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Oct

6
2009

Foursquare CEO to Keynote at Connect NYC 2010

By Jeff Bernheisel, Tuesday, October 6, 2009.
Hyperlocal is hot. Mobile is hot. Both have massive implications for real estate. And foursquare - a service that mixes social, locative and gaming elements to encourage people to explore the cities in which they live - is the most talked about company in this space right now.
 more...

RealtyTrac trims workforce

By Matt Carter, Tuesday, October 6, 2009.
Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/respres/2539334956" target=blank>respres</a>.

In an attempt to return to profitability, foreclosure data site RealtyTrac has trimmed its workforce by nearly 30 employees and is moving away from some media partnerships that drove traffic to the site but were deemed "not profitable."

RealtyTrac Senior Vice President Rick Sharga confirmed a report on the blog VendorAlley.com that the layoffs took place last week, calling the move a "surgical workforce reduction" that leaves the company with about 100 employees.  more...

Common-sense guide to mortgages

By Tara-Nicholle Nelson, Tuesday, October 6, 2009.
Image courtesy of <a href="http://www.benbellabooks.com/bookstore/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=585" target=blank>Benbella Books</a>.

Mortgage brokerage owner Jason Biro is on a mission: a mission to help Americans save and protect their homes from the threats of foreclosure and the other disastrous financial and life consequences of predatory mortgages. In Biro's new book, "Saving Your American Dream: How to Secure a Safe Mortgage, Protect Your Home and Improve Your Financial Future," he launches a two-part campaign to save Americans' homes through education and through an actual online fund, to which readers can apply (using a code they must obtain from the book) to obtain an actual hard, cold cash bailout from their individual foreclosure nightmares.

This book is simple and elegant, serving in many ways as the antithesis of its shelfmates, the complicated analyses of how mortgage derivatives and Wall Street arrogance precipitated the mortgage meltdown, and the "how to get rich quick buying and flipping and renting," oh my.  more...

5 reasons your home hasn't sold

By Bernice Ross, Tuesday, October 6, 2009.
Flickr image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/clearlyambiguous/167369474/in/photostream/" target=blank>Clearly Ambiguous</a>.

You listed your house at the price that your Realtor suggested. You have staged the house and it looks like a showcase. There have been no offers and only one or two showings. What could the problem be?

Usually, when a house doesn't sell, it's due to one of five things: price, accessibility, condition, location, and/or marketing.  more...

Builder retired, won't fix defects

By Barry Stone, Tuesday, October 6, 2009.

DEAR BARRY: My home was built about 10 years ago. I've had trouble with it ever since, and the builder avoids all responsibility. From leaky windows to settlement cracks, it's been one thing after another. When the home was three years old, I called the builder's home and was told that I had the wrong number. Finally, this year, I was able to reach him. He told me that he is retired and gave me the number of another contractor to fix the problems. But that means I'll have to pay for his mistakes. Isn't he responsible to fix the defects in my house? --Tina

DEAR TINA: Your builder is suffering from DNS -- Dirty Nerve Syndrome. Without question, he should take responsibility for the home that he built. If there were defects from the beginning, then he should address those issues, regardless of how retired he may feel.  more...

Study: Paperless 'comes of age' Premium Content

By Inman News, Tuesday, October 6, 2009.

Automated transaction management systems have come of age, and multiple listing services are the ideal organizations to offer such services to real estate agents and brokers, according to a study by the real estate consulting firm WAV Group Inc.

Modular products that offer brokerages the ability to conduct a roll-out in stages have been a key to overcoming what remains the single biggest hurdle to adoption -- the time and pain involved in going paperless, the study said.  more...

Love for home rooted in palm tree

By Marcie Geffner, Tuesday, October 6, 2009.
Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thesunhums/419285884/">the sun hums</a>.

My palm tree is doomed.

The palm tree in question is a lovely specimen of the species that lives in the backyard of my house in West Los Angeles. The palm tree is not exceedingly tall and skinny, but it's unmissable and majestic. It's leafy, shady and inviting -- everything, indeed, that a palm tree of this type should be.

I fell in love with the palm tree the second I saw it, and it was a principal reason why I wanted to buy this particular house. I've been told that's an unusual reason to choose a house.  more...

Sidewiki: The Web is my social network

By Gahlord Dewald, Tuesday, October 6, 2009.

Google has recently released a new feature for those who have the Google Toolbar installed. It's called Sidewiki. Using this new feature, visitors can leave comments about your site in a sidebar (the Sidewiki).

For example, someone looking for real estate information in your area is able to leave a comment in Sidewiki detailing what they think of your site and how it works. This sort of thing has been done in the past, but none of the past versions were done by a company with the clout of Google.

Overall, this brings up a few interesting thoughts. Sure, Google bills its ability to allow users to add "helpful information" to Web sites "right in your browser."  more...

A stabilization for housing?

By Dian Hymer, Tuesday, October 6, 2009.

Sales of existing homes increased a larger-than-expected 7.2 percent in July, compared to June 2009, according to the National Association of Realtors. Pending sales rose 6.7 percent in June 2009 from a year ago and 3.6 percent compared to the previous month. This was the fifth month in a row that the pending-sale index increased.

Pending sales are sales where an offer has been accepted, but the sale has not yet closed. Even though some pending sales never close, pending sales are an indicator of current buyer activity. This increase can be attributed to low interest rates, a pickup in foreclosure sales and improved affordability.  more...