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New school of real estate marketing Premium Content

By Bernice Ross, Monday, June 29, 2009.
Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/editor/71486347/" target=blank>Editor B</a>.

Are you still relying on old-school marketing tactics that don't work well in today's Web 2.0 environment? If so, now is the best time ever to say, "Out with the old and in with the new!"

How much have you spent in the last 12 months on newspaper ads, print magazines, postage and other mailing pieces? How many hours have you spent calling people who don't want to hear from you? How many weeks (years) of your life have you spent doing floor or opportunity time? As an increasing number of consumers rely more heavily on the Web, old marketing strategies are rapidly giving way to an entirely new approach.  more...

Getting a feel for sensory homebuyers

By Tara-Nicholle Nelson, Monday, June 29, 2009.

Between my husband and my son, I'm outnumbered by boys at home. What that means in terms of my daily living experience is that often I'll wake up, stumble to the espresso machine, and realize that every single kitchen cabinet, half the drawers and sometimes even the fridge and freezer doors are standing wide open -- even though no one is in the kitchen! My family knows that about that time is when I yell, "What is this -- the Sixth Sense?!"

(In the Bruce Willis film, the young Haley Joel Osment, who "sees dead people" sits down to breakfast and, in the seconds it takes his mom to leave and return to the kitchen, Haley Joel's deceased cronies manage to leave every kitchen door gaping wide, prompting the boy's mom to have an "a-ha" realization that perhaps things ain't as they seem.)  more...

Refi hit with title insurance 'junk fee'

By Benny Kass, Monday, June 29, 2009.

DEAR BENNY: We are in the final steps of completing a refinance of our barely year-old $410,000 mortgage. We were pleased with the interest-rate drop, and our local bank was generous in dropping many of the so-called "junk fees" associated with a refinance. However, we are being charged $1,007 for title insurance. When I asked our banker about this, the response was basically, "Well, yes, it is a rip-off but there is nothing we can do about it."

My question for you is what do we get for this $1,007? And if we refinance again in a year (you never know), I assume we will have to pay this again? --Shelley  more...

Contingencies frustrate buyers, sellers

By Dian Hymer, Monday, June 29, 2009.

There are many frustrating aspects associated with buying or selling a home today. One is that contract contingencies -- such as inspections, financing or the sale of another property -- often aren't removed on time. It's not uncommon for closings to be delayed, usually due to the buyer's lender.

Your purchase contract should include a provision to deal with deadlines that are not met on time. For example, in the home purchase contract used by many Realtors in California, sellers can give buyers a 24-hour notice to perform. If the buyers don't meet this deadline, the sellers can cancel the contract. This notice can't be delivered earlier than 24 hours before the contingency is due.  more...

Secrets to saving money on mortgages

By Jack Guttentag, Monday, June 29, 2009.

Some of the most difficult questions I receive from readers concern the relationship between making extra payments and refinancing. I have never been very happy with my answers, and recently took a harder look at how making extra payments and refinancing are related. The hope was that if I understood it better, I could answer the questions better. This article reflects my current understanding, followed by new answers to some common questions.

Extra-payment decisions and refinance decisions should be made independently because they are based on very different factors. Yet each may affect the other, which is why it is easy to become confused.  more...