virus "Thursday" has been identified that infects Microsoft Word documents and even those who don"t use Word, but attempt to open an infected Word file.
One of the most important considerations when "getting on the Internet" as a REALTOR is which ISP (Internet Service Provider) to use.
When you do a lot of business on the Internet, it is easy for your email to
Ninety-two million Americans and Canadians, or 40 percent of the
If you can"t beat "em, it"s time to join "em. The Internet is fast moving into
Need to create a fresh, new source of leads? Why don"t you
When you get a new listing, how are you promoting it to agents in your area?
The housing market is setting new records daily. Consumers by the millions are
Oklahoma City real estate expert, Faith Thomason, reports that its good news for the region. She says, "As the rest of the country sees huge declines in home values, the metro is still holding as one of the strongest housing markets in the entire United States. With record low interest rates and local lending institutions lending freely to those who qualify, Oklahoma City should ride out the economic storm beautifully."
With so much in the news about communications and the Internet, XML
With the advent of Internet technology, more agents are investing in the
Virtual tours, a panoramic digital camera technology which showcases
Everyone wants to place well in the search engines. The top search search
Today"s technology has had a dramatic impact on many areas of our business.
It won"t make today"s tough underwriting and heavy equity requirements disappear overnight, but active real estate investors should keep their eyes on the Treasury"s plans to create what"s called a “bad bank” or toxic asset purchase program.
Like your brochures and newspaper advertisements, it"s imperative for your
If you have employees or REALTOR® associates that use your computers,
HomeShark"s done it for years. Realtor.com and HomeAdvisor are doing it. And now, other large brokers are doing it, too. Windermere, the most prominent brokerage firm in the Seattle, Washington tri-state area is now offering the service - automatically e-mailed new listings to customers.
Homeowner associations (HOAs) are the fastest growing form of home ownership in America. In metropolitan markets, they can account for over 2/3rds of all new home construction. As more buyers choose this form of housing, condos and planned communities are becoming a dominant force to be reckoned with. HOAs are quasi-governments that collect mandatory fees to pay for services and enforce architectural standards and rules in the same way that any government can. Like other forms of government, if you choose to live there, opting out of fees and controls is not an option. When you buy into an HOA, you automatically agree to be subject to its authority.
The mastery of technology is a key element in a REALTOR®"s success, according to two recent surveys conducted separately by REAL Trends Inc, a research and communications company.
Why is it that 85% to 90% of REALTORS® don"t make money from their Web sites?
Did you hear about the agent who said, "I didn"t understand that I was supposed to connect to the Internet to check my e-mail!" By the time someone helped her open her e-mail she had 269 messages, including one from last Christmas, saying, "We are transferring there next month and would like your help."
I want everyone who reads this to disconnect for 5 minutes and let this information sink in.
Realtors Linda & Ken Champlin, Birmingham, Alabama, are reporting that their area is seeing a buyers market with falling prices.
It"s a beautiful sunny day, and you decide that it would be perfect to venture out and do some farming. But, you have never done this before and you fear that you"ll be wasting your time. After all, everyone knows that farming is a hit or miss thing and doesn"t work most of the time. Why, to hear it told, thousands of agents are out in their fields farming their little fingers to the bone with little to show for it.
Marketing on the Internet starts with understanding the principles behind subscription services. For accounting, cash flow, design and business planning purposes, almost all marketing tools available on the Internet, from e-mail programs to personal Web sites to consumer newsletters to school reports, are available for use by subscription. Subscriptions, just like they are for newspapers and magazines, are paid in advance by the subscriber for use for a particular length of time. The length of subscriptions can vary - monthly, quarterly, annually or longer, depending on the product and the vendor.
Do you have the skills that will make you massively successful? Are you making the most of them? The people who are compensated the best in life are highly skilled and highly specialized. They perform few functions, but the ones they do are performed exceedingly well, and they are paid handsomely for performing them.
Referrals, or word of mouth advertising, is absolutely the best form of
You are all prospecting in one form or another and you all know what you need to do in order to get business - that is no secret. Let me share some things that you can add to your current business plan to bring you more business this year and in the coming years. How about expanding your reach by developing a niche market this year?
When Bea Richford got the idea for an online buyers" seminar, she didn"t know if it would work, but she had to give it a try. It wasn"t the first time she had broken Internet ground, and she vows it won"t be the last.
Lee Iacocca once said, "If you want to be the best, you have to separate yourself from all the talk about quality. And put it in writing." What Mr. Iacocca was referring to was offering a guarantee.
Do you have the skills that will make you massively successful? The people who are compensated the best in life are highly skilled and highly specialized. They perform few functions, but the ones they do are performed exceedingly well, and they are paid handsomely for performing them.
The most important skill in sales is qualifying. It is the ability to
One of the most important time savers when qualifying a prospective buyer is
Household spending in Canada rose by 3.3 per cent in 2007 compared to the year before. Prior to the economic and housing slowdown, households were happily spending faster than the annual rate of inflation, according to Statistics Canada. Now, with daily media reports reflecting a gloomy outlook for 2009, watch for piggy bank sales to soar as Canadians slow their spending and start saving.
The days of being a generalist in real estate will fade with the twentieth century. The most successful agents and companies today have developed a strong, clear position in the market that allows them to leverage business. To do otherwise is costly in terms of marketing and offers no real differentiation
How effective are you face to face with your clients on a listing
Turn to the back of any business opportunity type magazine and you"ll see
These strategies were originally compiled in a document by Don Taylor,
Editor"s Note: This is the second part of a two part series that started on Tuesday Novemer 3, 1998. If you missed part I, you can read it here: Open Your Mouth and Say.... Success!
If you are a new agent, it is a great way to jump start your career. If you are a seasoned pro, it is a great way to capitalize on the "equity" of your name and experience.
For those agents who are just now jumping on the bandwagon to produce a Web site because they think they should, or they"ve heard that a Web site is a great way to build business, understanding some of the realities of Web-site marketing will help make the effort more worthwhile.
All homeowner association should have a rules enforcement policy that includes any rules and regulations found in the governing documents and any additional ones enacted by the board. This policy provides a process for notifying violators, informing of the penalties and the process for appeal.
Realty Times is celebrating its two-year anniversary. That may not seem long, but on the Internet, it"s an eon. So how"s the site doing? Better than ever, and there"s a lot more to come.
Have you ever read a news story and wished you could instantly share your
Real Times is introducing a service that will make the lives of
The Athens Board of REALTORS® has merged its MLS into the
If you were a board choosing a new MLS system for your members, wouldn"t
Real estate is an industry that continues to look forward while taking two
Realty Executives International announced today a partnership with Mobile Callback® - a Realty Times company. This partnership was developed with agent safety in mind, which will allow Realty Executives agents to utilize Mobile Callback® at open houses, home showings and in other cases where safety is a concern.
AOL City Guides (AOL Keyword: Local or www.digitalcity.com) is giving you a front row seat for Fourth of July festivities.
The firms were added as defendants in a securities class action suit brought by the California State Teachers" Retirement System against Homestore and its top officers.
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Homestore has commenced a search for a new President of its REALTOR.com unit and anticipates appointing a seasoned, real estate professional as successor in the near future. Ozonian will remain available for a short transition period before assuming his new role with RE/MAX.
NRT Incorporated, a subsidiary of Cendant Corporation (NYSE: CD), announced today the successful completion of the cash tender offer by its subsidiary, Timber Acquisition Corporation, at $19.00 per share, for all outstanding shares of common stock of The DeWolfe Companies, Inc. (AMEX: DWL). The tender offer expired at midnight on Wednesday, September 11, 2002.
Instead of packing up and moving abroad for three years, tomorrow"s global executive may "commute" more often, live in a new nation for less than a year or permanently move to a new country, according to a new Cendant Mobility study.
First American Real Estate Solutions (RESð), the nation"s largest provider of real estate data, today announced that they will be featuring Realist® and other products at MLS Connection 2002, located at the Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort in Huntington Beach, Calif., on April 25-26, 2002.
Ken Galpin, President of MarketU Inc. is pleased to report that effective immediately, MarketU Inc. (OTCBB:MKTU) has changed its name to Most Home Corp. (OTCBB:MHME). The name change reflects the company"s recent developments and focus on its core competency of lead generation, lead qualification and lead management technology solutions for the real estate industry. The company"s new products will provide the opportunity for the company to expand its products and services to the entire real estate industry.
Company leaders from Realty Executives International recognized
Cendant Mobility announced today that it has been named to the 2002 Training Top 100 by Training magazine for its investment in the development of its workforce and its focus on the continued growth and productivity of its employees.
Century 21 Real Estate Corporation announced today that it has aligned with HotJobs.com, a leading Internet recruiting solutions company, to help its franchisees recruit the highest quality real estate and business professionals.
The growing use of the Internet by potential homesellers and buyers is causing
relationships with affiliated entities.
A class action was filed in Palm Beach County Circuit Court against Arvida
The first and still the only
Industry leaders REO.com and London Bridge Group have announced a technology
The National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) is proud to
Sales of existing single-family homes hit a new record in August, but sales are
John L. Scott and Coldwell Banker Bain Partner In Title Company
Falling interest rates, rising home prices, and strong
The Council of Real Estate Brokerage Managers (CRB) announces the following
U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Steve Preston today awarded $26.5 million in "sweat equity grants" to produce at least 1,540 homes for lower income first-time homebuyers. Three non-profit housing providers will use HUD"s grants to construct or rehabilitate homes along with contributed labor from the homebuyers and volunteers.
MonsterDaata, Inc.
REALTOR Magazine,
Landmark legislation sponsored by the
agents with an on-line marketplace to sell and lease residential real estate.
Michael T. Robinson, president of
For the first time it its history, the Real Estate Brokerage Manager"s Council is canceling its
The Council of Real Estate Brokerage Managers (CRB) is proud to announce
Metropolitan Regional Information Systems, Inc,
Judith Lindenau, Executive Vice President of the Traverse Area Association
The Prudential
Homestore.com, Inc. (Nasdaq:
The Austin Board of REALTORS and eRealty.com have reached a settlement in
iLumin Corporation, a provider of infrastructure technology for automating
Expeditrix(tm) Corporation,
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)
The Weichert Family of Companies posted $25 billion in total company volume,
Homestore.com, Inc. and Cendant Corporation announced today that they have
NewHomesDirect.com and hotpalm.com are teaming to provide real estate
earlier this month. In that lawsuit, RE/MAX International alleged that eBay"s
The Golden Hammer Awards will be presented at the 1999 COLDWELL BANKER International Business Conference during a General Session. These new awards celebrate the company"s relationship with and support of Habitat for Humanity. Alex Perriello, president and CEO of Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corporation will present the Golden Hammer Awards with conference emcee and daytime television personality, Leeza Gibbons. The company anticipates that approximately 10,000 COLDWELL BANKER sales associates, brokers, managers and employees will attend the annual conference, to be held March 7-9 in San
Due to new scientific data, it has been decided that the three-man RE/MAX team, due to launch a record-setting global circumnavigational balloon ride this week, will be reduced to two men.
The ads will target the 25 to 54 age group, and will utilize humor and unusual settings, according to creative director David Rea.
Prudential Real Estate & Relocation Solutions Takes Two New Preferred Partners
The company institutes a two-week training program that concentrates on topics that apply to making a living in real estate, according to company president, Virginia E. Cook.
Porterfield-Hearthstone Co., REALTORS® of Hinsdale, Ill., the oldest real estate firm in Hinsdale, has joined the Prudential Real Estate Network and will change its name to Prudential Porterfield Real Estate.
Just how expensive is housing in San Francisco?
Q: We purchased our home in May of 2001, and our mortgage was sold approximately three months after closing to a company located in Texas. Here is the scenario each month. We mail our mortgage payment on time. On or after the 16th day of each month, we receive a call advising us that the payment has not yet been received. We are advised to put a stop payment on our check, which costs us approximately $25 each month. Then the Texas lender asks us for permission to debit our account for the amount of the mortgage payment plus a late fee of $60. They then mail me a copy of my stopped check, which clearly indicates that they have had it for at least a week before the 15th of the month.
According to the latest report from the U.S. Commerce Department, sales of new single-family homes were down in October.
You know that your credit is good. You certainly make enough money and it"s obvious that you can afford the new mortgage. So why did the lender suggest a "Portfolio" loan when you didn"t qualify for a conventional mortgage? Good question. Why indeed?
Question: I have refinanced twice in the last five years and have enjoyed my interest rate dropping each time. I am due to settle on another refinance when I found out that my lender is refusing to draw up the closing papers because the two previous loans are not recorded as released in the county. I know the loans have been paid off because I used the same Settlement Company each time. Everyone keeps blaming each other and I"m just trying to get to closing. Is this common and who"s really at fault?
Something weird is happening. It"s hard to explain, yet you know that appearances can fool you. That"s right. The Annual Percentage Rate for ARM Hybrids are actually lower than its corresponding Note Rate. And you thought you were the only one to notice!
Opportunities for real estate agents to build a profitable new homes niche in their markets could explode in 2010. Traditional new homes marketing is out. Innovative value-driven service is in. What were sold as leading edge marketing tools no longer matter. Such as:
Fair, Isaac and Co. (FICO), which once bitterly fought to protect credit scores from public gaming is now offering to sell you your score with information on how to improve it.
Question: I am in the process of refinancing my home. I initially locked in verbally at 6.875 percent with no points. I then received a Good Faith Estimate of Closing Costs and a Lock-In Agreement. Both of these forms indicated that there were no points associated with the loan. One week later my loan officer called to tell me that he made a mistake and that I would have to pay ø point. Since this only added up to $320, I felt it wasn"t worth fighting.
The real estate sales business, like all other businesses in the world, is in a techno-revolution. The new technology in the world has created tremendous changes and growth in our industry. Agents and companies are dramatically changing the way they do business to take advantage of this vast new frontier. And technology is moving at a faster rate everyday. As an Agent, you must prepare and learn to capitalize on this revolution.
Making good on a pledge from his election campaign, President Bush"s budget for fiscal year 2003 will include $200 million in grants to help would-be home owners with downpayments and closing costs.
If the home you"re looking at is just a little out of your reach, at least in the lender"s eyes, or you want to gradually work your way up the monthly payment ladder, there"s a little known mortgage program build just for you. It"s called the buydown.
Question: We purchased a home a year ago for $285,000. Since that time, we have invested about $50,000 in remodeling and landscaping. Since rates are so low right now, we decided to retrieve the cash we have put in and obtain a $50,000 home equity line of credit. After we applied for the loan, we were shocked that the lender"s appraisal came in at only $300,000. Luckily, we still qualify for the loan, but we are wondering how a $50,000 cash investment can only increase our home value by $15,000. I think this appraiser ignored all the nice things we did to our house. Any comments?
Federal regulators have promised a major crackdown in 2002 against real estate, title and mortgage companies who violate rules prohibiting settlement kickbacks and unearned fees.
Many in the lending industry have predicted that 2002 will be a record year for mortgage loan originations because of hopes for expanded economic growth next year along with lower interest rates. How low? Some have been talking about mortgages in the mid 5 percent range. That"s right. Five percent. But have you looked at mortgage rates lately?
The national trade organization representing mortgage brokers has come out in favor of reforms that could help large numbers of home buyers and refinancers through the often-confusing loan closing process.
Question: We currently have a mortgage balance of about $180,000. We are in the ninth year of a 30-year term and our rate is 7.50 percent. I think we should refinance our balance to a lower interest rate but my husband thinks it would be a bad idea because we would have to start from scratch on a new thirty-year term. Wouldn"t it always make sense to refinance if we can get a lower interest rate?
The loan limit for "conventional" or "conforming" financing will increase 9.3 percent from $275,000 to $300,700 for single-family homes as of January 1st, according to announcements made by both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
It"s not always easy getting your mortgage payment in when it"s due -- even when the mail is on time.