ALTOS RESEARCH
Chart of the Day: More bad or less worse?
Looking ahead to 2011, seems the big question in the housing market is whether it will get more bad or less worse. We’ve been pretty darn good with our crystal ball (aka: real-time active market leading indicators) over the past few years: Spring ’08: Asking Price changes (blue line) peaked barely above 0% in April ’08 before turning lower. The S&P/Case-Shiller (red line) never moved into positive ground for the year, with a 2008 peak value of 167.78, reported in September ’08…Rest of Story…

CORALVILLE, IA
Best priced townhouse in ^Coralville
2237 Oakleaf St, Coralville. $119,400. You can’t beat the price on this townhouse style condo – With the low interest rate this is cheaper than renting! Call me @ 319-400-0268 to set up a showing…See Details…

EAST VALLEY, AZ
East Valley buyers move quicker or risk losing the house
East Valley Team member Dean Ouellette talks about how waiting to make the offer can cost you the house. Recently I was working with some buyers in the Chandler area and they found a house they really liked and were considering putting in an offer. After a night to sleep on it they still wanted to make an offer, but didn’t want to rush. The problem, they waited to long and lost the house they really wanted. The market is not as soft as some would lead you to believe. That is the East Valley has plenty of buyers so if…Rest of Story…

THE FED
Real Estate News for Real Estate and Mortgage Professionals
The Fed Rule Part 1 of 3…Watch the Video…

LAKE GENEVA, WI
LAKE GENEVA HOUSING AND MORTGAGE PREDICTIONS FOR 2011
With 2010 coming to a close, the “experts” are out in full force, making predictions for next year’s housing and mortgage markets on business television and in the papers. Predictions for 2011 are wide-ranging:
Some say home prices will rise in 2011
Some say home prices will fall in 2011…Rest of Story…

SEATTLE, AZ
My Seattle Blogs: 2010-Whatever Doesn’t Kill Us…
If you’re reading this and you still are a producing Real Estate Broker…you can honestly say, “I made it!” What I simply mean is if you can proudly stand up and look 2011 squarely in the eye with dogged determination…you are a winner!!! WHATEVER DOESN’T KILL US…ONLY MAKES US STRONGER! Here’s the point of my post. Isn’t virtually anything you do easier once you know what you know? I’m not too sure that 2011 is going to be any better than 2010…and, that’s a good thing! We know what we have to do…Rest of Story…

2010 & 2011
REALTORS® Reflect on 2010 and Prepare for 2011
2010 has been a year of real estate contrasts. While many consumers have taken advantage of historic buying opportunities and the market has seen a gradual stabilization of sales and prices, other challenges facing the nation have led some to question the value of homeownership for families, communities, and the country. “People are passionate about the American dream of homeownership, and this passion underscores how important homeownership is to our nation,” said National Association of…Rest of Story…

WORTHINGTON, OH
The Brookside Woods Neighborhood
The Brookside Woods neighborhood in northwest Columbus is unique in that there are two school districts within the neighborhood. Part of Brookside Woods is in Dublin schools and part is in Worthington schools. School districts in Central Ohio were put in place long before this area was developed. A house is in one school district or the other, there is not a choice of school districts on any house in Central Ohio. Within each school district there are attendance areas for each neighborhood. Brookside Woods…Rest of Story…

DeedStreet is bringing the best hyperlocal real estate stories / blogs / news of the day to one place in the form of a daily NewsRoll. We would like to make the NewsRoll as hyperlocal as possible. So if you have a RE story from your town/city/neighborhood/blog, send it our way; we will be sure to give you recognition and a link back to your site. This is just our latest experiment with real time social media, so please be sure to give us any feedback on how we can make this service even better.

COLUMBUS, OH
Unused Furnace Air Filters ~ Chattels or Fixtures?
Christmas Eve… I should save this post for two weeks from now since it is about furnace filters* but I forgot today is Friday! Maybe I forgot it was Friday and I need to post a post about a furnace here because it is Christmas Eve? Brian asked this question back in November and only got one comment and does not seem to have come back to answer it… Furnace Friday with a legal twist. I will answer the question “Chattels or Fixtures” in the first comment here and on Brian’s original post because I would…Rest of Story…

CORALVILLE, IA
Best priced townhouse in ^Coralville
2237 Oakleaf St, Coralville. $119,400. You can’t beat the price on this townhouse style condo – With the low interest rate this is cheaper than renting! Call me @ 319-400-0268 to set up a showing…Rest of Story…

EAST VALLEY, AZ
Why short sales are for winners
East Valley Team member Dean Ouellette talks about the decision of selling your house with a short sale and why it is the right decision for winners not losers. If you are trying to decide if a short sale is right for you, these next two videos will help you out. Also make sure you check out the short sale FAQ section of our website along with the video short sale vs foreclosure. Many people think they are a loser or they are a failure because they need to do a short sale. I am going to explain how doing a short sale does…Rest of Story…

SAN ANTONIO, TX
Bexar County Appraisal District (BCAD) and Incorrect Information
In two separate cases this week, I have found mistakes made in the Bexar County Appraisal District’s records on San Antonio homes owned by my clients. Both mistakes could lead to trouble down the road for my clients if they chose to sell their homes, so I thought I worthy to mention. In Bexar County, our property tax (also know as ad valorem tax) data is available to the public via the Bexar Appraisal District website and your San Antonio real estate agent uses it to help determine many things (one of which…Rest of Story…

SEATTLE, WA
My Seattle Blogs: Your Greatest Ability Should be Your Availability!
Are you aware of how many people (professionally) you impact on a daily basis? Do you realize how many folks would like to know a little bit (or a lot) of what you know? Is there someone you count on to be there when you have questions or concerns? Think about all the stuff you know and the abilities you have and ask yourself, “Do my peers & clients consider me accessible?” It’s amazing how much more business comes your way once someone feels they can approach you both professionally and personally…Rest of Story…

DeedStreet is bringing the best hyperlocal real estate stories / blogs / news of the day to one place in the form of a daily NewsRoll. We would like to make the NewsRoll as hyperlocal as possible. So if you have a RE story from your town/city/neighborhood/blog, send it our way; we will be sure to give you recognition and a link back to your site. This is just our latest experiment with real time social media, so please be sure to give us any feedback on how we can make this service even better.

COLUMBUS, OH
Columbus Board of REALTORS® has Spoken
The Columbus Board of REALTORS® has spoken about November 2010 home sales in Central Ohio. The News which was posted Tuesday, December 21, 2010 on CBR website and emailed to members (and the media?) on Thursday December 23, 2010… CBR News titled: “November home sales down from last year — but up from 2008″ says: “Sales in November of 2009 were inflated as they reflected buyers trying to close on a home purchase before the expiration of the first 1st-time home buyer…Rest of Story…

CREDIT SCORE
FICO and NAR Debate Credit Scoring Model and Impact on Consumers
The National Association of Realtors® recently called on FICO, developer of the credit scoring model of the same name, to revise some of its computations. At issue is the alleged negative impact on consumers when banks and credit card companies unilaterally reduce or cancel credit lines, even when consumers are in good standing on those accounts. An NAR spokesman said that FICO’s software is “unable to differentiate between innocent victims and people whose behavior genuinely merits reductions…Rest of Story…

LAKE GENEVA, WI
LAKE GENEVA HOME INVENTORY DWINDLES INTO THE NEW YEAR
Existing Home Sales jumped another 6 percent in November, the report’s third month of improvement since bottoming in July.
According to the National Association of REALTORS®, a quarter-million more existing homes were sold during the annual period ending in November as compared to October. An “existing home” is a home that cannot be considered new construction. Additionally, the national housing supply dropped by a full month. At the current pace of existing home sales, the complete…Rest of Story…

RETV
Bring the Blog for real estate website content
This will be the last video posted this year. RETV will return on January 3, 2011. (UGH just noticed the intro got cut off somehow, sorry Dan) Google likes to see a fresh blog with updated content and even more important when prospective clients come to your blog they want to see you in touch with the market and producing content too. Stale content updated once a month is not going to cut it. Many agents don’t like updating often or use time as an excuse so Dan Green of Bring the Blog decided he would…Rest of Story…

SEATTLE, WA
My Seattle Blogs: Add a Contact Form to Your WordPress Posts!
Looking for a great feature to add to your WordPress toolbox? Check out the latest plug-in offered on your (free) WordPress blog that allows you to create a custom contact form that you can attach to all your future posts. This is a fantastic addition to what you can do to create more interaction on your blogsite. Simply click on the ‘Add a Custom Form’ on your Upload/Insert line and…Rest of Story…

DeedStreet is bringing the best hyperlocal real estate stories / blogs / news of the day to one place in the form of a daily NewsRoll. We would like to make the NewsRoll as hyperlocal as possible. So if you have a RE story from your town/city/neighborhood/blog, send it our way; we will be sure to give you recognition and a link back to your site. This is just our latest experiment with real time social media, so please be sure to give us any feedback on how we can make this service even better.

ARLINGTON, VA
2011 Predictions for the Arlington County and DC Metro Area Real Estate Market
Last January, I did a 2010 predictions post for the year. I was right for 4 out 5 (I didn’t expect interest rates to go as low as they did! That’s a good one to be wrong on!). So i’m going for 5 out of 5 for 2011 and putting my masters in Economics to good use. So here goes…here’s what I see happening in 2011: 1. Interest Rates Will Rise. We’ve been so spoiled this year with rates as low as 4% that we lose sight of the fact that interest rates are still the lowest they’ll probably ever be in our lifetime. I see rates getting back…Rest of Story…

INDIANAPOLIS, IN
Indy-Tweets Daily – from Indianapolis
What I Learned from the Japaneses Trains | Roundpeg | Small Business Marketing…And Other Stories…

LAKE GENEVA, WI
LAKE GENEVA FORECLOSURE ACTIVITY PLUNGES (BUT WITH AN ASTERISK)
According to foreclosure-tracking firm RealtyTrac, the foreclosure filings fell 21 percent in November to 262,339 units nationwide. A foreclosure filing is defined as default notice, scheduled auction, or bank repossession. November marked the first time since February 2009 that the number of monthly filings failed to surpass 300,000 units. There were other notable November statistics, too, included: November’s 21 percent month-to-month decrease was the largest in RealtyTrac’s recorded history…Rest of Story…

RETV
Melina Tomson joins RETV to talk about running her own small brokerage
Melina Tomson decided to start her own brokerage Tomson Burnham after just three years in the real estate business. Melina owns the business and acts as the broker. Melina has decided to wait a while before brining on other agents, but is now in the growing phase. Tomson Burnham has been open for four years and we discuss with Melina. What have been the challenges of owning your own brokerage. Does she consider owning her brokerage owning a business or more like owning…Rest of Story…

SEATTLE, WA
My Seattle Blogs: Now That’s What I Mean By Customer Service!
In a time where it seems you need every piece of documentation including a sample of your DNA in order to get a product exchanged or replaced, I have a story that speaks of the kind of customer service we should all be emulating. Santa was a little impatient this year and decided to drop off a brand new 42″ Plasma TV for the family before Christmas. Wouldn’t you know it, the darn thing decided to simply stop working after only 2 days! Distraught and settling in for a lengthy phone battle with the…Rest of Story…

WORTHINGTON, OH
Worthington Condo Sales
This graph shows condominiums for sale in Worthington schools for the past 15 months and condos sold for the same area in the same time frame. Only eight condos sold in the area in November 2010, down 55.6% from November 2009. There were tax credits for home buyers this time last yea. Comparing condo sales Worthington schools sales to November condo sales in other areas: Franklin County condo sales down 50.7% – Columbus Board of REALTOR down 44.9% (the whole MLS area)…Rest of Story…

DeedStreet is bringing the best hyperlocal real estate stories / blogs / news of the day to one place in the form of a daily NewsRoll. We would like to make the NewsRoll as hyperlocal as possible. So if you have a RE story from your town/city/neighborhood/blog, send it our way; we will be sure to give you recognition and a link back to your site. This is just our latest experiment with real time social media, so please be sure to give us any feedback on how we can make this service even better.

BEFORE YOU GET FAMOUS
Things to Do Before You Get Famous
Last year, internationally celebrated violinist Joshua Bell tried an experiment. He took his violin (a Stradivarius built in 1713, worth about $3.5 million) into the Washington, D.C. Metro and played for about 45 minutes. If you want to get cheap seats to hear Joshua Bell perform, expect to pay at least $100. So who stopped to listen to him play Bach and Schubert? Nearly no one. Thousands of people marched past, avoiding Bell’s eye so they wouldn’t feel guilty about failing to throw a quarter or two into…Rest of Story…

COLUMBUS, OH
HELP! It’s 1am & My Carbon Monoxide Detectors Are Going Off!!!
It’s Furnace Friday in Central Ohio and no this is NOT a furnace post but gas heat and Carbon Monoxide Detectors go well together. This story is from North Carolina, Kathleen Turner is the one saying ” HELP! It’s 1am and My CO Detectors Are Going Off!!!” Every year we hear a sad story about carbon monoxide poisoning in Central Ohio, check your carbon monoxide detectors. Thanks to Kathleen for allowing her story to be Re-Blogged. The image is ‘Starting Up Again’ from Unhindered by Talent (Nic McPhee) a…Rest of Story…

INTEREST RATES
Dan Green discusses with RETV where interest rates are going
Dan Green is a lender from Ohio who does a frequent column on his Mortgage Reports website that predicts where the interest rates are going over the next week. Dan is a frequent blogger who really understand the market and can talk for hours about interest rates. In this episode Dan Green discusses: Where are interest rates today – Why these higher rates are not really that high…Rest of Story…

LAKE GENEVA, WI
LAKE GENEVA REAL ESTATE UPDATE – DECEMBER 6, 2010
Please enjoy this quick video by Bob Webster of Keefe Real Estate. Bob gives us an update of what the current market looks like for Lake Geneva real estate. Please share your thoughts…Watch Video…

SAN ANTONIO, TX
San Antonio Real Estate and Internet Marketing
Sellers in the San Antonio real estate market ask the same question every time I speak with them; what about internet marketing? We all know the internet is king when it comes to marketing a home for sale and every real estate agent in San Antonio will tell you how important it is to see and be seen across the internet. But what exactly does that mean and how should your agent be approaching their internet marketing? San Antonio home buyers are searching the internet more than ever before. Each day, I watch…Rest of Story…

SEATTLE, WA
My Seattle Blogs: Who’s Going to be Working Next Week?
Seems like the 17th of December has been marked on my calendar for some time now as the unofficial last day of business for 2010! Most of us with school age kids know today is the last day of school for the next 2 weeks so that will mean more working from home…or just trying to keep the peace as they drive you crazy! There is also the general sense that next Friday is a wash since that is Christmas Eve…so really not much gunna be done that day?! And, of course since next Friday is wiped out…why not…Rest of Story…

DeedStreet is bringing the best hyperlocal real estate stories / blogs / news of the day to one place in the form of a daily NewsRoll. We would like to make the NewsRoll as hyperlocal as possible. So if you have a RE story from your town/city/neighborhood/blog, send it our way; we will be sure to give you recognition and a link back to your site. This is just our latest experiment with real time social media, so please be sure to give us any feedback on how we can make this service even better.

APPRAISERS
Appraisers Hurting Housing Market
Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate Vice Chairman Dolly Lenz discusses why appraisers’ low-ball offers are hampering the growth of the housing market…Watch the Video…

COLUMBUS, OH
New Albany Area, New Columbus School?
Is the “New Albany area” going to get a new school? Not the Plain Local School District but the area near New Albany (with New Albany or Westerville mailing addresses ) but in the Columbus City School District. The area is described by the Columbus Dispatch as a “Win-Win Island.” New Albany area residents (northeast Columbus neighborhoods in the Columbus City School District) go to schools which are a distance away. The children attend schools in Columbus schools which are (is?) on the other side of the…Rest of Story…

LAKE GENEVA, WI
A SIMPLE EXPLANATION OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE STATEMENT (DECEMBER 14, 2010 EDITION)
Today, the Federal Open Market Committee voted 9-to-1 to leave the Fed Funds Rate unchanged within in its target range of 0.000-0.250 percent. In its press release, the FOMC noted that since November’s meeting, the “economic recovery is continuing,” but at a pace deemed too slow to make a material impact on unemployment rates. It also said that household spending in increasing, but remains constrained by joblessness, tight credit and lower housing wealth. In addition, the Fed used its press release…Rest of Story…

SEATTLE, WA
My Seattle Blogs: Some Good News on Washington Foreclosures from ForeclosureRadar.com
While Washington showed little impact from the robo-signing controversy in October, foreclosure activity dropped dramatically in November. Notice of Trustee Sale filings dropped 31.7 percent from October, but are still up 16.2 percent from a year earlier. Similarly, foreclosure sales dropped 38.1 percent from October but are up 29.3 percent from November 2009. View all Washington stats by state, county, city or ZIP. All in all, some positive news from our friends at ForeclosureRadar.com. If you…Rest of Story…

DeedStreet is bringing the best hyperlocal real estate stories / blogs / news of the day to one place in the form of a daily NewsRoll. We would like to make the NewsRoll as hyperlocal as possible. So if you have a RE story from your town/city/neighborhood/blog, send it our way; we will be sure to give you recognition and a link back to your site. This is just our latest experiment with real time social media, so please be sure to give us any feedback on how we can make this service even better.

2011
20 things that will be more expensive in 2011
You might be focused on Christmas shopping right now, but get ready to spend more on these 20 things in 2011. Beth Pinsker, Executive Editor of dealnews, says these prices will jump up next year. 1. Car Insurance. She says car insurance goes up faster than inflation. 2. Chocolate. Cocoa prices are at a 30-year high. Pinsker says you might see retailers use smaller boxes. 3. VoIP services. These services can be taxed, so you should see higher prices in using companies like Vonage…Rest of Story…

HOUSING RECOVERY
Q4 Webcast: When Does the Housing Recovery Start?
On Thursday, we hosted our Q4 Webcast – “When Does the Housing Recovery Start?” (slides | recording) – looking ahead to 2011 price and some other big questions on people’s minds: Have we hit bottom, or is there really more downside on the horizon?
What are the implications of Robo-signing, QE2, Dodd-Frank, and the foreclosure pipeline? The supply problem – both of them. What are the opportunities for distressed mortgages, whole loans, and RMBS? Watch the recording by clicking here…Rest of Story…

LAKE GENEVA, WI
WHAT’S AHEAD FOR LAKE GENEVA MORTGAGE RATES THIS WEEK: DECEMBER 13, 2010
Lake Geneva mortgage markets worsened last week as the U.S. economy showed additional signs of strength; and global demand for mortgage bonds slipped. Conforming mortgage rates rose in Wisconsin and around the country for the fifth straight week. It’s a streak that’s been marked by volatile pricing that’s rendered rate shopping difficult. Last week, lenders published as many as 5 rate sheets per day where, by comparison, over the past 12 months, lenders have averaged closer to 2 rate sheets per day…Rest of Story…

RETV
RETV: Brian Gubernick- biggest challenges facing short sale agents today
In today’s edition of RETV we are joined by Brian Gubernick of Homehelper Consultants and we will be discussing the biggest challenges facing short sale agents today. Brian Gubernick and his team have closed over 500 short sales over the last few years. They not only know how to get short sales done, they are on top of all the latest trends and facts in the short sale industry. In this interview Brian discusses: What trends he is seeing – Increase of foreclosures…Rest of Story…

SAN ANTONIO, TX
Making RErockstar.com easier on the eyes.
I’ve tried to decide whether or not to make the front page of the blog more short and concise for you, the readers. Sometimes, blog posts get lost on the front page because of the length of the other posts that precede them. In an effort to make the front page more readable and help you quickly find the articles that interest you the most, I’ve decided to make use of WordPress’ ability to present short excerpts of each article that appears of the first page. Hopefully, this will not only help you find posts that you…Rest of Story…

SEATTLE, WA
My Seattle Blogs: It’s No Secret the Stuff You don’t Know!
A little play on words here but reality is, todays real estate buyer and seller are using some simple yet informative means to educate themselves about the real estate process. Taking advantage of many of the tools available to attract potential new customers and clients can raise you above the fray. 1. Home Buyer Seminars-You don’t have to possess some special certificate to hold a monthly or weekly gathering of potential home buyers. Ask your office if they would like to help you host an evening session…Rest of Story…

WORTHINGTON, OH
Columbus Ohio 43235 Home Sales
Columbus Ohio 43235 home sales a market report for November 2010. This graph shows homes for sale and home sales in the area that is “Columbus Ohio 43235″ for the past 15 months. November 2010 single family home sales in neighborhoods in the Columbus Ohio 43235 zip code were down 28.6% in the month of November 2010 from the previous November. Months of inventory available was up 54.3%. The average sale price of a single family home in Columbus Ohio 43235 was up 27% from November…Rest of Story…

YEAR IN REVIEW
The Year in Review…and the Shape of the Future – An Interview with Dale Stinton
Dale Stinton, the no-nonsense CEO of The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), brings a perfect blend of realism and optimism to NAR’s members. The future holds promise if you’re willing to confront the facts and offer consumers complete transparency, he believes. In this interview, Stinton offers his assessment of 2010 and his perspective on the future. The basis of success no matter which way the market turns? Education. Maria Patterson: As we come to the close of 2010, how would you grade…Rest of Story…

DeedStreet is bringing the best hyperlocal real estate stories / blogs / news of the day to one place in the form of a daily NewsRoll. We would like to make the NewsRoll as hyperlocal as possible. So if you have a RE story from your town/city/neighborhood/blog, send it our way; we will be sure to give you recognition and a link back to your site. This is just our latest experiment with real time social media, so please be sure to give us any feedback on how we can make this service even better.

COLUMBUS, OH
Olentangy Schools Home Sales
This graph shows homes for sale and sold in the Olentangy Local School District in Delaware County for the past 15 months. The dark green bars are the homes (single family) sold in the month. The light green bars are the inventory of single homes for sale in the Olentangy Local School District. Sale prices are up 21.5% from November 2009 and average active prices are down. Home sales were down 28.8% from November 2010. Months of inventory is up 31.2%. There is 12.4 months of inventory based…Rest of Story…

HOOTSUITE
Top Five Reasons Agents Need HootSuite Toot de Suite
Wouldn’t it be great if you could manage multiple social media networks from one place? How about a site that lets you track statistics? While we’re at it, how about a site that lets you easily create custom tabs and streams? Finally, what if this site had an application that allowed you to share across multiple networks any website you happen to be viewing? All of this and more is available at HootSuite.com. Just two years old, HootSuite has come a long way. When I am asked by agents in my…Rest of Story…

RETV
@Real_TechGuy joins RETV to discuss Web 5 Live
Jonathan Rivera of Real-TechGuy.com joins RETV to talk about his upcoming Web5live.com training session. If you are interested in some real estate training from some of the most respected technology leaders in the business then make sure you check this out. Best part is, it is free. In this post Jonathan mentions What Would Google Do? (Amazon Affiliate Link)…See Video…

SEATTLE, WA
My Seattle Blogs: Use Custom Domains to Drive Folks to Your Sites.
Are you struggling with trying to get your clients and customers to your web, blog or Social Media sites? Can you explain to someone your web address without having them write it down? A simple and easy solution is to forward your unique domain to one of your many sites. For example, I own a few unique domain names that I use as my “elevator speech” web addresses so I can direct anybody to any of my sites without them needing to get out a pen and paper. Here are a few examples…Rest of Story…

DeedStreet is bringing the best hyperlocal real estate stories / blogs / news of the day to one place in the form of a daily NewsRoll. We would like to make the NewsRoll as hyperlocal as possible. So if you have a RE story from your town/city/neighborhood/blog, send it our way; we will be sure to give you recognition and a link back to your site. This is just our latest experiment with real time social media, so please be sure to give us any feedback on how we can make this service even better.

GROUPON
The 7 Types of Groupon Buyers
Groupon, LivingSocial, The Capital Dish, What’s the Deal. The inbox of foodies and weekend warriors alike are being flooded by deals on a daily basis. The idea of getting ‘free money’ to spend on food and drink at local restaurants seems too good to be true. These websites have been wildly successful, with reports in the last 2 days that Google will buy Groupon for more than $5 billion and Amazon is considering buying Living Social. With tens of thousands, maybe millions, of Americans now on-board…Rest of Story…

LAKE GENEVA, WI
PENDING HOME SALES INDEX POINTS TO A BUDDING LAKE GENEVA REAL ESTATE SELLER’S MARKET
The Pending Home Sales Index surged 10 percent in October as low mortgage rates and low home prices spurred Lake Geneva real estate buyers into action. A “pending home sale” is an existing home under contract to sell, but not yet closed. The Pending Home Sales Index is at its highest level since April 2010 — the contract deadline date for this year’s federal home buyer tax credit program. The jump may also explain why home builder confidence is rising even as the number of new homes…Rest of Story…

REMODELING
National Data
This site compares the average cost for 35 popular remodeling projects with the value those projects retain at resale. Choose your state to display data for one of 9 regions; choose any one of 80 U.S. cities to download a PDF with local data. Click on a project name to see a project description and 3-D model. To read the article in the November 2010 issue of Remodeling, click on “The Magazine” just above the search bar. For more information on the Remodeling 2010–11 Cost vs. Value Report, click on…Rest of Story…

RETV
RETV: Early adopters to new real estate model will be the new millionaires
Chuck Marunde has a new e-book out The New World of Marketing for Real Estate Agents which he is giving away for free for a few weeks with the link included. Chuck is a broker at a Washington EXP Realty office and believes the traditional real estate model is not dying, but is dead. Chuck not only talks about technology he walks the walk as you will see if you download his e-book and scan one of his QR codes. Chuck has a lot to say about what clients and what they are looking for and how agents in general…Rest of Story…

SEATTLE, WA
My Seattle Blogs: Add What You Do & Your Fan Page On Your Facebook Profile
I came across this neat trick from Sheresa Pompay on her fan page Phoenix Realtor and Investor. She commented that you can go into your edit profile and do a little customization to your employer as well as your job title. As you can see from my profile page, I’ve actually added my fan page as my employer and set my job title as Certified Real Estate Instructor. Now, when someone logs onto my profile, they can easily be sent directly to my fan page. Neat trick Sheresa and thank you…Rest of Story…

WORTHINGTON, OH
Worthington Ohio Christmas Past
Worthington school students caroling on Christmas Eve 1941. This is one of Don O’Brien’s Worthington photos from his Flickr photostream. I am sharing this photo today December 7, 2010 because of a comment left on it… a couple of months ago. I keep thinking of the comment left by Toureasy47201 on Mr. O’Brien’s photo: “I wonder what thoughts they had, this being a little over two weeks after Pearl Harbor had been attacked.” The description of the photo says the carolers were on…Rest of Story…

DeedStreet is bringing the best hyperlocal real estate stories / blogs / news of the day to one place in the form of a daily NewsRoll. We would like to make the NewsRoll as hyperlocal as possible. So if you have a RE story from your town/city/neighborhood/blog, send it our way; we will be sure to give you recognition and a link back to your site. This is just our latest experiment with real time social media, so please be sure to give us any feedback on how we can make this service even better.

ARLINGTON, VA
The State of the Arlington County Real Estate Market
Heading into December, the market will start to cool off, along with the temperatures. Normally, fewer properties will go on the market so fewer things will sell. Who really wants to move during the Holidays, right? So I suspect these numbers won’t change a whole lot as we round out 2010. Let’s look at the composition of properties for sale right now. All numbers are ACTIVE (not pending) properties for sale and excludes the Jefferson Retirement Building (a condo community for people aged 55+), but…Rest of Story…

COLUMBUS, OH
Furnace Filter Friday – Changing Furnace Filters is Year Round
It’s Furnace Filter Friday, Friday December 3, 2010. The first Friday of each month is Furnace Filter Friday on my blog. Do you change your furnace filter monthly? This is a Re-Blog for consumers of Jay Markanich a home inspector in northern Virginia’s home inspection / home maintenance post. Jay’s post is titled Agent’s, Don’t Let This Happen To Your Sellers… homeowners don’t let this happen to you when you need to make improvements to your home to sell or for your own enjoyment. Don’t let it…Rest of Story…

GROUPON
Confirmed: The Groupon/Google Deal Is Off
Google’s much-rumored acquisition of Groupon is off, we’ve confirmed with a source with knowledge of the deal. The news was reported earlier by Chicago Breaking Business, and we’ve verified that the deal is indeed off. The two companies have been in serious negotiations for at least the last week, with reports stating that Google was bidding as much as $6 billion for the red-hot local deals company. Our source has also verified that Groupon’s annual revenues are now at a $2 billion run rate, which…Rest of Story…

LAKE GENEVA, WI
UNDERSTATEMENT: FREDDIE MAC SAYS LAKE GENEVA MORTGAGE RATES ROSE LAST WEEK
It’s been a wild 30 days for home affordability. Since the Federal Reserve’s November 3 press release, in which our nation’s central banker committed $600 billion to bond markets, Lake Geneva mortgage rates have leaped, moving quicker than the news can report them. This week is a terrific example of that. Today, newspaper headlines in Wisconsin and around the country read that mortgage rates rose 0.06% on average over the past 7 days, and that average loan fees remain unchanged at 0.8 points…Rest of Story…

NISSAN LEAF
2011 Nissan Leaf; a cheap car to insure?
Will electric vehicles (EVs) be cheap to insure? While we won’t have a definitive answer to this question until the silent rides hit the roads en masse, reports pouring in, based on some key assumptions, indicate that battery-powered autos, the Nissan Leaf in particular, should be less costly to insure than equivalent internal combustion engine vehicles. Here’s a rundown of the reasons why UK-based finance company Credit Plus thinks that the Leaf’s insurance rates will hurt the ol’ pocketbook a little less…Rest of Story…

RETV
RETV: How do I get more readers for my real estate blog?
Mat Siltala of Dream Systems Media joins RETV to talk about why real estate blogs do not have more readers. If you want people to read your blog, write something worth reading says Mat. Mat also shares with RETV ways to find out what people are searching for and what they want to hear about. Once you know what they want to hear about it is a lot easier to target your content and get other people to share your information. There are many tools out there to find out what readers are searching for and…Rest of Story…

SAN ANTONIO, TX
Have questions about Texas and San Antonio’s future?
I’ve been living in San Antonio, Texas since 2006 and have an obvious love for the state and the city. Not only do I enjoy it personally, but from a business perspective, you just can’t go wrong with Texas. Look at any “top ten” list these days and you’re probably going to see a mention of Texas; whether it’s San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, Austin, or even some of the smaller cities, Texas truly is a force to be reckoned with. The future of Texas’ jobs, economy, growth, and real estate are always…Rest of Story…

SEATTLE, WA
My Seattle Blogs: Post Your Own Content or Don’t Post Anything at All!
This post may come off as a rant but really it’s a call to action as well as a request (really, a plea) to use blogging and social media the right way! If you think randomly posting some regurgitated article is good for you or your business…you are way off the mark! IT’S A BIG WORLD…WIDE WEB OUT THERE. Once you consider the sheer size of the internet and Social Media, you will quickly realize that your canned, regenerated article is almost certain to be seen along side a multitude of others posting the…Rest of Story…

STANDING OUT
8 Factors for Standing Out in Real Estate
Reuters News offers these guidelines for anyone who is shopping for a home and a real estate professional to help them clinch the deal. How do you measure up?
1. Ethical. Enough said.
2. Likeable. The practitioner doesn’t have to be the buyer’s best friend, but she has to be someone the buyer likes to be around…Rest of Story…

DeedStreet is bringing the best hyperlocal real estate stories / blogs / news of the day to one place in the form of a daily NewsRoll. We would like to make the NewsRoll as hyperlocal as possible. So if you have a RE story from your town/city/neighborhood/blog, send it our way; we will be sure to give you recognition and a link back to your site. This is just our latest experiment with real time social media, so please be sure to give us any feedback on how we can make this service even better.