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California targets foreclosure scams

By Inman News, Tuesday, June 2, 2009.

Saying California is "awash with con artists" who prey on families facing foreclosure, the state's attorney general is giving foreclosure consultants until July 1 to register with his office and post a $100,000 bond.

California Attorney General Jerry Brown said scam artists are posing as legitimate foreclosure consultants, promising homeowners they will prevent foreclosure but charging "huge up-front costs" without providing "an ounce of help."  more...

California: 'Zero tolerance' for inducements

By Matt Carter, Tuesday, June 2, 2009.

California regulators have suspended a title insurance marketing representative and fined her employer $21,600, in the first enforcement of a new state law with "zero tolerance" for business inducements to Realtors and lenders.

The marketing representative, Lizett Alcaraz, and her employer, Commerce Title Co., were accused of providing marketing lead lists to Realtors and lenders in Riverside County as an inducement for them to refer business to Commerce Title.  more...

Houston Realtor group doles out blogs

By Inman News, Tuesday, June 2, 2009.

The Houston Association of Realtors is offering its roughly 23,000 members free blogs as a marketing tool.

HAR has set up a blog directory that is open to consumer searches, and members who use the blogging platform can select from a list of categories in describing the overall blog and individual blog posts. Those members who maintain blogs hosted on other Web sites can also promote that blog through HAR's online directory.  more...

Pending home sales leap in April

By Inman News, Tuesday, June 2, 2009.

Pending home sales rose 6.7 percent in April, as a strong surge in homes under contract in the Northeast and Midwest outweighed flat demand in the South and West, the National Association of Realtors reported today.

NAR's Pending Home Sales Index, based on contracts signed in April, rose 6.7 percent to 90.3, up from 84.6 in March and an improvement of 3.2 percent from a year ago.  more...