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Move Inc. losses grow in 2008

By Inman News, Tuesday, March 3, 2009.

Realtor.com operator Move Inc. says losses ballooned from $4 million in 2007 to $32.7 million in 2008, despite having slashed $20 million in annual operating expenses by year's end.

At $242 million, revenue for the year was down 3 percent from 2007, although the company saw a sharper 8.2 percent year-over-year drop in revenue during the last three months of 2008, to $57.5 million that was driven by fewer new home listings and fewer display ads.  more...

Electronic inspection reports have flaws

By Barry Stone, Tuesday, March 3, 2009.

DEAR BARRY: I am the broker of a large real estate company. In my area, most home inspectors use computerized reports, with photos of the defects they disclose. Very few still use the old-fashioned, hand-written forms, and I seldom give my business to those backward dinosaurs.  more...

Citi cuts unemployed homeowners slack

By Inman News, Tuesday, March 3, 2009.

CitiMortgage announced today it will reduce the monthly payments of homeowners who lose their jobs are behind on their mortgages to an average of $500 a month for three months.

The new Homeowner Unemployment Assist initiative is only available for first mortgage loans on a principal residence that conformed to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's limits at the time of origination.  more...

Is homeownership a joy or a burden?

By Marcie Geffner, Tuesday, March 3, 2009.
Flickr photo by <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/blmurch/2388647548/" target=blank>blmurch</a>.

"I don't know how you do it."

That's the comment I heard from my friend Kristi Fojtik, 38, a single woman who has toyed with the idea of buying a condominium now that home prices have fallen back to earth and interest rates have plummeted to new lows.

Fojtik occupies a rent-controlled apartment in Los Angeles that's much too small to accommodate herself, her belongings, her beloved cats and her aspirations of entertaining more than three guests at the same time.  more...

NAR: Sales of pre-owned homes to rise in '09

By Inman News, Tuesday, March 3, 2009.

Sales of resale homes are expected to remain roughly flat this year, with the median resale home price falling for the third straight year, according to the latest National Association of Realtors forecast.

The Realtor group expects annual sales of resale homes to rise 0.3 percent this year, to 4.93 million, and to rise 5.8 percent in 2010.  more...

Battling real estate perceptions Premium Content

By Alison Rogers, Tuesday, March 3, 2009.
Flickr photo by <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/striatic/2191130107/" target=blank>striatic</a>.

Rupert Everett thinks I need new shoes.

This is not just something I made up to justify a shopping spree to my husband; it's a quote from a profile of him in the New York Times magazine. Actually the quote is, "I think a Realtor should have good shoes, especially in this climate," and it comes sandwiched in between an inappropriate joke about chemotherapy (not that I can think of an appropriate one) and a remark that an apartment is a bit "family-ish."  more...