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Nov

20
2009

The flood-zone deal-breaker

By Inman News, Friday, November 20, 2009.

Re: 'A real underwater threat for homeowners' (Nov. 19)

Dear Editor:

I appreciate your article bringing up the issue of flood insurance. Located in a coastal area, flood zones are plentiful here. In one transaction two years ago, we sold a house located in a VE zone (worst of the two evils) and the new buyers were quoted a $5,500 annual flood insurance premium! Imagine my surprise to see the increase -- when I had been paying $3,400 annually for the same flood coverage on the same property.  more...

Nov

19
2009

Appraisal co. owner slams HVCC

By Inman News, Thursday, November 19, 2009.

Re: 'Appraisal rules draw more fire' (Nov. 18)

Dear Editor:

I have been a licensed appraiser for nearly 20 years. During all those years, I have formed great relationships with many lenders and loan officers. Now, I've lost that thanks to HVCC (the Home Valuation Code of Conduct).

In the past 10 years or so, many appraisers have never had a raise. Now we're being forced to take a pay cut of approximately 50 percent. This does not help my retirement fund, or trying to just make ends meet. Many of the "good" appraisers are now quitting because they can't make it anymore.  more...

Nov

18
2009

Data sharing and the rise of market blogs

By , Wednesday, November 18, 2009.

Altos Research has released four new WordPress Plug-ins that make it dead simple to go deep into the numbers and create data-rich local market blogs.

Altos is among many real estate data providers out there, but is unique in that many of its core products cater to individual Realtors rather than large institutional or corporate clients.

These new plug-ins allow subscribers to easily embed Altos charts on new posts or pages on their blogs through a very easy interface. The upshot to all this?  more...

Nov

17
2009

1997 or 2002

By Curbed.com, Tuesday, November 17, 2009.

When did the housing bubble start?

One economist claims "most" analysts agree on 1997, a year in which house prices began moving sharply upward, buoyed by the government pushing homeownership more. Another says actually few people think it was 1997 -- the actual year should be 2002, when the dot-com bustees landed on real estate as the latest and greatest bubble of choice.  more...

Wear real estate license on your sleeve

By Inman News, Tuesday, November 17, 2009.

Re: 'Buyer wronged by unlicensed agent?' (Nov. 13)

Dear Editor:

Lenders, by law, must advertise their license. Brokers at mortgage companies must use their licenses as well.

Realtors could and should display their license (and in some cases the license number is required to schedule a showing).  more...

Nov

13
2009

Redfin gets $10 million in new funding

By , Friday, November 13, 2009.

From the Redfin Corporate Blog: "Big news! Redfin just announced a $10-million round of financing led by Greylock Partners' James Slavet and his colleague David Thacker. Redfin's group of existing investors -- Madrona Venture Group, Vulcan Capital, DFJ, The Hillman Company -- also pitched in on the round."

This new round of financing brings the total investment in the Seattle-based brokerage to just north of $30 million. Greylock joins Madrona Venture Group, Draper Fisher Jurvertson, Vulcan Capital and the Hillman Co. as investors in the firm.  more...

Nov

12
2009

Banks may find 'Buyer's Choice' is best

By Inman News, Thursday, November 12, 2009.

Re: 'Debate over real estate "Buyer's Choice" law' (Nov. 12)

Dear Editor:

The banks have to offer the buyer the choice of escrow companies after they have accepted the buyer's offer. Therefore, the agents who said that the bank can just choose an offer that states "seller's choice" are missing an important part of the bill.

The seller must offer the option to the buyer that can take place only after the offer was accepted. If the buyer says, "Yes, I want to use 'XYZ' company," then the seller cannot cancel the offer or force the buyer to use the seller's selected services without being fined for three times the charges.  more...

Nov

11
2009

Real estate video use rises in 2009

By , Wednesday, November 11, 2009.

Online real estate video host WellcomeMat released its first annual report on the use of video in real estate marketing. Significantly, the company found that the use of video is up 95 percent in the first half of 2009 versus the first half of 2008.

Breakouts like Realtor Ian Watt (see Video Isn't Just About Your Listings) set the bar for the creative use of video and also seemed to have kick-started a whole generation of car-mounted video blog posts.

But it's not only the little guys getting in on the fun; big brands like Corcoran Group are embracing video too.  more...

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