Your paperless office may soon be printing plastic

Only time will tell if 3-D printing has real estate applications

BY GAHLORD DEWALD, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2013.

Inman News®

The Makerbot Replicator 2 Desktop 3-D Printer. Image via Makerbot.com

It seems like 2013 is gearing up to be the year of 3-D printing among the tech set. Let's spend a few minutes looking at this technology -- also known as "additive manufacturing" -- and what sort of impact it might have.
3-D printing technology enables you to make a physical object out of plastic from a computer file. It is to industrial design what the ink jet printer is to graphic design.
So, in the same way that you might use an ink jet printer to print off a couple of brochures or sell sheets or other business collateral, you might use a 3-D printer to "print" off an object -- a keychain fob, an action figure, a spare plastic part for something, and so on.
First off, let's be very clear and honest: 3-D printing is extremely cool, but it's also a long way from mainstream. There are significant constraints on what this technology can do today.

The printers build up objects a layer at a time, which are limited in size and also in complexity or "resolution." The resulting objects are prone to deformities and defects, and will often require some degree of hand finishing to be considered of decent quality.

But in the same way that the capabilities of desktop printers have advanced radically, I suspect that 3-D printing will also improve rapidly should a market become apparent. What we see today with hobbyist 3-D printing will morph into something more polished and useful over time.
Let's examine the technology in terms of time frame.

StreetAdvisor signs up 2 Re/Max affiliates

Brokerages are latest to integrate neighborhood reviews into their own websites

BY INMAN NEWS, MONDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2012.

Inman News®

Two large Re/Max franchises -- including the largest Re/Max franchise in the world, Denver area-based Re/Max Alliance -- are the latest brokerages to brand neighborhood info site StreetAdvisor's local reviews and highlight their agents as prominent local experts via the site.

By licensing its social-engineered review platform, brokerages can integrate StreetAdvisor's consumer neighborhood reviews and local "expert" Q&As. create a page highlighting their agents as neighborhood experts and promote their reviews, and display StreetAdvisor content fenced to their location and to their agents, said StreetAdvisor co-founder Adam Spencer.

StreetAdvisor launched its "Pro" white-label product in November, with New York-based Houlihan Lawrence and Cincinnati-based Comey and Shepherd Realtors as its first customers.

Radian mortgage insurance now available through Mortgagebot

Customers can now order PMI directly from loan origination system

BY INMAN NEWS, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2012.

Inman News®

Mortgage insurance from Philadelphia-based Radian Guaranty Inc. is now available through a loan origination system from mortgage and consumer lending technology company Mortgagebot.

Financial technology firm D+H acquired Mequon, Wis.-based Mortgagebot in April 2011. The company counts more than 1,300 banks and credit unions nationwide as clients.

Radian Guaranty Inc., a private mortgage insurance and risk management provider, is a subsidiary of Radian Group Inc. Mortgagebot has now completely integrated Radian's mortgage insurance offerings into its Web-based Mortgagebot EnterpriseLOS, allowing customers of both companies to order Radian mortgage insurance directly from the platform.

"This is exciting news because it’s one more way Radian is working to accomplish one of our top priorities -- making it easier than ever to do business with us," said Brien McMahon, Radian’s chief franchise officer, in a statement.

1stdibs.com attracting high-end listings

Houlihan Lawrence latest luxury broker to market homes on the site

BY INMAN NEWS, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012.

Inman News®

A Sotheby's International Realty listing featured on 1stdibs.com.

Luxury real estate brokers are discovering yet another way that the rich are different -- instead of shopping on Amazon.com, they're pining over fine art, jewelry, fashion and now homes at online luxury marketplace 1stdibs.com.

Westchester County, N.Y.-based real estate brokerage Houlihan Lawrence is the latest brokerage to market listings on site, saying it will display 100 upper-tier homes on the high-end online marketplace this month.

The homes will show up under the "Fine Homes" section of the 1stdibs.comwebsite, where luxury home shoppers can see listings from luxury brokers operating in markets like New York, California, Florida, Texas, Washington, D.C., and France, the only featured international market.

Other New York brokerages with listings on the site include Prudential Douglas Elliman and Realogy Holdings Corp. subsidiaries The Corcoran Group, Sotheby's International Realty and Coldwell Banker Real Estate. California's Warwick Property Group and Texas-based Greenwood King Properties are also marketing listings at 1stdibs.com.

'Nudge' real estate marketing tool now incorporates photos

Version 2.0 of 1000watt app allows updates directly from Instagram

BY INMAN NEWS, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2012.

Inman News®

Nudge, the Web-based app from real estate marketing firm 1000watt Consulting that allows real estate pros to create clear, straightforward ads in a short amount of time, now incorporates photos.
The app was designed to be a streamlined, simple real estate marketing alternative to the sometimes difficult-to-relate-to marketing reports full of text, charts and graphs, said 1000watt partner Marc Davison, who helped design the app.
With the release of Nudge 2.0, users can now update photos directly from Instagram, or from their desktop, and create straightforward ads akin to those from big-brand ads like Groupon, Davison said.
The first iteration of the app, released in April, had 10 clip art-like interactive images that users could modify to indicate broad market conditions such as whether inventory was up or down.
Users would adjust the art in its predetermined settings, give it a title, include some text (450-character max) and then send it out over email, embed it on their website or share it via social media.
Now, while retaining many of the app's former characteristics, Nudge allows real estate pros to add their own images and includes a streamlined design, Davison said. In a nutshell, he said, it's now become a marketing tool that allows users to create a marketing piece with "a nice image, simple text and a call to action."

"Marketing should have a soft touch," Davison said. "A Groupon comes every day for one cool thing," and Nudge makes it easy for real estate pros do to the same thing, he said.

Screen shot of part of a Nudge piece made by Fort Worth, Texas-based Fischer Real Estate Services. See the full version here.
"(N)udge makes digital marketing easier," wrote Jack Miller, the chief technology officer of the Austin, Texas, real estate firm The GoodLife Team, in a Facebook comment posted today. "We did some tests with it in the earlier version, and I'm very excited about the creative possibilities with it now with the photo tools. Cool stuff."
Nikki Beauchamp, an agent with Warburg Realty Partnership Ltd., indicated that she was excited by Nudge's ability to allow her to market differently than she usually does. "I like sharing my photos various places," she said in a Facebook comment today. "But very exciting to be able to use as a more general marketing touch other than 'here's new data.'"
1000watt charges individual agents $149 per year for access to platform. Brokerages, regardless of the number of agents they have, can purchase the service for a flat fee of $1,000 per month.

6 ways agents can boost productivity

The SLAM model for real estate success

BY BERNICE ROSS, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2012  Inman News®

Smokestacks image via Shutterstock.

Editor's note: This is the first of a four-part series.

What does it take to succeed in real estate? Whether you are a 40-year veteran or a brand-new agent, your success or failure in the real estate industry essentially boils down to four critical elements: systems, leverage, attraction and mindset -- also known as SLAM.

Systems

Regardless of how experienced an agent is, strong systems form the foundation upon which successful real estate careers are built. Agents who have strong systems have more time to spend with buyers and sellers, which normally translates into more deals. The key areas where agents need systems include:

MRIS going it alone in NeighborCity copyright suit

MLS won't take money it requested from NAR to help pay for legal battle

BY ANDREA V. BRAMBILA, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012 Inman News®

Lone rider image via Shutterstock.

Mid-Atlantic multiple listing service Metropolitan Regional Information Systems Inc. (MRIS) has decided not to accept financial support it requested from the National Association of Realtors for its copyright infringement suit against the operator of real estate search portal and referral site NeighborCity.com.

In a complaint filed March 28, MRIS alleged NeighborCity's owner and operator, American Home Realty Network Inc., reproduced, displayed and distributed copyrighted listing content, including photographs, without authorization and violated copyright laws through "the creation of unauthorized derivative works incorporating the MRIS database."

St. Paul, Minn.-based Regional Multiple Listing Service of Minnesota Inc. (NorthstarMLS) made similar allegations against San Francisco-based American Home Realty Network in a complaint filed April 18.

The lawsuits were filed not long after American Home Realty Network, which is licensed as a brokerage in California, updated profile pages for 850,000 agents on NeighborCity.com that feature agent scores and performance metrics based on their transaction history.

4 tools to increase your value as a real estate agent

New tech from Real Estate Connect

BY BERNICE ROSS, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012 Inman News®

A packed session, "Video is for Closers," at Real Estate Connect San Francisco. Photo credit: Inman News.

Editor's note: This is the second of a three-part series. Read Part 1.

What were the latest technology innovations making their debut at this summer's Real Estate Connect? While agent ratings, mobile apps and video were all hot at Start-Up Alley, some of the less trendy tools and services may be exactly what you need to kick your business up a notch.

Early adopters have a definite advantage over those who fail to keep pace with technology. Many younger clients love agents who have the latest tech tools. On the other hand, incorporating a new tool into your business only to see the company disappear a few months later can be a costly mistake.

While almost everyone acknowledges that being an early adopter is a way to stay ahead of the competition, the question is which set of tools and services will be the best fit for the way you do business? The list below contains a number of apps and services that are definitely worth considering.

The social network Nextdoor

Nextdoor is dedicated to maintaining online privacy. For example, if your neighborhood wasn't on Nextdoor, you could add it to the system. The process requires nine neighbors to sign up within 21 days. Each individual must accept a phone call on their landline or verify their address with a credit card. This level of privacy is what allows participants to feel safe about sharing personal information, including pictures and names of their children.Nextdoor was the most talked new social network at this year's Connect. Facebook lets you connect with friends and relatives, LinkedIn allows you to connect with other professionals, and Twitter focuses on what is happening in the moment. In contrast, Nextdoor is a free private social network that allows people to connect who live in local neighborhoods. Rather than having to knock on doors to meet your neighbors, Nextdoor is a powerful alternative. Nextdoor allows people in a given neighborhood to complete profiles about themselves and their family members. It's a great way to get to know others who live in your subdivision or condo building.

Real estate industry is shifting to paperless and mobile

New tech from Real Estate Connect

BY BERNICE ROSS, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2012.

Inman News®

Mobile phone image via Shutterstock.

Editor's note: This is the first of a three-part series.

Real estate's movers, shakers and innovators once again convened in San Francisco for this summer's Real Estate Connect searching for the newest tools and strategies to give them a competitive edge.

A visit to Start-Up Alley is always one of the highlights of attending Connect. While many companies who launch at Start-Up Alley never become viable, others such as Zillow and Trulia have become superstars. Below you'll find a rundown of some of the best tools and systems that may very well be the superstars of tomorrow.

Mobile transaction management

If you haven't shifted to being paperless and mobile, it's only a matter of time before the entire real estate industry makes this move. The three key players at Connect in this area were Cartavi.com, DotLoop.com and REPREE.com.

Cartavi launched its transaction management program at last year's event. This year it launched a brand-new app making Cartavi the only transaction management program currently available on the iPad, iPhone, Android and Android tablets. Cartavi has both a free and a premium version. Both versions are integrated with DocuSign; however, there is a separate fee for using the DocuSign system.

Rising prices will drive housing sales for years to come

Commentary: Forget inflation -- we're still in the global deflation event of all time

BY LOU BARNES, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2012 Inman News®

Housing market trends image via Shutterstock.

The market response to QE3 has been different than to the first and and second rounds of "quantitative easing." It's subdued this time.

The initial upward burst in stocks has fizzled, and the run to commodities by those either fearful of inflation or hoping for it has also stalled. The 10-year Treasury note jumped almost to 1.9 percent from summer in the 1.5s, but has now retreated to 1.75 percent.

Only mortgages have behaved as expected, sitting at or slightly below the 3.5 percent all-time low, depending on the deal.

The usual weekly run of data on the current economy shed no new light, but deeper reports on credit and housing did enlighten, as did -- may the saints preserve us -- news from domestic politics.

Republican columnist David Brooks this week nailed Mitt Romney as behaving like Thurston Howell III, the clueless ascot-throated boob of "Gilligan's Island." Romney had done poorly while cast as a Wall Street sharpie. Boob is fatal.

Who got rich off of Trulia IPO?

Co-founders Pete Flint and Sami Inkinen top the chart

BY INMAN NEWS, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012 Inman News®

Trulia co-founders Pete Flint (wielding gavel) and Sami Inkinen (under the 'a' in Trulia) at the New York Stock Exchange Thursday. Photo credit: Ben Hider/NYSE Euronext.

Editor's note: This story has been updated.

Trulia Inc. co-founders Peter Flint, 37, and Sami Inkinen, 36, cashed in on stock worth $3.88 million and $3.56 million, respectively, during Trulia's initial public offering.

Both Flint and Inkinen held on to about 10 times as many shares as they sold, as the company they founded in 2004 finished its first day of trading Thursday with a market capitalization in excess of $500 million.

Flint continues to lead the company as CEO. Inkinen shed his role as president with the company in March and remains on the board of directors.

Why generic analytics reports and tools won't do

Clear presentation of relevant data crucial for seeing the big picture

BY GAHLORD DEWALD, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2012Inman News®

The Space Shuttle Columbia reentering Earth's atmosphere on Feb. 1, 2003. Image viaNASA/Wikimedia Commons.

Digital analytics -- measuring human behavior in the digital realm -- can be used in many different ways to help business owners make better decisions. This includes real estate agents, brokers, franchises, and the army of vendors and consultants who serve them.

Increasingly, there are tools and charts and dashboards and infographics scattered throughout any business decision-making activity. Some of these tools and charts are useful. Some are decorative. Some are merely marketing pitches insidiously dressed up as meaningful data.

Today, the first encounter with analytics for many business owners is either the generic Google Analytics dashboard or some other vendor-produced tool. While I am a big fan of Google Analytics, I think that it is unfortunate that so many start this way.

Don't underestimate autumn home sale potential

Though sales are seasonal, markets don't grind to a halt in September

BY ALISHA ALWAY BRAATZ, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2012 Inman News®

Autumn image via Shutterstock.

If I had my way, each year would officially start in September.

The heck with Jan. 1! Who's even awake in January?

You've just finished gorging on pie and cured meats for two months. That's the time to fit into a sparkly minidress and stay up until 3 a.m.? No thank you.

I prefer to celebrate the coming new year in September -- the month when everything really important happens. Fall is for the first day of school, fresh notebooks, new shoes, empty backpacks and chocolate milk.

It's simply the season of change, and nature herself confirms it. Leaves start changing color, the air gets crisp, and all the hanging flower baskets around my house die because I forget to water them (so sorry!). Football kicks off, root vegetables begin showing up on the dinner table, and all the best TV shows are back in the prime-time lineup.

Homebuyers pay for 'raids' on Fannie and Freddie

Commentary: Mortgage surcharges let lawmakers keep pledges not to raise taxes

BY KEN HARNEY, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2012 Inman News®

Chest of money image via Shutterstock.

There's an ominous trend taking shape below the headlines in Washington this political season that anyone involved in home sales, financing or building should keep an eye on.

It's called raiding the cookie jar of the helpless: squeezing more money for federal purposes out of the home lending process without calling it a "tax" by jacking up fees at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

After a raid, consumers purchasing homes or refinancing end up paying relatively small amounts extra in mortgage fees -- adding anywhere between one-eighth and one-quarter of a percent onto their loan rates. Hardly anyone's the wiser because the surcharges show up nowhere in the process.

But with 60 percent-plus of all new mortgages now being funded by Fannie and Freddie, the extra amounts raised by mortgage fees rapidly can total into the tens of billions of dollars over extended periods.

The danger of new fees tacked onto conventional mortgages stems from two developments: first is the looming "fiscal cliff" facing the federal government by year-end, when Bush-era tax cuts expire and disastrous cuts in spending kick in.

Second, there is a perception on Capitol Hill -- a correct one -- that the two giant companies now under government control have no one left to protect them from financial assaults. That means they are fair game when revenues need to be raised without violating no-new-taxes pledges.

Why your listings don't rank

How to get search engines to see your pages and rank them higher

BY GAHLORD DEWALD, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012 Inman News®

Ski lift image via Shutterstock.

A reader emailed recently wondering why search engines find property listings on some websites and not on others.

Even more vexing, sometimes search engines treat different listings on the same site inconsistently -- one listing on Craigslist will show up in search results, and another listing won't. Why is that?

Search is one of those arcane arts of the Web. Agents and brokers -- who once provided a fairly hefty subsidy of local newspapers through their advertising -- now spend a great deal of time and money getting properties and sites to show up in search engine results.

And that's probably a good thing. If someone is is paying to have their house listed, and one of the promises made by the agent involves marketing the property, then doing a bit of online marketing via search engines is in order. But hopefully you'll get the property sold before you have to boost its ranking on a head term.

Grow the economy, or else

Commentary: New plan to tackle Europe's debt crisis doesn't address underlying problems

BY LOU BARNES, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012 Inman News®

Apple pie image via Shutterstock.

First, an expression of gratitude. Reality -- new economic data and active central banks -- has removed any duty to pay attention to the convention of either party.

August job data released today were poor. The meager 96,000-job gain was cut in half by downward revisions to the two prior months, and the apparent decline in unemployment from 8.3 percent to 8.1 percent is a statistical quirk -- the percentage of Americans at work or trying to find it fell to the lowest level since 1981.

California broker fighting for right to advertise out-of-state listings

Young: Nebraska's licensing requirements violate free speech rights

BY ANDREA V. BRAMBILA, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012 Inman News®

Gavel image via Shutterstock.

A California real estate broker who has advertised for-sale-by-owner properties from other states on Realtor.com by placing them in a multiple listing service in California has amended a lawsuit she filed two years ago against Nebraska regulators, claiming their attempts to put a halt to the practice have violated her civil rights to free speech and to pursue a trade.

The Nebraska Real Estate Commission sent California broker Leslie Rae Young a cease and desist order in July 2010, maintaining that only Nebraska licensees are permitted to negotiate the listing, sale or purchase of property in the state, or assist in procuring prospects.

Young then sued the state of Nebraska and the commission in federal court, claiming changes to Nebraska's licensing laws were unconstitutional, and that the state had no jurisdiction over her.

Cashing in on global real estate clients

Be prepared to meet 5 unique expectations

BY BERNICE ROSS, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2012 Inman News®

Global real estate clients image via Shutterstock.

Would you like to close 50 percent more deals with the same amount of work that you do right now? If so, expanding your business to include a global clientele is one of the simplest ways to cash in on a very lucrative real estate niche.

Due to the cultural and language differences, many agents find working with global clients to be intimidating. Nevertheless, global clients can be a gold mine for your business.

To illustrate this point, only 33 percent of all domestic real estate clients ever close a deal. In contrast, 50 percent of all global clients close deals. This translates into closing 50 percent more deals with the same amount of work. This also explains why agents who work with global clients make 50 percent more on average than those who work exclusively with domestic clients.

MLS granted injunction against NeighborCity.com

Insurer denies duty to pay for portal's defense against copyright lawsuits

BY ANDREA V. BRAMBILA, FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012.

Inman News®

Gavel image via Shutterstock.

Five months after filing suitagainst the operator of NeighborCity.com, mid-Atlantic multiple listing service Metropolitan Regional Information Systems, Inc. (MRIS) has been granted a preliminary injunction prohibiting NeighborCity from using copyrighted content from the MRIS database without authorization.

In a complaint filed March 28, MRIS alleged NeighborCity's owner and operator, American Home Realty Network Inc., reproduced, displayed and distributed copyrighted listing content, including photographs, without the MLSs' authorization and violated copyright laws through "the creation of unauthorized derivative works incorporating the MRIS database."

St. Paul, Minn.-based Regional Multiple Listing Service of Minnesota Inc. (NorthstarMLS) filed a similar suit against AHRN on April 18. NorthstarMLS has also filed for a preliminary injunction against the company, but the court has yet to render a decision.

The lawsuits were filed not long after San Francisco-based American Home Realty Network, which is licensed as a brokerage in California, updated profile pages for 850,000 agents on NeighborCity.com that feature agent scores and performance metrics based on their transaction history.

The preliminary injunction in the MRIS case, filed Aug. 27, denied NeighborCity's motion to dismiss the MRIS case and enjoined the company "from unauthorized copying, reproduction, public display, or public distribution of copyrighted content from the MRIS database, and from preparing derivative works based upon the copyrighted content from the MRIS database."

Tax clock is ticking for underwater homeowners

Real estate tax talk

BY STEPHEN FISHMAN, FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012.

Inman News®

Elated man image via Shutterstock.

Ordinarily, if all or part of a home loan is forgiven by the lender, either in a short sale or foreclosure, the amount forgiven is taxable income. Thus, for example, a homeowner who had $100,000 in mortgage debt forgiven through a short sale would have to pay income tax on the $100,000.

However, Congress adopted the Mortgage Debt Relief Act of 2007 to save millions of underwater homeowners from this tax disaster. Under the Act, homeowners can exclude from their taxable income up to $2 million of debt forgiven on their principal residence during 2007 through 2012. The Act applies to debt reduced through mortgage restructuring, as well as forgiven in connection with a foreclosure.

But the Mortgage Debt Relief Act expires on January 1, 2013. Any mortgage debt forgiven after that date will be fully taxable, unless the Act is extended. To avoid this deadline, a home must not only be sold before the deadline, but the lender must formally forgive the loan in a letter issued before January 1, 2013.

Will the Mortgage Debt Relief Act be extended past 2012? No one knows. In its 2013 budget, the Obama Administration asked that the Act be extended for two years. Several bills have been pending in Congress to extend it as well, but so far nothing has happened. No one has any idea what Congress will do, and it likely won't act until after the election on November 8, if then. It may depend on who wins the election.

Homeowners who want to take advantage of the Mortgage Debt Relief Act must sell their homes before the end of the year. It may already be too late for most homeowners, since short sales often take many months to complete. But some homeowners may be able to complete a short sale before the deadline if they act now -- it all depends on the property and lenders involved. There will likely be a deluge of sellers trying to meet the end of year deadline.