Home

Canada's gov't pushes for MLS changes

By , Tuesday, November 24, 2009.

Canadian Realtors are restricting consumer choice and limiting the scope of alternative business models, the Competition Bureau of Canada has reportedly concluded after wrapping up a two-year investigation and issuing proposed remedies to a trade association.

The Bureau wants the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) -- Canada's version of the National Association of Realtors -- to drop a rule that prevents Realtors from placing for-sale listings in the national Multiple Listing Service (MLS) system without providing other services, CREA President Dale Ripplinger said in an Oct. 29 letter to members.

Ripplinger said Canadian regulators also want CREA to drop a rule that prohibits listing the seller's name and contact information in the public remarks section of the MLS or on Realtor.ca, the Canadian equivalent of Realtor.com.  more...

Feds to drop some charges in Wolff case

By , Monday, November 23, 2009.

Government prosecutors have moved to drop four charges that former Homestore.com Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Stuart Wolff misled the company's accounting firm about "round-trip" advertising deals that later forced the company to restate millions of dollars in earnings.

The move follows accusations by Wolff's attorneys that employees of the accounting firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers, modified or destroyed evidence in the case, which the company denies (see story).  more...

The new real estate 'consciousness'

By Tara-Nicholle Nelson, Monday, November 23, 2009.
Flickr image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/conkling/3823036353/" target=blank>Ralph Buckley</a>.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about how often I'm asked by people who understand the evils of misused subprime loans to do loans that were made possible only by the loose lending guidelines of the subprime era! The irony of it is a little crazy-making, so I took the opportunity to vent. (Thanks, readers!)

In all fairness, though, what I'm actually seeing more often among homebuyers and sellers these days is the opposite -- people who have learned from their mistakes (and others' mistakes) and are trying hard to apply the wisdom from them in the course of their post-bubble-burst real estate decision-making. Sometimes they take it too far, but many of the buyers and sellers who are active in today's market are working hard not to repeat the errors of the immediate past era.  more...

7 reasons to be optimistic about housing

By Bernice Ross, Monday, November 23, 2009.
Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/valeriebb/3164526591/in/photostream/" target=blank>Valerie Everett</a>.

Let's face it, 2009 has been a tough year for almost everyone in the real estate industry. When times are tough and negative news floods the media, it can be hard to stay positive. Today's column looks at seven reasons to give thanks, no matter how tough your market is.

1. Marketing no longer requires big bucks
While the pace of technological change can be frustrating, technology changes have dramatically cut the cost of marketing. To obtain a foothold in a new market 10 years ago, you had to door-knock, spend thousands of dollars on print marketing, and regularly hold open houses.  more...

HVCC makes cash buyers king

By Dian Hymer, Monday, November 23, 2009.

Ever since May 1, 2009, when Fannie Mae's new appraisal guidelines for home mortgages went into effect, buyers, sellers, real estate agents and loan originators have complained bitterly about the new process. It's inefficient, often inaccurate and time-consuming. In some cases, it could be contributing to lower home prices.

The new guidelines require lenders to select appraisers impartially. To comply, many large lenders hire appraisers from a third-party appraisal service company. The intent of the new guidelines was to keep loan originators from exerting pressure on appraisers.  more...

Front-loaded loans: bad for borrowers?

By Jack Guttentag, Monday, November 23, 2009.
Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcquinn/2450109943/">MC Quinn</a>.

It is often said that the interest on home mortgages is "front-end loaded," implying that the way lenders charge interest is both unfair and self-serving -- possibly even sinister. The following statement is typical.

"Did you know that on your typical 30-year mortgage, it takes approximately 21 years just to pay down less than half of the principal of your loan?

The mortgage industry's big secret has been kept away from the public since the Roosevelt administration.  more...

Checking up on delinquent neighbors

By Benny Kass, Monday, November 23, 2009.
Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/michaelcclark/3830687124/">Michael C Clark</a>.

DEAR BENNY: I am a condo owner in a 200-unit building. Recently there was an assessment broken down into four payments. There are many people who have not paid. Do I, as an owner, have the right to know who these people are? The president of the condo association will not discuss this with me. Is this common knowledge? --Richard

DEAR RICHARD: This issue is perhaps one of the most hotly debated subjects among unit owners, board members, property managers and even association attorneys. There is -- and must be -- a delicate balance between privacy and freedom of information. We often see this at the federal level, but the issues apply to associations as well.  more...

Realogy announces two new franchisees

By Inman News, Monday, November 23, 2009.

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC has added Clarksville, Tenn.-based real estate brokerage The Vaughn Team to its network of franchisees.

The Vaughn Team's 11 agents, who also serve Fort Campbell, Ky., will do business as Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Hometown Connection. All local MLS listings, including those from Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Hometown Connection, will now be accessible through www.bhgrealestate.com.  more...

Tight lending remains elephant in room

By Lou Barnes, Friday, November 20, 2009.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's extraordinary speech on Monday instantly knocked 10-year Treasurys below 3.35 percent, where they have stayed. Lowest-fee mortgages are 5 percent.

Economic data increased the tilt in markets toward concern for the recovery. Retail sales flattened to a 0.2 percent gain in October (ex-autos), breaking an apparent up-trend. New claims for unemployment insurance were unchanged at 505,000 last week, but held improvement from early fall.  more...

Casualties of bidding wars

By Tara-Nicholle Nelson, Friday, November 20, 2009.
Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/steveweaver/2914952785/">Steve Weaver</a>.

Q: I have been house-hunting for several months now. I have gotten outbid on several properties where the listing agent said there were 15, 20 or 30 other offers. A few weeks later, the places came back on the market! What happened? Was there something wrong with me or my offer? Why did they not just come back to me or the next-highest offer, rather than putting it back on the market? Mine would have been a guaranteed deal!

A: Reading your question was like reading my daily e-mails from my own clients! I've seen this happen a number of times, mostly with my FHA-financed buyers trying to buy bank-owned properties.  more...

Window mandates put safety first

By Arrol Gellner, Friday, November 20, 2009.

Last time, we talked about building code provisions that variously baffle or irritate do-it-yourself builders (and occasionally, seasoned builders as well). While some code requirements may seem arcane at first glance, most have a very simple purpose -- to keep you reasonably safe day to day, and possibly to save your life in a real emergency. There are still a number of different codes in use, along with regional variations (always check with your local jurisdiction), but most of them more or less agree on basic safety provisions.

By way of example, here are some typical code provisions on just one narrow topic -- windows -- and what they're meant to accomplish:  more...

Get dizzy on AVMs

By Frank LLosa, Friday, November 20, 2009.

CLICK HERE to comment.

   more...

Become master of your energy bills

By Paul Bianchina, Friday, November 20, 2009.

Lots of people are concerned about how much it costs to heat and power their homes, and the impact they have on the environment. So it's always interesting when some new products come along that can help us better understand how our homes work, and what changes we can make to improve things.

As part of their Energy Series, Black & Decker has developed the Power Monitor (Model EM100B, $99.99). This unique and easy-to-use device allows you to monitor power usage anywhere in the house, so you can truly see the cost of running an appliance, or see how much replacing standard light bulbs with more energy-efficient ones will offer in energy savings.  more...

10 ways to get more from Gmail

By Joseph Ferrara, Friday, November 20, 2009.

If you spend a lot of time in e-mail (and hate that you do), try using Gmail, which is continually adding new features to make your digital life more manageable.

The following is a list of my favorite features, most of which are enabled from "Settings" or "Labs."

1. Import e-mail (Mail Fetcher). You can import e-mail from up to five other e-mail accounts into your Gmail.  more...

« first‹ previous123456789…next ›last »