By Nobu Hata An article recently came across my Twitterstream from Wired.com which, punditry (and ‘Granted, I live in Manhattan…’ caveat) aside, is a pretty good read. Go ahead, it’s a short one, I’ll wait for you right here. (http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/11/st_essay_ownership/) Where my and the writer’s opinion splits is that to me, a home DOES have sentimental value. A house is …
A Case For Facebook Fan Pages for Your Business
By Laura Rubinchuk Lately I’ve been convinced that Facebook business pages should be more like a community page, a 365 page, or another way to get your community involved and talking. While I see extreme value in that, and don’t mean to discredit that theory, because there are many ways to make social media work for you, I want to …
FHA Audit Results Are In…
By Dave Robison The Federal Housing Administration’s reserves are high, their defaults are low, and the average borrowers credit scores are 720. So why did FHA recently change premiums, etc.? Because of the annual audit. FHA just had its annual audit that they reported to Congresss. Their worry was how the audit was going to turn out. They changed many …
Houston Association’s NRG Named 2010 YPN Chapter of the Year
It’s no secret that YPN is on fire. Since the 2009 REALTORS® Conference & Expo, YPN has grown from 17 chapters to more than 130 chapters nationwide. Membership has skyrocketed from 2,000 registered YPNers to over 7,500. With that burst of growth also came increased competition for the 2010 YPN Chapter of the Year. The number of applications this year …
Help Buyers Understand Private Transfer Fees
More home buyers are being asked to pay a developer a fee—called a private transfer fee—at closing even if the home has transferred ownership several times since the developer initially sold it. Help buyers understand—and possibly negotiate away—private transfer fees by sharing free information from “Private Transfer Fees Affect Home Pricing & Marketability” from the November “Home Ownership Matters” theme …
Market Stats Can Be Your Best Friend
By Kelly Reark OK, I’m ready. Elections are over. The holidays are around the corner. Bring on the buyers. Here in Florida, our season is just about to start. What are people expecting, and what are you going to do about it? My advice is to study your market, and practice how you will handle objections from buyers and sellers. …
Celebrate Veterans Day, the REALTOR® Way.
By Nobu Hata Hi guys, I originally wrote this post for Conference Live last week, but it bears repeating on Veterans Day. It hits close to home for me with a brother who served two tours in Iraq, then bought a home via DVA loan last year. Thank a Vet. Help a Vet. It’s the least we can do. There …
Slideshow: YPN’s Fire & Ice NARdiGras Reception
More than 500 career-driven real estate professionals from around the country came out to network, exchange business ideas, and party at the Young Professionals Network’s exclusive Fire & Ice NARdiGras Reception on Friday, Nov. 5 at The Foundry in the city’s colorful Warehouse District. The 2010 REALTORS® Conference & Expo event was sponsored by HouseLogic’s REALTOR® Content Resource, Better Homes …
It’s REALTOR® Conference & Expo Time
By Nobu Hata What can I say that already hasn’t been said. YPN Party, tweetups, committee meetings, and forums, all are at the ready. And while it’s not as “stuffy” as the MidYear meetings, there are things worth doing while you’re in the Big Easy, no matter your pleasure! The Studious: ePRO is being relaunched and it’s pretty darn relevant …
A Part Time Agent Isn’t Necessarily Less of an Agent
By Toby Boyce I stood quietly waiting for the smiling-innocent faces to calm down as they stared back at me. They were so fresh and ready to change the world. Was I teaching another class of new REALTORS® in one of my CE classes? I wish; the faces were third-graders at a local middle school. I was their “guest teacher” …