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IPhone users can test beta home-search app

By Inman News, Monday, September 15, 2008.

DROdio Real Estate, which recently launched a beta version of its home-search application -- The BestHomeSearch Ever Mobile -- is looking for beta testers to provide feedback and any bug reports before an official launch in the Virginia-Maryland-Washington, D.C., region in November.

TheBestHomeSearchEver Mobile runs only on iPhones right now, but DROdio said it'll be adding Blackberry support within the next 90 days.  more...

How did home inspector miss THIS?

By Barry Stone, Monday, September 15, 2008.

DEAR BARRY: When we purchased our home, the inspector was very thorough. At least we thought so. He spent hours looking at the house and reported a lot of defects. But later we discovered that one of the toilets was not connected to the septic system. Instead, it flushed directly onto the ground under the house. This mess was discovered by our cable man. What is the likelihood that something like this could have been missed by a home inspector? --Jesse  more...

Wall Street shakeout clouds housing picture Premium Content

By Matt Carter, Monday, September 15, 2008.

Turmoil on Wall Street could mean lower interest rates for home buyers, but any benefit for housing markets could be outweighed by higher unemployment and a prolonged recession if the credit crunch becomes an even greater drag on the economy.

Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. today filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, and Bank of America announced a $50 billion deal to acquire another troubled investment bank, Merrill Lynch.  more...

Lawyer takes on global real estate challenges

By Glenn Roberts Jr., Monday, September 15, 2008.

Edward Mermelstein, a real estate lawyer who works mostly with foreign buyers, knows well the challenges -- particularly in the Manhattan market and particularly when the buyers happen to be from countries with which the U.S. has strained relations or are otherwise under special financial reporting requirements.

In the past several months, said Mermelstein, "Some institutions are no longer lending to foreign nationals, period."  more...

Fewer Canadians putting homes on market

By Inman News, Monday, September 15, 2008.

New residential listings on the MLS in Canada's major markets fell in August from record levels seen in the previous four months, according to statistics released by The Canadian Real Estate Association, which some suggest means the resale housing market is stabilizing.

New listings, which topped 50,000 in April, May, June and July, fell in August to a seasonally adjusted 47,657 homes -- down 5.3 percent from July -- and now stand at their lowest level this year, CREA reported.  more...

Selling to Russian buyers: 10 tips for real estate agents

By Ashley Rigg, Monday, September 15, 2008.

Editor's note: The original post is from Global Edge, an independent portal aimed at helping overseas estate agents and developers get the most out of the Internet.  more...

California's new-home sales dive 57%

By Inman News, Monday, September 15, 2008.

New-home sales in California dropped 57 percent in July compared to the same month last year, the California Building Industry Association trade group and research company Hanley Wood Market Intelligence reported today, falling from 5,437 sales in July 2007 to 2,348 sales in July 2008. Similarly, new-home sales in California dropped 58 percent year-over-year in June.  more...

How would you fix the housing market?

By Inman News, Monday, September 15, 2008.

These are trying times for the housing market and overall economy, with bank collapses, massive buyouts, the federal takeover of secondary mortgage market mainstays Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and  more...