Home

RealtyBaron offers Agent Bid widget

By Inman News, Friday, July 31, 2009.

Online real estate site RealtyBaron is offering a widget that allows partner Web sites to offer "find an agent" services through a branded storefront that keeps visitors on their site.

RealtyBaron is a real estate agent rating and review site that also offers an online system in which agents bid for business by adjusting their commission rates and rebates.  more...

Everyone's a critic at Yelp.com

By Inman News, Friday, July 31, 2009.
Jeremy Stoppelman

Everyone's a critic, or so the saying goes.

And that saying is the basis of the business model at Yelp.com, an online community that features user ratings and reviews on a wide range of businesses and professionals -- including real estate brokerages and agents.

In July 2004, former PayPal pals Jeremy Stoppelman and Russel Simmons reunited to launch Yelp.com.  more...

Judge throws out RESPA rule challenge Premium Content

By Matt Carter, Friday, July 31, 2009.

Unless Congress says otherwise, mortgage brokers will have to disclose rebates paid by lenders and credit them against borrowers' closing costs beginning Jan. 1, following a judge's dismissal of a trade group's lawsuit challenging the new rules.

The ruling clears one potential obstacle to implementation of new loan disclosures and other changes to the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) put forward last year by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).  more...

Survey: Consumers want added services Premium Content

By Matt Carter, Friday, July 31, 2009.

Satisfying home buyers and sellers in a tight market increasingly depends on the provision of additional services and products like mortgages, appraisals, inspections and home warranties, according to a study by J.D. Power and Associates.

For its 2009 Home Buyer/Seller Study, J.D. Power surveyed 2,801 people who bought or sold a home between April 2007 and June 2008, gauging customer satisfaction with seven of the largest real estate brokerage franchises.  more...