Realtor.com beta testing site redesign NAR listing portal will employ 'adaptive' home page

BY INMAN NEWS, WEDNESDAY, JULY 18, 2012 Inman News®

Mouse in maze image via Shutterstock.

Realtor.com operator Move Inc. is beta testing changes to the official listing portal of the National Association of Realtors that the company says are aimed at making the site easier to navigate and use.

First-time visitors will see a simplified home page that encourages them to "dive into search," while returning visitors will be served up a location-specific landing page that "intelligently remembers what they've been doing on the site," said Move Creative Director Amit Kulkarni in a blog post explaining the planned changes.

Mobile game ad campaign deemed a success | Century 21's presence in 'We City' generates 5.4 million welcome-screen views

BY INMAN NEWS, WEDNESDAY, JULY 18, 2012 Inman News®

Tablet user image via Shutterstock.

Last year, franchisor Century 21 Real Estate launched an advertising campaign on We City, a social, mobile online game where users build SimCity-like virtual metropolises. This year, it was recognized as a success.

The campaign -- along with about 700 other print, Web and video winners -- was awarded aHermes Creative Award platinum honor, the contest's highest. The annual contest, which recognizes successful and innovative work, is run by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals and had 4,700 entries this year.

Real estate odds and ends: Look for more Realtors, smaller apartments, and Bruce Wayne in Chicago A global roundup of real estate industry items of interest

BY MARY UMBERGER, WEDNESDAY, JULY 18, 2012 Inman News®

Bikeworldtravel / Shutterstock.com

Glimpses (and confirmed sightings) across a very broadly defined real estate landscape:

He's a 1 percenter

That's one interesting way to get a tax deduction: Facebook.com founder Mark Zuckerberg refinanced the mortgage on his Palo Alto, Calif., home in April with a 1.05 percent adjustable-rate mortgage on a loan of $5.95 million,according to the San Jose Mercury News.

Signs that California real estate is making a comeback | Several data point to early stages of seller's market

BY BERNICE ROSS, THURSDAY, JULY 12, 2012 Inman News®

Happy man jumping image via Shutterstock.

A host of factors could send the real estate market back into a tailspin.

Will "Taxmageddon" send us back into recession?

Will Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae and FHA continue to exist?

Will the mortgage interest deduction and low down payments disappear?

Will the euro fail?

Will unemployment and weak manufacturing data in the U.S. and China continue to be the norm?

Assessor: Mansion that sold for $100 million worth half that | Silicon Valley mansion was never on the market, seller financed part of deal

BY ANDREA V. BRAMBILA, WEDNESDAY, JULY 11, 2012 Inman News®

Bubble image via Shutterstock.

A 25,500-square-foot Silicon Valley mansion that sold last year for $100 million is worth only half that much, according to the Santa Clara County assessor's office.

The home's new owner, Russian venture capitalist Yuri Milner, can take solace in the fact that his $600,000 annual property tax bill will also be about half of what it would have been, had the home been assessed at its sale price.

The French chateau-style estate, situated on 17 acres in Los Altos Hills, Calif., features 14 bathrooms, a ballroom, a formal dining room, a home theater, and a wine cellar. There's also an indoor pool, a library, a gym, staff quarters, a 4,600-square-foot guest house, and panoramic views of the San Francisco Bay.

6 paths to success for buyers in tight markets Dated décor, canceled listings can work in your favor

BY DIAN HYMER, MONDAY, JULY 9, 2012 Inman News®

Finish line image via Shutterstock.

In low-inventory markets, some buyers are having a hard time finding a home to buy. There are steps you can take to improve your odds of finding a home at a time when interest rates are at record lows and affordability is high.

One approach is to broaden your search. You should be clear about what it is you want to buy. But, homebuying involves making compromises. Just make sure you don't give in on the essentials. You need a home that will last you for the long term. Avoid listings with major defects that will be expensive or impossible to fix.

Foreclosure inventory remains near all-time high LPS: Most homes in foreclosure in judicial states delinquent for more than 2 years

BY INMAN NEWS, MONDAY, JULY 9, 2012 Inman News®

Dam image via Shutterstock.

The number of U.S. homes in the foreclosure pipeline remained near an all-time high in May with judicial foreclosure states posting inventory levels more than twice that in non-judicial foreclosure states, according to a monthly reportfrom loan data aggregator Lender Processing Services released today.

The nation's foreclosure inventory stood at 4.1 percent of all active mortgages in May. This includes all loans that have been referred to an attorney for foreclosure but have not yet finished the foreclosure process through sale.

What the Obamacare decision means for you | Real Estate Tax Talk

BY STEPHEN FISHMAN, FRIDAY, JUNE 29, 2012 Inman News®

Nurse, patient and doctor image via Shutterstock.

As you've doubtless heard, on Thursday the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. This means that unless Congress overturns the law, it will take full effect over the next several years.

What does this mean to you? The most significant change created by the new law is the requirement that all Americans have health insurance coverage by 2014. Currently, there is no federal law requiring individuals to have health coverage; nor are employers required to provide it for their employees.

Houston brokers swap franchise affiliations | Prudential, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate vie for market share

BY INMAN NEWS, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2012  Inman News®

Calf roping image via Shutterstock.

Two brokerages operating in the greater Houston market have swapped franchise affiliations, with the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate network boosting its total agent count at the expense of the Prudential Real Estate franchise network.

Anderson Properties, which affiliated with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate in March 2010, has merged its operations with Alvin, Texas-based Prudential Reyes-Planka Realtors. The combined 202-agent firm will operate as Prudential Anderson Properties, with 10 offices in the greater Houston area, Austin and Lubbock.

Websites that depend on agent dollars are doomed | Realtor Notebook

BY TERESA BOARDMAN, THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 2012 Inman News®

Dinosaur image via Shutterstock.

A couple of months ago I was contacted by the editor for a local news website. They syndicate some of my real estate content and we have had an ongoing relationship for many years.

They wanted to talk about having neighborhood pages with real estate listings on their website, and they wanted to get local agents to pay to sponsor the pages and to pay to advertise real estate listings on them.

Take your photo strategy beyond listings | Realtor Notebook

BY TERESA BOARDMAN Inman News®

St. Paul, Minn. Victorian home photo credit Teresa Boardman.

Home buying and selling activity started picking up a few months ago and is still going strong. But for me, it is also photography season.

I have an endless, inexhaustible need for photographs for blog posts and for advertising, and everything seems to look better in June. Some of the photographs I will take in the next two months will be sold next winter, and others will bring me clients.