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Sep

10
2008

Housing policy at a crossroads

By Bradley Inman, Wednesday, September 10, 2008.

Who would have thought?

Our nation's long experimentation with privatizing housing came to a screeching halt this past weekend when Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson -- a Republican -- put Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac under federal government ownership.  more...

It's time to be amazed

By Channing Dawson, Wednesday, September 10, 2008.
Channing Dawson

You're doubtlessly reading this article on your computer, either at home or at work, and you're even more likely doing so via the World Wide Web.  more...

Full commission can enable faster sale

By Inman News, Wednesday, September 10, 2008.

Re: 'Agent defends 6% commission' (Sept. 9)

Dear Editor:  more...

Sep

9
2008

$13K a year decent for 'part-time' work

By Inman News, Tuesday, September 9, 2008.

Re: 'Agent defends 6% commission' (Sept. 9)

Dear Editor:

In attempting to justify 6 percent commissions, an agent whined that selling one house a month would result in earning only $13,000/year.

What is the complaint? One house a month is a PART-TIME job, a few hours a week. No one should make more for so little work. If he/she wants to earn more, get more listings, provide more service and income will increase, even at a lower commission percentage.  more...

Sep

8
2008

Fed move on Fannie, Freddie is 'good news'

By Tim Burrell, Monday, September 8, 2008.

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Housing Finance Agency Director James Lockhart held a press conference Sunday to announce that the government had placed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac under conservatorship. After meetings with the boards of directors for both organizations, the Federal Housing Finance Agency took control of these institutions that are vital to home loans.  more...

Credit markets should get a grip

By Jonathan Miller, Monday, September 8, 2008.

It finally happened. The GSEs are no longer private corporations. The bailout is finally here.

I called this bailout on Oct. 5, 2005 and was teased or ignored. History teaches us we forget history.  more...

What the Fannie-Freddie takeover means for mortgage rates

By Dan Green, Monday, September 8, 2008.

Sunday, the government announced that it will takeover Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and assume their respective operations. Mortgage-backed debt is now government debt.

But for all the front page stories today, there's surprisingly little coverage about how the news impacts homeowners in need of a mortgage.

Mortgage rates are down sharply today, and possibly forever.  more...

Sep

5
2008

'Smart enough to see the handwriting on the wall'

By Inman News, Friday, September 5, 2008.

Re: 'Realtors not immune to foreclosure' (Sept. 4)

Dear Editor:

Most Realtors were smart enough to see the handwriting on the wall. Some were not ... some were "fast-track" agents who paid their money to their companies and boards and jumped on the train to financial success without looking at reality starting to take a bite from the rear. The real estate problem started in 1997, was bumped again in 2003, and finally reared its head in 2006.  more...

Sep

4
2008

Business models for online real estate

By Simon Baker, Thursday, September 4, 2008.

Editor's note: The following post is from Property Portal Watch, a site that offers information about property-search portals around the globe.

When looking at property portals around the world, there are various financial models that are being chased. Each of these models are discussed below. The models that are truly delivering returns to the operators are the Subscription Model and the Pay Per Listing Model.

Subscription Model  more...

Sep

2
2008

Real estate search portals, then and now

By Simon Baker, Tuesday, September 2, 2008.

Editor's note: The following post is from Property Portal Watch, a site that offers information about property-search portals around the globe.  more...

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