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Mar

12
2009

Win $1,000 and a free registration to Real Estate Connect San Francisco 2009

By Jeff Bernheisel, Thursday, March 12, 2009.

The Virginia Association of Realtors has launched the second annual "VARbuzz National Real Estate Blog Brawl," a single-elimination winner-take-all competition to identify the best Realtor-written blog.

VARbuzz, a blog written by VAR members, volunteer leaders, staff and guest authors, is accepting nominations for the Blog Brawl through Monday, March 16 at 8:59 a.m. EDT.

Prizes include:  more...

Downsizing, the sign of the times

By Inman News, Thursday, March 12, 2009.

Photo by ABE DEUTSCH

"Downsizing, the sign of the times."

Abe Deutsch, a Realtor associate with Century 21 Wolff in White Plains, N.Y., took this photograph in January 2009 in front of a discount clothing store in Hartsdale, N.Y.

"This limo may be looking for a place to park -- it used to be in a heated garage," Deutsch said.  more...

Pay-or-quit notice comes with fee

By Janet Portman, Thursday, March 12, 2009.

Q: I understand that I will have to pay a late fee if I pay my rent late. But what about legal fees? I guess my landlord got his lawyer involved in my pay-or-quit notice, because the lawyer sent the notice, but then I paid the rent before going to court. Yesterday, I got a letter from the landlord telling me that I owe him for two hours of his lawyer's time. Is this legal? --Pat M.  more...

Death in home could kill sale

By Tara-Nicholle Nelson, Thursday, March 12, 2009.

Q: I'm in the middle of an escrow, and this is the second home I've bought. My agent just got a call from the listing agent, informing us that the seller's elderly mother just passed away in her sleep -- in the property! I really love the place, but I'm a little creeped out, and I'm not sure how I should react to this information. Should I back out?

A: From a real estate perspective, there are several ramifications that arise when someone dies on a property. There's no real reason, though, for you to cancel the purchase of a home you say you love, because of a death.  more...

U.S. foreclosure filings up 6% in February

By Inman News, Thursday, March 12, 2009.

Foreclosure-related filings on U.S. homes jumped 6 percent from January to February, with more dramatic increases in hard hit states like Arizona, Florida, Michigan and Nevada, data aggregator RealtyTrac said today.

Looking back a year, the number of foreclosure-related filings -- including default notices, auction sale notices and bank repossessions -- was up 30 percent, to 290,631.  more...

The constant job-seekers

By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, March 12, 2009.
Flickr image by <a href="http://www.lumaxart.com" target=blank>lumaxart.com</a>.

It seems like everywhere I look there are social media experts, trainers, coaches and classes. It will amaze some to learn that I can even find these people outside of the real estate industry.

I belong to a local social media networking group that seems to be composed of marketing consultants, social media experts, the mainstream news media, the new news media, and people like me who are small-business owners.  more...

Coldwell Banker boosts M&A in '08

By Inman News, Thursday, March 12, 2009.

Coldwell Banker, an international real estate franchise company that is a part of Realogy Corp., reported that 96 affiliates expanded through mergers and acquisitions activity in 2008.

The company reported that its mergers and acquisitions activity was up 71 percent compared to 2007, including major moves by Coldwell Banker United in Bryan, Texas; Coldwell Banker Hubbell Briarwood in Lansing, Mich.; and Coldwell Banker Select in Tulsa, Okla.  more...

Don't measure life by your credit score

By Inman News, Thursday, March 12, 2009.

Dear Editor:

As a Realtor and more importantly a human being, I tell people when they have lost everything -- their house, their job, and they are so upset and don't know what to do -- "So what? Start over. You're fine and you will be fine."

I explain to them how the system is messed up. I explain, "If you would have been able to keep the house you would owe $300,000 more on it than the new neighbor just purchased his for.

"Let's face it, the credit-scoring system is messed up. You're more than a number -- you're a good person."  more...

'Andare' dares to downsize the real estate office

By Inman News, Thursday, March 12, 2009.
Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pfrench99/1409242157/">pfrench99</a>.

An open floor plan featuring leather sofas, chairs, cafe tables and large central work consoles, within a high-end retail development in California's Silicon Valley, may sound like an Apple store or coffee shop.

But this no-cubicle floor plan is Intero Real Estate Services Inc.'s new office model, dubbed Andare. The concept is simple: a smaller, technology-rich office to better meet the needs of today's mobile real estate agents.  more...

Buyers hurt by tougher credit scores

By Tom Kelly, Thursday, March 12, 2009.

Maybe it's just the point in our lives, but it seems that the availability of home mortgage money mirrors that of college tuition: There are some terrific programs for the needy, the wealthy always find a way, but those in the huge middle category often have few options.

Some longtime homeowners and perfectly qualified "new-generation" buyers who have been on the sidelines are having extreme difficulty in getting financing -- or refinancing their present loan. The pendulum has now swung from "no loan ever rejected" to "no loan good enough for funding."  more...