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Save $2,500 on home improvement

By Bill and Kevin Burnett, Wednesday, April 29, 2009.

Q: We are planning to have a vapor barrier installed in our crawl space. When the estimator was here, he said he saw what might be mold and recommended that we have a mold inspection, and if necessary, cleanup, done first.

I just had the mold inspector out, and fortunately, he says there was no mold, but he did say we had a lot of efflorescence built up on our piers and that for $2,500 they could come in, clean it up and disinfect the crawl space.  more...

Lost equity puts boomers' future in doubt

By Tom Kelly, Wednesday, April 29, 2009.

Baby boomers -- the largest, healthiest and wealthiest group ever appearing on the U. S. growth landscape -- never met a loan they didn't like. After leveraging appreciation and location in their starter and move-up homes to pay for cars, college tuitions and trips, their home probably holds most of the equity in their lives.

According to a new report by Washington, D.C.-based Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), that home is not worth what it used to be. Coupled with the recent turmoil in the stock market, many boomers will be completely reliant on Social Security and Medicare to support them in their retirement years.  more...

MetroList MLS adds Dwellicious

By Inman News, Wednesday, April 29, 2009.

MetroListMLS.com, a public-facing real estate search portal created by a multiple listing service in California, has integrated Dwellicious, a real estate tool that allows consumers to "bookmark" properties they find online.

MetroList Services Inc., an MLS that provides service to about 25,000 real estate professionals in Sacramento, Placer, El Dorado, Yolo, San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Merced counties, draws about 300,000 visitors per month to its consumer Web site.  more...

Social media: icing on the cake Premium Content

By Kris Berg, Wednesday, April 29, 2009.
Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/melloveschallah/3440131767/" target=blank>melloveschallah</a>.

Marketing our real estate services, marketing any business for that matter, is a lot like a decorating a cake. You can put all the cherries and chocolate sprinkles in the world on top but if the cake itself sucks, no one is going to want any.

Seth Godin wrote back in July 2005: "Please understand that book publishing is an organized hobby, not a business. The return on equity and return on time for authors and for publishers is horrendous. If you're doing it for the money, you're going to be disappointed.  more...

Brokers OK'd to negotiate loan mods

By Inman News, Wednesday, April 29, 2009.

The number of real estate brokers authorized by California regulators to collect advance fees for negotiating loan modifications and short sales on behalf of homeowners has grown from less than two dozen in mid-November to almost 600.

California requires real estate brokers who negotiate with lenders to enter into agreements with borrowers detailing the services they will provide if they plan to collect their fees upfront. Fees collected in advance are placed in a trust account can only be drawn down as services are performed.  more...

Zillow debuts iPhone app  Premium Content

By Matt Carter, Wednesday, April 29, 2009.
Zillow's iPhone application

Imagine strolling through your neighborhood and, with a glance at your iPhone, finding out instantly how much just about any home you walk by last sold for.

What if your iPhone could also display your location on a map that pinpoints nearby homes for sale and any that have recently changed hands?  more...

New rules for Fannie, Freddie appraisals

By Inman News, Wednesday, April 29, 2009.

Many lenders aren't prepared to comply with new rules going into effect Friday governing appraisals on loans to be purchased by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, according to a company that offers software for managing the appraisal process.  more...