All posts tagged "Real Estate"

Is 2015 the year to buy or sell your home?

(Housing News) If you own a home or are thinking of buying, you should know the factors that give you an advantage...

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Is Zillow lying to brokers to trick them into giving up direct data feeds?

(Business News) In a letter obtained by Realuoso.com, it appears that Zillow is contacting brokers claiming their feed is not showing up...

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Entire town of Swett, South Dakota for sale for only $400k

(Housing News) Swett, South Dakota is a tiny town that you can own for the low price of $400k, but what all...

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What you need to know about mortgage debt forgiveness

There is currently a lot of misinformation floating around about mortgage debt forgiveness - let's examine the current policies on the topic.

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Why Canada’s housing market didn’t crash with America’s

Given the similarities in our systems, what were the differences between Canada and America that allowed one to crash and one to...

Shortage of buildable lots: holding back housing recovery?

As the nation begins the slow march toward a housing recovery, all obstacles are put under a microscope - land availability for...

“Submit peappoval and poo” – gross advertising gaffes

These advertising gaffes are real, hilarious, and sure to make you self conscious about your own marketing copy.

Pending home sales slip, NAR blames interest rates

NAR reports that while pending home sales have fallen slightly for the month, annual gains continue to improve. Mortgage interest rates and...

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“Weeping grounds” and other ad bloopers to cry about

Advertising is hard work, especially for people without a spell checker or common sense. Below is proof, but be warned - you...

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Why consumers don’t care about dual agency in real estate

The real estate consuming public wants results. In the last half century they've simply not made even a small deal out of...

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List of improving housing markets has temporary hiccup

Although the number of markets that are considered to be improving fell 3.0 percent for the month, NAHB data supports that the...

“Much achage” – painful but hilarious marketing errors

Advertising is hard work, especially for people without a spell checker or common sense. Below is proof, but be warned - you...

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Eliminating asking prices on homes: make it so [editorial]

Could simply eliminating asking prices on homes and allowing buyers dictate pricing make a difference in the real estate industry? Let us...

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Calm down, “zero down loans” isn’t a cuss word

Zero down loans are on the rebound on a small scale, but is it really such a horrible thing for the housing...

Short sale buyers want discounts: is it possible?

Everyone loves a good discount, and everyone knows that short sales go for less than a traditional resale home, but is it...

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Why real estate’s agent-centric broker models are doomed

By comparing the numbers of broker models, it becomes apparent that not only is one clearly more financially feasible, but could lead...

“Buried carle” and other stupid marketing copy errors

The gaffes and laughs were all over the MLS and the real estate ads this week, friends, and there are more than...

Ridiculous marketing errors that will make you blush

Realtors that don't proof read their property descriptions in the MLS inevitably end up in the hall of shame here at AGBeat....

Freudian slips in real estate marketing

The errors in real estate marketing are so endless that this is the third year of this weekly column highlighting the best...

Chick en with us: running afoul on the MLS

The gaffes and laughs were all over the MLS and the real estate ads this week, friends, and we guarantee you'll laugh...

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Mortgage application volume propped up by refinances

On an unadjusted basis, purchase activity fell 13 percent for the week, but on an adjusted basis, fell only slightly, leaving refinances...

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S&P: Home prices fall to ten year low

While home prices in many cities have improved, the national average has fallen 35 percent from their peak in 2006, showing continued...

Indiana Prudential office gunman pronounced dead

A seven hour standoff ended yesterday with one death and one injury over what some are saying is a real estate transaction...

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Does the MLS own the copyright to real estate photos, tours?

The real estate industry is not new to having to protect their copyrights, particularly photos, but many may not know that their...

Hostage situation at Prudential office in Indiana

A seven hour hostage situation inside of a Prudential Executive Group Real Estate's offices in Valparaiso, Indiana ended with one injury and...

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Six rules for effectively arguing any opposing point

Online or offline, humans are programmed to be thoughtful, but not necessarily logical. Remembering six simple rules for arguing can do wonders...

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View from fat area: the MLS blooper scooper is back

The gaffes and laughs were all over the MLS and the real estate ads this week, friends, and there are just enough...

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Design

How to screw up a dumpster rental when remodeling

As homeowners stay put for longer and remodeling is on the rise, an often overlooked detail is renting a dumpster which has...

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Tech News

BrightNest unveils Homefolio, organizes home info in the cloud

BrightNest gets one step closer to home automation by not only offering a single place to store homeowner information, but to send...

Wells Fargo to be sued by Feds for steering minorities into risky mortgages

Wells Fargo has disclosed through a SEC filing that the bank is on the verge of yet another federal lawsuit for their...

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Freddie Mac asks taxpayers for another $19 million

Freddie Mac says it is working to build a new infrastructure for the housing finance system, but in the first quarter, the...

Commercial Real Estate

NAR: tight lending choking commercial real estate sector

2011 showed signs of a potential commercial real estate sector recovery, but industry professionals are pointing to tightening lending standards as a...

Canyon dropoff: MLS gaffes that sink listings

Realtors that don't proof read their property descriptions in the MLS inevitably end up in the hall of shame here at AGBeat....

Costco rolls out new mortgage lending program

After a year of testing, Costco has partnered with eleven lenders to provide a mortgage lending service to its shoppers, be it...

Nationwide Open House Weekend offers over 31,000 listings

Are open houses coming back as an effective marketing tool? Have things come full circle? This weekend's Nationwide Open House Weekend already...

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NAR: housing has turned the corner, 2012 a year of recovery

In recent years, NAR has been quite careful not to overstate the real estate market, and this month marks the first sign...

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Zillow: expect home values to bottom out in 2012

Zillow reports improvement in foreclosure levels and home values between February and March, but many markets are expected to continue a long...

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Mortgage application volume down 3.8 percent

After weeks of improvement, and a week of backsliding, mortgage application volume continues to edge up, then slip backward and the refinance...

Loan delinquency levels remain high, but are improving

The number of mortgages that are at least 30 days delinquent hit nearly 5.6 million in March, and LPS reports that the...

New home sales sink 27% in the West, jump 7.7% in the Northeast

New home builders are reporting more interest among prospective buyers, but sales fell dramatically in some regions while they improved in others....

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Home prices hit new lows in nine cities, as five cities improve

Home prices continue to slide, regardless of other improving economic indicators, which presents a major challenge to a housing recovery, particularly in...

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Residential

The most important tip for an effective short sale closing

Short sale transactions can be extremely nuanced and detailed for a practitioner, but there is one frequently overlooked tip for an effective...

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Scraping real estate listing data is a red herring controversy

When analyzing the issues in protecting real estate listing data, many people are looking at it from an outdated angle, as listing...

New HUD Deputy Secretary sworn in

After a lengthy nomination process, HUD's news Deputy Secretary has been sworn in, which carries great weight for the housing industry as...

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If it walks and talks like a brokerage, it might be Zillow

Zillow is one of the largest real estate media companies in America, and they have recently made bold expansion plans many are...

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Mortgage application volume overcomes temporary setback

After weeks of increasing mortgage application volume levels, last week's report showed a dip, which was more than overcome this week as...

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Joe Davalos: how one agent sold more units than any other C21 agent in the world

In San Antonio, Joe Davalos is a humble man that is laser focused on REOs and was recently named the number one...

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March housing starts fall as permits rise, builders cautiously optimistic

This month, the new home sector has sent quite a batch of mixed messages as housing starts fell, particularly multi-family, and permits...

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7 ways New York City real estate differs from the rest of the U.S.

New York City real estate is a far different world than other American cities, particularly in the rental sector, where landlords, consumers,...

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Multifamily

RentJuice launches Common Application, shakes up rental industry

RentJuice continues to lead in the rental relationship management (RRM) sector, and with today's announcement of a "common lease application," they are...

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Mortgage application volume dips despite rock bottom interest rates

Last week, mortgage application volume made healthy gains for the first time in several weeks, but volume again slipped this week despite...

Ally Financial cuts the cord on mortgage lending

Ally Financial announced in 2011 they would be ceasing mortgage operations and the final nail in that coffin has come. Now, the...

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Wells Fargo fined $3.1 million for mortgage abuse of a single borrower

While most homeowners that were victim of mortgage abuses will see a few thousand dollars from the $25B mortgage settlement, this homeowner...

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DeMarco: principal forgiveness is the wrong solution, risky

As federal agencies issue release after release on the topic of principal forgiveness, each pushing their opinion, housing remains broken in many...

LPS’ home price index drops 0.9 percent

Like many other previously reported indicators, the Lender Processing Services' Home Price Index slid in January, but with updated reporting, LPS says...

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Investments

Millennials learning from their Boomer-parents’ mistakes

As Boomers lost their pants with IRAs and 401Ks, Millennials are increasingly seeking out real estate investments and planning out their retirement,...

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Homeownership now less expensive than renting

The tale of San Diego is spreading nationwide and homeownership is becoming cheaper than renting, with unique market conditions coming to fruition,...

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HUD Secretary Donovan: Fannie, Freddie should forgive mortgage debts

Two government officials in the same agency, lawmakers, taxpayers and economists cannot agree on whether or not underwater borrowers should be granted...

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Top 20 improving housing markets

With a newly launched economic indicator showing a growing number of real estate markets improving, the struggling sector is showing hopeful signs...

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Geithner says housing financial reform is unfinished business

As agencies and lawmakers fight over how to wind down the government's involvement in propping up housing, Geithner comments that the job...

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New iPhone apps for real estate buyers and renters

From getting details on the interior of a home by pointing your iPhone at it, to simply searching for rentals on the...

Home prices fall for seventh month, but at a reduced rate

Exclude distressed sales and home prices rose in February, but overall, home prices continue to fall. The silver lining is that the...

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Making an ash of yourself in real estate: MLS bloopers

There is nothing more affirming than finding errors in the property descriptions on the MLS, especially when they are anywhere near as...

Federal Reserve probes Morgan Stanley for illegal foreclosures

As Morgan Stanley takes action to wind down their mortgage servicing operations, the Federal Reserve today announced they are launching a probe...

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After sharp increase, foreclosure starts and sales drop

After increases in both foreclosure starts and sales in January, LPS is reporting a sharp decrease in February across all investor classes....

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Realtor typos make for humorous MLS bloopers

When entering listings into the MLS, not all Realtors spell check or read back their work to spot inaccuracies, but when they...

Investment, vacation home purchases spike dramatically

With the growing population, investment and vacation home sales are increasing and the National Association of Realtors forecasts that there will be...

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Was legislating affordable housing the cause of the housing crash?

After years of many economists and lawmakers agreeing that affordable housing was the first domino that toppled, causing the rest to fall,...

Real estate contract volume slips in February, up annually

Pending home sales dropped slightly for the month of February but have improved over the year with regional performance varying quite wildly....

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The trend of optimizing, not downsizing American homes

What can a few hours at an open house tell you about buyer trends in America? Quite a bit, especially when you're...

Tech investor tells home buyers not to bother buying

With rent becoming the new black and the stigma of renting disappearing, is the idea of homeownership in danger when famed technologists...

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Tech News

Report: major shift in real estate marketing tools, technologies

Real estate professionals have dramatically shifted what tools they used and found to be most effective in just a short few years....

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New home sales up for the year, inventory levels at record low

The light at the end of the new home builder tunnel is finally becoming apparent, however dim. This hard hit sector is...

Tech News

FindTheBest adds real estate rentals to lineup

Comparing rentals side by side can be a tremendous help for rental consumers, and although the feature is young, FindTheBest looks to...

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The wild west of real estate: a startup story

Most in the real estate industry do not know that the boundaries have not yet been pushed as far as they can...

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Will real estate agents become extinct over time?

Every year, the concept of real estate agents becoming extinct make national headlines and some believe technology will supplant the practice, but...

For every two homes for sale, one looms in the shadows

Shadow inventories remain persistent in 2012, despite improving in recent months. Nearly half of the shadow inventory is not yet in the...

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Existing home sales up 8.8 percent from 2011

Existing home sales (or completed transactions) fell for the month but are performing better than last year at this time. Housing is...

Hat property: is misspelling an MLS fashion trend?

Realtors that don't proof read their property descriptions in the MLS inevitably end up in the hall of shame here at AGBeat....

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Loan modification programs improve, still come up short

Although the government has only reached a quarter of its goal and had to extend its foreclosure prevention programs for another year,...

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Starts, permit levels signal recovery for new home sector

New home construction has been one of the sectors hardest hit by the recession, but signs of a recovery are finally coming...

Home builder confidence unshaken in March

After months of improvement in builder confidence levels, home builder sentiment is unchanged in March on a national level, but regionally, one...

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Social Media

How Houzz plus Pinterest can get picky clients off of the fence

When discerning clients begin the house hunt, a Realtor equipped with Houzz and Pinterest can get clients focused and off of the...

Report: foreclosure backlog beginning to ease

The foreclosure log jam is loosening in some parts of the nation, depending on the foreclosure process in each state. Judicial states...

Four major challenges to future housing policies

The Bipartisan Policy Center has released a report addressing the challenges of the shifting demographic as Boomers downsize, Millenials make buying decisions,...

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Will gas prices delay the housing recovery?

Debating the theory that gas prices cause the housing bubble to burst, pitting Santorum against a seasoned real estate veteran and exploring...

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Redfin launches interactive home price estimate tool for consumers

Redfins "Home Price Tool" seeks to empower consumers by giving them more than an automated home value and offering interactivity so homeowners...

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Most Americans unaware of mortgage modification programs

Although so many mortgages are underwater, most Americans are unaware of the modification programs available to the public in the form of...

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Trulia home value estimates program goes national

Trulia launches "Trulia Estimates" across the nation, asks consumers to claim their off-market homes and update information on their homes for a...

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Will you get to retire? Boomers, their kids headed for sad reality

With the Boomer generation and their children on their current path, retirement will not be a reality for many, but there is...

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Home purchase loan demand on the rise for third consecutive week

Home purchase applications rose this week while refinance applications fell, following positive job market numbers. The ratio of purchase to refinance is...

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Rub-a-dub flub: real estate listing belly flops

Without editing, the multiple listing service can often read like a bad joke filled with inane errors. All we can do is...

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Russian mob Ponzi scheme allegedly steals $6M from Texas land investors

Investors file a lawsuit against a man said to have ties to Russian organized crime activities and believed to have swindled real...

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Home values continue sliding, silver lining is rising rents

The values of homes continue to fall, rents continue to rise, with performance varying nationally. Zillow's new reporting points out the silver...

Details of $26B mortgage settlement now made public

America's five largest mortgage servicers settled with the government in their largest civil suit, second only to the tobacco settlement decades ago....

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Green Live & Work

USDA updates planting zone map – get up to speed for curb appeal

With the wild weather in recent years, it is no surprise that the planting zone map has been updated by the USDA...

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How one Realtor’s teen daughter is buying real estate on her own

While her counterparts focus on playing sports or going to the mall, one Florida teen hatched a real plan to buy a...

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NAR finalizes rally details, will gather thousands of Realtors in D.C.

With politics heating up, the National Association of Realtors is gathering members in May for a rally to demonstrate as a group...

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Dumpers in driveway: are you wasting your MLS remarks?

MLS bloopers can baffle and entertain, but this week's batch is reminiscent of potty jokes from third grade - remember to spell...

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Housing affordability conditions hit highest level in history

Economic indicators are improving in housing, but there are factors that many are overlooking, blinded by good news, but the outcome is...

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Business Entrepreneur

From Realtor to Broker: determining the model

When Realtors get the indie itch, the most difficult decision faced today is which real estate model to follow. There are three...

Treasury to stop withholding funds from Chase, Bank of America

Banks have been penalized by the U.S. Treasury Department for not serving the consumer and failing to permanently modify loans as they...

Syndication, listing agreements, omissions mislead property owners

You really cannot call it a contract if the contract does not describe exactly the service provided by the broker to the...

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National Association of Realtors membership drops 2.4% in February

NAR membership declines by nearly 24,000 real estate professionals in the month of February, but why? Is this a natural decline or...

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Study: home buyers cite concern over low inventory levels

Home buyers in the market right now are drawn by low prices and interest rates, but express concern over low inventory levels.

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Fannie Mae offers deals on bulk investment in distressed properties

Cities plagued by distressed properties and vacant units may see some relief as Fannie Mae offers investors bulk deals while eliminating the...

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Fannie Mae asks taxpayers for another $4.6 billion

The continuing bailout Mortgage giant, Fannie Mae reported today a loss of $2.4 billion in the fourth quarter of 2011, pointing to...

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HUD: bank discriminated against homebuyers with disabilities

Bank of America charged This week, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) charged Bank of America for allegedly discriminating...

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Radiation heat and other half-baked property listing remarks

Are you cooking your own goose with your listing remarks? This week was a smorgasbord of blooper delights. Yes, real estate can...

After a lengthy period of courting each other, Zillow and Tom Ferry have solidified their partnership.

Zillow brings on known real estate coach for product development

Tom Ferry tells AGBeat that the two companies have been working together for over two years. “I was looking for a strong...

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The evolution of MLS rules and industry policies

Real estate and sharing The Internet has made it easy for everyone to share. Which seems to be a problem when it...

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Business Entrepreneur

What to weigh when considering becoming an indie broker

The indie itch So, the itch has gotten to you. You know, the indie itch… You’ve found yourself increasingly discouraged, just not...

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Pending home sales hit highest point since April 2010

Pending home sales data According to the National Association of Realtors, pending home sales (contracts signed on homes for sale) improved in...

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New home construction sales and prices increase

New home construction is improving According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the pace of new home sales rose in January, exceeding forecasts...

This modular home by Cornerstone Architects in Austin shows the advancement in modular construction - modular design is not like kit homes of the past or double wides, it is simply a construction method with amazing results.

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Modular homes are making a unique comeback

Modular Homes have come a very long way Back in the day, when most people heard the term prefabricated home or modular...

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The duty most Realtors ignore and why the industry is going to hell

An extremely high standard In Ohio where I practice real estate, all licensed brokers and sales agents are held to an extremely...

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Commercial Real Estate

Commercial real estate sector sees improvement

Commercial real estate forecast According to the National Association of Realtors’ quarterly commercial real estate forecast, all of the major commercial real...

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Trade association rallying members to march on Capitol Hill

The battle on the Hill Because of the recession in recent years, the housing sector has been in crisis and the National...

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RealtyDime’s check-ins connect consumers and pros in real time

New real estate site on the scene What do you get if you mash up Craigslist, Foursquare and Angie’s List for real...

Redfin OpenBook offers reviews of title agencies, lenders, inspectors

Expanding reviews Redfin has long made reviews and ratings of their agents public and are known for publishing the results of internal...

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Taxpayers pay $47 million in legal fees for Fannie, Freddie

Losses to legal costs The Office of Inspector General of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) is reporting today that legal fees...

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Existing home sales rise for fourth consecutive month

8 Housing making gains According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), existing home sales (completed transactions of single family homes, townhomes...

“Submerge docs with FICOs” – Are you drowning your listings?

The world of real estate has gone mad. The MLS had so many bloopers this past week that I’m convinced the winter...

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Does Redfin’s high profile hire signal a looming IPO?

Redfin’s new CMO Over the years, real estate company, Redfin.com has edged closer and closer to a hybrid between their early days...

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Goomzee launches mobile marketing solution for property managers

New site, new tools After their major site overhaul revealed last week, Goomzee.com today announced their new offering of a custom-tailored solution...

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Loan default rates drop slightly in January

Dropping default rates According to the Standard & Poor’s (S&P)/Experian Consumer Credit Default Indices for January, most loan types saw a drop...

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Realtor accused of $50 million fraud scheme, own parents allegedly victims

In a widespread fraud scheme, Eric and Charmagne Elegado who are well known in California, have been accused of getting rich fraudulently.

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FHFA pushes for privatization of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac

The way forward for Fannie, Freddie The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today sent a strategic plan to Congress regarding Fannie Mae...

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Builders reveal hidden costs of buying foreclosed homes

The builders’ challenge Despite builder sentiment rising for the last five months, new home construction remains one of the hardest hit sectors...

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Are you an expert, an expert time waster or a realistic amateur?

The meaning of life via technology (AGBeat) – Since the first of the year, I’ve dealt with a fried hard drive, settin’...

Study reveals foreclosure fraud in almost all cases

Rampant foreclosure fraud The City of San Francisco has released a report revealing the widespread nature of foreclosure abuse, with 84 percent...

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The challenge of doing business in an archaic industry

Don’t Judge a Realtor by the company they keep I don’t know about you, but access to my MLS is governed by...

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New mortgage application volume drops

Applications slide According to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today, the volume of applications for mortgages fell last week, primarily due to...

“Sellers Mooed Out” – And Other Strange MLS Utterances

Is it any wonder I drink, folks? From beef to bull, this week’s MLS bloopers left me in tears. Thanks to...

Obama budget to cut waste, including mortgage interest deductions

2013 White House Budget President Obama has now presented his fiscal year budget and while many believe Congress will not support the...

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Green Live & Work

Is this the home of the future?

It very well could be Recently the Department of Energy hosted the bi-annual Solar Decathalon in DC and the winning entry is...

Landlord skips water bill for years, gets $110,000 shut off notice

Problematic landlording Renters in a Georgia apartment community recently began receiving alarming yellow door tags threatening to turn their water off for...

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Bank of America reports live customer dead to credit bureaus

Bank says you’ve been pushing up daisies South Carolina man, Arthur Livingston applied for a new mortgage, but was quickly denied as...

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Former Realtor sentenced to nearly three years in prison

$50 million mortgage scheme Former Virginia Realtor, Diane Atari was sentenced this morning to three years on all 12 felony counts of...

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National Association of Realtors membership dips below 1 million

Survival of the fittest Current real estate professionals will rejoice at the news that Darwin’s theory of survival of the fittest has...

House Owls’ team approach to real estate transactions

New site launch This week kicks off with the launch of House Owls, built by John Spinnato in Connecticut with the goal...

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Completed foreclosures drop 24% over the year

A shift in foreclosures CoreLogic released its first national Foreclosure Report which provides monthly data on completed foreclosures, foreclosure inventory and 90+...

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Canadian MLS launches Home Price Index

Canadian MLS Home Price Index Canadian home buyers, sellers and Realtors are now being served by the newly launched Canadian Multiple Listing...

Bevriges served – the dangers of drinking and typing

I am all for having a martini or two, folks. Maybe even three if it’s at least 10:00 AM. (I have...

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Several states hold out, one leaves $25B mortgage settlement talks

Settlement talks in limbo AGBeat has had a close eye on multi-state talks with the largest banks as over a year ago,...

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Banks’ brilliant idea to give cash incentives to short sale

The housing crash Now that some of the causes and effects of the housing crash are becoming universally agreed upon and banks...

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Lovely rental search expanding across the nation

Simplified search going national Last fall, AGBeat introduced you to Lovely, the San Francisco rental search startup with big plans and were...

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The REO problem is worse than you think

How REOs are killing the market This week an asset manager contacted me to get pre-listing information on a house about to...

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