Nov
16
2009
With every deal, agents have the opportunity to gain transaction knowledge and improve skills in negotiating, legal and regulatory matters. On the other hand, many agents focusing on transactions find it challenging to fit marketing activities into their day-to-day routines.
Today, many agents have had to re-evaluate business plans to meet the challenges of a slower market, increased competition, and emerging technologies. Here are some questions agents might ask to see if their marketing efforts are on target moving into 2010: Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: business plans, community information, marketing efforts, national association of realtors, Real Estate Marketing
Posted in Blog, Branding, Lead Generation, Newsletters, Real Estate Marketing
Nov
11
2009
With the holiday season upon us the real estate market and traffic to real estate portals usually declines. Well not this year! On Monday Homes.com saw it’s biggest day of traffic all year. Compared to one year ago visitors to Homes.com increased by 88% on Monday November 9th.
This is a trend that has continued all year on Homes.com with traffic to the site through the year is up by an average of 40%. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: consistent growth, first time home buyers, prime location, real estate market, tax credit
Posted in Blog, Corporate, Newsletters, Real Estate Marketing
Nov
5
2009
Congress has approved the extension and expansion of the home buyer tax credit into 2010. It is on its way to President Obama and is expected to be signed as early as tomorrow. Buyers who have a sales contract in place by April 30, 2010 and close by June 30th will be able to receive the $8,000 credit. Active military who are deployed overseas in 2008 or 2009 can claim the tax credit until April 30, 2011. The tax credit has been extended to allow home buyers who already own a home to receive a $6,500 credit when buying a new primary residence. See our previous blog post for more information.
According to the NAHB (National Association of Home Builders) they estimate “that the extended and expanded home buyer tax credit will create 211,000 jobs and generate 180,000 additional home sales in the coming year. It is also expected to generate $9.6 billion in wage income and $6.9 billion in federal, state and local taxes.”
Tags: home buyer, sales contract, tax credit
Posted in Blog, Buying a Home, Corporate, Financing a Home, Selling a Home
Nov
3
2009
An extension of the $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit seems to be gaining momentum through the Senate. The Obama administration called upon Congress to give home buyers the ability to claim the tax credit until April 30, 2010.
Qualified first time home buyers will be able to claim $8,000 for house purchases under $800,000. To be able to qualify couples must make under $225,000 and single buyers under $125,000, which is up from the previous $150,000 for couples and $75,000 for individuals. The bill was expanded to include current homeowners as long as the house they are vacating has been their primary residence for a minimum of 5 consecutive years of the past 8. They can claim $6,500 when purchasing a “move up” home. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: chief economist, congress, current home owners, economy, first time home buyer tax credit, first time home buyers, mark zandi
Posted in Blog, Buying a Home, Corporate, Financing a Home, Selling a Home
Oct
29
2009
![]( "Good Neighbor Awards")
Building Business, Building Community!
Register for this FREE Webinar Today!
Join us for a special edition of the Secrets of Top Selling Agents™ Webinars:
“Building Business, Building Community featuring three Good Neighbor Award Winners!” hosted by Charles Warnock on Thursday, November at 1 pmET/10am PT.
Large consumer brands are not the only ones proficient in “cause marketing”—combining for-profit promotion with a passion for charitable causes and community. Join us for a special edition of the Secrets of Top Selling Agents Webinar, where we will speak with a trio of high-performance Realtors® who also find time to give back to the communities they serve. Hear their inspiring stories and learn their secrets for building a successful real estate career, while giving back to your community! Don’t miss this special edition of Secrets of Top Selling Agents. Homes.com and eNeighborhoods are proud sponsors of REALTOR® Magazine’s Good Neighbor Awards. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Good Neighbor Awards, Homes.com, NAR, real estate career, realtor magazine
Posted in Blog, Corporate, FREE Webinar