Marketing

Top Real Estate Headlines for Week Ending: October 8th

The weekend is finally here. Before you run off to the Chicago Marathon let’s pause for a moment to review what the top real estate and mortgage headlines were this week according to the National Association of Realtors.

• Another Gain for Pending Home Sales
  Pending Home Sales Index rose for the 2nd consecutive month, thanks to low rates and affordable prices.
• Regulators to Banks: Review Foreclosures
  The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has told seven big banks to review their procedures in light of problems at other banks.
• 3 Tips for Negotiating Short Sales
  Kathy Mehringer, who educates real estate agents on short sales, offers her 3 best tips for working with lenders on these complex transactions.
• Mortgages Hit Lowest Levels Since 1950s
  The last time borrowers could get rates this low, every tv was black and white and Americans liked Ike.
• Foreclosure Reviews Could Lead to Costly Delays
  If documentation is found to be incomplete, legal challenges could arise.
• 4 Ways to Ramp Up Your Marketing
  Get ideas on how you can enhance your marketing to expand your reach to buyers and sellers.
• Fed Chair: Government May Buy More Debt
  Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke suggested that the Fed is likely to buy more debt, which could further drive down rates on mortgages, corporate financing and other loans.
• Most- and Least-Promising Metros for Investors
  See which U.S. metropolitan areas were ranked as the best and worst places for real estate investment.
• How to Reach the Millennials
  The millennial generation is a growing segment of buyers in today’s market. But they have different views about home ownership, and they also communicate differently than previous generations. Are you talking their talk?
• Good Neighbor Award Finalist Jim Arnhold
  Virginia practitioner harnesses land for charity, giving disabled children a chance to thrive through horseback riding.
• HUD Has Loans for Out-of-Work Borrowers
  The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will offer $50,000 loans to unemployed borrowers who are at least three months behind on their payments, but have a reasonable likelihood of being able to resume payments within two years.
• Helmsley Mansion Sells at Deep Discount
  The Greenwich, Conn., estate of the late hotel magnates Leona and Harry Helmsley sold for $35 million after being listed in 2008 for $125 million.

These were the top real estate and mortgage headlines for the week ending October 8, 2010.

Want to know how these national real estate headlines could impact you right here locally in Northwest Indiana? Subscribe to this blog, Today’s Real Estate Reality, and let our collective years of real estate experience in Northwest Indiana guide you to an informed and successful real estate transaction today.

Marketing

How Far Has Google Come to Help Sell Your Home

Ever heard of Google? In case you’ve been living in a cave since 1997, here’s The Google Story in 2 minutes.

Did you recognize any features and/or applications that Google has released over the past 10 years? Better yet, do you use any of them? I know I certainly do. So, how can Google help sell your home faster?

Understanding patterns and trends were just the beginning for Google but it also happens to be the start point for every real estate agent. Not understanding real estate cycles and patterns in your local real estate market can lead to lost dollars and much frustration.

Think about it for a second. Why is every home offered for sale start with a comparative marketing analysis (aka CMA) and end with a valuation of property through a licensed appraiser?

The answer is simple. Home sellers and home buyers want to know which direction home prices are trending. This allows home sellers a solid foundation on how to price their home for today’s real estate market. It will also reaffirm the home buyers confidence that they did get a great deal on the purchase of a home today.

Beyond getting a grasp on real estate market trends, did you know that Google can help sell your home faster through it’s vast brand awareness and marketing prowess. It’s true.

How would anyone know that you actually wanted to sell your home if you never marketed your home for sale. They wouldn’t! Consequently, that’s why every Realtor offers to put a home for sale sign in your yard and broadcast that your home is for sale to other Realtors through the mulitple listing service (MLS).

Is this good enough in today’s real estate market? Absolutley not.

The whole premise of using a yard sign and the MLS is to get your home marketed to the largest eligible pool of home buyers. Where better to market your home for sale than on the number one website in terms of web traffic, unique visitors and page views. That’s right! Google.

If you would like to learn more about Google Tools for Real Estate Professionals, by all means buckle up and go for it. Or, you can work with a local Realtor who already knows how Google can help sell your home faster.