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Stay safe when installing kitchen range, oven

By Paul Bianchina, Thursday, July 26, 2007.

Getting to be time for some new kitchen appliances? One way to save some money along the way is to do the installation yourself, which is not as hard as you might think.  more...

Don't buy a house with these problems

By Robert Bruss, Thursday, July 26, 2007.

Recently I received a letter from a reader who asked if having a tall water tower about 1,000 feet from his house would hurt his home's market value. By coincidence, a few days later I saw an appraiser friend at the local post office so I confronted him with that question.

"It sure won't help a home's market value," was his reply. Then, being an experienced appraiser, he reminded me the water tower is called "functional obsolescence." That means it is a material fact that is virtually impossible to eliminate but has a significant impact on market value.  more...

Apollo buys in San Francisco

By Inman News, Thursday, July 26, 2007.

Apollo Real Estate Advisors' Value Enhancement Fund VI L.P. this week announced it paid an undisclosed price to acquire 444 De Haro in San Francisco's Showplace Square/Potrero Hill neighborhood.

Apollo purchased the 140,178-square-foot, two-story office building from a joint venture of Divco West Properties and Flynn Properties. It is the company's 15th acquisition nationwide.  more...

Build-to-suit facility leased at DFW

By Inman News, Thursday, July 26, 2007.

AMB Property Corp. has leased to a logistics company a not-yet-built air-cargo distribution facility at Dallas, Texas' international airport for an undisclosed price.

EGL Eagle Global Logistics agreed to lease the 396,000-square-foot, build-to-suit facility for a term of 10 years.

AMB DFW Logistics Center IV will be located near Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport on Airfield Drive. Development of the facility is expected to commence in the third quarter of 2007.

Fort Properties expands in Sunbelt, Plains

By Inman News, Thursday, July 26, 2007.

Los Angeles-based FORT Properties Inc. on Thursday announced it has acquired more than 340,000 square feet of office space in three separate deals for an undisclosed amount.

In the first deal, FORT Properties purchased North Belt Office Center III and IV in Houston, Texas. The buildings, built in 2003, total 107,200 rentable square feet and were occupied at the time of sale by the United States Postal Service, Unisys and Express Jet.  more...

What's up with housing this week?

By Lou Barnes, Thursday, July 26, 2007.

In the financial panic underway now, frightened money is pouring into Treasurys, but for the first time in modern experience the overflow is only a modest benefit to mortgages. The 10-year Treasury note is all the way to 4.78 percent, down a half-percent in three weeks, but mortgages are stuck near 6.625 percent, just a hair off the June high.

This disconnect is the mark of credit suspicion extending all the way into Fannie/Freddie "A" paper -- very much misplaced concern, says here.  more...

Perfect real estate blog a mix of local news, fun Premium Content

By Bernice Ross, Thursday, July 26, 2007.

(This is Part 1 of a two-part series. Read Part 2, "Be the go-to blog for your real estate niche.")

Blogging is about providing fresh content with a personal twist. If you're sitting in front of your computer wondering what to write, the answer may be easier than you think.

Today many agents are struggling to find clients. Open house attendance is down across the country. Referrals drop when the market slows. Cold calling is harder than ever. Web leads take six to 18 months to convert.  more...

Be charming to other agents

By Alison Rogers, Thursday, July 26, 2007.

Where I work, most deals involve two agents.

I suspect this is true in most places with an MLS or something approximating it. The salesmanship skills it takes to be a great lister -- the incredible extroversion and charm -- don't always square with the detail-oriented focus needed to actually move an apartment. Make sure the ad copy is right? Ride herd on the photographer? Surely someone with less charisma can do that; the great lister has another appointment to make.

But we still spend most of our time selling to the public.  more...

Survey: Businesses still wary of economy

By Inman News, Thursday, July 26, 2007.

The Conference Board on Thursday reported more slowing in help-wanted advertising during June as businesses remained cautious about the state of the economy.

The organization's Help-Wanted Advertising index -- a key measure of job offerings in major U.S. newspapers -- fell one point in June to 26, and is well below the 32 reading a year ago. Since April, help-wanted advertising has dropped in all nine U.S. regions, with the largest declines occurring in the Pacific (-24.6 percent), East South Central (-16.4 percent) and Mountain (-15.4 percent) regions.  more...

Real estate rates down overnight

By Inman News, Thursday, July 26, 2007.

Long-term mortgage interest rates were lower Thursday, and the benchmark 10-year Treasury bond yield dropped to 4.78 percent.

The 30-year fixed-rate average dipped to 6.26 percent, and the 15-year fixed rate sank to 5.92 percent. The 1-year adjustable was down at 5.54 percent.

The 30-year Treasury bond yield fell to 4.95 percent.

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

Diminished role for GSEs, FHA Premium Content

By Matt Carter, Thursday, July 26, 2007.

Editor's note: How bad will the real estate market get before it gets better?  more...

Seattle Series: Zillow

By Inman News, Thursday, July 26, 2007.

Zillow's director of community relations, David Gibbons, discusses how the company uses social media to reach out and help people better understand the online service.  more...

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Planning Your Schedule at Connect

By Joel Burslem, Thursday, July 26, 2007.
by Mike Rohde Real Estate Connect is just around the corner. If you're looking ahead to to plan your days in San Francisco, just click on this button to import the conference schedule into Google Calendar. Mac OSX iCal and...  more...

Guest Post: Blog Tour hits Seattle, commotion ensues

By Marlowe, Thursday, July 26, 2007.
Rudy and Joe's "Blog Tour USA" rolled into Seattle yesterday to great fanfare and a gathering of the local blogging masses, including Galen from Estately, Caleb and Matt from Active Rain, The Tim from Seattle Bubble and other local luminaries...  more...

Real Estate Tech Blotter

By Jessica Swesey, Thursday, July 26, 2007.
Here's a roundup of some new online services and applications for real estate released this week: 1. Scotty, give me info on 123 Main St.: Fidelity National Real Estate Solutions, the folks who brought you Cyberhomes, today launched Hi-Fi VoiceSearch...  more...