American Attitudes Towards Foreclosure
Trulia.com and RealtyTrac released the latest results of an ongoing survey tracking home buyers’ attitudes towards foreclosures. The new online survey conducted on their behalf from May 10-12, 2010 by Harris Interactive® showed a notable decrease in consumers’ willingness to buy foreclosed properties compared to one year ago.
Currently, 45 percent of U.S. adults age 18 and above are at least somewhat likely to consider purchasing a foreclosed home in the future, compared to the 55 percent of U.S. adults age 18 and above surveyed online by Harris Interactive® between May 1-5, 2009.
Zillow: Home confidence level up & down
According to a recent report, published by Zillow.com, for the 2nd quarter of 2010, home owner confidence is all over the map.
For the past two years Zillow.com has fielded the “Homeowner Confidence Survey”, measuring how homeowners perceive the value of their own homes, and how this compares to market reality.
Zillow states that this is the most regional variation they’ve ever seen in eight quarters of fielding this survey, showing a nation that’s clearly divided in homeowner confidence. However, when the data is aggregated nationally, they do see a general rise in optimism, with a national Misperception Index of 5, versus -2 in Q4 2009.
NAR: No discrimination for sexual orientation
The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®’ Board of Directors, which met on Saturday at the tail end of the Midyear Meetings & Trade Expo in Washington, D.C., approved a rule that bans REALTORS® from denying equal professional services to a customer on the basis of sexual orientation.
The board amended Article 10 of the Code of Ethics, which addresses “duties to the public.” That part of the Code already prohibits REALTORS® from discriminating against customers on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin. Standard of Practice 10-3 was also amended to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in any advertisements for selling or renting property.
For Sale By Owner & MLS Solution
Saving money selling your property might be one of the most important factors to home sellers in today’s uncertain economic climate. Is For Sale By Owner the right choice?
For Sale By Owner (aka FSBO) is a method of selling your home, condo, land or real estate without using the services of a Realtor® or real estate agent/broker.
What Makes For Sale By Owner so Attractive?
For most, the potential of saving the Realtor® 6% commission is the main factor to go FSBO. For others, the ability to retain complete control over the real estate transaction could be the motivation. But often FSBO’s don’t realize how much effort they will need to expend.
Guide to taking great listing photos
Taking great photos of your home is one of the MOST important things you will do during the flat fee listing process. Other than the pricing, location, and condition – Photos will either make the buyer want to see more, or will turn them off!
It’s a simple fact that buyers look at photos first, before anything else, and they will either be interested in learning more about your home, or they will pass onto the next house. As a For Sale By Owner (FSBO for short), this is where we see the most mistakes. — You only get one chance to make a great first impression.
When Will Housing Market Rebound
All the signs are there for continued improvement in the economy as well as housing markets, but it will be several years before real estate practitioners can expect to see markets returning to equilibrium, two of the country’s top economists told REALTORS® this week.
By the end of this year, practitioners should see 5.4 million existing-home sales and home price growth of up to 3 percent, said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun.
The Flat Fee MLS Listing Advantage
Considering using our Flat Fee MLS Listing Service? See how it can help you be successful. Being a For Sale By Owner (FSBO) is not easy, you’ll constantly be pressed by agents to list, as they try to convince you to pay 6% commission.
Now FSBO’s can get their home, condo, or land on the SAME MLS the Realtors use. All the SAME online real estate marketing for less!
Trulia iPhone application updated
The folks at Trulia.com have released an updated iPhone app. Check out the video below for an overview of some new features.
FHA Now Accepts Electronic Signatures
Today, April 8, 2010, e-signed third-party documents, including real estate contracts, are now being accepted by the Federal Housing Administration with the issuance of today’s mortgagee letter.
This mortgagee letter is the first in what is expected to be a series of responses to this initiative. With this policy statement from the nation’s largest mortgage insurer, real estate professionals can use DocuSign to get real estate contracts, addenda and other documents signed electronically, and their buyers can apply for FHA insurance with confidence. The FHA mortgagee letter can be found on HUD.GOV website.