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- 36 Tips to Go From Selling Residential to Commercial Real Estate18 March 2010, 5:42 pm
36 tips and tricks Is it not amazing how you start out on one simple path and end up going in a completely different direction? I’m referring to my last sarcastic post about staying away from Commercial Real Estate. I think my intent was to…...
- Realtors, I Want You to Like Me… Or Do I?18 March 2010, 2:00 pm
Is There a Secret Handshake or Cool Club I Should Know About? As my real estate licensing test date approaches, so does responsibility and opportunity. I think I’ve got a few things going for me. They would include an advertising background, a great company to…... - VFlyer’s New “Backpack” Has Just Become Indespensible for Me!18 March 2010, 9:27 am
I’ve been using VFlyer now for several years as a way to syndicate my listings and also to create email blasts, property fliers, etc. etc.. I’ve been a long time fan of the service, largely due to the flexibility and professional appearance of their product. …... - New Breed of Single Property Websites for Real Estate: The Solution17 March 2010, 3:12 pm
Judging by the great responses to my first post on single property websites for real estate, I wanted to make sure that the follow up article was up to par. So I took the idea on the road to REBarcamp Austin last week and we had…... - Want Smooth Sailing? The Short Sale Listing Agent and the BPO16 March 2010, 8:00 am
How do you handle the BPO? I’ve seen some interesting blog posts over the last few days that discuss how mortgage lenders participating in short sales determine the value of a property. First off, so that it doesn’t seem like I am speaking a foreign…...
- The future is flat-fee18 March 2010, 1:12 pm
Perspective: Tech-savvy Gen Yers will rule in 2020read more... - Bringing real estate ethics online18 March 2010, 12:35 pm
Realtor Notebookread more... - What you see is what you get ...18 March 2010, 12:17 pm
Letter to the Editorread more... - High offer can botch short sale18 March 2010, 10:27 am
REThink Real Estateread more... - Negotiate finder's fee in soft market18 March 2010, 10:15 am
Rent it Rightread more...
- Weather and Economy Hurt New Home Construction in February17 March 2010, 8:30 am
February was not a good month for new home sales. The weak economy and brutal weather contributed to the moribund numbers on new housing starts. The numbers are expected to drop from last years terrible February and this years weak January. Expectation that housing development will improve in March are far fetched looking at how [...]Thanks for reading this post. If you would like to see more articles like this, please come visit The Real Estate Bloggers. where it was originally published.Weath... - Mortgage Rates Rising Could Hurt Real Estate Sales16 March 2010, 7:12 am
If you are looking to purchase a home in the near future, watch the mortgage rates. Due to the Federal Reserve buying up mortgage paper and a severe recession we have enjoyed historically low mortgage rates recently. That all might change. And with this change the cost of housing may rise. If rates do go [...]Thanks for reading this post. If you would like to see more articles like this, please come visit The Real Estate Bloggers. where it was originally published.Mortgage Rates Rising Could... - Rental Scams on Craigslist – Landlords Beware15 March 2010, 9:51 am
If you thought the scams being run on Craigslist were just on ripping off prospective tenants as we talked about before here, you are missing the other side of the coin. Landlords are in just as much danger. The new scam involves renters sending fake cashiers checks and money orders. The landlord is thrilled to [...]Thanks for reading this post. If you would like to see more articles like this, please come visit The Real Estate Bloggers. where it was originally published.Rental Scams on Craigsl... - Spring Real Estate Talking Points – An Article Full of Positives15 March 2010, 9:29 am
You and I both know that this site has taken a tough look at the real estate market. I think it has been objective, but I am sure that others will disagree. My perspective has always been from the consumers point of view, not the industries. As such, I am concerned how the real estate industry [...]Thanks for reading this post. If you would like to see more articles like this, please come visit The Real Estate Bloggers. where it was originally published.Spring Real Estate Talking Points – ... - The Foreclosure Tsunami That No One Is Talking About14 March 2010, 10:28 am
If you are working in the real estate business this sentence should scare the hell out of you. About 5 million to 7 million properties are potentially eligible for foreclosure but have not yet been repossessed and put up for sale. It scares me. This overhang is so big the rounding error is 2 million [...]Thanks for reading this post. If you would like to see more articles like this, please come visit The Real Estate Bloggers. where it was originally published.The Foreclosure Tsunami That No ...
- America's $50 Million Homes18 March 2010, 5:10 am
Many of the country's most lavish properties have dropped in price to lure buyers.... - Listed: Stylish Cabana In Key Biscayne17 March 2010, 1:00 pm
This breezy home in a South Florida enclave offers top-tier amenities and a beach attitude.... - The $50 Million Price Point4 March 2010, 6:00 pm
There's an art to selling a ridiculously expensive piece of real estate. It starts with getting the buyer to think of a big number....
- Greenspan denies Fed fueled housing bubble18 March 2010, 3:53 pm
Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, whose legacy has been tarnished by the global financial crisis, on Thursday laid out a scholarly defense of the matter. Alan Greenspan - Federal Reserve System - Chair of the Federal Reserve - Economic - Central bank... - Fannie Mae cuts mortgage investment forecast17 March 2010, 2:09 pm
Fannie Mae, the largest provider of U.S. residential funding, on Wednesday slashed its forecast for residential investment this quarter following a "setback" in home sales. Fannie Mae - Mortgage - United States - Business - Financial Services... - Sponsored By:17 March 2010, 2:09 pm
... - Blizzards bury home building in February16 March 2010, 12:33 pm
Housing construction fell in February as winter blizzards held down activity in the Northeast and South. Construction - England - Business - Construction and Maintenance - Business and Economy... - Snow, foreclosures hit homebuilder sentiment15 March 2010, 2:32 pm
The National Association of Home Builders says its housing market index slipped in March, as harsh winter weather and competition from foreclosed properties hurt builders' sales prospects. National Association of Home Builders - Home Builders - Real estate - Foreclosure - Business...
- Has the Home Buyer Tax Credit Extension Flopped?18 March 2010, 3:35 pm
Fannie Mae cut its home sales forecast for 2010, after the housing market faced a “setback” during the first quarter of the year.... - Are Tough Appraisal Rules Holding Back Housing?18 March 2010, 11:13 am
Our story on Page One today takes a look at how folks who want to build or buy homes with unusual materials are having a lot of trouble getting financing because underwriting standards are much tighter today.... - Dubai World, Turnberry Might Keep Fontainebleau Miami17 March 2010, 2:32 pm
Lenders holding the $620 million construction loan on Miami Beach’s fabled Fontainebleau hotel are close to approving a restructuring proposal in which the hotel’s owners would contribute $100 million of new equity, according to people familiar with the matter.... - The Home-Buyer Tax Credit Countdowns Begin17 March 2010, 1:41 pm
Time is almost up on the federal home-buyer tax credit, the government's gift of up to $8,000, crafted to jump-start a stalled housing market. Just about six weeks remain for buyers to get those contracts inked.... - So You Want to Walk Away from the Mortgage…17 March 2010, 1:17 pm
Advice for an Illinois man who is underwater on a mortgage and unsure about whether or not to abandon ship....
- Few grand and a few days? Get a perfect home17 March 2010, 2:37 pm
Hate the mess your home has deteriorated into but you don't have the time or means to do a comprehensive redecorating job? Or maybe it's time to sell your place, but you don't know how to show it off to best effect?... - Mortgage help: 170,000 get aid12 March 2010, 6:29 pm
More than 170,000 troubled homeowners are breathing a lasting sigh of relief now that they've received permanent modifications under the Obama administration's foreclosure prevention program.... - The three-figure kitchen makeover12 March 2010, 5:57 am
Living with an undersize, outdated kitchen? If so, a sledgehammer may feel like the only solution. But these days you're probably not up for spending the $50,000 or more -- maybe much more -- it would cost to demolish the space and build a new state-of-the-art room from scratch.... - Foreclosures leveling off11 March 2010, 12:04 pm
The national foreclosure rate fell 2% in February from a month earlier, according to an industry report released Thursday, the latest sign that the pace of foreclosures is slowing.... - Green homes face a red light10 March 2010, 4:38 am
Lots of people, especially those trying to battle high utility bills, believe in energy-efficient homebuilding....
- It’s Official: Facebook is kind of a big deal18 March 2010, 6:18 pm
Something big happened this week. And I’m not talking about the move towards a vote on health care reform. According to online measurement firm Experian Hitwise, Facebook eclipsed Google in weekly traffic estimates. The difference was razor thin -Facebook visits tallied 7.07 percent of Internet traffic in the US versus Google’s 7.03 percent – but the [...]Sign up for the 1000watt Spotlight e-newsletter and keep up with the ideas, apps and people that are changing real estate. ... - Online real estate opportunity screams – are you listening?16 March 2010, 12:34 pm
It’s 2010. Real estate is an odyssey. It’s time you took your Web users for the ride of lifetime. How it was, still is In the old days, you picked a real estate Website off a vendor’s shelf. Chose a color palette. A layout. Slapped on a logo. Got the IDX paperwork signed. Switched the DNS and you were [...]Sign up for the 1000watt Spotlight e-newsletter and keep up with the ideas, apps and people that are changing real estate. ... - Real estate technology: think food, not forks11 March 2010, 9:41 pm
Yesterday I participated in a session at the Leading Real Estate Companies of the World conference on “The future of technology.” I thought about this a lot before the event and decided I didn’t want to talk about technology, for two reasons: First, technology is – in the real estate broker’s world – thoroughly paradoxical. That which [...]Sign up for the 1000watt Spotlight e-newsletter and keep up with the ideas, apps and people that are changing real estate. ... - Infographics as a cure for marketing sameness10 March 2010, 10:58 pm
Edward Tufte is a statistician, author, lecturer and graphic design legend. His seminal work, The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, is considered by many to be the go-to book on data visualization and has been described by Amazon.com as no less than one of the ”best 100 books of the 20th century”. Pick it up. If you’re a visual design nerd [...]Sign up for the 1000watt Spotlight e-newsletter and keep up with the ideas, apps and people that are changing real estate... - Brokers: embrace difference, love the eccentric9 March 2010, 10:53 am
In a recent post I waxed on about the type of agents I would recruit if I started a brokerage. As someone who believes branding results from the conscious decisions you make about what you want the world to remember about you, well, I’d create something memorable. And a brokerage filled with salespeople isn’t memorable. It’s commonplace. So why duplicate [...]Sign up for the 1000watt Spotlight e-newsletter and keep up with the ideas, apps and people that are changing real es...
- The Source of Confusion13 March 2010, 2:17 pm
I love this new post by Brian Boero over at 1000watt blog. Go read it in its entirety, right now. I’ll still be here. Back? Okay, I don’t have a lot of time today to do one of my traditional 9,000 word essay, but this post raises such a set of good points that I had [...]... - Do We Believe in the Millenials?10 March 2010, 9:00 am
Starting a few years ago, I’ve been hearing a lot about how the Gen-Y or Millenials (people aged anywhere from 18 to 30 today) are going to change everything — but particularly in real estate. A random sampling of opinions about how the Millenials will affect real estate, from a Google search I just ran, turned [...]... - Real Entrepreneurship8 March 2010, 6:41 pm
There is a viral YouTube video going around right now, a “parody/spoof” of Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind” with Alicia Keys. Here it is, in case you haven’t seen it: I understand that the people behind the video, one Pantless Knights, were making a parody. I hope to God that they’re ridiculing the people being held [...]... - A Musical Review of Inman’s “To Be A Broker” Study5 March 2010, 1:31 am
There is an interesting little dichotomy in the results of the survey that Inman ran recently, and published as a Special Report: “To Be A Broker: Charting a Course for Recovery“. It’ll cost ya some money, unless you’re an Inman Premium subscriber, but I think Inman did a great job here in putting the information [...]... - Brief Personal Note: MRIS1 March 2010, 12:11 pm
Last week, a couple of folks were speculating about my employment status. Apparently, I had taken a job at MRIS as the Director of Marketing, and so on. As flattered and grateful as I am that people take an interest in my ability to pay income taxes I thought it might be time [...]...
- An Experiment: Putting The Audience On Stage (For Real) At TechCrunch Disrupt18 March 2010, 8:48 pm
There are good things about conferences and there are bad things about conferences. One of the bad things is how little the audience gets to participate directly in the content being created. Sometimes there's a question and answer period at the end of a panel where people line up at a microphone to ask questions. But that's usually it. Other than booing and applause, and of course the back channel on Twitter, there's not much of a feedback loop. That's partially a good thing, of course. A room... - Notifo Is A Simple Mobile Notifications Platform For Anything18 March 2010, 8:09 pm
I'm hopelessly addicted to Push Notifications on the iPhone. Unfortunately, the system is flawed, in that the more notifications you get, the worse the experience is because it can be hard to manage them all. And one reason I always have the iPhone on me, even when taking around an Android phone, is that there's no good way to get my notifications on another device. A new startup may offer a solution for both of those problems. Notifo is a Y Combinator-backed company launching today. While it's... - Plastic Jungle Raises $7.4 Million for Gift Card Marketplace18 March 2010, 8:07 pm
Plastic Jungle, a marketplace for gift cards, has secured $7.4 million in Series B funding, led by Redpoint Ventures with Shasta Ventures Bay Partners, First Round Capital and other investors participating. This brings the company's total funding to $13.4 million. Plastic Jungle lets you buy, sell and exchange gift cards online. Instead of receiving cash for your gift card, Plastic Jungle also lets you trade the value in for an Amazon gift card or give your money to charity. Users can receiv... - More News about Omidyar’s Peer News18 March 2010, 7:27 pm
I'm at the NewsMorphosis Conference in Hawaii today locked in a day of debates about the state of news quality and how the hell we find a business model to keep paying for it. It's a big issue locally-- earlier this year three of Hawaii's five largest TV news stations merged operations and the Honolulu Star-Bulletin is merging with the other daily paper the Honolulu Advertiser, resulting in plenty of layoffs and general civic concern. So it's fitting that the conference ended with a talk by J... - YC-Funded Data Marketplace Is An Amazon For Structured Information18 March 2010, 6:00 pm
There has always been a vibrant ecosystem around financial data. Financial institutions, such as hedge funds and investment banks, pay thousands of dollars for quantitative tabular data (financial data in spreadsheets). But now, the web has provided a mechanism to distribute and publish large amounts of data, but much of this data is raw (meaning, it's not built into a spreadsheet format) and hard to find in a Google search. An finding the data, and then putting the data into a format that is ea...
- Twitter’s commercial accounts may finally land at Chirp conference next month18 March 2010, 9:00 pm
Commercial accounts for businesses on Twitter may finally make their debut next month at the company’s inaugural developer conference Chirp. Anamitra Banerji is leading a session on commercial accounts in the afternoon at the conference. Last summer, co-founder Biz Stone told us that the company was planning to launch a commercial layer over its ecosystem by year-end. They’re several months behind, but it looks like it may finally be happening. What could show up in them? Since it... - SXSW wrapup: Maybe it really does suck now18 March 2010, 8:18 pm
San Franciscans complain that Burning Man used to be better. New Yorkers claim that everything used to be better. While it’s no surprise that some attendees of the annual South by Southwest Interactive conference this past week in Austin, Texas, deemed SXSW to be “over” compared to previous years, what’s interesting is the why. The complainers cited three major themes. Bigger event This year’s Interactive portion of SXSW (there are also separate multi-day events ar... - Gift card swapping startup Plastic Jungle raises $7.4M18 March 2010, 7:56 pm
Plastic Jungle, a site where you can sell unwanted gift cards or buy those cards at a discount, has raised $7.4 million in a second round of funding. I actually wrote about new site with a similar idea called CardPool just a few hours ago. Both CardPool and Plastic Jungle are part of a larger category of gift card marketplaces, which also includes Swapagift. One of Plastic Jungle’s more attractive features is the ability to not just sell a card for slightly less than the official dollar va... - YouTube founder pushed for growth “through whatever tactics, however evil”18 March 2010, 7:47 pm
Steve Chen, co-founder of the wildly successful video sharing site YouTube, sold the site to Google in October 2006 for $1.65 billion. No doubt he’s since internalized Google’s “Don’t be evil” ideology, at least as a talking point. But in January of that year, Chen’s thinking was exactly the opposite. In the text of an instant message to a YouTube product manager, he used the e-word. Here’s the quote from a court brief filed by Viacom in that companyR... - Microsoft rumored to allow external USB storage on Xbox 360s18 March 2010, 7:18 pm
Microsoft is preparing a software update that will allow Universal Serial Bus (USB) mass storage devices to be used with the Xbox 360, according to a report by Joystiq. This will allow gamers to store and load saved games via external USB storage devices. Until now, users had to use Microsoft Xbox 360 hard drives or flash memory units, also from Microsoft. The change is supposed to happen with a software update this spring. Joystiq said a document authored by a senior software development engin...
- Generating Real Estate Leads Through Social Media18 March 2010, 5:43 pm
The question constantly being asked by agents within my brokerage is, “how do I use social media websites like Facebook and Twitter for real estate lead generation?” At a recent Inman conference I had the pleasure of sitting in on a presentation by Bill Tancer of HitWise (check out his book Click). During his talk Bill [...]... - Mobile Real Estate Tagging: Interactive 2D Barcode Reader18 March 2010, 12:24 pm
I wanted to share something with you today that is really, really cool. It’s Mobile Tagging: the Interactive 2D Barcode Reader from Microsoft. What if your potential customers (both buyers and sellers) were walking around with a 2D barcode scanner in their pocket? Well, they are. And the next question is how can this impact [...]... - Welcome Mike Mueller, GEB’s Newest Contributor17 March 2010, 5:00 pm
If you’ve spent any time at all in the real estate social media and tech space, you’ve run into Mike Mueller. I remember my first time very well. He pointed a video camera at me (without warning) and started interviewing me at an event in San Francisco. He’s become a good pal over the years. Mike [...]... - Links For Real Estate Geeks12 March 2010, 5:12 pm
I’ve decided to carry on with Drew’s “Links for Geeks” feature. I’ve identified a few gems from my feed reader that perhaps you haven’t seen in the past week. How To Set Up a Self Hosted WP Blog Steve at Zeek Interactive (The Company Behind Real Estate Shows) has a concise and simple outline for hosting your [...]... - Ya’ll Come On Down. RE Barcamp Austin – Featured Tech Event10 March 2010, 1:51 pm
What the heck is a Barcamp? I’ve been helping answer that question for a couple of years now. Luckily enough, you will find a plethora of information on the REBC web site. The short of it? It’s a free event where people show up and set up the topics of discussion and those who will [...]...
- Is “Free” MLS Finally Here?26 February 2010, 3:24 pm
Over ten years ago, I recall being in a presentation at NAR’s mid-year conference and hearing Gregg Larson from Clareity Consulting predict that MLS services would soon be “free”. I don’t recall all the details, but I believe Gregg was predicting that advertising would replace the per member per month revenue model pervasive in most [...]... - New RPR Draft License Agreement Includes Right to Resell Listings, Just Not to Moving Companies22 February 2010, 4:36 pm
RPR has posted the latest draft of the license agreement they are proposing to MLSs. The draft attempts to address some of the concerns that have been discussed publicly and privately. From my review, the draft still does not live up to earlier statements that RPR would not disclose listing-level information. Instead, 1.w attempts (I [...]... - Conflicts Between RPR’s Public Statements and Proposed License19 February 2010, 4:02 pm
Brian Larson does an excellent service to the MLS industry presenting on his blog his analysis of the RPR license agreement, which he concludes: RPR has been making promises about how data will be used (on its blog, in presentations, etc.) without incorporating those promises into the license agreement. MLSs that want to be [...]... - FBS’s support for IE6 is coming to an end30 January 2010, 12:14 pm
We’re about to release a new customizable dashboard for flexmls Web, but the upgrade won’t be available to users of IE6. Why is this? Because IE6 is eight years old and is so limited in its support for web standards that it’s impractical, if not impossible, to develop web applications that take advantage of the [...]... - Northwest Montana Association and MLS Is Seeking Corporate Executive Officer29 January 2010, 2:37 pm
Kathleen Shulte from the Northwest Montana Association of REALTORS is retiring this coming summer after a long and illustrious career as NMAR’s Corporate Executive Officer. Kathleen was awarded the 2009 Terry McDermott Community Leadership Award from NAR and has led NMAR to be one of the premier Associations and MLSs in the country. Whoever takes [...]...
- Crazy and/or Unique Local Content Maps for Your Blog16 March 2010, 7:14 am
Google Maps Mania is a mashup-of mash-ups. The site collects and displays map mash-ups created with the Google map API. There are maps of just about anything; historical spots, celebrities, beer spots, milk farms. You name it, it’s probably there. Embedding some unique or useful…... - How You Can Make A Video Blog – cheap, quick & easy15 March 2010, 12:08 pm
A while ago I decided that I wanted a web site that was just for my videos. I have video embedded in blog posts on my main real estate site, but I wanted a clean looking page where people could go and just watch my content.…... - FINALLY – You Can Add Pictures and Video to Foursquare!!10 March 2010, 11:02 am
One of the biggest lacking functions of the ever growing in popularity Foursquare check-in app was the inability to add pictures as you checked-in. A glaring missing and fundamental element, one might even say. Finally, things have changed. Pickchur and 39 Inc. have paired up…... - Google Maps Finally Allows Flickr and Picasa Photos3 March 2010, 7:07 am
Google has finally opened up their geo-tagged photo source for Maps and Street Views from the irritating and cumbersome Panaramio to Flickr and Picasa. (official Google Release). Geo-tagged photos are tagged by you (automatically or manually) with the location of a photo. Google takes that…... - How To Get Your Picture To Show Up in Comments on Agent Genius27 February 2010, 7:00 pm
This will only take a second… Ever wonder why some people comment on Agent Genius (and other websites) and there is a picture of them next to their comment? It’s not because they gave anyone money, because they have any superpowers or because they’re…...
- 10 Days Left in Fed's MBS Purchase Program. What is Potential for Extension?18 March 2010, 5:03 pm
The Federal Reserve reported on their weekly purchases of agency mortgage-backed securities (MBS). In the week ending March 17, 2010, the Federal Reserve purchased a gross total of $10.6 billion agency MBS. In that week the Fed sold $601 million mortgage-backeds (supported the roll), for a net total of $10.0 billion agency MBS purchases. This amount is unchanged from the previous three reporting periods. The goal of the Federal Reserve's agency MBS program is to provide support to mortgage a... - Fannie Mae Cuts Home Sales Forecast. Reduces Origination Outlook Again18 March 2010, 10:55 am
While investment in residential real estate still looks relatively strong for 2010 compared to 2009, the results in the first quarter have been less robust than expected according to Fannie Mae's Economics and Mortgage Market Analysis for March. The research piece opens with the following statement: "Severe weather was disruptive to economic activity during the first two months of the year. If economic fundamentals have not deteriorated , the weather impact will likely fully reverse at ... - The Day Ahead: Data Deluge Hits Cautious Markets18 March 2010, 8:19 am
The day ahead offers several fresh data points and a range of speakers from the Federal Reserve. Traders are being cautious as equity prices are slightly down after earlier gains in the week. 90 minutes before the opening bell, Dow futures are up 9 points to 10,663 and S&P 500 futures are flat at 1,161. Key Events Today: 7:30 ― Elizabeth Duke , a governor of the Federal Reserve, and Sheila Bair , chairman of the FDIC, speak to the American Bankers Association government relations summit in... - Loan Demand at Stand Still. Are You Nervous About the Year Ahead?17 March 2010, 10:56 am
The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending March 12, 2010. The survey covers over 50 percent of all US residential mortgage loan applications taken by mortgage bankers, commercial banks, and thrifts. The data gives economists a look into consumer demand for mortgage loans. A rising trend of mortgage applications indicates an increase in home buying interest, a positive for the housing industry and economy as a whole. Furtherm... - The Day Ahead: Stocks Continue to Tick Higher Before PPI and Fed Speak17 March 2010, 8:02 am
Despite yesterday’s news that housing starts fell nearly 6% in February (led by weakness in multi-family starts), stock markets managed to move upwards yesterday and this morning that upward trend continues. Sentiment was in part bolstered from the language of the FOMC statement, wherein the central bank said it would maintain "low levels of the federal funds rate for an extended period" and the "labor market was stabilizing". Two hours before the opening bell, Dow futu...
- Just Do Something! 5 Baby Steps to Ease New Investor Fears18 March 2010, 3:57 pm
Best-selling author and motivational coach Mike Litman often says “You don’t have to get it right. You just have to get it going.” Getting started can be one of the most challenging hurdles for aspiring real estate investors. You may frequently hear people talk about the importance of taking “massive action” but as I [...]This Article is Copyright © 2004-2010 BiggerPockets, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Just Do Something! 5 Baby Steps to Ease New Investor Fears... - FHA Rules Changing Faster Then I Change My Underwear18 March 2010, 12:22 pm
I hope I got your attention? If you have not been paying attention to the changes the leading mortgage lender in the country is up to, you may want to start paying attention now! A little background: For many years FHA has served a specific portion the home buying population that could not obtain mortgages through [...]This Article is Copyright © 2004-2010 BiggerPockets, Inc. All Rights Reserved. FHA Rules Changing Faster Then I Change My Underwear... - Crime Scene Photos: A Surprisingly Effective Marketing Tool18 March 2010, 8:17 am
I was all set to write this week’s article about the pros and cons of hiring a mentor for your real estate wholesaling career, but then I happened to see this article that fellow BiggerPockets blogger, Florence Foote wrote earlier this week. As I was reading through her hilarious post about the ridiculous remarks that some [...]This Article is Copyright © 2004-2010 BiggerPockets, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Crime Scene Photos: A Surprisingly Effective Marketing Tool... - Federal Mortgage Intervention Ending By End Of Month!17 March 2010, 6:24 pm
All good things must come to an end; especially when that good thing may or may not have been that good to begin with. I’m talking, of course, about the Federal Reserve’s affirmation this week that it plans to go ahead and stop buying mortgage-backed securities by the end of this month. These purchases are what have [...]This Article is Copyright © 2004-2010 BiggerPockets, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Federal Mortgage Intervention Ending By End Of Month!... - Calculating Fixed Costs on a Rehab, Flip or Wholesale Real Estate Deal17 March 2010, 10:13 am
Last week, my blog post discussed my method for determining the maximum purchase price you can offer for a property that you plan to rehab/resell or wholesale. In the formula I presented, I referred to “Fixed Costs” and I mentioned that I know my Fixed Costs to be about $17,000 on a typical project. [...]This Article is Copyright © 2004-2010 BiggerPockets, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Calculating Fixed Costs on a Rehab, Flip or Wholesale Real Estate Deal...
- Health reform: Where the money will come from18 March 2010, 6:58 pm
Democrats pushing for health care reform are closer to the finish line than ever, but it's not over yet. And the question of cost will remain a central issue in coming days.... - One jobs bill down ... what happens next?18 March 2010, 6:47 pm
Now that it's taken its first baby step towards creating jobs, Congress is looking at more measures to spur employment.... - Student loan reform shares health care fate18 March 2010, 6:43 pm
When the House votes on a health care package this weekend, it will also consider a proposal to make federal government the one-stop-shop to get cheap student loans.... - Greenspan offers a mixed mea culpa18 March 2010, 5:18 pm
Alan Greenspan acknowledged Thursday that U.S. regulators had failed to grasp the magnitude of the financial crisis, but the former Federal Reserve chairman argued that low interest rates were not to blame.... - Can Dodd wake the watchdogs?18 March 2010, 4:33 pm
The latest financial regulatory reform proposal leaves many chefs in the kitchen. But will anyone actually mind the stove?...
- What Are “Lender Overlays”?18 March 2010, 4:30 pm
Virtually everyone has seen the commercial where a big dot com mortgage lender portrays how they have less paperwork than any of their competition. Likewise most people have some idea of the basic mortgage qualifications for Fannie and Freddie loans and FHA insurance. Skip forward. There are literally dozens of major banks who offer the same home [...]... - HAFA: 2 Guys, 2 Burgers and a Voice Recorder17 March 2010, 11:58 pm
I try to eat lunch every day. And earlier this week, I happened to bring a voice recorder with me and taped a conversation about the new HAFA program with a local Arizona short sale expert, Dean Ouellette. Justin: Hey, what do you think about the recently announced HAFA program? Dean: HAFA? It should be short for “Keep [...]... - VA offers host of ways for vets to avoid foreclosure16 March 2010, 12:58 pm
VA loans have the lowest foreclosure rate of any product on the market, according to a winter announcement from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Part of that success is due to the loan counseling experts at the VA, who work tirelessly to keep veterans and their families from losing their homes. The VA has a handful [...]... - Wanting A USDA Loan? Better Hurry. Maybe.15 March 2010, 10:47 pm
USDA loans have become a popular option to finance a home (when the property qualifies) because with a USDA loan, there is no mortgage insurance and no down payment requirement. Yes, you read that right - you can still get 100% financing when you finance an eligible property with a USDA loan. It seems that pretty much [...]... - Renovation Financing: Would you invest $2,500, if in 6 month you would be handed $29,000?12 March 2010, 10:05 am
I don’t know about you…But I would… That has been the average return on the additional closing costs associated with a renovation 203K loans that I have closed in the last quarter. By no means am I saying that buying a home is a can’t miss investment…but if you are in the market for a home [...]...
- 3 Reasons VA Loans Will Be Prominent in 201018 March 2010, 12:07 pm
2010 is shaping up to be a good year. The economy is beginning to rebound and, according to most financial experts, most of us should begin seeing the benefits of a more stable and productive marketplace in the next several months.... - Governator Pushing New Homebuyer Tax Credit For Californians12 March 2010, 4:05 pm
Well, he’s hitting the road again with some pretty hard hitting talk about making the $10,000 homebuyer tax credit a reality for potentially 20,000 California home buyers. Following is the video posted on the Governor’s website as well as all of the important excerpts regarding the credit from his speech….if you’re a “cliff notes” person like [...]... - Pacific Northwest Housing Summit – March 18-1910 March 2010, 9:23 pm
2010 Pacific Northwest Housing Summit and Real Estate Bar Camp are coming to Seattle on March 18-19. The Pacific NW Housing Summit is an opportunity to bring together professionals from all aspects of the real estate industry with the intent to evaluate the current market conditions, forecast the coming years prospects and plan for the resurgence of the housing industry here in the Northwest.... - Making Some Design Changes On Lenderama.com8 March 2010, 4:15 am
You may notice a few changes on our blog over the next week or so. I realize that there are a few missing links and contributors, but this is still a work in progress. Just didn't want anyone thinking we were sitting around on the job.... - Enhancing Your Social Media Presence Through Email5 March 2010, 3:29 pm
One simple step everyone can take to make their mortgage marketing email efforts more compatible with their social media efforts is to link all of your emails to your social networking profiles or blogs. Most of us already have email signatures, so why not add these links right there with the rest of your contact [...]...
- PETA and Meat Company Battle to Score Sex.com18 March 2010, 7:11 pm
Sex.com is the most valuable domain name in the world (for obvious reasons). Right now it’s up for sale, and two of the prospective buyers might surprise you: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and a California meat company called BullWhip.PETA published a letter requesting that Sex.com’s owners donate the domain name (valued at $18 million) so the organization can use it as a tool in its recent “vegetarians are sexy” ad campaign. PETA described a website ... - CDs To Get Cheaper: Will You Buy Them? [POLL]18 March 2010, 6:01 pm
Universal Music Group will drop the prices on the majority of its new CD releases to between six and 10 dollars. This plan — dubbed the Velocity program — will go into effect in the second quarter of this year.UMG hopes this plan will at least slow the serious decline in CD sales that has been going on since MP3s and other digital music downloads came on the scene.While UMG has its hands in music downloads and streaming, too, the profit margins are usually better with CDs. UMG claims that it... - Android Gets Official Google Buzz Widget18 March 2010, 5:16 pm
Google has released the Google Buzz widget for Android, which will make updating your status or tagging your location easier.Google first launched Google Buzz for mobile about six weeks ago, and while the overall Buzz platform has undergone some changes and refinements, the mobile aspect of the service hasn’t really changed — until now.One of my favorite Android features is that certain programs will let you use home screen widgets for easy access. This is most useful in a search or ... - Google Calendar Gets a Smart Meeting Rescheduler18 March 2010, 5:00 pm
Not everyone can afford a personal assistant to reschedule their meetings, but we can all use Smart Rescheduler. The new Google Calendar Lab gadget automatically works to suggest the best times to reschedule a calendar event.The experimental addition was added to Google Calendar today and can be enabled via the Labs section. Upon installation, the feature will appear alongside users’ calendars and allow them to select individual events to reschedule.Here’s how it works: Clicking R... - 10 Essential Social Media Tips for B2B Marketers18 March 2010, 4:46 pm
The B2B Marketing series is supported by the MarketingProfs B2B Forum, where you’ll learn the ins-and-outs of social media as part of your overall B2B marketing mix. Register today!*Additional reporting by Tamar WeinbergWhen we write about how companies or individuals are using social media in their marketing strategies, it’s usually in the context of a business to consumer relationship. However, business-to-business (B2B) marketing is really getting a boost from social media as well...
- DeanOuellette: New video from @rl8rgal and me from this week, yes new out takes at the end @phxreguy ^^6 March 2010, 7:11 pm
New video from @rl8rgal and me from this week, yes new out takes at the end @phxreguy http://new.deansellsaz.com/008 ^^... - DeanOuellette: New video up with me and @rl8rgal on FAQ in real estate ^^6 March 2010, 1:24 pm
New video up with me and @rl8rgal on FAQ in real estate http://new.deansellsaz.com/008 ^^... - dpatricklewis: If you own a #palmpre or #pixi there is an outstanding app in the catalog detailing all the #CactusLeague games, schedules, stadiums, etc ^^5 March 2010, 12:43 pm
If you own a #palmpre or #pixi there is an outstanding app in the catalog detailing all the #CactusLeague games, schedules, stadiums, etc ^^... - DeedStreet: RE NewsRoll 3/3/10: Articles from @CraigsArizona @rerockstar @mySeattleblogs @travisegan @missycaulk ^^5 March 2010, 11:15 am
RE NewsRoll 3/3/10: http://bit.ly/cLATum Articles from @CraigsArizona @rerockstar @mySeattleblogs @travisegan @missycaulk ^^... - McAchran: Tax Tips for Homeowners Preparing 2009 Returns: ^^5 March 2010, 9:17 am
Tax Tips for Homeowners Preparing 2009 Returns: http://bit.ly/9Iif51 ^^...
- Crazy and/or Unique Local Content Maps for Your Blog16 March 2010, 7:14 am
Google Maps Mania is a mashup-of mash-ups. The site collects and displays map mash-ups created with the Google map API. There are maps of just about anything; historical spots, celebrities, beer spots, milk farms. You name it, it’s probably there. Embedding some unique or useful…... - How You Can Make A Video Blog – cheap, quick & easy15 March 2010, 12:08 pm
A while ago I decided that I wanted a web site that was just for my videos. I have video embedded in blog posts on my main real estate site, but I wanted a clean looking page where people could go and just watch my content.…... - FINALLY – You Can Add Pictures and Video to Foursquare!!10 March 2010, 11:02 am
One of the biggest lacking functions of the ever growing in popularity Foursquare check-in app was the inability to add pictures as you checked-in. A glaring missing and fundamental element, one might even say. Finally, things have changed. Pickchur and 39 Inc. have paired up…... - Google Maps Finally Allows Flickr and Picasa Photos3 March 2010, 7:07 am
Google has finally opened up their geo-tagged photo source for Maps and Street Views from the irritating and cumbersome Panaramio to Flickr and Picasa. (official Google Release). Geo-tagged photos are tagged by you (automatically or manually) with the location of a photo. Google takes that…... - How To Get Your Picture To Show Up in Comments on Agent Genius27 February 2010, 7:00 pm
This will only take a second… Ever wonder why some people comment on Agent Genius (and other websites) and there is a picture of them next to their comment? It’s not because they gave anyone money, because they have any superpowers or because they’re…...
- Matthews To Health Care Reform Opponent: What You're Talking About Doesn't Exist18 March 2010, 9:39 pm
Chris Matthews interviewed Tim Phillips, the president of Americans for Prosperity, Thursday about health care reform. At the center of their discussion was disturbing footage...... - Jodi Jacobson: Bart Stupak: I Don't Listen To Nuns18 March 2010, 9:26 pm
This article was originally published at RH Reality Check. In interviews Wednesday, Michigan Congressman Bart Stupak revealed a great deal about himself, the United States...... - Arianna Huffington: Celebrating Sen. Ted Kaufman, Accidental Leader18 March 2010, 9:09 pm
At a time when our political and financial landscapes are littered with villains and those unwilling to take them on, it's refreshing to find someone in the halls of power that we can unabashedly celebrate. Enter Sen. Ted Kaufman of Delaware, who I met with today at the Capitol. Kaufman, Joe Biden's longtime chief of staff who was appointed to serve out his old boss's term, was originally thought to be a Senate placeholder. But, far from biding his time, Kaufman has emerged as one of the Sena... - Health Care Reform Bill: Cost, Details, Changes Released18 March 2010, 8:48 pm
Congressional Democrats have released a final version of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul bill in advance of a House vote planned for Sunday. Some...... - Rep. Alan Grayson: Grayson versus Palin: The Director's Cut18 March 2010, 8:46 pm
Ryan Grim wrote a great piece on my dust-up with Sarah Palin. More than 4000 of you commented, and more than 450 of you tweeted......
- Cornhusker Kickback Gets the Boot in Health Bill18 March 2010, 9:01 pm
Democrats unveiling revisions Thursday to their health care overhaul bill decided to kill the extra $100 million in Medicaid funds for Nebraska that has become a symbol of backdoor deal making.... - Judge Finalizes South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford's Divorce18 March 2010, 7:20 pm
Court records show Family Court Judge Jocelyn Cate issued her ruling Thursday, less than three weeks after the first lady appeared, asking to end the marriage because of her husband's adultery.... - RAW DATA: Partial Transcript of Radical Cleric's Tape18 March 2010, 6:00 pm
The following is a partial transcript of radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki's recently released audiotape, obtained by Fox News. ... - Radical Cleric Taunts Obama, Acknowledges Ties to Fort Hood Shooter in Tape18 March 2010, 5:38 pm
A radical Muslim cleric tied to the Fort Hood shooting suspect can be heard taunting President Obama and applauding the attempted bombing of a jet on Christmas in a newly released audiotape obtained by Fox News... - Obama Supports Senators' Outline of Immigration Overhaul18 March 2010, 5:34 pm
President Obama, facing criticism from advocates of immigration reform, pledged Thursday "to do everything in my power" to get U.S. immigration legislation moving in Congress this year....
Red Eye- Obama Delays Trip as Report Aids Final Push on Health Care18 March 2010, 5:18 pm
Democrats unveiled the completed version of the health care legislation, saying that it would more than pay for itself over the next decade. ... - Preliminary Estimate of the Final Health Care Bill Hits President's Desired Price Tag18 March 2010, 4:54 pm
Building the health care legislation was not a shopping spree, but more like a trip to the local fruit stand with a set amount of money in hand and every item clearly marked. ... - Steve Levy Plans Switch to G.O.P., Stirring Governor’s Race18 March 2010, 1:45 pm
Steve Levy, a popular Long Island Democrat, is planning to announce his switch on Friday, laying the groundwork for a run as a Republican candidate. ... - Obama Calls Jobs Bill a First Step18 March 2010, 11:33 am
President Obama signed a jobs bill into law on Thursday, but declared that the measure “is by no means enough.” ... - Simpson, a G.O.P. Deficit Hawk, Returns, Much to His Party’s Dismay18 March 2010, 3:00 am
In the Senate, Alan K. Simpson, a Republican, treated serious issues with folksy phrases and stinging humor. He now brings that to the task of reducing the federal debt. ...
- Balfour out of Ga. House race18 March 2010, 11:05 pm
Georgia Republican State Sen. Don Balfour announced Thursday evening he’s dropping his bid to succeed retiring Rep. John Linder. Balfour was the first candidate to enter the race and was considered a leading GOP contender in the conservative district.... - Arizona exec. eyes McCain challenge18 March 2010, 9:50 pm
As Sen. John McCain works to beat back a primary challenge from the right, Arizona businesswoman Nan Stockholm Walden is taking a look at entering the Senate race on the Democratic side.... - Romanoff falls short of 50 percent18 March 2010, 7:26 pm
Romanoff falls just under the 50 percent benchmark as the final counties report their totals.... - Poll: Critz up by 5 in special election18 March 2010, 6:19 pm
Republicans hold a credible chance to pick up the seat of the late Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) in a May special election, according to a new poll. Democrat Mark Critz holds a narrow 36 to 31 percent lead over Republican businessman Tim Burns, with a significant 31 percent undecided.... - NRSC subpoenaed in Ensign probe18 March 2010, 3:28 pm
The NRSC is to turn over documents related to Ensign’s tenure as NRSC chairman....
- The truth about health insurance profits
Throughout the course of his pitch for Universal Healthcare, President Obama has repeatedly impugned the character of the health insurance industry. The President’s onlookers have been regaled with tales of health insurance providers nefariously stripping their customers of coverage in pursuit of their allegedly massive profit margins. Reality, as is often the case, has [...]... - House poised to pass whopping $940 billion health bill
Democrats in the House of Representatives are preparing to enjoy passage of a monstrous health care spending bill that will burden the taxpayer with an enormous $940 billion tab. The spending plan, aimed at “covering” more than 32 million uninsured Americans over 10 years, includes a series of tax credits for selected classes of people and [...]... - John McCain’s attack on liberty
Anyone paying attention knows that John McCain has been a Big-Government Globalist Neocon (BGGN) for virtually his entire senatorial career. As with many BGGNs hiding out in the Republican Party, McCain likes to talk about smaller government, but his track record is littered with the promotion of one big government program after another. But, what [...]... - New York latest state to freeze refund check payments
The state of New York has stopped sending out tax refund checks, totaling nearly a half billion dollars in over payments, to residents due to the state’s cash crunch. Checks won’t resume until April 1st. “I cannot help but wonder what would happen if New York residents delayed their payments to the government, citing “financial strain” as [...]... - State Department to blow nearly $500 million in Italy
According to a report by the Washington Times, the State Department is preparing to help fund two separate art and architecture exhibits in Venice, Italy, a move that will cost the American taxpayer a sum of $450,000. Obviously, our government is not feeling the pinch of economic strain. State Department officials defend the expenditures, arguing that the [...]...
- HUD Secretary Donovan on the Importance of Broadband to Housing14 March 2010, 11:47 am
Like highways in the 20th century If you’re in your feed reader, you may need to visit the site to see the below video. Imagine my utter delight to see the housing policy and tech policy worlds collide this week when HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan…... - Imagine There Was No Government (Apologies to John Lennon)14 March 2010, 8:11 am
OK. In the spirit of fellow AG columnist Fred Glick, this will be a short one. It seems from my last post (and I may be wrong) that there are a lot of people who think that the best type of Government is No Government…... - Should Minimum Home Sizes Be Illegal?9 March 2010, 11:40 am
We live in a consumption based society. We want it all, and we want it bigger, better, and faster that those who came before us. Whether you consider it the “American Dream” or simply “keeping up with the neighbors’”, new home sizes have more than…... - Dear Mr. President, I Can Rescue the Economy!7 March 2010, 7:02 pm
I have an answer the foreclosure crisis and a way to turn around the economy at the same time. First, an outline of the problem: The old way of doing things with foreclosures have not changed. That’s the problem. After a property is foreclosed, the…... - Consumers Are Not Getting Enough Credit in Today’s Market7 March 2010, 11:53 am
Between oversupply, bank failures and countless other reasons we all have our opinions as to the problems of today’s housing market. We’re also aware of challenging issues in the credit market but have we really considered the cost? It’s not just a little consumer and…...
Consumerism, Geo-mapping columnist
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