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'Secret agents' quietly offer real estate rebates Premium Content

By Glenn Roberts Jr., Tuesday, March 7, 2006.

Barbara is a secret agent in a new real estate network. At Barbara's request, her last name will not appear in this article because she does not want other agents to know about this affiliation. Barbara is not alone.  more...

Mack-Cali expands in D.C. market

By Inman News, Tuesday, March 7, 2006.

Mack-Cali Realty Corp. completed its acquisition of all the interests in Capital Office Park, a seven-building class A office complex totaling approximately 842,300 square feet in Greenbelt, Md.

The value of the transaction was approximately $161.7 million. 

At the time of sale, Capital Office Park was 83.9 percent leased to 88 tenants, which included the Hewlett-Packard Co., the U.S. General Services Administration, Verizon Communications Inc., L-3 Communications Titan Corp., Joseph Greenwald & Laake P.A., and Lockheed Martin Corp.  more...

REIT lands Northern California industrial facility

By Inman News, Tuesday, March 7, 2006.

Representing the seller, Binswanger negoitiated the sale/leaseback of a 143,750-square-foot facility with acreage in Santa Rosa, Calif.

The value of the transaction was not disclosed.

The facility, located at 3300 Coffey Lane, features 18,816 square feet of office space, 227-car parking and is situated on approximately nine acres.  more...

Maryland office space fetches $22.5 million

By Inman News, Tuesday, March 7, 2006.

Grubb & Ellis Co. arranged the sale of Washington Plaza I & II, a 199,721-square-foot office complex in Upper Marlboro, Md., for $22.5 million.

The class A property, located at 8903 and 8905 Presidential Parkway, was 92 percent leased at the time of the sale.

G&I IV Washington Plaza LLC, an affiliate of DRA Advisors LLC and MGP, sold the property to MTM Builder Developer.  more...

Real estate marketing co. sends listings to Google Base, Trulia

By Inman News, Tuesday, March 7, 2006.

Consumers on property search Web sites Google Base and Trulia will now be able to view all Point2Homes.com home listings and can follow links to the respective real estate agents' Web sites thanks to real-time data feeds, Point2 said today.

Similar feeds to free online classified site LiveDeal and property search site Propsmart are expected to go live later this month, Point2 said.

The feeds are part of a broad data syndic  more...

Home builder tool offers interactive maps of prospects

By Inman News, Tuesday, March 7, 2006.

Technology company O2 Interactive has released a new version of its customer management system, OnSite CRM, a product for residential home builders and design centers.

Onsite CRM Version 3.0 now includes an interface with wireless BlackBerry devices, interactive flooring and electrical editors, geographic prospect analysis, among other features, the company announced today.

OnSite CRM for BlackBerry provides similar features to those found in the standard version of OnSite CRM, the company reported.  more...

Partnership aims to secure real estate data

By Inman News, Tuesday, March 7, 2006.

Real estate software provider Rapattoni Corp. has partnered with RSA Security to provide online data security for multiple listing services and real estate associations, the companies announced today.

Under the partnership, Rapattoni will incorporate RSA SecurID technology into its Rapattoni Secure Logon program, helping an MLS or association to establish the identity of a person accessing data online.  more...

Californians arrested in real estate fraud scheme

By Inman News, Tuesday, March 7, 2006.

Two California men were arrested Friday for real estate fraud, the culmination of a six-month investigation.

John Wilfred Curley, 37, of Sacramento, and Muhammad Adenwala, 30, of Roseville, were arrested by the Sacramento Police Department's real estate fraud unit Friday, the department said.

Curley and Adenwala were booked into the Sacramento, Calif.  more...

Newspaper site partners with online real estate service

By Inman News, Tuesday, March 7, 2006.

HomeGain, an online source for connecting real estate agents with home buyers and sellers, has partnered with USAToday.com to provide consumers with online real estate services, the companies announced this week.

Effective immediately, consumers can begin their search in USAToday.com's real estate classifieds section, realestate.usatoday.com, to find and compare local Realtors.

Through USAToday.com, prospective  more...

Iowa real estate sales pick up

By Inman News, Tuesday, March 7, 2006.

Home sales and prices in Iowa on whole eked out modest gains in 2005 compared to one year earlier, the Iowa Association of Realtors reported, although some larger markets posted double-digit price growth.

Realtors reported 39,380 single-family homes sold statewide in 2005, up 6 percent from 37,251 homes sold in 2004.

The median price of a home in Iowa in 2005 totaled $129,560, up 1 percent from the 2004 median value of $128,350.  more...

Realtors group touts Code of Ethics

By Inman News, Tuesday, March 7, 2006.

The National Association of Realtors trade group announced this week that it has launched a new ad campaign and consumer Web site to promote its Code of Ethics for members.

"For nearly 100 years, Realtors have subscribed to one of the oldest codes of ethics for trade groups in the country," the group announced.

"In many ways, consumers today are just like those at the turn of the last century – they deserve and demand honesty, integrity and commitment from the pro  more...

Overnight real estate rates rise further

By Inman News, Tuesday, March 7, 2006.

Long-term mortgage interest rates were up again Monday, and the benchmark 10-year Treasury bond yield climbed to 4.75 percent.

The 30-year fixed-rate average rose to 5.86 percent, and the 15-year fixed-rate gained to 5.53 percent. The 1-year adjustable was up at 4.67 percent.

The 30-year Treasury bond yield jumped to 4.74 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...

Rising inventory dampens home-sale climate Premium Content

By Chuck Green, Tuesday, March 7, 2006.

Editor's note: Experts have predicted that the torrid pace of home sales and double-digit price growth would slow this year, and some segments are already experiencing this. In this three-part report we take the housing market's latest pulse to get a feel for what's happening across the country and what real estate executives advise brokers and agents can do to stay on top.  more...

Rookie home inspector gets schooled in furnace liability

By Barry Stone, Tuesday, March 7, 2006.

Dear Barry,

I'm a new home inspector and recently inspected a home with a forced-air heating system. In my report, I recommended that the air ducts be cleaned as a standard maintenance procedure. After my clients bought the home, the duct cleaning company reported that the interior membrane in the main duct was damaged, exposing fiberglass insulation. The buyer believes I was negligent and invited me back for a second look. If you peer carefully through the grill, it is possible to see the pink insulation.  more...

Renting to lawyers gives landlord a scare

By Robert Bruss, Tuesday, March 7, 2006.

DEAR BOB: I've been in the landlording business for more than 20 years. My tenants have purchased for me, thanks to their rent payments, four free-and-clear houses, and I am well on my way to owning several other mortgage-free rental properties in the next few years. Most tenants are wonderful people if they are properly screened before they move in. Also, there is a period of "tenant training" to get them to pay rent on time. My longest-term tenant has been with me 16 years. Why he never bought his own home, I don't understand, but I don't want to lose him.  more...

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