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BHG Real Estate gets bigger

By Inman News, Wednesday, April 22, 2009.

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC, a franchise network that is a part of Realogy Corp., today announced that Rand Realty has signed a long-term franchise agreement to operate under its name.  more...

Tall tales and real estate sales Premium Content

By Kris Berg, Wednesday, April 22, 2009.
Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/misocrazy/188605485/" target=blank>misocrazy</a>.

"But, Coach! I can't dribble. I can't throw. I can't even make a basket. Why did I make the team?"

"Because what you bring is something I can't teach. You are 7 feet tall."

As I was enjoying a leisurely Friday evening with my husband, I was reminded of the old joke and how it applies to real estate. In fact, whatever your business, I'll lay odds you can make a connection.  more...

Some homeowners 'ARMed' and ready

By Tom Kelly, Wednesday, April 22, 2009.

Adjustable-rate loans, especially those with an interest-only component, recently have been shunned and criticized, hammered and nailed. If you are looking for sympathy in your daily life, simply mention at your kid's weekend basketball game that you have an ARM (adjustable-rate mortgage) set to adjust in May.

Ever since the mortgage mess began to unravel, consumers have raced to fixed-rate loans, reportedly with a newly found "pay-it-off" mindset. While this appears to be great news, it does not ensure that these same folks will not dip into their home's equity when the housing market eventually returns. That sort of discipline has yet to be proven among the baby boomers that have showed a tendency to refinance or take out a home equity loan for cars, vacations or a hot stock tip.  more...

Demand for mortgages picks up

By Inman News, Wednesday, April 22, 2009.

Mortgage applications were up 5.3 percent the week ending April 17, as increased demand for refinancings outweighed a decline in demand for purchase loans, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

Refinance applications were up 7.7 percent from the previous week, while applications for purchase loans fell a seasonally adjusted 4.2 percent, the MBA said in releasing the results of its Weekly Mortgage Application Survey.  more...

Freddie Mac exec found dead at home

By Inman News, Wednesday, April 22, 2009.

A top Freddie Mac executive who'd worked at the company since 1992 was found in dead at his home in Reston, Va. today, an apparent suicide.

David Brian Kellermann, 41, who became acting chief financial officer in September when Freddie Mac was placed in government conservatorship, leaves behind a wife and daughter.  more...

Freddie Mac exec found dead at home

By Inman News, Wednesday, April 22, 2009.

A top Freddie Mac executive who'd worked at the company since 1992 was found in dead at his home in Reston, Va. today, an apparent suicide.

David Brian Kellermann, 41, who became acting chief financial officer in September when Freddie Mac was placed in government conservatorship, leaves behind a wife and daughter.  more...

Century 21 wins award for online ads

By Inman News, Wednesday, April 22, 2009.

Adobe Flash ads depicting how Century 21 Real Estate LLC's mapping tool might be used to search for a home far away from one's mother-in-law have won "Best Real Estate Online Ad" in the Internet Advertising Competition Awards.  more...

Three heads are better than one Premium Content

By Inman News, Wednesday, April 22, 2009.
Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/deanfranklin/52622356/" target=blank>dean.franklin</a

A few years ago independent-minded Daniela Kunen, an agent with Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate in New York City, said she never dreamed she would be working as part of a team.

Kunen balked when the company approached her with the plan six years ago to bring aboard an assistant.

"I was working very long hours and they absolutely insisted that I have an assistant," she said.  more...

Foreclosures hit 'sand state' metros

By Inman News, Wednesday, April 22, 2009.

The 26 metro areas with the highest foreclosure rates during the first quarter were located in just four "sand states" -- California, Florida, Nevada and Arizona --  data aggregator RealtyTrac said today.

Las Vegas had the highest foreclosure rate of 203 U.S. metro areas with populations of 200,000 or more, with one foreclosure-related filing for every 22 housing units. Las Vegas was followed by Merced, Calif. (one filing per 24 homes) and Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Fla. (one filing per 26 homes), RealtyTrac said.  more...