About.com Real Estate Business

Tax Credit Close to Extension

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:18:44 +0000

Realtor.org's article released today, says the home buyer tax credit is close to final approval and signing. The Senate has passed the new version, and the House and President are expected to approve it as well. Here are the high points:

Extended to May 1, 2010
$8000 for first time buyers
$6500 to repeat buyers with limitations on time of residence
Home price capped at $800,000
Income limits now $125k individuals and $225k joint filers
Reduced credits for $145k individuals and $245k income joint filers
Contracts in place by April 30 will get 60 days to close

May the next flurry of activity begin!

Tax Credit Close to Extension originally appeared on About.com Real Estate Business on Thursday, November 5th, 2009 at 14:18:44.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

WordPress and Real Estate Done Right - NOT

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:51:16 +0000

One of my daily Twitter searches is on the keywords "wordpress" and "real estate." Most of the tweets are of little interest, but there's a gem every now and then. One caught my eye this morning with the message in the tweet: "WordPress and Real Estate Done Right."

If you've read some of my many articles on using WordPress as your real estate website, you know that I think it's the very best way to go. So, this tweet got a click to the site. When I arrived, almost my entire 21 inch screen was filled with one image of a house and a picture of a real estate professional holding a Sold sign. It was one of her listings. Though there were buttons across the top linking to other parts of the site, there was nothing to indicate where to go to search listings in the area.

I was curious now, as the URL was actually her home page at hername.com. So, I opened another browser and went to the domain again, and found a different listing filling the screen, with the same buttons along the top. Yep, it's WordPress, but Nope, it's far from "done right." Basically, every time the site home page loads, a different listing is the entire presence. The tweet that sent me there turned out to be one from a web design site.

Realtors are the target of every web marketing wannabe out there. And this is a great example of how NOT to spend your money. They took an excellent platform, WordPress, and managed to create a useless website for this Realtor. Now, maybe if all she uses this one for is to impress sellers, it has a little bit of value, but as her main site?! And it's just my picky side that doesn't like the misspelled word in one of her navigation buttons.

Please read a lot of the free material here and on other sites about how effective WordPress can be for your main web presence. But, don't let someone who has no idea of why blogs work so well and the nature of the content that makes them so effective take your money to design a site that will bring you zero, zip, nada for business.

Is it here that I put the disclaimer that I don't work for WordPress or get any money or freebies from them?

WordPress and Real Estate Done Right - NOT originally appeared on About.com Real Estate Business on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at 08:51:16.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Vigilante Justice in Mortgage Mod Business

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:41:30 +0000

Hat tip to Cyberhomes Blog for pointing me to a Reuter's article about five people arrested in California for torturing two men in the loan modification business. The men were lured to an office, tied up and beaten. One escaped, and authorities were alerted, arresting those allegedly involved.

It seems that those doing the torturing believed they were swindled in a loan modification scheme. People in trouble with their mortgage are in a vulnerable position, and there are plenty of schemes out there to get their money. Though they could go to prison for life, maybe their actions will bring more attention to the problem.

Vigilante Justice in Mortgage Mod Business originally appeared on About.com Real Estate Business on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 at 09:41:30.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Zoho Projects for Real Estate Transaction Management

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 07:29:23 +0000

I'm doing a short series on using some of the free and low cost online apps at Zoho.com. I am currently doing transaction tasks management with Zoho Projects, and like it.

With milestones, dependent tasks, and project templates, Zoho Projects might be the right online solution for managing your transaction tasks, as well as other projects. Here's my article with more about Zoho Projects for real estate transaction tasks management.

Zoho Projects for Real Estate Transaction Management originally appeared on About.com Real Estate Business on Friday, October 30th, 2009 at 07:29:23.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

I Love Twitter - Except for the NitTwits

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:18:41 +0000

First, this isn't about the Twitter account "NitTwits."� It was too good to pass that account name up, so good for you.� I'm talking about nitwits who have seized on Twitter as a free and easy way to overpopulate the Internet with repetitive ads with nothing to offer except their billboard presentation.� I put them into the same category with those who buy the "more than one million realtors" email lists and send garbage to me every day.

Every morning, my first stop for news and stuff to write about is my HootSuite Dashboard.� I monitor multiple Twitter searches there, and get a lot of material, and learn a lot as well.� One of those searches, "twitter" AND "real estate," turns up a lot of ads, and I expect it to.� Every now and then there is actually something about a new and unique way to use Twitter in our business.

But, every morning without fail, there's the same exact tweet at the top, resent through some service that does that. It is exactly the same every morning, and I've found that it also gets sent out every evening as well. It's for a real estate licensing online training company in Florida. I won't help them with exposure via a link here. You can't unfollow someone you don't follow, and this is a search. So, I can't get rid of them. I just wanted to vent, and let this company know that I hope they stay in the distinct minority, as there are a great many uses for Twitter in business that I consider of value. Just not theirs.

I Love Twitter - Except for the NitTwits originally appeared on About.com Real Estate Business on Thursday, October 29th, 2009 at 08:18:41.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Realtors are Suckers - Some Seem to Think

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:54:43 +0000

Again today, in my Twitter automated search for "blogging" AND "real estate," I find another huckster with one of those run-on web pages that is selling ebooks for real estate blogging.� Now, there's nothing wrong with real estate blogging ebooks, or even selling them.� But, when the headlines are all about "dominate your market," "increase profits 200%," and "amazing listing plugin for wordpress," I wonder how many will pay the $97 for the ebook and all of the special reports.� If your situation is that you want someone to do a good bit of it for you, there are some great real estate blogging platform providers out there.� They cost money, but it's better spent with them.

It's been proven time and again that sales people are the easiest to sell to.� And, real estate professionals certainly buy a lot of marketing and business management material.� But, WordPress is a free software solution.� Tens of thousands of free plugins are out there for it.� Many free real estate specific plugins are out there.� And, a bunch of these hyped up "make a million" with your real estate blog deals are out there as well.� This one I found today touts its best feature as displaying your listings with maps, video and more.

It's just my opinion, and there's plenty of debate on the subject, but making your listings a major focus on your blog isn't going to bring you any real business.� It will probably alienate many first time visitors.� With everything you need absolutely free to create a successful WordPress real estate blog, look to free educational resources as well.� I don't claim to have it all, but a great start is my section on blogging with WordPress. It's free.

And, if you get $97 worth of information from it, or just $9.70, you could just donate that to your local animal shelter or other worthy endeavor.� Better there than someone who's making their money taking yours.

Realtors are Suckers - Some Seem to Think originally appeared on About.com Real Estate Business on Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 at 08:54:43.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Less in Your Real Estate Income Pot? - This Pot Was a Bust

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:13:43 +0000

In today's economy, there are articles everywhere about how people are coping and supplementing dwindling income streams.� Real estate professionals are some of the hardest hit.� Many of us who were full time before, may be making more money in other pursuites while we wait for the market to return to some semblance of pre-bust levels.

But, there are definitely some things we shouldn't do.� Like this former real estate agent arrested in a major pot bust in California.� Actually, not just bringing in more income, this scheme made use of properties that might have otherwise been vacant.� More income and taking inventory off the market are both nice goals, probably better accomplished in other activities.

Less in Your Real Estate Income Pot? - This Pot Was a Bust originally appeared on About.com Real Estate Business on Friday, October 23rd, 2009 at 14:13:43.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Helping Your Clients With Mortgages

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:58:32 +0000

Do you regularly provide recommendations of mortgage brokers to your real estate clients? Have you checked recently on the types of loans they're recommending and processing? I just found that one of my local mortgage brokers is still not doing any FHA loan work. They just don't want to it seems. That's really interesting, as they do process Department of Agriculture backed loans, which are every bit as much of a pain in the processing side.

The Wall Street Journal online discusses the large stake the FHA and other government entities have in mortgages in today's markets. A lot of it is because of the lower down payment requirements. As real estate professionals helping a client to make a purchase, we should be sure to recommend mortgage resources that offer all sources of funding.

Helping Your Clients With Mortgages originally appeared on About.com Real Estate Business on Tuesday, October 20th, 2009 at 12:58:32.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Twitter for Real Estate - One Wrong Way to Use It

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 08:37:47 +0000

Twitter is being adopted by more real estate professionals every day. Though a lot of us write about using Twitter for real estate, I believe that there will be new uses discovered regularly for how to make good use of Twitter to market your business and engage future clients.

In this case, if you have a personal Twitter account, one where you're trying to build influence among prospects for future business, you're shooting yourself in the foot if you incessantly post listings there. Example Tweet: Condo for sale in Xxxxx, XX $579K - 2BR/2.5BA http://xxxx.xx/xxxx.aspx #tl 10/15

That's a real one, with identifying stuff blocked out. I went back a month and found this exact tweet every day on this broker's account. I found other listings being tweeted daily the same way. And, that's all I found on that broker's Twitter page. There's no commentary, no local market content, nothing but rolling repeats of a half dozen listings.

If you want to do this, it's fine, but you will never develop a follower base. If I delivered you the same copy of the New York Times every day, soon you wouldn't want to read it any more ... and there's a lot more content there than the few words in a tweet.

Twitter for Real Estate - One Wrong Way to Use It originally appeared on About.com Real Estate Business on Friday, October 16th, 2009 at 08:37:47.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Please Take Your Trash Back - SPAM

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 06:59:39 +0000

Here's a far-fetched situation, but it illustrates the topic. You come home one day from work to find a bag of empty beer bottles in your yard. There's a note with it that says:

"Since you're in my neighborhood, I wanted to share my trash with you. If you don't want me to do this anymore, you can return the trash to the last house on the right in this block."

I don't care how you try to rationalize it, that's what you're doing with the tactic of emailing everyone in your MLS your latest listing. This is if you didn't get their explicit opt-in to do so. Again, in last week's discussions on a popular tech forum, we see these "reasons:"

It's my job to market my client's listing in as many places as possible.
Some agents don't watch their hotsheets or know how to use the MLS searches properly.
Everyone who has shown a property NEEDS to get the notice of a drop in price.
I've had agents tell me they like these emails.
My listing clients like this service, so I get more listings.

I have two questions for you?

Do you know how many agents didn't like getting these emails?
Did you do this by snail mail before email existed?

I know the answers. You don't hear from the many who go to the trouble to delete these emails every time they come in, not wanting to mark them as SPAM because they won't get your legitimate emails. And, you NEVER did this when you had to print, address envelopes and pay postage. You do it now because it's free and easy.

So, please keep your beer bottles at home, and I won't send you my wine corks.

Please Take Your Trash Back - SPAM originally appeared on About.com Real Estate Business on Wednesday, October 14th, 2009 at 06:59:39.

Permalink | Comment | Email this