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By Robert Freedman, senior editor, REALTOR® Magazine
One of REALTORS®' priorities going into the NAR Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo in Washington next week will be a little provision in a very large bill. This is Sec. 204 of the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, a 648-page bill that covers everything from cap-and-trade climate rules to green jobs. Sec. 204 would require the energy-efficiency labeling of homes, apartments, and commercial buildings and is a classic example of a well-intentioned effort that could hurt millions of home owners. Although the details of how the labeling would work have yet to be released, a protocol for measuring home energy efficiency would be written. Based on that protocol, the efficiency of a house would have to be measured and then disclosed at a sale, among other times. In effect, each house would be labeled based on its energy efficiency.
Clearly this could have a severe dampening effect on sales involving existing homes, particularly older existing homes. And such a requirement couldn't come at a worse time.
NAR has sent out a limited Call For Action on the issue. Right now it's just targeting members of Congress who sit on the committee that's working on the bill, so only a portion of NAR's membership has been asked to write to their members specifically on this issue.
In its communication on the topic, NAR makes a pretty clear-headed point that there are many ways to get at the goal of improving the energy efficiency of our country's housing stock. Among them is to give owners reasonable incentives to make energy-efficiency improvements. As it is, Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) has a stand-alone bill, H.R. 1778, that would do just that, and NAR is making the case that this is an approach worth supporting.
Looking ahead, with climate change and other environmental issues on Congress' agenda, we can expect more efforts by lawmakers to advance proposals that might appear small-scale on the surface but that could have enormous impacts on markets. That's why it's crucial REALTORS® stay engaged in what's going on. You're the ones who know what the impact a proposal could have on markets.
Brian Summerfield, Online Editor, REALTOR® Magazine
Tips on how to buy, sell, and negotiate—plus Bank of America dropping the Countrywide brand—dominated the Daily News last week:
Continue reading "The Fab 5 for the Week of 4/27/2009" »
By Robert Freedman, Senior Editor, REALTOR ® Magazine
As a reporter in Washington covering housing in one form or another since 1988, I've had a great perch from which to watch our federal housing secretaries in action, and I can say without hesitation one of the most transformative was Jack Kemp, who passed away on Saturday.
The former long-time congressman from Buffalo, N.Y., and an all-star quarterback of the Bills, brought his trademark enthusiasm, optimism, and ebullience to what was a very hot seat when he became secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in 1988, during the first President Bush's term. At the time, HUD was rocked in an influence-peddling scandal in what's known as the Sec. 8 "mod rehab" program. If the program doesn't sound familiar (it provided subsidies to help finance rehab of private affordable rental housing), it's because Kemp shut it down when he came on board because of problems in how some funds were awarded.
What was impressive about Kemp, regardless of where you stand on the political spectrum, was his ability to address HUD's problems at the time decisively and then move on to a positive agenda of promoting homeownership for those for whom it made sense. Among his critics were some rental housing providers who felt he put too much emphasis on homeownership, yet during his term he led the creation of a major program for replacing obsolete public rental housing with housing that incorporated new lessons on what makes for good housing.
Naturally even this effort had detractors. Among other things, the new housing couldn't be built quickly enough to replace the old housing, so some in the industry would have preferred he focus on fixing up the old housing, despite it flaws.
There was a lot of debate back and forth, out of which grew new programs after Kemp had left. The HOME Investment Partnerships program was one of them; it provides block grants to states and localities to use with low-income housing tax credits and other programs to create new affordable housing.
It's remarkable the number of major programs that were created when Kemp was secretary and also immediately afterward, when former San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros was HUD secretary. Kemp was a low-tax, supply-side enthusiast who was passionate about weeding our housing discrimination and creating opportunity for all. Whatever you think of his political philosophy, he was a secretary who understood the importance of housing and the primacy of private property rights and the entrepreneurial spirit that drives innovation.
Brian Summerfield, Online Editor, REALTOR® Magazine
Foreclosure news and the Feds to the rescue -- these stories and more were part of the top five Daily News items last week:
Continue reading "Top Five Stories for the Week of 4/13/2009" »
Brian Summerfield, Online Editor, REALTOR® Magazine
A relatively positive week: Top stories included the happiest states in the U.S. and signs of economic recovery. Here are the five most popular items from last week's daily newsletters:
Continue reading "Top 5 Daily News Stories Last Week" »
Brian Summerfield, Online Editor, REALTOR® Magazine
High taxes, lowball offers and a bankrupt lender -- these topics and more were top Daily News stories last week. Here they are, in order:
Continue reading "Top Five Stories for the Week of 3/30/2009" »
Brian Summerfield, Online Editor, REALTOR® Magazine
Last week's top five Daily News features are:
Continue reading "The Top Five for the Week of 3/23/2009" »
Today, the Obama Adminstration opened its foreclosure prevention program with the launch of a new consumer Web site. Here's the scoop from our news partner Michael Gerrity at REAL ESTATE CHANNEL.
Administration Launches New Consumer Website for Responsible Homeowners Seeking Relief
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) -- The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today launched a new website () for consumers seeking information about the Obama Administration's Making Home Affordable program.
MakingHomeAffordable.gov offers features including interactive self-assessment tools that will empower borrowers to determine if they're eligible to participate and calculate the monthly mortgage payment reductions they could stand to realize under the Making Home Affordable program.
Feel free to pass along this important consumer real estate news notice to others that may want to use the US Treasury’s new site to determine if they are eligible as well.
Thanks,
Michael Gerrity
__________________________________
REAL ESTATE CHANNEL™
1000 Universal Studios Plaza, Bldg 22-A
Orlando, Fl 32819
(P) 407.224.6830
(W) www.RealEstateChannel.com
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By Robert Freedman, Senior Editor, REALTOR® Magazine
Trying to get details yesterday on what House and Senate conferees did and didn't include in the $790 billion economic stimulus legislation working its way through Congress was a challenge--and not just for those of us who don't work on Capitol Hill. The back-and-forth of negotiations was so rapid-fire that it seemed no single office had the conclusive take on what would be in the final bill.
With the dust having settled somewhat, NAR analysts say the bill contains several NAR-backed changes to the home buyer tax credit, including an increase in its size, from a maximum $7,500 to a maximum $8,000 ($4,000 for married households filing separately). News reports had conflicting takes on this yesterday, with some identifying the $8,000 limit and others saying it remained at $7,500.
In any case, one of NAR's top priorities for the tax credit was to get the repayment feature removed, and the conference report does that, for home purchases in 2009. Buyers also have to hold onto the house for at least three years. That's a safeguard against speculators.
NAR also wanted the life of the credit expanded, and the conferees provided that by making the credit available for all of 2009. Right now it's set to terminate at the end of June.
A couple of things remain the same. One, the credit remains refundable, which means you can get the balance of the credit sent to you in a check from the federal government if your credit exceeds your tax liability. And two, if your buy a house this year, you can elect to claim the credit on your 2008 tax return. That enables you to realize the benefit on your taxes as soon as possible.
If both the House and the Senate pass the final bill today, as they've been talking about, and if President Barack Obama signs the legislation into law by Monday, we could know by Tuesday the final details of the tax credit and other pieces of the legislation that REALTORS® have been advocating for, including the increase in conforming and FHA high-cost loan limits.
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR Magazine
LAS VEGAS - About 3 million jobs have been lost in residential construction since its peak in 2006, said David Crowe, chief economist of the National Association of Home Builders, at a press conference on the Housing Economic Outlook this week.
As the real estate market softens around the nation, the number of builders is shrinking. Crowe estimated that NAHB has lost about 15-20 percent of its membership this year. The NAHB currently reports 200,000 members in the building and remodeling industry.
Housing starts have slowed to record lows and have been nearly at a standstill this past year, due to a glut of unsold or foreclosed homes already on the market, Crowe said. Housing starts will likely fall another 20 percent this year. Read more about the Builders' housing outlook.
"Seventy-five percent of housing production has gone down so you can't have that without losing some business," Crowe said. Lots of subcontractors have lost their jobs and builders have closed their businesses or left the industry until the market recovers.
That could be worrisome for when the market does recover, said Greg Miedem, president of Dakota Builders in Tucson, Ariz., who spoke at a press conference Wednesday about the remodeling industry. He said many have left the remodeling industry, too, as more people hold off on making any improvements to their home because of declining property values. "Where are we going to get the contractors when we need them?" Miedem said. "They're working in another industry now and it will be hard to get them back."
You may be wondering what impact the economy will have on the National Association of Realtors' membership. So far, membership has remained fairly stable at about 1.17 million, 14 percent below its peak in 2006.
Melissa Dittmann Tracey, Associate Multimedia Editor
In an attempt to revive sagging financial markets, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 263-171 to approve a rescue plan today that would allow the federal government to buy up to $700 billion in failed mortgages from banks and other financial insistutions.
"This legislation is critical to stopping the economic turmoil that millions of Americans are facing," said NAR President Dick Gaylord in a statement. "Today’s action will go a long way toward ending the current economic crisis crippling the housing and financial markets."
The legislation will help to restore liquidity to the mortgage market and stabilize the housing market, Gaylord said. "Mortgages as well as personal and small business loans would become more available and less costly," he said. "Protecting Main Street not only benefits individuals, families and communities, but also supports the larger U.S. economy." (See Why NAR Supports Government Intervention)
The bill now awaits the president's signature.
Stacey Moncrieff, Editor-in-Chief
If I want to attend a conference to learn how to be a more effective “digital communicator” (translation: a magazine editor using the Web), I typically have to dish out more than $1,000 for two days of education sessions. Entertainment is extra. That’s why it’s not hype to say that, at $330, the four-day REALTORS® Conference & Expo (complete with a free Lionel Richie conference, keynote address by Lance Armstrong, and night at Universal Studios to name just a few of the features) is an incredible bargain.
All that said, I know many of you will not be traveling to Orlando in November for this year’s conference. That’s why we bring a sliver of the conference to you in the October issue of the magazine. We do that this year with exclusive speaker interviews and a complete list of conference exhibitors to-date.
But there’s more to the October issue than a preview of the REALTORS® Conference. NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun gives a lesson in commodity pricing and talks about how that might bode well for home prices.
If the slow market is getting you down, read our interview with psychologist and author Kathy Cramer, who teaches the importance of using “asset-based thinking” to detect opportunity in tough times.
This month, we also bring you the final segment of our 2008 Work Smart Series—with advice and scripts that’ll help you generate referral business from past customers.
And don’t miss this month’s buyer’s guide on how to find the right printer for your business.
Finally, if you’re a political junkie and missed our coverage of the Democratic and Republican national conventions, see the highlights now. Learn how and why 300 of your fellow REALTORS® served as delegates at the conventions and helped spread the “REALTOR® Party” message.
Robert Freedman, Senior Editor
 DENVER - It’s too dark to see clearly in Osteria Marco, one of Denver’s trendy bistros, but the person sitting against the back wall is definitely Spike Lee, the famed movie director, and in the center of the room actress Susan Sarandon. And not far from the two of them is Henry Cisneros, secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development during President Bill Clinton’s first term.
These three and others have gathered in this restaurant about half a mile from the national democratic convention center to participate in a town hall meeting about the other housing crisis, the one hitting low- and moderate-income renter households (Watch some video highlights.) More than six million renter households must pay more than 50 percent of their monthly income for rent, leaving them little for food, transportation, and health care.
Cisneros, who now heads up a company that develops housing for working families, says lawmakers in 2009 must address the homeownership slowdown without ignoring the ongoing, yet far less visible, crisis in the rental world.
Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, another participant, agreed that the challenge for housing advocates is to keep him and other lawmakers on top of both problems at once, an admittedly tough task given the primacy of the homeownership market to the overall U.S. economy.
“Housing is the economic crisis of the country,” he says. “But you need to keep us honest. We need to stay focused on rental housing.”
It might seem incongruous to have a discussion about low-income rental housing at a swanky bistro but this incongruence is part of what makes the town hall discussion effective; it’s bringing together the high-profile world of Hollywood and New York City with the high-power
Continue reading "Democratic Convention: Housing, Without Walls" »
The most popular real estate stories this week from REALTOR® magazine’s Daily Real Estate News ranged from clients' biggest turnoffs to new lending rules.
The stories, in order of their popularity, are:
1. 6 Turnoffs That Make Clients Cringe
2. Top 10 Cities to Buy a Home
3. Fed Issues New Lending Rules
4. Going Overboard With Property Photos
5. U.S. Senate Passes Housing Stimulus Bill
To subscribe to the Daily or Weekly Real Estate News e-mail or RSS feed, visit REALTOR® Magazine Online.
The most popular real estate stories this week from REALTOR® magazine’s Daily Real Estate News ranged from lists of promising real estate markets to shopping for REOs.
The stories, in order of their popularity, are:
1. 3 Areas of Housing Expected to Boom
2. 14 Markets With Nowhere to Go but Up
3. Top 10 Best Counties to Raise a Family
4. Six Most Promising Cities for Retirees
5. Bargain Hunters Have Field Day With REOs
To subscribe to the Daily or Weekly Real Estate News e-mail or RSS feed, visit REALTOR® Magazine Online.
The most popular real estate stories this week from REALTOR® magazine’s Daily Real Estate News ranged from mortgage fraud busts to a nontraditional selling approach.
The stories, in order of their popularity, are:
1. Hundreds Charged in Fraud Sweep
2. Make Your Business Cards Count
3. Mortgage Broker Gets Jail for Stripping Home
4. A Commonly Missed Tax Break
5. A Stripped-Down Approach to Selling
To subscribe to the Daily or Weekly Real Estate News e-mail or RSS feed, visit REALTOR® Magazine Online.
The most popular real estate stories this week from REALTOR® magazine’s Daily Real Estate News ranged from the fastest growing cities to marketing ideas to promote your business.
The stories, in order of their popularity, are:
1. Fastest Growing Real Estate Markets
2. Forget Open Houses, Plan an Event
3. FHA Waives 90-Day Waiting Period
4. Practitioners Mix Old, New Marketing Ideas
5. Former NFL Player Sells Brokerage for $613M
To subscribe to the Daily or Weekly Real Estate News e-mail or RSS feed, visit REALTOR® Magazine Online.
The most popular real estate stories this week from REALTOR® magazine online’s Daily Real Estate News ranged from the best U.S. cities to live to how to structure a congratulations letter for your customers.
The stories, in order of their popularity, are:
1. Some Home Owners Opt to Buy and Bail
2. 10 Best Cities to Live, Work, Play
3. Pending Sales Up 6.3% in April
4. Congrats Letters Make Big Impressions
5. No-Downpayment Loans Still Out There
To subscribe to the Daily or Weekly Real Estate News e-mail or RSS feed, visit REALTOR® Magazine Online.
The most-read real estate stories this week from REALTOR® magazine online’s Daily Real Estate News ranged from new guidelines for buyers to mortgage fraud.
The stories, in order of their popularity, are:
1. 5 New Rules for Home Buyers
2. Where Mortgage Fraud is Prevalent
3. How to Get More From Your Prospecting
4. Most Common Mortgage Scams
5. Bank-Owned Homes Continue to Surge
To subscribe to the Daily or Weekly Real Estate News e-mail or RSS feed, visit REALTOR® Magazine Online.
The most-read real estate stories this week from REALTOR® magazine online’s Daily Real Estate News ranged from NAR’s settlement with the DOJ to how to expedite short sales.
The stories, in order of their popularity, are:
1. NAR, DOJ Agree on MLS Policy
2. Plenty of Positive Market News Today
3. New Gimmick: Home 'Clearance' Sale
4. U.S. Rep Loses Home to Foreclosure
5. System Tries to Expedite Short Sales
To subscribe to the Daily or Weekly Real Estate News e-mail or RSS feed, visit REALTOR® Magazine Online.
The most-read real estate stories this week from REALTOR® magazine online’s Daily Real Estate News ranged from news of a mortgage fraud scam to the best cities for entrepreneurs.
The stories, in order of their popularity, are:
1. Mortgage Brokers Get Jail Time for Scam
2. Throw a Party for Your Listings
3. Affordable Ways to Makeover Bathrooms
4. The First $2-billion Home is Coming
5. Where Entrepreneurs Thrive
To subscribe to the Daily or Weekly Real Estate News e-mail or RSS feed, visit REALTOR® Magazine Online.
The most-read real estate stories this week from REALTOR® magazine online’s Daily Real Estate News ranged from challenging housing markets to new foreclosure rules for borrowers.
The stories, in order of their popularity, are:
1. Why Are Short Sales So Troublesome?
2. 10 Most Challenging Housing Markets
3. Prospecting Without a Sales Pitch
4. Mortgage Rates Hit Low Point
5. New Rules for Borrowers With Foreclosures
To subscribe to the Daily or Weekly Real Estate News e-mail or RSS feed, visit REALTOR® Magazine Online.
The most-read real estate stories this week from REALTOR® magazine online’s Daily Real Estate News ranged from tips on how to hold successful open houses to the top 10 cities to sell a home.
The stories, in order of their popularity, are:
1. Couple Takes Issue With Google Street View
2. Secret Formula for Open Houses
3. States Enact Roadblocks to Foreclosure
4. Top 10 Best Cities for Home Sellers
5. Neighbor Complaints Here to Stay
To subscribe to the Daily or Weekly Real Estate News e-mail, visit REALTOR® Magazine Online.
The most-read real estate stories this week from REALTOR® magazine online’s Daily Real Estate News ranged from preventing home rage on foreclosed properties to taking better property photos to help move listings.
The stories, in order of their popularity, are:
1. Foreclosed Owners Paid to Leave
2. Couple Sue Associate Over Home Price
3. Bush: More Help on Way for Home Owners
4. How Photos Help Sell Homes
5. Slow Sales Drive Some Builders to Brink
To subscribe to the Daily or Weekly Real Estate News e-mail, visit REALTOR® Magazine Online.
The most-read real estate stories this week from REALTOR® magazine online’s Daily Real Estate News ranged from snagging the best property deals to the tragic murder of a fellow real estate practitioner.
The stories, in order of their popularity, are:
1. Best Places to Get Foreclosure Deals
2. Million Dollar Homes at Bargain Prices
3. Ex-Con Admits Killing Real Estate Pro
4. Home Sales Still Strong in Key Areas
5. 10 Fastest Growing U.S. Cities
To subscribe to the Daily or Weekly Real Estate News e-mail, visit REALTOR® Magazine Online.
The most-read real estate stories this week from REALTOR® magazine online’s Daily Real Estate News ranged from a mortgage fraud case to handling listing objections from clients.
The stories, in order of their popularity, are:
1. Vegas Couple Faces Fraud Charges
2. Neighbors get Nasty Over Sale of Home
3. Fed Slashes Rates
4. FBI Examining 17 Lenders
5. How to Handle Presentation Objections
To subscribe to the Daily or Weekly Real Estate News e-mail, visit REALTOR® Magazine Online.
The most-read real estate stories this week from REALTOR® magazine online’s Daily Real Estate News ranged from articles on why it’s a good time to buy to affordable kitchen remodels.
The stories, in order of their popularity, are:
1. Why Now is a Smart Time to Buy
The financial gurus at the Wall Street Journal are talking up homeownership and offering tips to buyers about jumping in.
2. Lease-to-Own Primer
Lease-to-own agreements can help you sell a hard-to-sell property. Here's how they work.
3. Some Home Owners Just Walk Away
As prices drop, some home owners who bought at the top of the market are mailing their keys to the lender and walking away. In some circles, it's called "jingle mail."
4. Tax Benefits of Owning a Home
Do you have buyers on the fence? Share with them these details on why they can't afford to wait any longer.
5. Low-Cost Kitchen Updates
Make that outdated kitchen more appealing to buyers with these low-cost fixes.
To subscribe to the Daily or Weekly Real Estate News e-mail, visit REALTOR® Magazine Online.
The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® has called on both the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight to promptly implement the higher conforming loan limits for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and the increased Federal Housing Administration loan limits that Congress mandated and that President George W. Bush today signed into law.
In a letter to HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson and OFHEO Director James Lockhart, NAR notes that failing to move quickly to allow Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the FHA to increase their loan limits will prolong the nation’s mortgage crisis and make a recovery in the housing market more difficult.
“Our research indicates that the increased FHA loan limits will help an additional 138,000 Americans achieve the dream of homeownership and will allow nearly 200,000 home owners to refinance and potentially keep their homes,” says NAR President Richard Gaylord.
Read more about NAR’s call to action.
By John N. Frank
REALTOR® magazine is in the midst of producing another exciting look at young talent in the real estate business, our annual 30 Under 30 report scheduled to be published in June. And this year, we’re not stopping there.
The June issue also will include an article we’re tentatively calling Fabulous at 50+. As a 50+ editor I’m feeling really good about this project. It’s easy once you get past that fifth decade to sometimes feel over-the-hill as you watch many friends and coworkers come and go from your professional and private lives. This article will remind everyone how vital and successful we can be, at any age.
We’re looking for real estate pros 50-year-old and older
Continue reading "Let’s Hear It for Experience" »
BY MELISSA DITTMANN TRACEY
Recent news reports reveal home owners are going to great lengths to rescue their homes from foreclosure – even if it means dismantling the house and selling it off piece by piece. That’s what one Ontario, Calif., woman has recently been accused of doing.
The woman is accused of trying to save her 71-year-old historic home from foreclosure by selling its flooring, baseboards, and other fixtures on eBay. Police intervened when city officials complained the home was being desecrated.
“Until the bank takes it away, that’s my home,” the home owner Kim Shewalter told the Associated Press.
Other home owners, particularly in California, it seems, are looking to avoid foreclosure altogether, even if it means setting their home on fire rather than having someone take it from them.
The state reported a 76 percent increase in “questionable residential fires” in 2007, citing many involving home owner’s at risk of foreclosure who wanted to collect insurance money, according to a recent article in Fortune magazine.
As the saying goes, desperate times (or home owners, in this case) call for desperate measures …
The most-read real estate stories this week from REALTOR® magazine online’s Daily Real Estate News ranged from boosting sales to Bank of America's recent deal to buy Countrywide.
The stories, in order of their popularity, are:
1. How to Get a Quick Sale in a Slow Market
An analysis of the real estate market in the Baltimore area shows that even in a slow market some houses sell fast, and for the same reasons they did in a boom market.
2. Simple Ways to Market Yourself Online
Online marketing does not have to be expensive or difficult. Here are several easy steps that you can take to create a bigger Web presence.
3. Foreclosures Push Down Rents
Rentals for under $500? In some markets, rents are falling to bargain prices. Find out the 10 least-expensive rental markets.
4. Woman Sells Pieces of Foreclosed Home
An Ontario, Calif., woman facing foreclosure was evicted from her home by police, after officials discovered she was selling the home's historic flooring, baseboards, and other fixtures on eBay.
5. Bank of America to Buy Countrywide
The deal will make Bank of America the nation's largest mortgage lender and loan servicer.
To subscribe to the Daily or Weekly Real Estate News e-mail, visit REALTOR® Magazine Online.
BY WENDY COLE
 Even when the housing market was robust, succeeding in real estate required impressive drive and commitment. Today, it requires a combination of guts and creativity that deserve a full salute.
The 427 of you guys and gals under 30 (you know who you are!) who beat REALTOR® magazine's "30 Under 30" application deadline this week have created huge stacks of paper on my desk that now serve as tangible proof of the field’s enduring vitality. You all are the ones digging in and getting it done, refusing to let dour news headlines roil your spirit.
Now our heavy lifting begins as we wade through the piles to come up with the Class of 2008.
While total 30U30 applications were down about 30 percent from a year ago, this year’s group is deeply talented. Many of you have managed to rack up notably higher sales in troubled 2007, and have had the smarts to zero in on growth areas like foreclosures and short sales.
Some of you have diversified your businesses to include investment properties and insurance products. And others have figured out how extracurricular interests -- like rodeo riding and beauty pageantry -- can contribute to professional success.
Narrowing the field to 30 will be tough, but we’re not looking to do things the easy way any more than you all are. Congratulations for submitting those forms on time, and stay tuned!
The most-read real estate stories this week from REALTOR® magazine online’s Daily Real Estate News ranged from tips to enhancing your Web site to starting a niche in REOs and NAR’s latest forecast for the housing market.
The stories, in order of their popularity, are:
1. 10 Ways to Give Your Web Site an Edge
Packing your Web site full of information that is well integrated and useful will help you stand out. Find out how to do it.
2. 10 Most Expensive Cities for Renters
New York leads the pack with average rents at $2,922. Find out what other cities made the list and the average rents in these high-priced rental areas.
3. Rate-Cut Likely at Fed's Next Meeting
Analysts say the question isn't so much "if" the Federal Reserve will trim key rates at its January meeting, but by how much?
4. REO Niche Gains Popularity
As nationwide foreclosures continue to rise, more practitioners are specializing in REOs to remain profitable during the housing slowdown.
5. Existing-Home Sales to Hold Steady in Early 2008
NAR's latest forecast shows existing-home sales rising later this year and continuing to improve in 2009. Read other NAR forecasts for existing-home sales.
To subscribe to the Daily or Weekly Real Estate News e-mail, visit REALTOR® Magazine Online.
The most-read real estate stories this week from REALTOR® Magazine Online’s Daily Real Estate News ranged from a look at increasing a home’s value to ideas for green remodeling and a report on existing home sales.
The stories, in order of their popularity, are:
1. 5 Simple Ways to Increase a Home’s Value
2. How Green Remodeling Pays Off
3. A Good Time to Home in on the Commercial Market
4. NAR: Existing-Home Sales Inch Up in November
5. Mortgage Broker-Licensing Laws Enacted
To subscribe to the Daily or Weekly Real Estate News e-mail, visit REALTOR® Magazine Online.
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