Inman blog opens up to the masses

Brad Inman must need another latte this morning with his latest crusade to bring back the old Century 21 gold coats to try to pump some color back into the real estate industry. Is he crazy or does he have a point? Has corporate branding bled the personality from real estate?

Here's a taste of Inman's blog entry this morning:

Being colorful is not considered professional. Too bad – particularly today with the Internet.  more...

HomeServices builds brand in Southern California

HomeServices of America Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate, on Friday announced the acquisition of The Guiltinan Group, a boutique residential real estate brokerage firm based in San Diego.

The Guiltinan Group has a team of approximately 100 sales associates operating out of four offices throughout San Diego.

"The acquisition of The Guiltinan Group strengthens our already significant presence in Southern California," said Ron Peltier, president and chief exe  more...

Banks object to Fannie Mae home construction loans

A plan by Fannie Mae to make $10 billion worth of home construction loans over the next 10 years has renewed calls among banks and lenders for legislation tightening regulation of the mortgage giant, the Washington Post reported Friday.

Although the company first announced the plan as part of an affordable-housing initiative two years ago, remarks made Thursday by Fannie Mae chief executive Daniel H.  more...

Race-targeted predatory loans deemed 'discrimination'

A Pennsylvania appeals court ruled Friday that predatory mortgage loans targeting African-American home buyers can constitute housing discrimination under the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act, Associated Press reported.

Last Oct. 26, the state Human Relations Commission ruled against brokers McGlawn & McGlawn Inc.  more...

California MLS consolidation moves forward

A group of six northern California multiple listing services, which plan to band together to form one of the largest MLSs in the country, have named their new organization the Northern California Real Estate Exchange (NCREX), according to an announcement today.

NCREX, which will be phased in over the next couple of years, is expected to facilitate up to 100,000 property transactions per year representing over $100 billion in annual real estate sales, announced Clareity Consulting more...

Twin Cities real estate sales end year down

Home sales in the Twin Cities, Minn., metro area fell for the third consecutive month in December, taking total 2005 sales down from the previous year, according to the four metro Twin Cities Realtor associations.

December home sales totaled 3,638, down nearly 16 percent from the year-ago figure of 4,327.  more...

Paperless mortgage product improved

Document Processing Systems Inc. has added new features to Direct-Docs, an online closing-document preparation service that supports a paperless mortgage process, according to a company announcement today.

The enhancements "are aimed at improving lender/consumer communication, general ease of use, and for providing the lender greater visibility into the lifecycle of closing documents," the company announced.

"We've really researched and listened to our clients' requirements," said Paul Rakowicz, president of Docum  more...

More talk of housing slowdown

NEW YORK -- The real estate scene may not be quite as hip and exciting to talk about this year, with economists and industry insiders agreeing that markets have hit a slowdown.

But don't count on negative news either; experts predict home sales will continue to boom and prices will continue to rise, though at a much calmer pace.  more...

Overnight real estate rates fall again

Long-term mortgage interest rates continued lower Friday, and the benchmark 10-year Treasury bond yield dropped to 4.35 percent.

The 30-year fixed-rate average slipped to 5.65 percent, and the 15-year fixed-rate sank to 5.22 percent. The 1-year adjustable was down at 4.48 percent.

The 30-year Treasury bond yield decreased to 4.52 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...

Real estate purchase makes history in Arizona

A group of home builders and a real estate investment company have teamed up for the largest dollar-volume land transaction in Arizona history, according to reports.

Home builders Toll Brothers Inc.  more...

Home builder group announces new president

Home builder David L. Pressly Jr. was elected as the 2006 president of the 220,000-member National Association of Home Builders during the association's 62nd annual International Builders' Show in Orlando, the association announced Friday.

Pressly, president of Pressly Development Co. Inc., has about 25 years of experience in the home-building business.  more...