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When selling home, ask buyer for at least 5% deposit

By Benny Kass, Sunday, April 27, 2008.

DEAR BENNY: We recently sold our home (in Maryland), and had a ratified contract. The homeowners association (HOA) documents were delivered and received by the buyer, and the inspection was completed. All the "i's" were dotted and "t's" crossed.  more...

Volatile rates make locking a must

By Jack Guttentag, Sunday, April 27, 2008.

One of the unpleasant features of the mortgage crisis has been heightened volatility in the prices faced by borrowers. For example, the wholesale rate on 30-year fixed-rate conforming mortgages rose from 5.23 percent on February 6 to 6.16 percent on February 26, dropped to 5.65 percent on March 3, rose to 6.23 percent March 6, dropped to 5.38 percent March 20, and rose to 5.812 percent April 2. These numbers are drawn from the wholesale price data shown daily on my Web site.  more...

Sellers, don't be difficult when showing home

By Dian Hymer, Sunday, April 27, 2008.

Selling a home while you're living in it can be trying during any market. Today's sellers are generally looking at a longer marketing time than was the case a few years ago. Appropriate pricing for this changing market can shorten the misery. So can taking a few precautions.

The houses that look the best are the ones that get serious attention from buyers. Preparing a house for sale is more important than ever. Keeping it in pristine condition can be a challenge, particularly for sellers with small children and pets.  more...

Fannie, Freddie boosted commitments in March

By Inman News, Sunday, April 27, 2008.

Government-chartered mortgage funders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac said contracts to buy mortgages were up sharply in March after regulators reduced the companies' minimum capital requirements, increasing their purchasing power by $200 billion.  more...

Courting customers: Who's coming back, who's long gone Premium Content

By Alison Rogers, Sunday, April 27, 2008.

So, as far as I understand it, this real estate game is about getting customers, servicing them, getting paid, and getting more customers.

I once prowled around to see how much of my time I should spend getting customers (as opposed to servicing them and getting paid) and I was told "8 hours a week." That assumes I work a 40-hour week, which I don't, but I'm willing to extrapolate it as a rule of thumb that I'm supposed to be spending 20 percent of my work time acquiring customers.  more...