NAR

Top 10 real estate posts of the day for 3/9/2010

March 9, 2010 By Dean Ouellette 2 Comments

Here is today’s list of top real estate posts of the day.

1) How To Shop For Mortgages And Keep Your Credit Scores High – Just a wealth of information in here I did not realize. A must read for agents and home shoppers.

2) 7 Expectations of Real Estate Investors – Beware of Potential – Thinking of getting involved in real estate investing or working with a new investor who is looking for some tips? Here are some tips that you need to be aware of.

3) Socialist need not read –> Like Big Oil –> Big Expired Program; windfall profits – Looking for a new marketing program, but expired listings are not your thing? Check out these numbers.

4) Homes for Sale in Denver Face Scams from Craigslist…Still. – I had this happen on one of my listings a few months ago. Beware of this scam. Seems to have hit Tallahassee too.

5) Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac Needs a Good Flipping – NAR has their ideas for reforming Fannie and Freddie. What I don’t understand is how an organization I usually agree with in their political endorsements can be wrong on so many issues like supporting HAFA and even further federalizing Fannie and Freddie.

6) Taking a Short Sale Listing: ‘To Be or Not to Be?’ – I couldn’t agree with you more Melissa. Before I even take a short sale listing I make the seller gather all the required documentation, that way I know there will not be a problem and I know they are willing to do what it takes.

7) Squatter Claiming Adverse Possession in Puyallup – Ohhh if only it were that easy, I would have a new house next week.

8) Real Entrepreneurship – GREAT read. Real estate agents are true entrepreneurs.

9) Twitter 101 – Some basic Twitter tips for those who may not be getting what they hoped out of the social networking platform.

10) Keep those Garlic Fries to yourself – Those of us who do not play the Mafia Wars and Cafe World usually don’t want to see those continuous updates from others playing the games. Here is a good tip on getting rid of those updates.

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Filed Under: blog, Top Posts Tagged With: craigslist scams, Credit Score, Expired listings, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, HAFA, investing, NAR, Real Estate Technology, short sales

Top 10 real estate posts of the day for 2/26/2010

February 26, 2010 By Dean Ouellette 2 Comments

1) The 7 No’s of a Successful Realtor® – Ok this has some good information, read the list at the bottom for that good information. But that is not what has me fired up, think of the numbers mentioned towards the top of this post. 90% of all agents don’t make it out of the first year? Can that be right? That is probably worse then the amount of people who fail in some MLM schemes in the first year. This goes straight back to NAR and the requirements to get a real estate license. The entry is so low, the education provided to get your license is so weak, it sets people up to fail. Is that all they can care about is getting the money for those initial dues. Why not work on a system that trains people to succeed not just strive to have the same success rate as a quick MLM ponzi scheme.

2) Congress & Obama Clueless About How to Fix the Housing Crisis – What is disturbing about this is she is right, the housing market is not a priority at all to this administration. Their one attempt was going to help 4million homeowners, yet a year later it has helped closer to 150,000. A little short of the goal. The administration should realize that fixing the housing issues would make for a mobile economy which could then easily move to where the jobs are helping the economy even more. Then again, seeing their attempts to fix it in the past, maybe it is a good thing they are not focusing on it.

3) Thinking About Short Selling Your House? What No One Will Tell You. – Told like only Justin McHood can tell it. If you are not familiar with Justin’s writing style, it is typically blunt, honest and includes some humor.

4) Listing Price: What Matters, What Doesn’t – Heather sums it up pretty good here, pay attention sellers. What matters in pricing a house? How much it is worth. What doesn’t matter? How much you fantasize it is worth.

5) What conveys? More on fixtures, personal property, and those little contractual gray areas – Every state is going to be a little different, but I think this sums it up for most states. And as always, if there is ever any doubt or the potential for any doubt write it into the contract.

6) Why do Buyers Make Lowball Offers? –Some reasons why buyers make lowball offers. It is our job to educate them so they know what the market conditions are and the real value is.

7) Does Home Staging Really Work for Pasadena Real Estate Sellers – Those are some staggering numbers for how effective this home stagger is. I am sure not all are this successful, but these numbers will make you think twice about not hiring a professional.

8) Home Energy Audits, What’s Up With That? – A topic you do not hear much about, home energy audits. But I am guessing for a luxury traditional sale who is up against distressed properties, this could be a real value add if you had one done before you listed and provided results.

9) No, No, No, Yes. – Lesson to everyone, keep going and don’t ever take no for an answer.

10) Freddie Mac Posts More Losses – Good news for Freddie Mac, they only lost $25 BILLION last year, down from the $50 BILLION from the year before.

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Filed Under: blog, Top Posts Tagged With: Energy Audit, governement programs, Government Regulation, lowball offers, NAR, personal property, short sales, Staging

Top 10 real estate posts of the day for 2/17/2010

February 17, 2010 By Dean Ouellette 3 Comments

Here is today’s list of top real estate posts of the day.

1) HVCC (Home Valuation Code of Conduct) causes dysfunction… again – It is a shame what is going on with appraisers right now. They were a big part of the problem during the run up in home prices when they were including things like pending offers, and now they are a part of the problem on the extreme opposite. If a house has 5 offers on it from $100-110k such as a recent one here, how can it only be worth 87k? Not sure if they don’t care about what is going on, or just don’t get it. And I am not sure which is worse. This rant turned into longer than the post I am linking to.

2) The Age Old Dual Agency in Real Estate Debate – One of the best write-ups on dual agency I have seen in a while. This phrase is just classic… Dual Agency is a hold over from the days before we had agency laws that protected buyers. I view Dual Agency sorta like your appendix, it no longer has any practical use but for whatever reason, we’ve not evolved enough to purge them from our DNA. And, both can kill you when they go bad! …. I agree in theory, but I do think there is no problem with a buyer and seller being represented from people in the same office, but not the same real estate agent license representing both (see my comment on the post)

3) Tip Tuesday: 5 Ways to Make the Most Out of LinkedIn – LinkedIn is one of those tools I know I should use more, want to use more, and know how to use better, but just don’t. I guess there is only so much time in the day.

4) Top 10 Cities to Bargain for a House – This video bugs the heck out of me. Nothing like sensationalizing something for views. “House listed at $365k, but sold for $290k” like it is a normal thing. They do mention that the average price is 93% of list price in that city, but the highlight for sure is the one extreme case that gives buyer a false sense of the market. I smell a video later today.

5) The Importance of REALTOR® Accreditations – Starting to feel like a negative-Nellie. Give me a break. The importance of REALTOR© Accreditations is zero. From those who have taken the e-Pro course I hear basically if you can send an email you can get the accreditation. What is accreditation really for? $$$$$. That is right Mr. Consumer, the agent has to pay every year to be able to use that accreditation that may or may not help in their job. How about teaching agents what they need to know before we give them their license. Would love to have seen comments open on that one.

6) NAR Needs Major Education Reform to Preserve Our Industry – Maybe the reason comments were off was because of this post and comments.

7) Will Interest Rates Jump When The Fed Quits Buying Mortgage Bonds? – You need to read this so you understand what is happening.

8) Brokers: Emerge from marketing hibernation with caution – Brokers READ THIS!!!. I am going to start asking the guys at 1000watt blog to start posting their stuff directly to my Top 10. They just produce great content and it is a rare occasion when they post something and it does not make the list. Those who made it through are awakening from a long hibernation to find a changed world. Which is all very exciting. But step deliberately out of the darkness!

9) 7 Hours on Facebook? – Do you need more proof that Facebook is where you need to be to stay on the mind of your sphere?

10) #RETT – A Very Bright Idea (Audio Interview) – If you are not following what is going on with #RETT in Phoenix, you should. It will be a game changer.

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Filed Under: blog, Top Posts Tagged With: #RETT, accredidations, dual agency, interest rates, NAR, Real Estate Technology

Top 10 real estate posts of the day for 2/5/2010

February 5, 2010 By Dean Ouellette 2 Comments

1) The Ten Day Close: Why Other Lenders Whine About It – This one is getting annoying. We have 2 lenders here in Phoenix who can get loans closed (even in today’s market) in ten days or less. One of them even guarantees it. It is amazing to see other lenders, who work for shops that have a hard time getting a loan closed in 30-45 days, say it is bs. It is NOT bs as I have yet to see them not meet the 10-day close timeframe.

2) My Loan Officer Won’t Provide Me a Good Faith Estimate – When with the federal government stop over-regulating and making things worse. The have tried what, about 10 things in real estate over the last year to help consumers or to help the housing market? And pretty much everyone has been a disaster.

3) Cut foreclosures by slicing real estate fees – The foreclosure crisis is now the fault of the agent who charges too much commission. Al Lewis, excuse my French, but you are moron! The buyer deserves representation in the market and both the buyer and seller deserve full time professionals who can go to bat for them. Are you also out there also wanting to dictate how much a doctor can make for a procedure or how much a columnist receives for a poorly thought out article? There is nothing secret or hidden about our commissions, they are all in our contracts and on the HUD-1s.

4) Outdated Sales Tactics Remain the Norm – Some people (many that is) get caught up in what they have always done and hate change.

5) Don’t Hate Me ‘Cause I’m NAR – Good to see some members of NAR out there interacting with agents and listening to them.

6) Can I submit an offer on a short sale property while I keep looking? – This is a great question that all agents need to answer and one of the reasons on my short sale listings I require a deposit with the accepted offer.

7) Loan Originators: Stop Your Crying…Let’s Love the Good Faith Estimate – How good is Rhonda when it comes to the new GFE? She makes the top 10 list twice for the same subject in the same day. But she has a point here, we can all hate it, but it is here and we need to deal with it.

8) Don’t Get Short With Short Sales – Look Harder – Lesley and I must have been sharing the same brain wave yesterday as I did my blog post on which is a better day short sale or foreclosure. We both come to the same conclusion, if you have a time frame to be in your house then a short sale is not probably your best option, but if you have time to wait big deals can be had.

9) 35 Questions and Suggestions to help you sell your home faster – Some good advice for sellers on what can help their house sell quicker.

10) Knuckleheads beware: Real estate is changing – Is there anyone in the business that really makes you think more than the guys at 1000watt blog? Let me help you, no there is not.

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Filed Under: blog, Top Posts Tagged With: Foreclosures, NAR, Real Estate Agents, short sales

Top 10 real estate posts of the day for 2/3/2010

February 3, 2010 By Dean Ouellette Leave a Comment

1) A six year history of the RE.net – For those of us who were not blogging Realtor’s six years ago, but are active now may find as entertaining as I did. Then there is the abridged version.

2) Getting Serious about Lead Management – Let’s admit it, this is most of ours biggest weakness. I know this because many of the agents I talk to admit it to me.

3) Is Laser-Focused Prospecting Really Necessary? – Jennifer Allan is one of my favorites from my early days in real estate and the agentsonline.net crew. Her advice is always good for those who hate the pushy-salesmany approach many take.

4) Treasury Updates HAMP Guidelines, Might the Program Work Now? – So HAMP was a failure, and these new guidelines should streamline the failure in the future to must make it quicker. When can we stop with all this feel-good bs and get down to something that would really work to fix the housing crisis.

5) Apple’s iPad means big changes ahead for real estate – The potential here is mind-blowing. Imagine if they released this with camera and on any network and able to run on either 3G or wi-fi like the iPhone does. Tell me this would not be the hottest selling gadget maybe ever. I know I would be in line for one. But for now I wait.

6) Part-Time Realtor: Full-Time Problem – Does it bother you that only 27% of agents are full-time? I recently heard that 7% of agents did something like 93% of all the transactions in the last year which means most of those part-time agents are not doing anything anyways so it does not bother me to much. Almost every career has people that do it part-time, real estate will never be any different.

7) Brokerages Slow to Adopt Digital Marketing – I find this much more troubling than number 6 on the list. 90ish% of all home buyers start online and only 40% of a brokerages budget spent in digital marketing? Where the heck are they spending their money and I want a refund!

8) Hitwise Search Term Analysis for the Real Estate Category (For Rent Queries Overtake For Sale Queries) – Great news if you are an agent who likes to target renters.

9) The Right Length to Lock-in: Short term vs. long term mortgage rates – So if you like high-risk high-reward in your finances short term… else long term.

10) Growing Pains for the National Association of Realtors – Is NAR responsive enough to change?

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Filed Under: blog, Top Posts Tagged With: crm, iPad, marketing, NAR, Real Estate Technology

NAR does disservice to Realtors and homesellers, short sale program will not work (My opinion)

January 21, 2010 By Dean Ouellette 5 Comments

Video 83: The new short sale program which I talked about when it was first released New short sale program will not work, is being promoted by NAR and other major groups as a savior to short sales. I have read many blogs by agents who have obviously read the press releases, but not the actual plan. You cannot blame agents for getting excited as it seems NAR and all the major news outlets did their stories off the press releases. Unless you want to read the 43 page plan, that is all you would have to go off of. I will go on the record and state after reading the 43 pages, this plan will do NOTHING to change the lives of 99% of those looking to do short sales. Agents who do not want to do short sales now (and I understand why they do not) should not be looking for this plan to change anything. Would love to hear your thoughts, you can leave a comment or e-mail me Dean Ouellette.

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Filed Under: blog, Video Tagged With: NAR, short sale plan, short sale program, short sales

Top 10 real estate posts of the day for 1/18/2009

January 18, 2010 By Dean Ouellette 1 Comment

1) Will the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System Impact How Consumers Select a Mortgage Originator? – New system could give advantage to some lenders, but only if the public uses it.

2) New FHA anti-flip rules could help real estate market, but has catches – The big news this weekend was the change in the 90 day flip rule. Will be interesting to watch how it plays out because most flips are going to sell fro 20% more than they were purchased for.

3) “Late Night” Lesson About Contracts – I have seen a few people try to relate the late night fight between Jay and Conan tried to be related to real estate, this one actually succeeds. Never take anything for granted, always write it in the contract!!

4) Homebuyer tax credit: new 5405 form released today – New IRS form for the extended homebuyer tax credit is out, but you will no longer be able to e-file because of fraud and abuse. For now on you will need to fill out the form and mail it in.

5) Big Banks Accused of Short Sale Faud – CNBC – This video made the rounds this weekend, agents who work short sales need to realize, the bank is NEVER a subject in the real estate contract. All they can do is either approve or the bottom line on the HUD or not. They are not party to the contract so do not let them control it.

6) Getting a Call From the President (No, Not THAT President) – This just proves Agent Genuis is a game changes and all agents who are reading blogs should have this as their top feed in their RSS reader.

7) Tips for Home Buyers when writing Purchase Offers – Every now and then a post comes out that should be printed and given to all home sellers or home buyers. This is one that should be given to all home buyers.

8) The Intrigue of Shock Value – @garyvee and @trulia on being a Real Estate Agent in 2010 – I am a big Gary Vay-ner-chuk fan and as always he has some very creative ideas in this conversation on real estate agents.

9) “But We Think Our House is Worth More Than That.” Should You Listen to Your Realtor or Your Instinct – Seems like all agents know when a house cannot be sold because it is overpriced, yet they still take the listing. Great lesson here.

10) Successful Traits Shared By Top Producing Real Estate Agents – So what makes a great agent? A good list here of some things to consider.

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Filed Under: blog, Top Posts Tagged With: bank fraud, NAR, Pricing, Real Estate Technology, short sales

Top 10 real estate posts of the day for 1/12/2009

January 12, 2010 By Dean Ouellette 2 Comments

1) Knowing What You Now Know – So simple, yet so powerful. Try it and see. It is a 1:50 short video.

2) Announcing AgentApplause.com – The First “Enterprise” of Harmon Enterprises! – Stacey Harmon has a new website on marketing for real estate. That alone should be enough to get you to hit the RSS feed.

3) Honesty, Number One When Dealing with REALTOR – Part of the reason I do so many videos is because I feel it gives potential clients a look at who the real me is. @Raillife would comment here, that is exactly why I shouldn’t be doing them.

4) Shopping for a Mortgage Should Get Easier – Easier???!??!!?? Some times I wonder if people are paying attention to what is really going on? I agree you need to know the forms for your clients, but then you need to know the truth about the new GFE forms.

5) Part 2: 10 Essentials For Avoiding A Bad Real Estate Agent When Selling Your Home – Continuing the series on avoiding poor real estate agents.

6) Would You Recognize Signs of Subterranean Termites If You Saw Them? – Would you know a mudtube if you saw one?

7) NAR: membership down 7% – My first reaction was wow, only 7%?

8) Trulia’s January Price Reduction Report – New Year, New Lows $21.2 Billion Cut – If houses are not selling, that means they are cutting prices.

9) A Story Of Foreclosure – Not The Post You Dream Of Writing – A powerful story by one of our own. He should be applauded for sharing and his determination.

10) Getting Pre Qualified Is Not The Same As Getting Pre Approved – As a bu7er are you preapproved or prequalified? There is a big difference.

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Filed Under: blog, Top Posts Tagged With: GFE, NAR, Real Estate Technology, termites

Top 10 real estate posts of the day

January 11, 2010 By Dean Ouellette Leave a Comment

1) Why You Won’t Always Get The Lowest Advertised Mortgage Rates – So why don’t you qualify for that 4.75% you saw advertised? Just like car insurance there are certain factors about you that may effect your rate.

2) Things We Knew, but Now We “Know” – So where do people really find the home they purchased, yup online or through their agent.

3) How Remaining Calm Will Help You Close More Real Estate Deals – Great story on staying calm and not getting emotional when a deal starts going south can help save it.

4) Dear Madame President: An Open Letter to Vicki Cox Golder – Good advice on how the NAR could become like the AFL-CIO if they do not pull it together soon.

5) Home Buyer says dealing with the new Good Faith Estimate is “Close to Living Hell” – A must read for buyers, agents and lenders alike. Anyone have any actual good stories yet? Is this the HVCC of 2010?

6) Reviewing RPR Demo, Part 1: The Invention of Gunpowder – If you have not seen the demo yet, take a look.

7) HOW TO KNOW IF A HOUSE IS “PRICED RIGHT”! – With the amount of buyers out there if it is not selling it is almost certainly not priced right for the condition it is in.

8) It’s on like King Kong! Cloud CMA launches next week! – Started talking about this last week, now will the program live up to the hype?

9) Has the Bar Camp Experience Already Run it’s Course? – Has REBarCamp run it’s course? I think if they are not held more than once a year then they can survive. There is always enough new stuff in a year, and enough new agents, they could work.

10) SSG & Bank Of America – Short Sale Power Hour – 01-11-10 – Want some advice on dealing with BoA on a short sale? From my recent experience these guys are right on here.

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Filed Under: blog, Top Posts Tagged With: CMA, GFE, mortgage rates, NAR, Real Estate Technology, RPR, short sales

Top 10 real estate posts for 12/22/2009

December 22, 2009 By Dean Ouellette 2 Comments

1) Large Backlog Of Bank Owned Homes – The flood is coming, buckle up everyone.

2) The Great Tsunami of Foreclosures – Shake up or Shaky Ground? – Disregard number one, the flood is not coming.

3) Loan Modification Program, Good Intention Bad Idea – Good post and the key point is the last paragraph.

4) Ring Out the Old, Ring in the New Good Faith Estimate – More on the new GFE’s, have to get ready for them. Looking forward to part 2 of this one.

5) WTF with NAR?! (Updated) – Another shot at NAR for due increases.

6) Who’s Afraid of Redfin.com? – Very interesting post on how Redfin.com is the trendsetter in real estate, not Zillow. The one question I have is, I always hear about the high tech Redfin agents. Where are they in the blogging and Twitter universe?

7) Another Vote in Favor of Professionalism… – Is the business really changing so that it will become more consumer centered and we really need to lift our professionalism in how we take care of customer service or has it always been that way and the best will continue to rise to the top?

8) 6 Ways to Build your Buyers List – Looking for some buyers in the hot market? Here are six places you can target.

9) The MOST Frequently Asked Home-Buyer Question: “How Much Should I Offer?” – This has got to be one of the hardest questions to answer in real estate, really impossible with so many factors as pointed out here.

10) FHA Loans After A Foreclosure – So how long after the foreclosure before you can purchase your next house? Depends on the lender.

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Filed Under: blog, Top Posts Tagged With: FHA Loans, Foreclosures, GFE, Loan Modifications, NAR, Real Estate Technology, Redfin