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Frontdoor signs deal with Relocation.com

By Inman News, Wednesday, August 27, 2008.

Frontdoor.com, an online real estate listing service powered by HGTV, has added content from Relocation.com that aims to help consumers make more efficient moves.

Free moving quotes and news and advice from relocation experts, providing everything from packing tips to planning tools to money-saving tips for their upcoming move, are available at www.frontdoor.com/move.  more...

Study sets benchmarks for customer service

By , Wednesday, August 27, 2008.

A first of its kind ranking of customer satisfaction with national real estate brokerages not only gives Keller Williams and Prudential something to crow about, but creates industry benchmarks local brokers can use to distinguish themselves from the competition.  more...

Social media can do wonders for RE biz

By Inman News, Wednesday, August 27, 2008.

Many real estate professionals look at social media and wonder, "It looks great, but how can I really use it in my business?" Benn Rosales from Agent Genius offers a few possible answers. Rosales shares great ideas about how real estate professionals can utilize social media and traditional marketing, like yard signs and customer giveaways, to enhance their marketing efforts. The comments also have great input on executing ideas like these.  more...

Theft of escrow funds nets 12 years in prison

By Inman News, Wednesday, August 27, 2008.

The former owner of an Ohio title insurance agency has been sentenced to 12 years in prison and ordered to pay more than $7 million in restitution for allegedly stealing escrow funds from hundreds of individuals and businesses.

Steve Clayton, the former owner of Equity Land Title Insurance Inc., allegedly used a check kiting scheme from 1995 to 2002 to pay previously closed real estate transactions for which he had already spent the funds.  more...

Real estate marketing and an orange gorilla

By Pooja Kumar, Wednesday, August 27, 2008.
<a href="http://www.inman.com/video/inman-tv/2008/08/22/homegain-factory-tour">Click here to view video</a>.
Related Podcast/Video: 
Homegain Factory Tour

Editor's note: In these Factory Tour segments, we want to give our readers a behind-the-screen look inside the office environments at real estate technology companies that are pushing industry innovation. You might only know some of these companies through their Web sites or online tools.

EMERYVILLE, Calif. -- Almost a decade ago, HomeGain set up shop in a renovated warehouse across the street from the headquarters of animation film company Pixar.  more...

Mortgage applications up slightly

By Inman News, Wednesday, August 27, 2008.

Mortgage applications nudged up slightly during the week ending Aug. 22 as a small increase in refinance applications was all but cancelled out by a reduction in applications for purchase loans, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.  more...

Quantity, quality vary at real estate search sites

By Inman News, Wednesday, August 27, 2008.

A report commissioned by property search company Roost found that property information can vary widely in volume and accuracy among online sites, with some sites showing a small fraction of the for-sale properties in a given market area.  more...

Eliminate heat loss through floors

By Bill and Kevin Burnett, Wednesday, August 27, 2008.

Q: We have a frame house with a stucco exterior. Part of it is over a crawl space about 3 feet high. The house is bolted to the foundation and the exterior stucco covers the walls down to the ground. On the inside of the crawl space, I can see the 1-by-8 redwood backing for the stucco and we have no problems with termites.  more...

Don't rely on agent's choice for loan, title services

By Tom Kelly, Wednesday, August 27, 2008.

Real estate agents are clearly the most influential persons in every real estate transaction and their power is not reserved for buyers and sellers -- it extends to all professionals involved.

That position of influence becomes magnified in a slower housing market. Everybody is desperate for deals. And, while Realtors typically offer beneficial referrals, consumers should always remember that they have a choice when picking the various players in the home-buying process -- appraisal, credit report, title report, escrow company, mortgage company, etc.  more...

Rules, creepers and one-way streets

By Kris Berg, Wednesday, August 27, 2008.

Rules. We have buckets of rules for our social behavior, and the rules can be confusing. Many of these rules we learn over time. We know that a graduation announcement is not really an invitation to the event, but just an invitation to send money.  more...