July housing starts take turn for the worse Wed, 16 Aug 2017 14:36:48 June's housing starts report was heralded as "welcome news" by National Association of Realtors (NAR) Chief Economist Lawrence Yun, who said increasing residential construction was the key to lowering home prices. This month, however, housing starts have taken a turn for the worse.
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The fastest-growing real estate companies in the US Wed, 16 Aug 2017 13:28:41 Every year Inc. magazine ranks the 5,000 fastest-growing privately held companies in the U.S. This year, 17 real estate companies made the top 500 cut, while 196 made the 5,000 list ... read more»
Home prices hit new peak in ‘extremely competitive buying season’ Wed, 16 Aug 2017 12:03:12 The housing market saw a series of ups and downs in Q2 2017, the majority of which were largely driven by low inventory unable to meet the demand of would-be buyers. This imbalance drove home prices to rise 6.2 percent, easily eclipsing the previous Q3 2016 peak of $241,300. The Q2 median single-family home price was $255,600, a 6.2 percent year-over-year and 6.9 percent quarter-over-quarter increase ... read more»
MID ‘a wasteful use of federal resources,’ says housing group Wed, 16 Aug 2017 11:53:46 How can the United States tackle the increasingly problematic issue of homelessness and housing poverty? The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) thinks that reforming the mortgage interest deduction (MID) is the way to move forward. But it's going to have to lobby against the National Association of Realtors (NAR) ... read more»
The Inman Files: Can NAR and C21 reckon with ghosts of the past? Wed, 16 Aug 2017 11:16:20 I had a “suite meet” with new NAR CEO Bob Goldberg when I attended the trade group’s fat cat (leadership) gathering in Chicago this week. The affable new chief executive manages thousands of volunteers, a $380 million operating budget for 2018 and a sprawling team of lobbyists, educators, publicists and event planners ... read more»
Zillow exec Nick Bailey to take over Century 21 as new CEO Wed, 16 Aug 2017 9:30:56 In the mid-1990s, Nick Bailey was a rookie agent at Century 21 Real Estate (C21). Little did he know that 21 years later, almost to the day, he would be named CEO and president of the company at the age of 42, his career coming full circle. ... read more»
Agents sell homes for more than FSBOs: study Wed, 16 Aug 2017 9:10:36 Academic research has often cast doubt on the value of real estate agents, but a new study will come as music to their ears. It suggests that homeowners will net roughly the same proceeds whether they sell through a real estate agent or take the FSBO (for-sale-by-owner) route ... read more»
How to brand using your no. 1 resource — you Wed, 16 Aug 2017 3:00:05 If you are looking to build your brand as a real estate agent, look no further than the Law of Authenticity from The Go-Giver Leader: A Little Story About What Matters Most in Business; "The most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself." ... read more»
How to overcome real estate client objections with honesty Wed, 16 Aug 2017 2:30:33 When dealing with clients, it’s common they’ll have concerns that can turn into roadblocks. As a real estate agent, it’s your job to figure out how to overcome those objections for a successful transaction. What's the pullback method? What are good buzzwords and key phrases to use in objection handling? Below are a few strategies and scripts that will answer these questions. ... read more»
10 things you should know about millennials to reach more prospects Wed, 16 Aug 2017 2:00:42 It seems that the housing market is experiencing a major shift that is sure to impact the future of real estate for at least another 10 years. As of 2016, millennial first-time buyers have surpassed Gen Xers and baby boomers. Millennials, born between 1980-1998, make up the largest group of first-time homebuyers at 66 percent, followed by Gen X at 26 percent ... read more»
Why it’s time to put a little soul back into real estate Wed, 16 Aug 2017 1:15:05 In our real estate world where social media, glossy eight-page brochures and fancy videos are our primary tools to attract clients, I want to challenge you this season to add the element of soul to your business ... read more»
Facebook Live vs. Snapchat: Should you leave one for the other? Wed, 16 Aug 2017 1:00:58 Are real estate agents turning away from Snapchat as Facebook continues to build on competitive features in its platforms like Facebook Live and Instagram Stories? The answer is undoubtedly: yes. And with good reason. Snapchat’s steady growth slowed by 82 percent after the launch of Instagram stories ... read more»
9 ways homebuyers can improve their credit scores Tue, 15 Aug 2017 14:38:04 The real estate business is booming, and with a scarce supply of starter homes on the market, competition between buyers is fierce. To get loans quickly, potential homebuyers need to keep an eye on their finances and credit ... read more»
NAR pres-elect: ‘This ain’t your daddy’s association anymore’ Tue, 15 Aug 2017 12:25:28 “Oh my goodness ... how did we get here?” National Association of Realtors (NAR) President-Elect Elizabeth Mendenhall asked the 2018 Leadership Summit crowd. “We’re here. There was some point in some time when someone came to you and said, ‘Do you want to serve in this position?’ And you said yes. You made that choice. You made that choice to be here and to be present, and you made a choice to own it.” ... read more»
NAR warns of text message scam Tue, 15 Aug 2017 12:01:46 The National Association of Realtors (NAR) has released a warning about a text message scam that asks members to pay a fine or sales tax on a prize. ... read more»
