Do you dare disclose if there is murder or mayhem at your listing? What are the professional and logistical challenges if there is a well publicized ghost on your next property? Don't despair, help is here! This updated Field Guide offers some creative marketing tools and advice for selling properties with an unsavory past.

Posted on August 22 at 12:25 PM | Permanent Link | Add a Comment (0)

Today's Mossberg column in the Wall Street Journal [linked here through ProQuest for our members] discusses Microsoft Live Labs' latest webservice, Photosynth. I first heard about this project through a YouTube video of a presentation at the 2007 TED conference in Monterey, CA. Mossberg explains the technology:

"Unlike a simple 2-D panorama, which many photo programs can create from several pictures, a Photosynth creation, called a "synth," is a virtual 3-D environment. It gives you the feeling you are in the middle of a room looking around, or circumnavigating a building or object. You can travel through a scene both laterally and vertically, and zoom in to see detailed, higher-resolution views of objects inside the synth, such as paintings on a wall."

How does this differ from existing virtual tours? Well, for one, you can create these yourself without any special equipment. It does take some skill to get the photos to work seamlessly together, but the results can be a lot more impressive. Currently "synthed" photos are only available for viewing on the photosynth website and there are no privacy settings. However, look for this innovative application to spread and grow.

Watch the video demo from TED2007 below the jump...the Photosynth demo starts at about 2:45.

Posted on August 21 at 04:32 PM | Permanent Link | Add a Comment (0)

Looking for real estate data from around the world? The Global Real Estate Project is a reference tool for international real estate research. It provides real estate trends, local contacts, and market information (data as of 2007) for different countries around the globe. The information contained in these profiles was compiled by the Burns School of Real Estate and Construction Management at the University of Denver under the directorship of Dr. Mark Lee Levine, Director/Professor, CIPS.

Posted on August 19 at 04:11 PM | Permanent Link | Add a Comment (0)

Information Central has just updated its Field Guide to Web 2.0. The term Web 2.0, which was coined in 2004 by O'Reilly Media, refers to a second wave of web-based services such as wikis, social networking sites, and other communication tools which focus upon shared information and collaboration among users. This Field Guide contains general information about Web 2.0, its potential usage in the real estate industry, and future trends that will keep REALTORS® knowledgeable about the ever-changing dynamics of the Internet. Watch the now classic YouTube introduction below the jump...

Posted on August 19 at 01:41 PM | Permanent Link | Add a Comment (0)

With recent upswings in energy prices and increased concern over global warming, wind energy and wind farming have become hot topics. Wind power is one of the fastest growing sources of electricity generation. While much past growth has taken place in Europe (Denmark derives up to 20% of its electricity from wind), wind power has recently made inroads domestically. In the U.S., more than 25,000 turbines produce 17 GW of electricity-generating capacity, enough to power 4.5 million homes. Total capacity rose 45 percent last year and is forecast to nearly triple by 2012. Right now, only one percent of the country's electricity comes from wind, but government and industry leaders want to see that share hit 20 percent by 2030, both to boost the supply of carbon-free energy and to create green-collar jobs.

As wind farms spread, local opposition to the massive towers (some over 400 ft tall) is appearing more and more. Residents not only oppose the turbines for aesthetic reasons, they also worry how wind farms will impact property values. Although research remains scant, wind farms appear have a minimal or at most transitory impact on real estate. To help you understand this topic, NAR has created a field guide which explores the current state of the industry, examines real estate-related research, provides wind maps and regulations to give an indication of where future projects might unfold, and gives resources for further study.

Posted on August 18 at 03:29 PM | Permanent Link | Add a Comment (0)

We have recently updated our Field Guide to Affordable Housing. The nation's housing affordability crisis is fed by economic, demographic, and regulatory characteristics. The issue will not go away on its own. Because wages have not kept pace with rising home prices and rents, millions of American households struggle to meet their housing costs.

Every day, REALTORS® across America reach out and connect thousands of people with the homes and communities that are right for them. Those connections extend far beyond the closing table. They are the start of long-term business relationships with clients; they make our neighborhoods more attractive and marketable; and they strengthen communities and the national economy.

When consumers cannot afford homes in the neighborhoods where they work, those connections are broken. A lack of available and affordable housing reduces access to employment, education, a good environment, and safe neighborhoods. And a lack of affordable housing affects all segments of the real estate market, including first-time purchasers, low-income, minorities, seniors, disabled, renters, and single-family buyers as well as rental property owners and developers.Find out the latest affordable housing news, new trends in affordable housing design, the latest research and much more on this important topic.

Posted on August 15 at 09:22 AM | Permanent Link | Add a Comment (0)

Sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security, National Preparedness Month is a great time to make sure you have a kit, a plan, and the information you need to make it through a disaster. Hurricanes, wildfires and flooding can impact your business and home. Find out how to prepare your home and business against future disasters, and how to recover and clean up safely in this updated Field Guide. Resources include the American Red Cross, the United States Small Business Administration and much more.

Posted on August 13 at 08:44 AM | Permanent Link | Add a Comment (0)

Unwanted, unsolicited e-mail is a frustrating problem for almost everyone who uses the Internet. Spam e-mail clutters inboxes, slows down Web servers, and costs time and money to manage. Spam can't be prevented entirely, but this Field Guide to Spam can show you how to reduce the amount of unwanted e-mail that comes into your inbox.

And on the flip side of the coin, REALTORS® who use e-mail to find and work with clients can take steps to ensure that their own electronic communications aren't seen as spam. Find out more about what spam is, how to reduce the amount of spam you receive and how to keep from sending it yourself with the articles, websites, and other resources on this page.

Posted on August 12 at 01:16 PM | Permanent Link | Add a Comment (0)

New to our print collection: The over 45 crowd - AKA boomers and their elders - numbers nearly 70 million. And while people in this broad group are at different stages in life, many are ready and willing to buy a new home - either downsizing after the kids leave for college, preparing for retirement, or even looking to get a second home for vacations. Just what features and amenities attract these buyers to a community or even an individual property? Are they looking for large yards, walkable communities or 'green' houses? In this book researcher Margaret Wylde presents her study of the 45+ crowd to help developers and agents get a better handle on the right designs, home features and amenities to attract this large demographic group. Findings are presented for 4 age brackets, regionally, and by martial status. If you're trying to get a handle on where this group is going, this book is an easy-to-read introduction.

The resource above is available for loan through Information Central. Up to three books, tapes, CDs and/or DVDs can be borrowed for 30 days from the Library for a nominal fee of $10. Call Information Central at 800-.874-6500 for assistance.

Posted on August 5 at 11:34 AM | Permanent Link | Add a Comment (0)

Last week, the New York Times reported that the lowly cassette tape, long spurned by the music industry, was meeting the same fate in audio books. The book publisher Hachette went so far as to throw a funeral, saying it had released its last book in cassette form in June. While other publishers continue to release titles on cassettes (they're still popular with libraries and truckers), it's a shrinking market segment.

But after your moment of silence, consider that cassettes weren't ever all that great. They melt in the summer, snap in the winter, get jammed in the player, and that tape is like silly string in a child's hands. Here at NAR, we deliver hundreds of audio titles in either Windows Media format or now MP3 (which means they're iPod compatible, yay!). They're good for the environment and you don't have to trudge to B. Dalton's. Check out our collection today!

Posted on August 4 at 09:31 AM | Permanent Link | Add a Comment (0)