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Intense debate over bundled real estate services

By Glenn Roberts Jr., Friday, July 30, 2004.

Editor's note: This two-part story includes highlights from an Inman News Special Report, "Controlling the real estate transaction: Who's in charge?" The full 40-page report is available free to Inman News members.  more...

Counting the real estate discounters

By Glenn Roberts Jr., Friday, July 30, 2004.

SAN FRANCISCO–Discount and reduced-service real estate firms have met resistance from traditional brokerages on occasion, but consumers will ultimately decide whether the old and new models can coexist, said panelists who spoke Thursday at Inman News' Real Estate Connect 2004 conference.

Lyle Martin, co-founder of Assist-2-Sell discount firm and a member of the "Don't discount the discounters" panel presentation, said that discounters have been edging in toward the industry's mainstream.

Th  more...

Real estate bundling a hard sell Premium Content

By Samantha Peterson, Friday, July 30, 2004.

SAN FRANCISCO–Mortgage brokers have resisted the concept of "bundled services" because it was presented to them as something that would be forced upon them by regulators.

"What it essentially did was give them something to fight against," said Joe Tyrrell, SVP of settlement service partner relationships with Ellie Mae.

Tyrrell's comments were part of a Thursday afternoon panel on "Bundled services: Working with lenders, data providers, title companies and Realtors," at Inman News' Real Estate Con  more...

One real estate technology plug, one outlet

By Jessica Swesey, Friday, July 30, 2004.

SAN FRANCISCO–Technology standards are gaining traction in the real estate and mortgage industries. That means MLSs, real estate brokers, mortgage originators and other companies have more choice when deciding what new applications they want to plug into existing platforms.

The analogy used to describe real estate technology standards is "One type of plug, one type of outlet"–also the title of a panel discussion here Thursday at Inman News' Real Estate Connect 2004.  more...

Online real estate cos. vie for investors

By Glenn Roberts Jr., Friday, July 30, 2004.

SAN FRANCISCO–The days of winning millions in investment capital with an idea and a PowerPoint presentation may be gone forever, but there is still plenty of money out there for new online ventures, said a panel of investment specialists and beneficiaries who spoke during Inman News' Real Estate Connect 2004 conference Thursday.

The panel, "Investing in online real estate: Who is interested and why?" featured Michael Montgomery, president of Montgomery & Co.  more...

Blending company cultures a key to real estate partnerships

By Samantha Peterson, Friday, July 30, 2004.

SAN FRANCISCO–Long Realty Co.'s title joint venture has a 66 percent capture rate. Its mortgage company joint venture, only about 10 months old, already captures 35 percent of customers.

Long Title Agency is now in the No. 1 position in its Arizona County, said Wissy Wendt, SVP of affiliated services for Long Realty Co. The mortgage joint venture is number three in the local marketplace.  more...

Real estate survival of the fittest Premium Content

By Bernice Ross, Friday, July 30, 2004.

(This is Part 3 of a three-part series. See Part 1: Will next housing bust kill my business? and Part 2: 8 ways to keep real estate biz afloat.)

Ninety percent of all businesses fail because they lack a business plan. If you're just scraping by now, a real estate recession can end your career unless you have a survival plan.  more...

Overnight mortgage rates steady

By Inman News, Friday, July 30, 2004.

Long-term mortgage interest rates were flat Thursday, and the benchmark 10-year Treasury bond yield slipped to 4.57 percent.

The 30-year fixed-rate average remained at 5.76 percent, and the 15-year fixed-rate stayed at 5.19 percent. The 1-year adjustable was down slightly at 3.37 percent.

The 30-year Treasury bond yield dipped to 5.3 percent.

Rates are current as of 7:15 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

Mortgage rate figures are according to Bankrate.com, which publishes nightly averages based on its survey of 4,000 banks in 50 states.  more...

Mining for real estate data

By Jessica Swesey, Friday, July 30, 2004.

SAN FRANCISCO–The proof is in the data–and so is the money.

Four executives in the home and neighborhood data collecting business today discussed various ways real estate businesses can use data to improve back-end operations and sharpen their customer offerings. The discussion was part of a technology panel, "Data aggregation and mining: New tools and new methods," during Inman News' Real Estate Connect 2004.

Data alone is meaningless to most people.  more...

Benefits of green building

By Paul Bianchina, Friday, July 30, 2004.

"Green building." You've probably heard the term, and perhaps even considered the use of certain green materials or green building concepts for your new home or remodel. But what exactly is green building and how can it benefit you and the world around you?  more...

Is private mortgage insurance good or bad?

By Robert Bruss, Friday, July 30, 2004.

Unless you are involved with real estate you probably have never heard of PMI. No. It's not a serious disease. In fact, PMI can be extremely beneficial if you are a "cash challenged" home buyer without a sufficient down payment.

PMI stands for "private mortgage insurance." It has enabled millions of house and condo buyers to purchase with zero, 5 percent or 10 percent cash down payments.

Purchase Bob Bruss reports online.  more...