Primary market
Challenging economic times call for new ideas; solutions and a commitment to helping communities solve their current problems and move ahead financially positioned for the future. In Wyomissing, Pennsylvania two diverse, yet intertwined companies are pooling their resources to meet the needs of the people they serve. VIST Financial Corp. recently announced it has created an initiative to offer low-interest mortgages to qualified homebuyers who purchase new homes with local homebuilders who are clients of VIST. The initiative will be offered through the company"s mortgage division, VIST Mortgage.
I received a call from an old Realtor buddy. Actually, he"s not that old, I"ve just known him for a long time. He was, to say the least, perturbed that his buyer"s lender wouldn"t qualify him due to his lack of income. It wasn"t the lack of income it was the fact that the lender wouldn"t use his income to qualify him. I asked him why his client didn"t turn around and apply for a "no income" loan? He said he tried to but his client hadn"t been in business long enough. "What gives?" he said.
Who needs money in the bank to buy a house and qualify for a mortgage? Apparently not everybody, at least according to recent email pitches send to mortgage brokers around the country. You don"t need your own money on deposit -- you can "rent" somebody"s else"s deposits, and have them verified to lenders as your own.
Hold off on those "I told you so"s" for Silicon Valley"s housing market.
I just returned from a meeting in the wonderful town of Coeur D"Alene, Idaho.
Being in the mortgage business, I do my best to keep informed of the myriad of opinions from all the economic gurus in the media. When Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan and his merry band of policy makers decided to engage in a campaign of "measured" rate hikes last June, most, if not all, economic talking heads were predicting higher mortgage rates in 2005.
Question: We just signed a contract to buy our first home. Because of the crazy real estate market, we included an escalator clause in our offer. Apparently, there were three other offers made to the seller, but our price (based on the escalator clause) was the highest. We do not have a contingency for financing, although we will need to get a loan in order to purchase the property.
The Federal Housing Administration is planning a "major" advertising campaign in "selected markets" where the agency believes mortgage brokers may be guiding home buyers to more expensive non-prime loans.
One of the most important papers you will be asked to sign when you go to a house closing -- whether it be for the purchase of a new home or, a refinance settlement -- is a promissory note.
Second liens and “piggyback” loans have been big impediments to successful mortgage modifications for thousands of financially-stressed home owners. Now the Obama administration has a new program to deal with the problem.
Home buyers and mortgage applicants can spread out receipt of their free credit reports over the course of a year from the new, Congressionally-mandated national credit information resource -- AnnualCreditReport.com. The website goes live Dec. 1 for an estimated 70 million residents of the Western region states.
Question: We moved into our home in February of 2004. We have a fixed rate, first trust mortgage at 6.00 percent. We have a 2nd trust mortgage at 7.00 percent with a fixed rate. I would like to roll both loans into one monthly payment. There are two options that appeal to me but I"m not sure which one is best.
With the certainty of sunrise, mortgage automation is on its way, a common system of electrons and software that -- says the industry -- will speed the application process and save lenders money. Savings, one can hope, that will then be passed along to consumers.
An outgrowth of the nation"s amended fair credit rights law has cut through the bureaucratic red tape to put much of the federal government"s residential real estate information all in one place on the Internet.
The 15-year FRM this week averaged 4.48 percent with an average 0.7 point, unchanged for the third week in a row. A year ago at this time, the 15-year FRM averaged 5.59 percent. This is tied with the last two weeks for the lowest the 15-year FRM has been since Freddie Mac began tracking it in August 1991.
Brace yourself for slowly rising, but higher interest rates.
As Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac must continue to increase homeownership, buy more loans and overall have a big, fat, happy life, they need to find other people to make loans to, right? If the current homeownership rate is hovering near, give or take, 68 percent, then what about the other 32 percent who don"t yet have homes? Well, maybe they don"t have enough money for a downpayment while at the same time their credit is not so good. For these folks, it might not be their best choice to grab a conventional loan. It might be better to go sub-prime.
You recall a few years ago when you had a dispute with that car finance company? The one that said you owed more money than you thought when you didn"t pay your late fee? After several months of bickering you finally got it resolved, although in the end you still paid the fee.
Question: We will be refinancing our mortgage in the next few weeks. We purchased our home six years ago, and at that time purchased both owner’s and lender’s title insurance. Our new lender is also requiring title insurance. We have made very little by way of improvements, and do not believe there have been any events which would impact our title. Why do we need to purchase title insurance again? This seems to be just another hidden expense involved in the settlement process.
A retail mortgage originator"s announcement that its consultants will regularly make house calls, is a service many mortgage brokers have offered for years as a strong selling point.
[Note: To follow is an excerpt of an interview with successful bloggers from the Real Estate Investment Club or the REIClub.com -- Halle Eavelyn, Manager of Halle Homes, LLC and Cherrathee Hager, of Twin Oak Properties. To listen to the show archive or download an MP3, go to www.IncomePropertyInvestmentTalk.com/031809.]
It was a simple question -- at least so it seemed -- that a reader raised with Ask Realty Times. The correspondent wanted to know if a seller must give a copy of the termite inspection to the buyer.
With mortgage interest rates rising so quickly -- more than 0.25 percentage points in the past week -- getting an interest rate that sticks has taken on greater significance.
The recent interest rate increase has caused more hand-wringing and dismay than anything since the failed appearance of the Comet Kohoutek. Oh, shudder,
When it comes to investing in sustainable business behaviors and programs, more than half of corporate marketers and communicators believe that their organizations will increase their involvement in environmental sustainability initiatives during the next two to three years, according to a survey conducted by the American Marketing Association and Fleishman-Hillard, Inc. In addition, half of those surveyed believe that economic realities will actually encourage the adoption of sustainability practices.
Q: Is the amount of interest paid on a home equity loan that qualifies as "tax deductible" limited to $100,000, when re-financing (a $500,000 mortgage) to take advantage of the current low rates? Some mortgage guys say "YES" and some say "NO."
Well folks, last week the Federal Reserve Board of Governors voted to cut short-term interest rates by one quarter percent to an astounding low level of one percent. Contrary to what a lot of folks think, the move did not spill over into the mortgage market. In fact, mortgage rates rose.
The National Association of Home Builders is reporting that production of single-family homes is unchanged, despite falling housing starts.
The sluggish economy and low mortgage rates have combined to spawn a trend of mortgage borrowers who are turning in 15-year mortgages for longer 30-year mortgages.
I can recall back in the stone ages, say the last 1980"s, when consumers spent most of their time choosing a lender or mortgage broker. But once the chosen lender was so anointed that was pretty much it. No more applications to fill out, no more documentation to mail or fax. It was done. But not anymore. It"s not uncommon for a borrower to complete an application with more than one lender at a time to see who can ultimately offer the better deal. After all, a little head to head competition is good for everyone, right?
What"s the connection between your credit score and the interest rate you are quoted on a new home mortgage or equity loan?
Are thousands of American home buyers being charged more for their mortgages every year than they should because of credit information irregularities? That"s a very hot question in the nation"s capital right now.
When you run into a financial problem that forces you to miss a mortgage payment or two, where do you turn for relief?
Americans are buying homes and refinancing existing mortgage loans in record numbers. With the heavy activity, many are turning to the Internet to shop for and apply for mortgages. While this route may involve fewer hassles, you still need to educate yourself on the process - and protect your privacy and get the best deal you can.
I want to talk about a controversial practice in the mortgage world - the Form 4506 - Request for Copy of Transcript or Tax Form.
Would Professor Holmes please call? Sherlock Holmes? We might need a little detective work here. Lots of clues, lots of answers, trying to make a connection. Call as soon as able.
North Carolina"s home buyers and legislators are breathing a sign of relief that they didn"t wait for a federal anti-predatory lending law or bow to industry criticism that state laws curb subprime lending.
Here’s a hard truth to swallow: No one comes to an open house to meet the agent. They come to see an appealing home, and your role as the hosting agent is to make that house shine. Your reward is the list of prospects you amass, and, one out of 20 times, a home sale to boot.
A former IT specialist is coming into the real estate industry with high hopes and a business plan, but the lack of a good marketing strategy has her stymied.
Prudential CA/NV/TX Realty is promoting homebuying to Hispanic homebuyers in California, New Mexico, and Texas with products and services designed specificially for this underserved market.
Recently, I was listening to a series of cassette tapes published by direct response marketing legend Dan Kennedy. While there were a great many valuable lessons that I learned while listening to the tapes, one particular story caught my attention as being something that applies to a great number of real estate agents in our industry.
Sales ended up 38 percent in 2008 over 2007 in Las Vegas, and residents are hoping for a recovery of pricing in 2010. The Las Vegas Sun, interviewed the National Association of Realtors’ Chief Economist Lawrence Yun, who says the sales volume will most likely turn flat prices upward.
Recently, while contemplating relocation to Virginia, and searching the internet as a consumer, I was surprised at how many agent and company listings do not post additional listing photos or virtual tours. I was shocked at how many listings, including the high upper end market, do not even have a listing photo displayed. That was very hard to believe. Could you imagine a seller entrusting their home for sale to an agent or brokerage if they knew it would be without any online marketing or effort?
In the new homebuying paradigm, old equals problems and new equals luxury. Sprawl has become tempered by higher building costs and traffic problems, which have driven homebuyers back toward community cores and older homes, but they don"t necessarily like what they see - smaller square footage, outdated floor plans, and the previous owner"s imprint.
[Note: To follow is an excerpt of a radio show interview conducted by Peter L. Mosca, host of Income Property Investment Talk dot com, with Scott Griffith, President ERA Griffith Realty and co-founder of Rescue LLC, a real estate consulting firm that helps banks stabilize and develop a plan for the disposition of REO properties. Griffith details the ‘dos and don’ts’ for success and talks about his experiences over the years developing his REO business. To listen to the show archive or download an MP3, go to www.IncomePropertyInvestmentTalk.com/120909.]
Acting more every day like the advertising medium it truly is, Realtor.com is introducing a new line of limited personal promotion opportunities that will expose brokers and agents through display ads that are apart from listings.
If there is a buzzword for today"s real estate professional it begins with the letter "E". The "E" stands for economy of time, energy, efficiency, and effectiveness to best serve today"s buyer and seller. The only way to meet and exceed the consumer"s demands for information and service in real time is to use systems and products that offer immediate response, and to capture and track leads that convert to sales and profits.
Dear Mr. Internet,
Many mortgage brokers are self-employed, and work out of their homes. As refinancings and sales slow down, many mortgage brokers that you know may be looking for more work. They rely on Realtors to bring them business, just as you rely on referrals. The right mortgage brokers - ones that you trust will stick to a bargain - can be useful in helping you do a better job in marketing your listings and getting them closed.
Realtors measure the success of their Internet investments one way: Return On Investment. I"ve seen what hundreds of the successful ones do - agents who are generating hundreds of thousands in commissions each year, strictly from the Web. I know what works, and what flat-out doesn"t.
How many times have you walked onto a property that a client has just enlisted you to sell only to find the yard riddled with children’s toys, old bicycles, and/or a hibachi sitting on the front stoop? Then, when you walked into the home you are greeted with sights of chaos, grime, and decorating styles reminiscent of early yard sale specials. While this example may seem extreme, the reality is that properties that look rough command 10-15 percent lower sales value then comparable properties that have had some cosmetic work to make them more appealing.
Will you earn personal referrals with your expertise in:
What did the most recent speakers you heard or articles you read suggest that you do about technology? Did they urge you to buy a laptop computer, digital camera, personal digital assistant, virtual tours and your own web site complete with an auto-responder and ghost keywords? Do you need laptop presentations for all your prospects?
Because of the increase in required disclosures, inspections, and documents, it is becoming more difficult for an agent to do all the functions of real estate on his own. The need to create a team of specialists is becoming more necessary for success in the real estate field. The three main reasons to create a team are better quality service for your clients, increase in production, and increase in quality of life.
Farming can be so much more than open houses and direct mailings to a specific area or group of people. The whole idea behind the practice of “farming” is to really connect with people in a way that helps them to remember you when they have any needs with real estate matters. Being personal is the key, and here’s a great new way to keep connected in a way that is thoughtful, nurtures a personal touch and is very well accepted!
“Here I am with the best prospect I’ve had in months and now, here comes my boss. Who do I introduce? What do I say? Now I’m starting to sweat.”
Dear Mr. Internet:
Referrals are a time-honored way to get new business, and with the advent of the Internet, it is even easier to take advantage of fee-based referrals. From third-party agent to agent referrals to company referred leads, fee-based referrals are growing. The question is, how significant are they in the course of daily business. Will they be more important in the future due to the Internet?
One of the most important things you can do to sell your listings quickly and for the highest possible price is to “stage” them. Basically, there are five steps to home staging.
Editor"s note: In a Realty Times exclusive, Realtor.com is announcing it"s bold new I-LEAD program for Realtors. I-LEAD spokesperson Clay Aldrich will monitor and respond to all responses from agent readers in the Realty Times interactive forum. If you would like to know more about I-LEAD XL, please log in and post your questions and comments at the end of the article.
Home is where the heart is – as are the many fine comforts that exist in today"s 21st Century playground. There"s the home theater system, alarm, lighting and HVAC systems on timers for maximum cost and usage efficiencies, and the remodeled kitchens of the future that make your coffee in the morning and cook your dinner at night, to name just a new. The home is constantly changing and the builders of today, and tomorrow, need to stay one step ahead of the consumer and her needs. A new strategic alliance between the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA) and the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) will help keep members abreast of the changing needs of today"s consumers and also provide a platform for collaboration, partnership, and exchange of information regarding integrating technology into homes.
It"s deja vu all over again.
According to a new ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Watters v. Wachovia, the mortgage lending subsidiaries of federally chartered banks are exempt from state oversight.
If you"re planning on attending the Realtors Convention & Expo in San Francisco this November, you might want to register and make your reservations early.
"The Future of Real Estate Brokerage: Challenges and Opportunities for REALTORS® "presents an overview of business models and strategies—old and new. In-depth data analysis provides perspective on the drivers of change in the real estate business to help broker-owners and firm managers make long-range plans.
Proposed policy governing use of MLS data in connection with
It"s by no means a federal bailout, but $731 million in new federal money began flowing last week to local communities to acquire and redevelop areas with high numbers of foreclosures and abandoned houses.
It"s a whole new ball game for Realtor.com.
travel rewards program to NAR members in connection with the Realtor® Platinum Visa card.
New Orleans.
Offered by Fidelity National Information Solutions (NASDAQ:FNIS), TransactionPointTM is a single transaction platform that enables real estate professionals to order, confirm, and schedule the delivery of multiple real estate-related products and services. TransactionPointTM also standardizes and streamlines the process of managing and closing transactions, and creates a seamless link between Realtors, clients and service vendors.
Three former Homestore executives plead guilty to criminal and civil securities fraud charges, and offer to repay monies earned through the exercise of stock options for the period. The SEC also says it will not pursue any charges against Homestore.
Anyone operating old-fashioned rabbit ears or roof top antenna to get television signals at home has been given a reprieve before they"ll have to make changes to tune into digital television.
Ellen Roche managing director of real estate research for the National Association of Realtors is already planning the next biennial survey of buyers and sellers. Questions raised by the results of each survey show trends that signal change, such as the pervasiveness of the Internet. And that is what helps determine what will be asked of buyers and sellers with regard to the purchase and sales of their homes.
Despite the current economy and decline in the housing market, builders have not abandoned home technologies, according to new findings in the 7th Annual State of the Builder Technology Market Study released by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). The study found that a majority of builders remain committed to home technology and recognize its importance in marketing new homes. According to the CEA, consumer desire for electronics helped preserve builder revenue in the current housing market.
On February 8th, the National Association of Realtors will defend its servicemarks Realtor™ and Realtors™ to the Trademark Trial and Appeals Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The question to be decided by the board is whether or not the NAR"s servicemarks are generic or words that can be protected as a trademark.
The National Association of Realtors has awarded its coveted e-PRO technology course contract to longtime online advocates, InternetCrusade.
With its new yet-to-be-chosen technology partner, the National Association of Realtors is re-launching its e-PRO certification program, a re-launch that could face some serious competition.
National Association of REALTORS®" president-elect Richard Mendenhall, C.I.P.S., C.R.B., G.R.I. may come from the "Show Me" state of Missouri, but it will be he who will be showing the N.A.R. membership a thing or two.
With so much attention focused on the Internet, Realtors know they should be ready and
Trick #1: You Are Now Fluent in 45 Languages
Trick #1: Phone Call Butler
Trick #1: People Detective Extradordinaire - On the Deep Web!
Measuring your website visitor statistics is obviously important because it tells, among other things, whether or not your site is well-trafficked. What these statistics don"t show however, is what the visitors are actually doing when viewing any of your sites pages. Measuring that behavior is critical to fine-tuning your site"s ability to turn clicks into closes. Fortunately, there are several very easy and clever ways to do this.
The advancement of technology is meant to ease the burden of everyday living by making things more efficient, accurate and less expensive but when it comes to determining the value of real estate, can technology really be better---or, take the place of a certified appraiser?
It"s a statistic that demands our respect -- and action.
A profitable website must have the foresight of strategic planning and several key components to be successful. The effectiveness of each of the components and how well they are employed work will be the determinate of whether a website will be profitable or a failure in the long term.
Old Rule: The Internet will disintermediate real estate professionals.
If you have a cookie-cutter website for your real estate company or haven"t yet established a presence on the Internet, you"re missing out on the most powerful marketing tool available to real estate professionals.
The real estate transaction has always been complicated by a myriad of confusing forms, disclosures, and participants. Security technologies have been the missing link needed to enable paperless transactions. However, most industry observers feel it may be five years, or more, before brokers, agents and MLSs make the shift to the trustworthy computing standards required for paperless transactions. These practitioners control 86 percent of residential transactions, and could be among the technology"s first victims.
A well-know ISP in New York recently had their domain illegally transferred fraudulently. While they were able to recover the domain, for several days all of their web site traffic was redirected to other sites and email was rejected and lost.
In the ongoing battle for lead capture supremacy, Cendant has just fired a significant missile with its new LeadRouterTM software, a product designed to put Cendant real estate brand customers, otherwise known as Century21, ERA, and Coldwell Banker brokers, in charge of lead management.
If you haven"t yet been pitched the idea of replacing your standard phone service with Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) you certainly will, and likely sometime in the near future. With the promise of lower costs and aggressive marketing (particularly member to member referral schemes) VOIP is clearly a future force to be reckoned with.
A wise Realtor® friend recently sent me this note after reading something I wrote about writing warning letters to agents who steal intellectual property from another agent"s website:
If you have a truly great Website, or even if you have just a couple of superb pieces of original art, or several ultra-clever lines of text, you can bet that some agent somewhere has stolen some of it.
Like the great late comedian Rodney Dangerfield, who built a career out of his famous lament that he "don"t get no respect," Realtor.com wages an ongoing battle against Realtor apathy, anger, and entitlement.
How many times have you highlighted something, then hit the "delete" key, and immediately realized that you’d deleted the wrong thing. It’s sort of like that one-second feeling you get when you know you have just hit your thumb with the hammer, but the pain has not yet kicked in.
Dear Mr. Internet,
For the past decade, the advances in technology that have transformed the way Realtors do business may have served as a warm-up act to what"s just around the corner: a wireless technology revolution that may change the real estate industry like nothing before it.
With the newspaper ad model, results are fairly straightforward. You pay your money up front and you get exposure. The newspaper doesn"t take any responsibility for your ads. It is your job as the advertiser to attracting consumers away from your competitors through ad size and placement. The hook of your ad is up to you, and that is determined by the writing and design skills of your advertising team and your business model. This is where branding matters, along with other variables such as how much you want to spend on your ads to consistently get premium positioning.
Just before the Thanksgiving holidays, one of the Internet"s top three search engines changed its algorithms, the search criteria by which its engine "spiders" peruse websites and select them for results pages. Results are based on websites" relevancy to search keywords.
Virtual tours, what"s the point? That"s the question, or so it would seem, as industry insiders estimate that fewer than 10 percent of all current listings have any type of virtual tour, and visits to a variety of real estate web sites appear to affirm this observation.
I"ve found a much better way that will check Altavista, Infoseek, Lycos, and AOL simultaneously to see how many other sites link to yours. It"s called Link Popularity Check, a free service from the same search engine positioning experts that developed Webposition Gold -- the industry"s pre-eminent search engine positioning software.
Let"s assume you want a list of area residents" e-mail addresses to establish your online prospecting "e-farm". Let me just say that buying any so-called "opt-in" list for this purpose is about the quickest way to turn your e-farm into online fallow ground. The reality is that any e-mail sent by you will be perceived as spam unless you obtain explicit permission from each intended recipient.
Most likely if you’re a broker, you take time now and then to evaluate your business and what you could do to improve it. What about your Web site? Have you taken the time lately to look at your site -- really use it from a customer standpoint to determine whether or not it really works for your business?
Are you buying a used domain name for your web site, instead of registering a brand new one? How did the previous owner use that web address? If its history has been spotty, you might be buying a domain name already penalized by search engines.
Dear Mr. Internet,
To look at the new Samsung SPH-I330 you might not immediately recognize that it"s much more than just another cell phone. While not particularly
On a regular basis, I am asked what software is the “silver bullet” for real estate. “What one program will do everything I need?” Well, I’m sorry to say that there is none. But, with the advent of e-mail capability incorporated into the real estate-specific software “suite” called Agent Office, are we one step closer? Agent Office doesn’t eliminate the need for your e-mail software yet, as there are tools like filtering that it does not offer, but it may eliminate the need for tracking contacts in two different places. That’s a pretty significant step! Isn’t it worth looking at? I think so!
What makes for a good lead?
Q: I"m having difficulty choosing between ACT! and Top Producer for my contact management, which do you recommend?
Dear Mr. Internet,
Q: Do you have any idea why the Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) running the PocketPC have not gained favor within the real estate industry?
Despite today"s challenging economy - and perhaps because of it - improving the ambiance of our homes and offices is a simple way to fight the doldrums and boost morale. Millions of Americans suffer from depression in the United States, and many have turned to exercise, reading, and listening to music are ways helping people cope.
In real estate, what often is a key element of success is not the company we belong to, the designations we hold, or the software and hardware we use that affords us success. It is how well we use them that count.
Dear Mr. Internet,
Technology gurus can be anyone from a top nationally-known trainer to a fellow Realtor. With so many choices in such a wide range of technologies that you need for your real estate business, it would be so easy to let someone else make your purchasing decisions for you. But how do you know whose advice to follow? Some experts may have a hidden agenda.
Did you scan postcards or other images without permission for your Web site? If so, you could be setting yourself up - and your broker and web designer - for a costly lawsuit. There are artists and lawyers searching the Web right now for just such prey. I"ve seen six figure lawsuits and five figure settlements. No kidding. Consider the following true story.
Dear Mr. Internet:
Don"t leave your Web site behind when you go on a marketing
My ISP is Earthlink/Mindspring and I think they are great. This is true even though they do not offer DSL service in the town where I now live. However, Verizon (another national player) does offer this service. So I can use their DSL service to access my Earthlink/Mindspring messages (“old e-mail”) with minimal cost. Here’s how.
If you"re good at what you do, you"ll soon reach a productivity ceiling:
Can you farm the Internet for potential clients? Will prospecting on the Internet produce potential buyer and seller leads? Yes, but to produce a desired response and potential prospects from a Web site there has to be some thought and structure to obtain desired results.
I"ve said it before, and I"ll say it again: those Web sites that are
Working smarter involves more than evolution of our systems and success strategies: it requires revolution. You can tweak what you’ve done in the past and then you have to do a little more than you did before and do it a little faster, but there is a limit to how much harder and faster the average person can do.
Bigfix.com is a new service that offers to install software on your computer which regularly connects to their Internet servers in order to find bug
C.A.R. president Robert Bailey says that Internet-trained agents can easily serve vacationers, property owners seeking managers online, and renters, as well as homebuyers and sellers. In fact, the opportunity to serve a variety of transaction needs using Internet skills is attracting more young entrepreneurs to the real estate profession and away from dot-com pipedreams.
It seems that the "hot technology" item for this year might just be
Pick any excuse, but I was about a month late renewing my driver"s license. Worse, there seemed to be no upcoming breaks in the calendar for me to go stand in line at the driver"s license bureau. Then I heard that Texas has done something incredibly progressive - making driver"s license renewal, along with a host of other resident services, available online.
Ever visit a site that you want to return to, but you cannot remember
Dear Mr. Internet:
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but if you are thinking of copying the text or graphics from another Realtor"s Web site, you could end up paying up to $100,000 in damages per incident for copyright and/or trademark infringement.
If you"re an agent in Seattle or San Francisco, where a large number of employers are technology firms, you would be at a very real competitive disadvantage if you weren"t Internet trained. But is the case for getting trained as compelling if you were an agent in Lincoln, Nebraska, with a population of about 250,000 and no large tech companies in sight?
The results are in for the second monthly Mr. Internet/Realty Times survey, featured on Agent News. Four hundred and sixty five respondents, about a 13 percent increase over last month"s responses, answered questions about Broker Reciprocity and how important real estate professionals think it will be to their businesses.
I remember an observation that Howard Brinton, one of the funniest trainers in real estate, made many years ago at one of his seminars. He said, “I don’t have a problem if you just want to make $12,000 a year in real estate, just don’t take all year to do it. Do it in January!”
Before he became one of real estate"s most well-known technology trainers, Stephen Canale was a portrait photographer. He never lost his love for imaging, and is an active proponent for digital cameras as a primary real estate marketing tool.
When it comes to Section 1031 (ten thirty one) tax-deferred real estate exchanges, investors are getting some decidedly mixed signals.
Brokers everywhere are being inundated with technology business solutions by eager Internet vendors. The attraction for many brokers is coupling client, office, agent and transaction management efficiencies with lead generation. But some tools, such as multiple Web sites and transaction management platforms, may be solutions in search of a problem, say some. As a broker, how do you know where to put your money?
Dear Mr. Internet:As the number of my online leads continues to increase, so does the time it takes to respond to all that e-mail. Is there some way to keep my responses personal yet cut down on the time it takes?
Progressive Endeavors/Websuite has had plenty of problems getting its new Internet certification program going, but a few were cleared up last week. Among the hurdles, Progressive had to fulfill its contract to service the stranded NAR ePRO customers and wait for its noncompete agreement with the NAR to expire June 22nd, before launching sales of its new Internet certification program for Realtors.
I"ve written many tips in the past referencing the fact that most computers load too much unnecessary software during the Windows boot-up process. The result is a longer wait for your system to become ready and also a reduced amount of system resources available for your computer to use in running your business software.
While there is no rhyme or reason to it, there are people out there who are willing to destroy all your files for the sheer fun of making mischief. E-mail viruses have become a plague on the Internet, and they prey on the naivete of people to open contaminated e-mail and forward it to others. Some viruses are so insidious that they can forward infected viruses to your entire e-mail database without your knowledge.
If you"ve ever searched for available web site names, there"s a good chance that you"ve had the exact same thought as I: "Why did someone register the name I wanted, when they aren"t even using it?" Checking a little deeper, you find out that the "owner" of this name is willing to sell it to you, or better, gouge you for it: "They expect me to pay them HOW MUCH for that name? It only cost $70!" You end up with two thoughts: "@#$%&!" and "Are there any good web site names left?"
I don"t envy Homestore"s investor relations personnel right now. They have the impossible job of explaining why Homestore is developing a free product for the real estate industry. Aren"t products supposed to produce revenues? Yes, and Homestore"s new Internet Data Exchange (IDX) product will, too. But first, the company has to change the world.