Home

Fed cut expected on Halloween

By Lou Barnes, Friday, October 19, 2007.

All U.S. interest rates have broken lower. The mortgage-defining 10-year T-note is trading at 4.4 percent, down from 4.7 percent last week, but mortgages will be slow to follow. Even agency loans are stuck in credit fear, but are likely to approach 6 percent soon.

Fed-defining short-term rates have dived almost a half-percent, a sure sign of renewed credit panic.  more...

The art of charity fundraisers

By Alison Rogers, Friday, October 19, 2007.

I have gone out, I think, every night this week.

This does not come naturally to me, all this mingling. I did it pretty well when I was 20, and it was the way to meet boys; now that I live with a boy and understand that they bring their laundry with them, I don't find the prospect nearly so exciting.

But I go out because it is one of the ways to meet clients. My biggest failing as a Realtor, I think, is that I am not one of those work-the-room people. My mother is -- back in her prime she was a Clintonesque politician who had to meet and charm absolutely everybody.  more...

Tips to add punch to your Web site Premium Content

By Bernice Ross, Friday, October 19, 2007.

Virtually all real estate professionals have a Web site -- what can you do to make your Web site stand out from the crowd?

Many agent Web sites already use "mashups." According to Wikipedia, a mashup "is a Web application that combines data and/or functionality from more than one source." In other words, if you have multiple photos on your Web site, a virtual tour, and mapping, you already are using a mashup.  more...

Does my attic have adequate ventilation?

By Paul Bianchina, Friday, October 19, 2007.

Remember how hot your attic was when you went up there to check the antenna wire last summer? Remember that ice dam on the roof? Proper attic ventilation can help with both those problems, but how do you know how much you need -- and just as importantly, how much do you already have?

Determining what you need is simple -- all you need is the size of your house and a calculator. Attic ventilation should equal approximately 1 square foot of vent area for every 300 square feet of attic, so figure out roughly how many square feet the footprint of your attic is, and then divide by 300.  more...