RAMB
Housing Real-Estate Recovery Signaled as Fed Unwinds
March 15, 2010, 1:50 PM EDT - By Kathleen M. Howley and Rich Miller
March 15 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. housing market is poised to withstand the removal of government and Federal Reserve stimulus programs and rebound later in the year, contributing to annual economic growth for the first time since 2006.
NAR Pulse: This Week’s Top Stories from the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS
RISMEDIA, March 17, 2010—This week’s headlines from the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® include: A distressed sales and home buyer tax credit webinar at no cost through NAR’s Right Tools, Right Now initiative; exclusive savings from NEW REALTOR Benefits® Program Partner, DocuSign; and NAR urges Congress and the Administration to approach changing FHA slowly.
Right Tools, Right Now – Distressed Sales and Home Buyer Tax Credit Webinar at No Cost
Short Sales: The Rise, the Revenue, the Reality
RISMEDIA, March 17, 2010—Distressed homes are still accounting for more than a third of all sales nationwide, providing evidence that real estate recovery is still fragile at best. While there is no magic bullet for understanding or navigating the short sale process, Realtors who excel at managing these transactions will find success in today’s market. In this month’s Power Broker Roundtable, industry leaders Terry Hankner, Helen Hanna Casey and Larry Hibler discuss how to take advantage of the distressed market.
4 Tips to Profit from Niche Marketing
RISMEDIA, March 17, 2010—In 2009, the total number of available transaction sides per agent increased by a whopping 13%. This is the largest recorded gain in over 25 years. Simply put, there is still a lot of business to be had and a lot fewer agents going after it. Successful agents have embraced the change and are already profiting. The current marketplace is full of challenges but it also provides more niche opportunity than ever before. The following four strategies will help you profit from niche marketing in today’s market.
Housing construction drops 5.9% in February
WASHINGTON (AP) – March 16, 2010 – Housing construction fell in February as winter blizzards held down activity in the U.S. Northeast and South. The decline highlighted the challenges facing builders as they struggle to emerge from the worst housing slump in decades.
The Commerce Department said Tuesday that construction of new homes and apartments fell 5.9 percent in February to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 575,000 units, slightly higher than the 570,000 economists were expecting.
Report: Only 22 percent of homebuyers happy with their agent
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – March 16, 2010 – A study by the California Association of Realtors shows a decrease in the number of consumers who say they would use the same real estate agent again to 22 percent in 2009 from 79 percent in 2004. When asked why they would not retain their previous agent, 64 percent said their homes languished on the market and 51 percent were upset that their house fetched less than they had expected.
Fed weighs how and when to signal higher rates
WASHINGTON (AP) – March 16, 2010 – Debate is heating up within the Federal Reserve over how and when to signal that the days of record-low interest rates are numbered.
A rate hike isn’t imminent. But at their meeting Tuesday, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and his colleagues will likely focus on how to telegraph that higher rates are coming once the economic recovery is more deeply rooted. Eventually, Fed policymakers will need to start bumping up rates to head off inflation.
It will be a challenging maneuver.
5 states rush plans for $1.5B in housing funds
PHOENIX (AP) – March 16, 2010 – The five states hardest hit by the foreclosure crisis have been given only weeks to plan how to spend $1.5 billion in federal funding announced by the Obama administration last month.
Guidelines issued under the U.S.
More Than 50 Ways to Thrive in Today's Market
2009 Year Ending Stats: RAMB Members DEFINITELY List More, Sell More and Make More
Based on 2009 MLX Statistics:
RAMB Members List 35% more (all areas)
NAR Urges Congress, Administration to Approach Changing FHA Slowly
Washington, March 11, 2010 (Realtor.org) – The National Association of Realtors® urged Congress and the administration to move cautiously before making changes to the Federal Housing Administration program that has served the needs of millions of American families for more than 75 years without needing a federal appropriation.
Google Maps Adds Biking Directions
In the US, Google Maps now offers step-by-step biking directions; bike trails outlined directly on the map; and a new Bicycling layer that indicates bike trails, bike lanes, and bike-friendly roads. The following video explains in more detail:
Don't Get Locked Out of the Market - Get Supra Today!
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Engage and Help People
Excerpt from Global Edge http://www.globaledge.co.uk:
To be honest, Twitter is a complete waste of time for any business if used simply as a broadcast medium. I've seen many companies set up Twitter or Facebook accounts, create an auto feed from their sites for a few months, and then declare it a waste of time.
As with any social media, Twitter will give back what you put into it – engage and help people, and they will be interested in and value what you offer them.
Top Ten Most Effective Agent Marketing Strategies - Internationally
Top 10 Most Effective Agent Marketing Strategies Internationally - from the Global Edge
What is a browser?
The following is an adaptation of great little article that appears on www.agencylogic.com:
Many REALTORS don’t know they can use a different browser to ’surf the web’ (that seems like such an antiquated term), in fact many don’t even know what a browser is. They just think the little blue ‘e’ means “internet”. They click it, they see Websites.
Mining Social Media for Competitive Intelligence
RISMEDIA, March 15, 2010—Home-selling Strategies by Chris Kaucnik - Whether you run a large corporate real estate firm or you’re a local agent, social media outlets can be used to your benefit for more than just their initial intent, making contacts and building relationships. They have now grown sizeable enough to house a treasure trove of fresh competitive information, which can provide you with a better understanding of what your competitors are up to at all times.
Transparency in Today’s Real Estate Market – Learn from Your Bank
RISMEDIA, March 15, 2010—By Brian Friem - Transparency is talked about by many in the real estate industry. But what exactly is transparency and is it really important to consumers? Does transparency provide any benefit to brokerages? Reviewing case studies in other industries provides us with some answers that will seem obvious and others that won’t.
Merriam-Webster
Transparency: 2d: characterized by visibility or accessibility of information especially concerning business practices
Monday Morning Mobile: Mobile Takes Center Stage in Las Vegas
RISMEDIA, March 15, 2020—As our plane touched down in Las Vegas a sense of energy and excitement overcame the exhaustion of the six-hour plane ride. Now this wasn’t my first time in Las Vegas, but it was my first time in Las Vegas for a real estate convention—The Leading Real Estate Companies of the World Annual Conference.
LANDMARK DEAL CREATES INTERNATIONAL MLS
A landmark agreement is to create an international multiple listing system (MLS) for Central America, bringing the concept of a genuinely global listings exchange a step closer.
Through a deal with real estate technology provider Immobel, the Central American and Caribbean real estate association, FECEPAC will make its members’ property listings available online through consumer portals and allow foreign agents to display them on their websites.
Immobel, which already offers a listings exchange service between
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