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Are Realtors as vital as bread or cereal?

By Teresa Boardman, Wednesday, October 22, 2008.
Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/adactio/34949605/" target=blank>adactio</a>.

I sure hope that Realtors are as important as bread, and cereal. I buy both products on a regular basis. I have a complaint about both of them too. It is about the packaging.

It would be nice if bread came in a box, instead of a bag. That way it wouldn't get smashed in the shopping bag, and I could bring it home and just set it on the counter by the toaster. I would stand it up on the small end so it doesn't take as much space.  more...

Tenant: Fumigation justifies rent break

By Janet Portman, Wednesday, October 22, 2008.

Q: I had problems with roaches at my apartment, which came from the neighbor downstairs. They moved out three weeks ago and left a very filthy place, infested with roaches. The manager has been trying to get rid of them, by fumigating constantly. The problem is that my apartment and furniture is impregnated with the smell of the pesticides. My daughter and I have had to leave (the fumes are aggravating her asthma), and we've been away for two weeks (with no sign of when the fogging will stop).  more...

Lease-options: the good, the bad, the ugly

By Tara-Nicholle Nelson, Wednesday, October 22, 2008.

Q: I owned a home for eight years, but borrowed heavily against it, took a subprime loan and recently lost it through foreclosure. My credit is shot from the foreclosure, but I have found another home I would like to buy. The seller will agree to do a lease-option, and I think it sounds like a great way to buy. What are the pros and cons of a lease-option that I should know about? Are there any pitfalls I need to beware of?

A: A lease-option arrangement may present a great opportunity for someone who has just gone through a foreclosure to immediately regain some of the benefits of homeownership.  more...

John L. Scott plans to expand in downturn

By Matt Carter, Wednesday, October 22, 2008.

Looking to grow during the downturn, John L. Scott Real Estate has hired a former RE/MAX International Inc. franchise sales consultant, Tim Wynne, to scout the Northwest for brokerages to acquire.

As John L. Scott's new director of franchise development, Wynne's main responsibility will be to find opportunities to acquire companies in Washington, Oregon and Idaho, the company said.  more...

Online listings battle sweeps U.K. Premium Content

By Bradley Inman, Wednesday, October 22, 2008.
Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/loopzilla/426542296/" target=blank>LoopZilla</a>.

LONDON -- Despite the housing mess in the U.K., there is no shortage of innovation in the technology real estate sector as start-up companies and mainstream media firms like News International race to take advantage of the opportunity online with property sales and rentals.

"In some ways, we are ahead (of the states), and in other ways we are behind," said Ed Freyfogle who founded  more...

MBA sees bounce in '09 existing-home sales

By Inman News, Wednesday, October 22, 2008.

The U.S. appears to be in a recession that could drive unemployment up to 7.7 percent by the end of next year, but keep interest rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages around 6 percent, the Mortgage Bankers Association forecasts.

The bottom line for housing is that while existing-home sales are projected to rebound slightly in 2009, residential investment will continue to decline in the first half of next year and new-home sales won't bounce back until 2010, said MBA Chief Economist Jay Brinkmann.  more...

Mortgage apps fall nearly 17%

By Inman News, Wednesday, October 22, 2008.

Mortgage loan applications during the week ending Oct. 17 fell a seasonally adjusted 16.6 percent from a week earlier, even as interest rates on fixed-rate loans came down some from recent highs, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

The MBA's Weekly Applications Survey -- which included an adjustment to account for the Columbus Day Holiday -- was down 44 percent from the same week a year ago.  more...

Nine best brokerage sites? Premium Content

By Inman News, Wednesday, October 22, 2008.

A newly published study identifies what its authors say are the nine best real estate brokerage Web sites. But the study is intended to spark a discussion about what makes a good Web site, not to be the last word on the subject.

The study, released by 1000Watt Consulting and RealTrends, examined the Web sites of the 500 largest U.S. real estate brokerages, as identified by RealTrends.

After spending two months evaluating the sites, the study's authors concluded that many brokers are "frozen in technology time while the Web progresses."  more...

What to do if your landlord goes belly up

By Inman News, Wednesday, October 22, 2008.

With foreclosure becoming a growing trend across the country, you can imagine that some of those foreclosed homeowners are landlords. What is happening to the tenants? How can real estate professionals help their clients who find themselves in this unfortunate predicament, and what can be done to protect them?  more...