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.

5 green energy projects with buyer appeal Real Estate Tax Talk

BY STEPHEN FISHMAN, FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012 Inman News®

Wind turbine image via Shutterstock.

In this difficult real estate market, one way homeowners can make their property more attractive to potential buyers is to install energy-saving equipment such as solar panels and solar water heaters.

This can not only increase the value of a home, it can also result in a tax credit for the homeowner. A tax credit results in a dollar-for-dollar reduction in your taxes -- for example, a $1,000 tax credit reduces the amount of taxes you pay by $1,000. Moreover, you may claim tax credits regardless of whether you itemize deductions on IRS Schedule A.

The residential energy tax credit helps individual taxpayers pay for residential alternative energy equipment. You can get the credit for installing such equipment in your primary residence or second home, and for new construction. This credit is for residential property only, not rentals. It is scheduled to be phased out at the end of 2016, so you have some time to act.

Spat over commissions as KW enters Des Moines market | Iowa Realty won't pay commission splits to rival's agents

BY INMAN NEWS, MONDAY, JUNE 18, 2012 Inman News®

Tornado image via Shutterstock.

By LISA WAHLGREN

A HomeServices of America Inc. brokerage in Iowa is refusing to split commissions with buyer's agents at a competing brokerage, and is paying reduced commissions to agents at another.

The move by Des Moines-based Iowa Realty has raised eyebrows, but does not violate local Realtor association or multiple listing service (MLS) rules, those involved say.

Did Penguin eat your Google ranking? | Search algorithm changes could impact real estate listing syndication

BY BERNICE ROSS,  Inman News®

Search key image via Shutterstock.

Google recently made search ranking algorithm changes that will influence how easily potential buyers and sellers can find you online. Whether you are a brokerage or an agent who markets your real estate business online, staying on top these changes may require that you adjust your Web marketing strategy.

For the last two years I have been reluctant to touch our home page content, since RealEstateCoach.com was normally coming up in the No. 1 or No. 2 position on the three major search engines (Google, Bing and Yahoo) for our primary search term: "real estate coaching."