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.

1) Learn by Doing, Exercise 2 for Real Estate Investors – How to Sell – Want to practice your sales techniques? Here is an interesting idea, a way to practice on Craigslist.

2) Does the Realtor’s Code of Ethics Prevent Real Estate Agents From Serving Their Clients? – Great post, something I admit I struggle with on a regular basis. How do you answer that question from the out of state buyer when they ask, is that a safe neighborhood, or is that a nice neighborhood, or would you put your mother there? You can’t.

3) RUMOR: First American offers up to 40% rev share with MLS providers – The part I find  most interesting is the rumor RPR may go around MLS providers and get their data straight from brokers. Sit back and grab the popcorn, this is going to be interesting to watch.

4) When Miami Beach Condo owners listen – Look at these pictures, staging can make such a difference, yet not really cost much money at all.

5) Agents of Change – Is there a week that goes by without a good discussion on Redfin and their model? I recently talked to them myself and what struck me was their overwhelming emphasis on customer satisfaction. Everyone says that is what they are all about, but with them, that is how you get paid.

6)  You Can’t Get Your Mortgage News From A Newspaper. And Here’s The Proof – Dan Green does a number on a mortgage column in the business section of his newspaper.

7) Loan Modification Horror Stories, What Are The Lessons? – If you are going to try to do a loan modification please do your homework. Check out the long term results of loan modifications and see who they really help in the end. And double, triple check any company you may work with and have them provide a list of a dozen clients who worked with them over a year ago to see if they are still happy.

8) FHA Streamline Refinance: Is It Still Possible? – If you have an FHA loan that is currently over 5.5% it may be time to look at a streamline.

9) Dallas RainCamp – Internet Marketing Class For Professionals – New to blogging or just intimidated about setting up your first real estate blog, RainCamp may be for you.

10) Alternatives to the Apple iPad for Tablet Computing – I have been struggling to hold off on the iPad. By this fall I will have a tablet for sure, I was wishing I had one last night when I was printing off all my MLS sheets for today’s showings. But there is some good stuff coming down the road that may be worth waiting for so I can avoid ATT’s network.

1) Wrong on so many levels – If you are an agent who deals with buyers and foreclosures you need to read this. If this doesn’t make you read your bank addendums then nothing will.

2) Loan modifications no match for rising US foreclosures – Even if the government is successful in in delivering three to four million loan mods over the next year, that still means roughly another 9 million foreclosures will be hitting the streets.

3) Incandescent light bulb ban in 2012 – Interesting piece on light bulbs, I had no idea the ban was coming.

4) 10 forgotten tips for preparing the exterior of your home for sale – So often we focus on staging the inside of the home, we forget about the exterior which makes the first impression.

5) It’s the premise, stupid – A look at why your Internet marketing may be failing.

1) Want a Ubertor website for a year? For a dollar? – Ubertor is having a contest and they are giving away a website for a year for only a buck. Not sure what a Ubertor website looks like? Check out their home page, their websites for Realtors rock.

2) Staging makes a huge difference – a note from the trenches… – An actual example of how staging made the difference between two Scottsdale condos in the same complex.

3) How to get the best jumbo and super jumbo mortgage rates possible – Dan Green explains how to get a jumbo mortgage when your mortgage broker won’t do it.

4) HVCC and their close relative, the large banks – Sarah Stelmok points out another problem with HVCC, like there are not enough problems with HVCC

5) Real estate scripts: FSBO objections – Here is a list of some common objections from FSBO sellers and how one person deals with them.

Top 5 real estate post of the day 6/1/2009

1) Financing a home inspection – This is news to me and I debated if I should even post it. Jim makes a great point I agree with 100%, if you cannot afford the home inspection, maybe you should continue to rent.

2) Selling your home? Nothing matters more than price – It’s been said a million times, but I don’t think it can ever be said enough. Kye Grace’s video hits it on the head, price it right and make it available to see.

3) First time home buyers allowed to use $8,000 tax credit for closing costs or additional down payment  – Heather Barr, Justin McHood, Brad Pevehouse, Zillow

4) Another lesson in short sales – Not sure about your market, but I know around here short sales are not going away anytime quick.

5) Tips for better home showings when selling – Everyone has their own tips to home sellers for staging your home for showings, here is another list from Craig Frooninckx.

Top 5 real estate blog posts for 5/22/2009

1) Washington DC 2009 – Jim Sexton from John Hall and Associates summarizes his trip to the NAR meeting and his meeting with an Arizona Congressman.

2) So, what if my buyer’s agent is an idiot? – I’m a big believer that buyers should work with an agent and sign a Buyer’s Broker agreement to protect themselves. But what if your agent turns out to be a dud? This looks at how to get out of it. And if your buyer wants out for legit reasons, I believe you should let them out.

3) Single agent, dual agency – do consumers care? – I agree with Jim’s feelings here, the only one in the transaction that benefits from a single agent transaction is the agent themselves.

4) WA loan originator licensees drop to 5335 – It appears the market over the last year has not just taken its toll on Realtors.

5) Staging foreclosures into sales – paint always helps! – This post really looks more at staging as a whole, but going off the title… I probably show between 50-100 foreclosure properties each week, I have show houses one week that have been on the market 90 days, then gone back to show the same house the next week with a different client and all of sudden it has a dozen offers at the same price.  The difference? The bank decided to paint it. It is amazing how that little step helps get a lot more bang for the buck.

Top 5 real estate posts for Monday 5/18/2009

1) What to do when your bank won’t finance more than 4 properties (Even though Fannie Mae allows it) – Fannie Mae changed their policy in February to allow investors to finance up to 10 properties, but not all banks are honoring the change. Dan Green says if your bank doesn’t allow it there is an easy fix, find a new bank.

2) NAR punts on IDX decision – Here are two blog posts talking about NAR’s final decision to not yet make a decision on the IDX issue.  MIBOR blocks change as appears on Agent Genius and NAR Board sends IDX policy back to committee from Bloodhound.

3) Choosing the right Realtor to sell your home – Ines Hegedus-Garcia takes a look at some great tips on choosing a real estate agent if you are getting ready to sell your home.

4) Phoenix real estate auction starts today – While this auction has passed there is still some good tips if you plan on buying a home at auction in the future. We had one home in this auction that sold yesterday, the home had previously been on the market for $25K, it sold at auction for $33K. Still think auction’s are the place for a bargain?

5) Listen to your stager, not your heart– Kris Berg takes a quick look at using stagers to sell your home in a competitive market. The biggest piece of advice, just listen to the stager, they are the pro.