Home

Builders sue HUD over incentives

By Matt Carter, Tuesday, December 30, 2008.

The National Association of Home Builders has become the second industry group to file suit to block changes to the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, or RESPA, seeking a court injunction that would allow builders to continue offering consumers incentives for using their affiliated mortgage and title insurance companies.  more...

Survey: Realtor ranks to thin Premium Content

By Inman News, Tuesday, December 30, 2008.

The number of Realtors in America is almost certain to drop by 20 percent or more by 2010, a poll of Inman News readers suggests, with part-time agents among those most threatened by the market shakeout.

Virtual real estate companies, fee-for-service and premium full-service business models may be in the best position to thrive in the years to come, according to 702 readers who completed the 21-question online survey through Dec. 29.  more...

FHASecure refi program to sunset

By Inman News, Tuesday, December 30, 2008.

The Bush administration will not continue the FHASecure mortgage refinance program for delinquent borrowers beyond 2008, but home owners who are behind on their mortgage payments may still be eligible to refinance through the recently expanded FHA HOPE for Homeowners program.

In a letter to lenders, Federal Housing Commissioner Brian Montgomery said continuing FHASecure beyond the planned Dec. 31 termination date would have led to losses for the FHA mortgage insurance fund.  more...

WaMu paid agents referral fees

By Inman News, Tuesday, December 30, 2008.

A Washington Mutual retail mortgage office in Southern California turned real estate agents into "a pipeline for loan applications" by paying them referral fees, according to a New York Times story detailing the lender's rapid expansion during the housing boom.  more...

Creativity key in real estate today

By Inman News, Tuesday, December 30, 2008.
<a href="http://www.inman.com/events/real-estate-connect-nyc-2009">Click here</a> for more info.

Celeste Starchild, vice president of sales and marketing for ListHub, a part of real estate tech company Threewide Corp., will speak at the upcoming Real Estate Connect conference in New York City. The conference will run from Jan. 7-9, 2009.

Starchild responded to a set of questions posed by Inman News:

What do you see happening in the real estate market in 2009?

Competition will be fierce for everyone involved in real estate, and we will see continued rapid consolidation in the industry.  more...

Don't scrimp on marketing during downturn Premium Content

By Inman News, Tuesday, December 30, 2008.
<a href="http://www.inman.com/roadmap">Click here</a> for details about the Roadmap to Recovery.

Q: What skills will the real estate agent of the future require?

A: There are two skills in particular that agents will have to acquire in order to be successful in the future: one being marketing and the other being the strategic use of the Internet -- and social media in particular -- to build business.

Any agent who wants to survive must have a deep understanding of fundamental marketing principles and understand how to apply them in today's market. Innovative marketing is the key to success in tough times.  more...