Real estate Web developer partners with virtual tours company

A Web site developer with a real estate focus has formed a strategic partnership with RealBiz360.com, a virtual tour provider, according to an announcement today.

The venture will allow real estate professionals with Web sites developed by RapidListings.com to link online to the virtual tours platform at RealBiz360.com.

RapidListing.com supports online marketing initiatives for about 4,000 real estate agents, according to the announcement.

"This strategic par  more...

Countrywide posts record year in real estate

Mortgage loan fundings at Countrywide Financial totaled $44 billion in December, up 27 percent from a year ago, helping to set an annual record, the company announced today.

In November, mortgage loan fundings hit $42 billion.

Mortgage loan fundings for the fourth quarter totaled $133 billion, up 40 percent from last year's fourth quarter. Full-year fundings reached $491 billion, a new company record and higher than any number previously reported by a U.S.  more...

Oodle tops 1.5 million real estate listings

Oodle, asearch engine for local classifieds, now has one of the nation's largest index of housing listings in the 102 markets it serves, with more than 1.5 million housing listings including Multiple Listing Service, for-sale-by-owner and foreclosure listings, the company said today.  

Oodle aggregates listings from brokers like ZipRealty, real estate marketing companies like Z57 and FSBO sites such as Forsalebyowner.com.  more...

Weichert grows brand in Appalachia, Mid-Atlantic

Weichert Real Estate Affiliates Inc., the franchise arm of Weichert, Realtors, today announced the addition of four new franchise offices in Virginia and the first franchise office in West Virginia.

The five new Weichert affiliates include: Weichert, Realtors – Baron & Snipes Co., Glen Allen, Va.; Weichert, Realtors – Four Oaks, Charlottesville, Va.; Weichert, Realtors – T.Y.  more...

Flat-fee real estate firm grows 33% in 2005

Assist-2-Sell, a national discount real estate company, added 147 owner-operated franchises in 2005, bringing the total on Jan. 1 to 577, the company announced this week.

This represents a record 33.4 percent increase from a year earlier. In December alone, Assist-2-Sell opened 17 franchises, according to the announcement.

In its recent 27th Annual Franchise 500 report, Entrepreneur Magazine has ranked the company the 73rd highest franchise operation for 2006 – up from the 78th position a year earlier.  more...

Real estate purchases rebound

Overall mortgage applications climbed 9.9 percent last week on a seasonally adjusted basis from the week before, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported today.

The seasonally adjusted purchase index increased by 9.3 percent to 457.4 from 418.3 the previous week whereas the refinance index increased by 9.9 percent to 1,497.5 from 1,363.2 one week earlier.

The refinance share of mortgage activity decreased to 42.2 percent of total applications from 42.7 percent the previous week.  more...

Philadelphia official on trial for real estate loan fraud

The federal mortgage fraud trial of a former Philadelphia official began Monday, with her attorneys contending she never intended to repay a $2.3 million loan from a du Pont heiress that is at the center of the case, media reports said.

Former New Castle County Chief Administrative Officer Sherry Freebery was indicted in May 2004 on charges of racketeering, wire fraud and mail fraud, reports said. Senior U.S. District Judge John P.  more...

Real estate rates gain overnight

Long-term mortgage interest rates were back up Tuesday, and the benchmark 10-year Treasury bond yield gained to 4.43 percent.

The 30-year fixed-rate average rose to 5.67 percent, and the 15-year fixed-rate jumped to 5.25 percent. The 1-year adjustable was down at 4.48 percent.

The 30-year Treasury bond yield increased to 4.61 percent.

Rates are current as of 7:15 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

Mortgage rate figures are according to Bankrate.com, which publishes nightly averages based on its survey of 4,000 banks in 50 states.  more...