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Dec

31
2008

Fashion trends for brick and mortar

By Ashfaq Munshi, Wednesday, December 31, 2008.

To say that real estate is in a state of deep reinvention is like saying the market is bad. We all know it. We're all looking for ways to start over and build anew.

Yet, when I suggested in a previous guest article the notion that brokers should rethink their real estate office space and get rid of it to cut costs, many protested.  more...

Dec

24
2008

Letter to Editor

'Bigger fish' vs. 'the little guy'

By Inman News, Wednesday, December 24, 2008.

Re: 'Mortgage brokers sue to block RESPA' (Dec. 22)

Dear Editor:

Having firsthand knowledge of lenders I would have to side with the mortgage brokers on this one.

It has long been assumed that banks lend their own money and later possibly sell some of their loans to free up more of their own money for lending.  more...

Inside the MLS crystal ball

By Inman News, Wednesday, December 24, 2008.

Believe it or not, it's that time of year. Time to dust off the crystal ball, peer deep into its hazy core, and make a few predictions.

This is always a dicey exercise. No doubt I will be wrong on some counts. And some of you may think I'm off-base from the get-go. But as a guy who runs a multiple listing service, it's my job to try to see around the corner.  more...

Dec

23
2008

Tool simplifies online community

By , Tuesday, December 23, 2008.

Late last week I added Google Friend Connect to my blog (if you followed @jburslem on Twitter you would have seen my tweet asking for people to help me test it out). I did so after Google made the service widely available to all Web site owners.  more...

Dec

18
2008

Letter to Editor

Poking holes in paperless transactions

By Inman News, Thursday, December 18, 2008.

Re: 'Say goodbye to paper documents' (Dec. 17)

Dear Editor:

The idea of paperless transactions has great appeal to me from an economic and environmental standpoint. From a practical standpoint there are a few things that most have failed to realize or understand.

For many activities, such as getting news, viewing advertising and shopping, paperless is absolutely the way to go.  more...

Letter to Editor

Banks must show 'financial responsibility'

By Inman News, Thursday, December 18, 2008.

Re: 'Worries amid foreclosure wave' (Dec. 17)

Dear Editor:

As a rule, the condition of bank-owned properties is a direct reflection of the hostile communications or lack of communications between the previous owner and the collection wing of the lender. Some owners have left their properties stripped of toilets, sinks, tubs, cabinets, stoves, dishwashers, etc. Do you get the picture? Other owners have turned the water on just prior to leaving without informing anyone. Anybody want to play the "smell for mold" game? This is where the winner actually loses. What further aggravates the bank's relationship is when the lender does not process a seller facing a "short sale."  more...

Dec

17
2008

Say goodbye to paper documents

By Inman News, Wednesday, December 17, 2008.

In the near future, 100 percent of all documentation needed to purchase or sell a home will be filled out online using electronic-signature capabilities. Everything -- including your mortgage application, mortgage commitments, promissory notes, mortgages, deeds, title commitments, title insurance, agreements of sale, HUD-1 forms, etc., will be paperless.

The demand for this will increase as the world goes "green" and consumers better understand how going paperless will help our environment and cut operational costs. It's comparable to clean energy, in the fact it is currently more expensive to initially implement but over the long term it will save you money and help protect our environment. Every party involved, from the buyer and seller to the businesses who provide real estate services, will expect this paperless technology as the norm.  more...

Dec

16
2008

Foreclosure home-hunting strategies

By Inman News, Tuesday, December 16, 2008.

One of the most common questions asked of real estate professionals these days is some variation of the following: "Is now a good time to buy a foreclosure?"

I get this question routinely, too, and my short answer is simply to "check with your local real estate agent." I say that because the most accurate answer to the question is based on local market conditions and the individual financial status of the prospective buyers -- two pieces of information best determined by a good local real estate agent.  more...

Letter to Editor

Big government isn't the answer

By Inman News, Tuesday, December 16, 2008.

Re: 'Congress forgets role in $350B whodunit' (Dec. 12)

Dear Editor:

It's repugnant to see senior members of Congress, administration spokespeople and Washington bureaucrats -- whose advocacy for polices that helped create today's economic crisis -- pontificate daily about the abuses of Wall Street and others. Albeit, there is ample blame for those individuals and corporations, but when do these politicians and bureaucrats ever accept responsibility for their failures and misjudgments?  more...

Dec

12
2008

Letter to Editor

Top producers feel the pain, too

By Inman News, Friday, December 12, 2008.

Re: 'Revolutionary thinking for real estate' (Dec. 12)

Dear Editor:

What does a successful real estate company look like in a challenging market? Transparency! We keep hearing the word "transparency" in the media these days.

What does that mean for a real estate industry that has been rattled at its core? Agents who were making over $100,000, $250,000 or even more each year are now having a hard time making their mortgage payments.  more...

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