Project Blogger contestants share stories

Starting a real estate blog can be a) intimidating; b) exhilarating; c) time-consuming; or d) fun.

The answer is all of the above. Two of the industry's newest bloggers and two veteran bloggers will share experiences during an Inman News audio conference, "Building From the Ground Up," Monday, June 11, at 11 a.m. Pacific.

Listen to these first-hand experiences from participants in the Project Blogger challenge to hear what it really took to get their real estate blogs up and running.  more...

North Carolina fines CFIC Home Mortgage $848,000

A Florida-based mortgage lender has agreed to pay $848,000 to settle allegations by North Carolina regulators that the company operated without proper supervision and control of its loan officers.

Challenge Financial Investors Corp. was accused of operating a "net branch" company, where loan officers were allowed to operate with minimal supervision in exchange for a small fee for each loan originated in the company's name.  more...

John L. Scott launches real estate 'Etch A Sketch'

Like Etch A Sketch for online real estate searches, a new tool created for Pacific Northwest brokerage company John L. Scott Real Estate allows consumers to outline a customized shape on a map to search for available homes within that area.

The tool, called Neighborhood Wizard, uses geocoding technology to find home matches in the user-selected boundaries based on properties' longitude and latitude coordinates.

"It's almost like using an Etch A Sketch to define your search area," said John L. Scott chairman and CEO J.  more...

Innovator Awards open for nominations

Honor and highlight the most remarkable innovations of 2007 by nominating your favorites for the annual Inman Innovator Awards.

The Inman Innovator Awards recognize companies that use technology and innovation to enhance the real estate transaction for consumers and real estate professionals. In addition, one individual who embodies the spirit of innovation in real estate is honored each year.

The submission deadline is June 15.  more...

Mortgage rates hit 10-month highs

Mortgage rates this week grew to highs not seen since last August on news of stronger economic conditions and rising inflation risk, Freddie Mac and Bankrate.com reported today.

In Freddie Mac's survey, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage jumped to an average 6.53 percent from 6.42 percent a week ago, while the 15-year fixed-rate mortgage rose from 6.12 percent to 6.22 percent. Points, which are fees lenders charge for loan processing expressed as a percent of the loan, averaged 0.4 on the 30- and 15-year loans.  more...

Overnight real estate rates get boost

Long-term mortgage interest rates were up again Wednesday, and the benchmark 10-year Treasury bond yield dipped to 4.97 percent.

The 30-year fixed-rate average rose to 6.12 percent, and the 15-year fixed rate grew to 5.82 percent. The 1-year adjustable dropped to 5.55 percent.

The 30-year Treasury bond yield was down at 5.08 percent.

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