Screen shot of homes.gcar.net home page. Chattanooga Realtors launch new public-facing MLS site

Chattanooga Realtors launch new public-facing MLS site

The Greater Chattanooga Association of Realtors has launched a consumer-facing residential property search website with tools designed to help local Realtors in southeast Tennessee and northwest Georgia compete with national portals. GCAR’s ...
By Inman News | Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Screen shot of kunversion.com home page. CRM vets back in the game with Kunversion

CRM vets back in the game with Kunversion

Lead generation and customer relationship management (CRM) platform Kunversion LLC has rolled out a new user dashboard that’s mobile-optimized, integrated with Google Apps, and interacts with leads via text, email and chat before a user has to ...
By Paul Hagey | Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Head shots image via Shutterstock. Commission Pitch now furnishing agent metrics to consumers

Commission Pitch now furnishing agent metrics to consumers

A Toronto-based startup is offering to help buyers and sellers in Ontario choose a real estate agent by furnishing metrics about agents’ prior transactions, including statistics on the number of homes sold, average days on market, average sales...
By Inman News | Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Florida condos image via Shutterstock. FHA policy shift leaves many condos ineligible for financing

FHA policy shift leaves many condos ineligible for financing

Is FHA intentionally targeting condominiums, trying to exclude hundreds or thousands of them around the country from qualifying for financing under its mortgage insurance program? FHA officials tell me absolutely not. But an abrupt new “no-toleranc...
By Ken Harney | Tuesday, May 21, 2013
market_leader_3 Market Leader makes CRM tools available to mobile users

Market Leader makes CRM tools available to mobile users

Market Leader Inc. is making some capabilities of the Market Leader Professional and Business Suite available to users of smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices. Market Leader Mobile, which will be offered at no additional cost to customers, &...
By Inman News | Tuesday, May 21, 2013
imprev_dropbox Imprev integrates Dropbox into marketing platform

Imprev integrates Dropbox into marketing platform

Imprev Inc., the Bellevue, Wash.-based developer of marketing tools for real estate brokers and agents, has integrated Dropbox into its marketing platform. Imprev’s Marketing Center is a mobile-optimized platform with single-property websites, ...
By Paul Hagey | Monday, May 20, 2013
Left behind image via Shutterstock. Update your marketing, or get left behind

Update your marketing, or get left behind

You update your clothing and your technology, but have you updated your marketing? If you’re still using the same old outdated tactics from five, 10 or even 20 years ago, it’s time to freshen up those old approaches with a ......
By Bernice Ross | Monday, May 20, 2013
Screenshot of infographic released by NAHREP NAHREP: Immigration reform would boost housing

NAHREP: Immigration reform would boost housing

Proposed immigration reform could pump more than half a trillion dollars into the U.S. economy by paving the way for about 3 million Hispanics to buy homes over a five-year period, according to an estimate released by the National Association ......
By Teke Wiggin | Monday, May 20, 2013
Screenshot of the Pinterest board Mike Gardner created to showcase one of his listings Pinterest board sparks 2 showing requests in minutes

Pinterest board sparks 2 showing requests in minutes

Mike Gardner isn’t going to bother making a stand-alone site for one of his listings. All he needs for the luxury Malibu, Calif., mobile home, he said, is a Pinterest board. “My marketing campaign now is to pay for ads ......
By Teke Wiggin | Monday, May 20, 2013
realtorDOTcom_new NAR will consider giving realtor.com more leeway to compete with rivals

NAR will consider giving realtor.com more leeway to compete with rivals

WASHINGTON — The National Association of Realtors’ board of directors will hold a special meeting in July to explore whether to give realtor.com operator Move Inc. more freedom to compete with other websites like Zillow and Trulia. “...
By Inman News | Saturday, May 18, 2013
World Wide Web image via Shutterstock. NAR will allow MLSs to charge members for public-facing websites

NAR will allow MLSs to charge members for public-facing websites

WASHINGTON — The National Association of Realtors today adopted a policy that spells out “basic” services multiple listing services can charge all members for — including the operation and promotion of public-facing websites t...
By Inman News | Saturday, May 18, 2013
Move Inc. stock chart, May 13-17, 2013 (Source: Yahoo Finance) NAR board may hold closed meeting to discuss realtor.com

NAR board may hold closed meeting to discuss realtor.com

WASHINGTON — The committee that sets the agenda for the National Association of Realtors’ board of directors approved a motion to recommend the board have a special meeting to discuss the trade group’s official website, realtor.com,...
By Andrea V. Brambila | Friday, May 17, 2013
Listing data image via Shutterstock. NAR may delay action on public-facing MLS sites

NAR may delay action on public-facing MLS sites

WASHINGTON – A committee in charge of recommending policies to the National Association of Realtors’ board of directors has removed language from a controversial policy amendment that would have allowed multiple listing services to charge all...
By Andrea V. Brambila | Friday, May 17, 2013
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke briefs members of the press. Photo: federalreserve.gov. Fed’s work is not done

Fed’s work is not done

Interest rates on long-term bonds and mortgages have stopped their May rise, a little above the halfway mark of the low and high for the year. The tilt seems to be upward, but the trading pattern has been chaotic and ......
By Lou Barnes | Friday, May 17, 2013