Housing News
Twitter Named Most Popular English Word of 2009 & Other Twitter News
Twitteriffic
“Twitter” was deemed the most popular word in the English language for 2009 by the Global Language Monitor with the top phrase being “King of Pop.” The second most popular English word was Obama, third was H1N1, fourth was stimulus and the fifth was vampire (no surprise). In 2008, “change” was the most popular word based on the Obama campaign, but the blue bird of Twitter has officially taken over.
Tweetie 2.1, the iPhone Twitter application, made it to the iPhone app store today and unveils support for lists, retweets, geolocation, spam reporting, and time gap detection. Although it is simply a software update, it is setting the tone for other mobile Twitter apps to follow.
TweetDeck’s update was released today and everyone is buzzing about the new version that offers mapping to see where other users are that have opted in to geolocation. The new version supports lists (even offering a pop up to create lists), and the big news is that the new TweetDeck now streams Linked-In updates similarly to how Facebook updates had been integrated.
Twitter is psychic in that researchers show Twitter users’ use accurately predicts sales and can determine whether or not stores need to increase or decrease inventory, have a sale, etc. It’s a new model but we predict more of this monitoring capability will hit the market in 2010 or 2011.
Austin
Austin tops the list of best places to buy a home
When looking to buy a home, taking the long view is important before making such a huge investment – where are the best places to make that commitment?
Housing News
Average age of houses on the rise, so is it now better or worse to buy new?
With aging housing in America, are first-time buyers better off buying new or existing homes? The average age of a home is rising, as is the price of new housing, so a shift could be upon us.
The average home age is higher than ever
(REALUOSO.COM) – In a survey from the Department of Housing and Urban Development American Housing Survey (AHS), the median age of homes in the United States was 35 years old. In Texas, homes are a bit younger with the median age between 19 – 29 years. The northeast has the oldest homes, with the median age between 50 – 61 years. In 1985, the median age of a home was only 23 years.
With more houses around 40 years old, the National Association of Realtors asserts that homeowners will have to undertake remodeling and renovation projects before selling unless the home is sold as-is, in which case the buyer will be responsible to update their new residence. Even homeowners who aren’t selling will need to consider remodeling for structural and aesthetic reasons.
Prices of new homes on the rise
Newer homes cost more than they used to. The price differential between new homes and older homes has increased from 10 percent traditionally to around 37 percent in 2014. This is due to rising construction costs, scarcity of lots, and a low inventory of new homes that doesn’t meet the demand.
Click here to continue reading this story…
Housing News
Are Realtors the real loser in the fight between Zillow Group and Move, Inc.?
The last year has been one of dramatic and rapid change in the real estate tech sector, but Realtors are vulnerable, and we’re worried.
Why Realtors are vulnerable to these rapid changes
(REALUOSO.COM) – Corporate warfare demands headlines in every industry, but in the real estate tech sector, a storm has been brewing for years, which in the last year has come to a head. Zillow Group and Move, Inc. (which is owned by News Corp. and operates ListHub, Realtor.com, TopProducer, and other brands) have been competing for a decade now, and the race has appeared to be an aggressive yet polite boxing match. Last year, the gloves came off, and now, they’ve drawn swords and appear to want blood.
Note: We’ll let you decide which company plays which role in the image above.
So how then, does any of this make Realtors the victims of this sword fight? Let’s get everyone up to speed, and then we’ll discuss.
1. Zillow poaches top talent, Move/NAR sues
It all started last year when the gloves came off – Move’s Chief Strategy Officer (who was also Realtor.com’s President), Errol Samuelson jumped ship and joined Zillow on the same day he phoned in his resignation without notice. He left under questionable circumstances, which has led to a lengthy legal battle (wherein Move and NAR have sued Zillow and Samuelson over allegations of breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, and misappropriation of trade secrets), with the most recent motion being for contempt, which a judge granted to Move/NAR after the mysterious “Samuelson Memo” surfaced.
Salt was added to the wound when Move awarded Samuelson’s job to Move veteran, Curt Beardsley, who days after Samuelson left, also defected to Zillow. This too led to a lawsuit, with allegations including breach of contract, violation of corporations code, illegal dumping of stocks, and Move has sought restitution. These charges are extremely serious, but demanded slightly less attention than the ongoing lawsuit against Samuelson.
2. Two major media brands emerge
Last fall, the News Corp. acquisition of Move, Inc. was given the green light by the feds, and this month, Zillow finalized their acquisition of Trulia.
…Click here to continue reading this story…
Will cash still be king after COVID-19?
Google Maps will soon display traffic lights
Plastic bags are making a comeback, thanks to COVID-19
Scammers are taking advantage of the unemployed
PopCom designs smart vending machines to automate regulated products
HEROES Act could increase unemployment stimulus benefits, add return to work bonus
A closer look at the HEROES act, and who stands to benefit the most
The White House pushes for $450 per week return to work bonus
Managing bipolar disorder and what I wish my employers understood
The Apple Watch isn’t just a way to ignore calls, it could save your life
Anti-surveillance mask – creepy, ingenious, or potentially illegal?
Amy’s Ice Cream founder on Austin’s business risks and rewards #WhyAustin
Turns out a lot of people are in between introverted and extroverted
P. Terry’s founder on the booming economy in Austin #WhyAustin
Ladies and gentlemen, the U.S. National Anthem
-
Opinion Editorials1 week agoWhat to do when you can’t find your passion and you’re feeling lost
-
Business News1 week agoNew company beats Amazon with next morning delivery?
-
Tech News2 weeks agoHEY needs to fix its issues to be the Gmail killer it claims to be
-
Opinion Editorials1 week agoIdea: Color-coded face masks as the new social contract to combat COVID-19
-
Business News1 week agoInternational start up turns LinkedIn profiles into resumes
-
Opinion Editorials2 days agoThe truth about unemployment from someone who’s been through it
-
Business Marketing1 week agoStand out with video as part of your resume (but be careful)
-
Business News2 weeks agoGoogle offers ample support for work from home employees
John Badalamenti
December 1, 2009 at 8:07 am
No doubt about it, Twitter is hot! As a REALTOR, I’ve integrated it into my daily routine.
Like any tool though, you need to take the time and learn to use it properly, otherwise (and Twitter is no exception), rather than it being a leading edge tool for you, it can quickly become a bleeding edge tool for you.
Zack Katz
December 1, 2009 at 1:13 pm
I have been unable to find a way to use Twitter moderately; it’s either post once a month, or constantly!