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Transparency vs. privacy

By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, July 9, 2009.
Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ninjanoodles/1963678404" target=blank>NightRPStar</a>.

The word transparency has taken on a new meaning. It used to mean being honest and giving out all the information we can. These days I read blogs where the writer feels compelled to explain personal details of his or her life and calls it transparency.

If transparency is announcing on the Internet that I had minor surgery, or that someone in my family is going through foreclosure or has died, then I guess transparency isn't for me.  more...

Renters find foreclosure relief in new law

By Janet Portman, Thursday, July 9, 2009.

Q: I've got a lease for one year, but it looks like I'm about to get the boot. My landlord stopped by to say that he can no longer afford to pay his mortgage, and he's received a notice of default. He advised me to get ready to move, once the bank forecloses. What are my options? --Bruce B.

A: Your question is very timely. Before May 20, 2009, most renters lost their leases upon foreclosure. The rule in most states was that if the mortgage was recorded before the lease was signed (mortgages are usually recorded right after they're signed), a foreclosure wiped out the lease (this rule is known as "first in time, first in right"). Because most leases last no longer than a year, it was all too common for the mortgage to predate the lease and destroy it upon foreclosure. Sadly for most renters, your landlord's advice was accurate.  more...

The down-payment-assistance pickle

By Tara-Nicholle Nelson, Thursday, July 9, 2009.
Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shelaya/3139965525/">ayalehs</a>.

Q: I was recently told I don't have enough "open lines of credit" to qualify for my town's down-payment-assistance program for first-time homebuyers. But I have three credit cards -- one with a balance -- and a school loan, which I pay on time. Isn't that enough?

A: As a young child, my Dad taught me that she who has the money makes the rules. Whether that was an appropriate lesson for a young child notwithstanding, it certainly was an accurate one!

Mindset Management

As you've discovered, when you're applying for any sort of home financing, you have to shift into the mindset reflected in the financing program's guidelines.  more...

Most common seller mistakes

By Bernice Ross, Thursday, July 9, 2009.

With the credit crunch and huge amount of competition from distressed properties, "normal sellers" have had a tough time getting their properties sold. If you must sell in this market, it's absolutely critical that you price your property right.

Pinpointing the best possible price for your home can be a challenge. If you overprice your property in today's market, it can stay on the market for months. If values in your area are declining, the longer you take to sell, the less money you will net. If you want to net the most from your real estate sale, avoid these common seller pitfalls:  more...

Site compares agents on services, price Premium Content

By Inman News, Thursday, July 9, 2009.

You won't find stars, half-stars or any other ratings or consumer reviews about specific real estate agents at AgentsCompared.com.

Instead, the newly launched site, which is focused on the Chicagoland area in Illinois, allows agents to compete with each other on the basis of the service packages they offer, the rates they charge for those services and other details such as experience, specialties, track record and other credentials.  more...

Duct tape and real estate

By Daniel Rothamel, the Real Estate Zebra, Thursday, July 9, 2009.

In this episode of "Real Estate Skinny," Daniel Rothamel, Inman News community manager, poses an innovation challenge to the real estate industry in presenting a $20 wallet made entirely out of duct tape.

"Real estate's been a duct tape industry for a long time," Rothamel says. "Who out there can make something different out of duct tape?"  more...

A time to spam Premium Content

By Robert Hahn, Thursday, July 9, 2009.
Flickr photo by <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/63056612@N00/155554663/" target=blank>freezelight</a>.

There is no greater insult in the Metaverse than to call someone a spammer. SPAM -- even the word sounds ugly: "SSSS-PAM."

It conjures up visions of pink fleshy things coated in gelatin. Yet, spam afflicts us all in every useful communication channel.

When e-mail was the province of academics and computer geeks who knew Unix, e-mail spam was an unknown phenomenon.  more...

RE/MAX, RealtyTrac launch partnership

By Inman News, Thursday, July 9, 2009.

RE/MAX International agents will receive discounted subscriptions allowing them to access a database of more than 1.8 million default, auction and bank-owned properties compiled by RealtyTrac under a partnership between the two companies.

Visitors to remax.com will also be able to include properties in the RealtyTrac database in their listing searches, although not all homes in the database are for sale and access to some details like addresses are witheld from nonsubscribers.  more...

Mortgage fraud reports rise 23%

By Inman News, Thursday, July 9, 2009.

Depository institutions reported 64,816 cases of suspected mortgage fraud in 2008, a 23 percent increase from the year before but the smallest annual increase since 2002.

A report from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) shows growth in suspicious activity reports related to mortgage fraud ranged from 41 percent to 44 percent from 2005 to 2007 after peaking at 93 percent in 2004 (see chart).  more...

Global MLS to fill several voids

By Tom Kelly, Thursday, July 9, 2009.

The need to accommodate the international real estate market continues to be a priority for industry providers and the reasons to do so mount nearly every day.

The number of immigrants and foreign investors coming to the United States is increasing, more and more Americans are looking outside the country for a lower cost of living, and wealthy citizens with disposable income still dream of an exotic getaway abroad.

According to the National Association of Realtors, approximately 178,000 of its members closed a transaction with a foreign buyer in 2008, including approximately 61 percent of all Florida Realtors. About the same number of agents had a deal fall through with a foreign buyer due to price, immigration laws, or higher-than-expected property taxes and home insurance costs.  more...