Here is today’s list of top real estate posts of the day.
1) HVCC and AMCs Violate RESPA?] Here’s a possible solution – Holding the banks more accountable, This is long fairly dry post, but worth the ready. The problem is it almost makes sense, so what chance does it have.
2) An RPR Q&A Overview from Leading RE – So what is this RPR thing everyone has been talking about for six months now. If you want to get caught up quick this is for you.
3) Want Smooth Sailing? The Short Sale Listing Agent and the BPO – If you list short sales read this… “So, if you are a lazy listing agent who has little interest in your deal closing successfully, that’s cool. Don’t go to meet the agent preparing the BPO. But, if you want to be a super successful short sale listing agent and see more closings than ever before, get out of bed and go meet the agent at the door!” – I would take it one step further, meet them with photos on a thumbdrive and comps in hand. They are not making that much money, make their job easier.
4) Online real estate opportunity screams – are you listening? – Why is Marc comparing a house to a pair of sneakers? Read it and find out, then chances are most agents will be kicking themselves.
5) Trulia’s VP of Marketing Heather Fernandez on CNBC: The Search for a New Home – Could there be a trend where after the foreclosures are picked through in a market the market in that city just crashes?
6) Cash for Appliances Program – One of our jobs as real estate agents is to bring value added to our clients. Letting them know about programs like this is one way to do it.
7) Phoenix home buyers, are you being realistic? – A conversation I have with buyers on a daily basis. Yet for some reason few want to believe me until they loose the first 4 houses they make an offer on. Then they start to get it.
8) I Wasn’t Going To Buy This House Until I Saw The Realtor’s Headshot On The Sign – A little comedy for you on this St. Patrick’s Day. Enjoy, it is worth the read. (H/T Jim Duncan)
9) Adjustable Rate Mortgage Talk – Is your market strategy prepared for where your market is headed over the next few years? Which by the way may not be that different than it has been for the last six months.
10) Storytelling through Real Estate Video. Take two. – If you have looked around my blog at all here you know I am in love with video. This is just a “WOW” video when it comes to marketing a house.
Here is today’s list of top real estate posts of the day.
1) Realtor Facebook Fan Page Strategy Gains 4,000+ Local Fans in 12 Days – He is now over 7,000 fans in 15 days. I first mentioned what Dale Chumbley was doing in my Top 10 list on day 2 of his 365 day project. I thought it was going to be a hit, but nothing like this.
2) Shock Value – Lesson learned, keep your house ready to show when you are selling it because you never know when the buyer will be coming through that door.
3) CitiMortgage Tests New Foreclosure Alternative – So Citi is looking at taking homes back with a deed in lieu of foreclosure instead of foreclosing. If other banks followed this my guess is it would have an effect on short sales. Part of the reason it is beneficial for a bank to allow a short sale is because the cost of foreclosing. They would still have carrying costs, but how much of the cost is in the actual foreclosure? Something to watch.
4) How Much Would You Pay for a Viable Real Estate Lead? – A good look at leads, what do they cost when you buy them and are they worth it?
5) Home Inspection — Is it important when buying a home? Any post that every answers that question with a no would never make my list. Talk to your agent about good home inspectors. They know the good ones from the ones who miss black mold. Yup, it happened.
6) Traits of a Great Real Estate Agent – Great advice on being a great real estate agent, but really this should have been titled be a great listing agent. And we all know we need more great listing agents. There are some out there, but not enough.
7) Buyer Agency – is This Realtors’ Dirty Little Secret? – I’m including this because I would love to see more discussion. I know most agents I talk to never use an exclusive buyers agreement. Yet they are represented really in the comments here.
8) OK, not exactly a post here, but I noticed this fancy new brochure that NAR has put out on the HAFA program. I am still convinced, as I have been since November when I did my first video on it, that Vicki Cox Golder has not read this. I’d love to know how much of my dues went to the HAFA brochure from the NAR. Another fine government program that will have the same effect as the last few useless programs.
9) It’s Not You, It’s Your Neighbors – One of the biggest challenges with getting a new loan, be it a new or refinance, is the appraisal. Appraisers were quick to jump prices in the mid 2000’s and now seem just as quick to price homes in the other direction. Even when every indication is prices may be raising in an area. So how do they come up with that price? Blame your neighbors.
10) How Long Do Potential Buyers Need to Wait to Obtain Financing after a Hardship? – It’s a common question we get a lot these days, if I file BK, or do a short sale or have a foreclosure, how long until I can buy a house again?
1) How not to sell your Phoenix home – Jay shows you how one listing does just about everything wrong. Best part may be I pulled him up in the MLS and everyone of his listings is the same as this.
2) The Bankrate Mortgage Rate Trend Index Was Less than 25% Accurate In 2009 – All buyers seem to ask their lenders the question, should I lock now? Well turns out the lenders are less accurate than flipping a coin.
3) Sucking the Wind out of Sails: Why Mobile Won’t Matter in 2010 – Rob always has a very interesting, thought provoking take on most issues. I find myself agreeing with him a lot, but in this case I think he is reading to much into it. I see his point, just don’t believe in the real life applications if plays that big of a factor. If mobile fails in 2010 it will be because no one is making the mobile app worth using.
4) I Can’t Give You the Good Stuff.. – First, to bad everyone does not have Heather’s ethics when it comes to this issue and second if you are looking for a great marketing idea that will be easy and inexpensive to do, here it is.
5) Outside.in Hyperlocal Search – Most bloggers will tell you hyperlocal websites are the way to go. Here is an interesting new tool that could make that easier for you.
6) Property Appraisal Insight – from Philip Spool, ASA – Sure, but when you have 2 appraisers look at the same house and their values are 20% off, it does make you scratch your head.
7) How to Tell If You’re Going to Be Successful – Look in your car or around your office and ask yourself this, if someone were to look at them could they tell what you did?
8) Shame On You REALTOR.com for Promoting Dual Agency – This is more or less because I want to hear people’s opinions. I disagree with NAR/Realtor.com on many issues, but this one I think the post reaches to far. The agent handles it exactly how it should be handled in my opinion, come into my office and we will talk, and I will show you other people’s listings not just mine.
9) Let’s Play the Trulia Valuation Game! Prizes to the Winner! – Want to win free SEO consulting? Play this game. Although not being allowed to take money from agents I am not sure how it happens.
10) National BLS: The Future is Listing Home Buyers – New model of a buyer’s database instead of home database. The only thing I see why it won’t be big is it is not the best thing for a buyer. The buyer will miss to many houses this way, a MLS search will be much better to not miss houses.
