International Business News Blogs - Real Estator http://www.ibtimes.com/blogs/rss/sections/real-estator.rss All articles are copyrighted by IBTimes.com 120 30 http://www.ibtimes.com/blogs/rss/sections/real-estator.rss http://www.ibtimes.com/images/top_logo_ibt2_3.gif By Dawn Miller, 2009 NAR Conference Blogger Dawn Miller In the real estate world where the average age of a REALTOR® is 52 years old, some may agree it\'s a challenge as a young professional, or YPNer. I may have just added another challenge to the equation-trying to break into the international real estate world. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091113/live-from-san-diego-what-does-international-real-estate-really-mean.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/blogs/articles/11312/20091113/live-from-san-diego-what-does-international-real-estate-really-mean.htm Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:46:06 EST By Robert Freedman, Senior Editor, REALTOR® Magazine In an effort to give condo lending a boost, FHA yesterday released a mortgagee letter (2009-46 A) that lets lenders make loans to condo buyers even if it means 100 percent of the project units would have FHA financing. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091111/fha-eases-concentration-other-condo-rules.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/blogs/articles/11274/20091111/fha-eases-concentration-other-condo-rules.htm Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:55:09 EST By Brian Summerfield, Online Editor, REALTOR® Magazine The next year or two may be a "test of survival" for anyone in the commercial real estate sector, but the upswing could be very lucrative for the ones who make it through that period. This was the overarching message coming from panelists and speakers at the Urban Land Institute's Fall 2009 meeting in San Francisco last week, as well as ULI's Emerging Trends in Real Estate 2010 report, which was released at the event. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091109/2010major-test-for-commercial.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/blogs/articles/11233/20091109/2010major-test-for-commercial.htm Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:13:38 EST By Robert Freedman, Senior Editor, REALTOR® Magazine But not in the way you might think. A new financial regulator is in the works but it's one of those developments that's easily lost in the news while other federal initiatives command the headlines. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091106/new-financial-regulator-would-impact-you.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/blogs/articles/11194/20091106/new-financial-regulator-would-impact-you.htm Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:04:35 EST The following is an excerpt from the book SuccessMapping: Achieve What You Want...Right Now! (Emerald Book Co., 2009) by Arlene Johnson. The book provides a step-by-step roadmap to achieving success and your personal goals. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091103/excerpt-from-successmappingthings-that-are-blocking-you-from-success.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/blogs/articles/11077/20091103/excerpt-from-successmappingthings-that-are-blocking-you-from-success.htm Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:44:20 EST By Katherine Tarbox, Senior Editor, REALTOR® Magazine QUICK SKIM For years, social scientists have been using certain demographics such as age, income, and education level to determine how people make purchasing decisions. Scott de Marchi and James Hamilton argue that six core traits determine every choice we make from how we purchase stock to how we work or date to even if we'll lie on our tax returns. In You Are What You Choose (Portfolio, 2009), the authors explain how by understanding these traits you can better market to your clients. The read is extremely insightful in understanding how different personalities make purchasing decisions, including homes.BUY THE BOOK http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091026/you-are-what-you-choose.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/blogs/articles/10918/20091026/you-are-what-you-choose.htm Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:45:08 EDT By Robert Freedman, Senior Editor, REALTOR® Magazine "Nobody has asked to come in and look at our balance sheet, to go through our finances, which I've offered to everybody."-FHA Commissioner David Stevens http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091026/stevens-facts-getting-lost-in-fha-safety-debate.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/blogs/articles/10917/20091026/stevens-facts-getting-lost-in-fha-safety-debate.htm Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:40:38 EDT By Mary Cook, Mary Cook & Associates Now more than ever, model homes are key sales tools for developers. In the current housing market crisis, people are weighing every factor in their decision on buying a home. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091014/picture-it-createcharacter-to-guide-your-design.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/blogs/articles/10651/20091014/picture-it-createcharacter-to-guide-your-design.htm Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:23:46 EDT By Erica Christoffer, Contributing Editor, REALTOR® Magazine Home modifications are an important step in getting buyers with disabilities into a new home. That's why it's important for real estate practitioners to be educated on the needs of their clients, where they can find specialized contractors, and the availability of financing programs. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091014/guiding-your-clients-through-home-modifications.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/blogs/articles/10650/20091014/guiding-your-clients-through-home-modifications.htm Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:08:30 EDT In the spirit of October and Halloween, I think it's a perfect time to discuss the many superstitions, beliefs, and practices held by home buyers (and sellers). As I've implied before, the San Francisco Bay Area is a cauldron pot of ancestries, religions, family, and marital statuses. But with that diversity there is a cobweb of belief systems and practices. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091009/superstitous-buyers-or-sellers-these-tips-may-bring-you-some-luck.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/blogs/articles/10567/20091009/superstitous-buyers-or-sellers-these-tips-may-bring-you-some-luck.htm Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:28:55 EDT By Robert Freedman, senior editor, REALTOR® Magazine It is a small thing, but it is impact could have been big. Some new federal lending rules take effect tomorrow (under HOEPA-the Home Ownership and Equity Protection Act) and among them is a restriction on prepayment penalties, something anyone who's taken out a mortgage would certainly appreciate. No one likes to pay a prepayment penalty, and certainly not when they're abusive. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091001/an-under-the-radar-win-for-common-sense.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/blogs/articles/10359/20091001/an-under-the-radar-win-for-common-sense.htm Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:04:07 EDT By Filomena M. Thompson Short sales and remodeling ... NOT a good idea! If your client is unfortunate to have to sell their home as a short sale, the last thing she'll want to do is make any home improvements. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20090928/remodeling-and-short-sales-donmix.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/blogs/articles/10243/20090928/remodeling-and-short-sales-donmix.htm Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:20:43 EDT By Erica Christoffer, Contributing Editor, REALTOR® Magazine. Denise Lehmann and Alex Plessett are building their dream, quite literally. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20090925/philly-development-offers-glimpse-of-green-real-estatefuture.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/blogs/articles/10194/20090925/philly-development-offers-glimpse-of-green-real-estatefuture.htm Fri, 25 Sep 2009 09:39:03 EDT By Erica Christoffer, Contributing Editor, REALTOR® Magazine. Two professions greatly benefiting from the Internet's ability to help connect people visually are interior designers and home stagers. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20090903/the-visual-nature-of-the-internet-has-home-owners-more-attuned-to-aesthetics.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/blogs/articles/10172/20090903/the-visual-nature-of-the-internet-has-home-owners-more-attuned-to-aesthetics.htm Thu, 03 Sep 2009 18:09:05 EDT By Robert Freedman, Senior Editor, REALTOR® Magazine A handful of bills to extend and increase the First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit are under consideration in Congress, but if you have clients who are holding out in anticipation of one of these bills passing, you might want to encourage them not to wait. The likelihood of any of these bills getting enacted this year is highly uncertain. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20090727/tell-your-clients-dont-wait-on-tax-credit.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/blogs/articles/7708/20090727/tell-your-clients-dont-wait-on-tax-credit.htm Mon, 27 Jul 2009 09:08:19 EDT By Brian Summerfield, Online Editor, REALTOR® Magazine I came across an article recently that talked about the release of Google Chrome, a new operating system (OS) from the tech geniuses at Mountain View, Calif. Now, a free OS from one of the world's preeminent tech companies might seem like a surefire success, but the author of the piece suggests that it's nothing to get that excited about. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20090727/googles-new-tools-free-but-are-they-worth-it.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/blogs/articles/7707/20090727/googles-new-tools-free-but-are-they-worth-it.htm Mon, 27 Jul 2009 09:07:38 EDT By Melissa Dittmann Tracey The New York Times ran an article this week ("Illnesses Afflict Homes With a Criminal Past" by Shaila Dewan and Robbie Brown) that details a story about a family who moved into a spacious home in Winchester, Tenn., only to soon start battling years of illness - from breathing problems to seizures and migraines to kidney problems. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20090727/5-signs-your-listing-may-have-once-beenmeth-lab.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/blogs/articles/7706/20090727/5-signs-your-listing-may-have-once-beenmeth-lab.htm Mon, 27 Jul 2009 09:06:20 EDT Rapper 50 Cent has chopped the price of his Connecticut mega-mansion to $10.9 million. 50 Cent bought the 50,000-square-foot place in suburban Hartford for $4.1 million and spent $6 million renovations. Two years ago he listed it for $18.5 million. In January, he dropped to price to $14.5 million. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20090720/rapper-50-cent-cuts-sale-price-of-mansion.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/blogs/articles/7472/20090720/rapper-50-cent-cuts-sale-price-of-mansion.htm Mon, 20 Jul 2009 13:59:50 EDT Real estate practitioners all over the country are choosing "hot desks" over permanent ones. Hot desks are unadorned cubicles that are shared among several people who rely on their laptops and BlackBerrys to conduct business but stop in now and then to use a printer or hold a meeting. The phone system transfers calls to their mobile phones. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20090714/sharing-desks-can-trim-office-expenses.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/blogs/articles/7244/20090714/sharing-desks-can-trim-office-expenses.htm Tue, 14 Jul 2009 11:12:49 EDT Real estate practitioners all over the country are choosing "hot desks" over permanent ones. Hot desks are unadorned cubicles that are shared among several people who rely on their laptops and BlackBerrys to conduct business but stop in now and then to use a printer or hold a meeting. The phone system transfers calls to their mobile phones. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20090714/money-magazine-picks-best-places-to-live.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/blogs/articles/7243/20090714/money-magazine-picks-best-places-to-live.htm Tue, 14 Jul 2009 11:11:43 EDT