Predatory lending has declined sharply in the years since Dodd-Frank, but it, and other types of mortgage fraud, still steep into housing even today and affect every stage of the homeownership cycle. Mortgage fraud, an umbrella term, is “a crime characterized by some type of material misstatement, misrepresentation, or omission on a loan which is then relied upon...
By Jeff Knox, Knox & Associates, Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas I am a techie broker. I'm a techie broker because I have to be, not because I started out wanting to be one or because I already was one. I once had a guy with another firm ask me: "Are you a technical guy who became a broker, or a broker who became a technical guy." I am the latter. It is my belief...
By Kelly Hager of the Kelly Hager Real Estate Group My favorite kinds of transactions are those where I really get to use my skills as a REALTOR®! One type of family that I really like to help is the family that needs to get on the same page before moving forward. When you first meet with clients to understand what their needs are, it's easy to see when their wants...
Ahhh, conference season. For brokers and agents, the New Year usually starts with travel plans as brands and networks pepper Q1 with their respective annual conferences. A conference offers a lot more than a getaway to a highly desirable destination—it’s also a once-a-year opportunity to hear from leadership about big-picture plans and new tech roll-outs, get...
By Sara Rodell, founder of Loop and Tie Successful real estate agents know the importance of gift giving better than almost anyone else. In the United States, the average house price is $188,900 and with so much money changing hands, it’s important to show respect and appreciation for your clients and colleagues. Gifts are the perfect way to do this. Relationships...
Favorable economic conditions have long triggered investment in home improvements—more money, more upgrades—and progress on the housing front is set to spur the next wave of homeowner spending on both necessary and discretionary projects. How should homeowners invest their remodeling dollars this year? TWEET...
The real estate industry is a unique and exciting field to be a part of. Whether you’re an experienced professional looking for a career change or a student deciding what path to pursue post-graduation, a career in real estate is sure to be dynamic and full of opportunity. Still not sure if real estate is where you belong? The ERA Real Estate network pulled together...
Most real estate agents today are realizing that having a web presence is a must if they want to be successful. The reality is, anyone looking to buy a home is going online first. This is true even for grandparents, but it is especially true for younger buyers. If you want to appeal to a wide audience, you have to be online. One of the keys to an online presence is...
At just above 30 percent, millennials—those aged 18 to 34—now make up the largest segment of buyers. Only 2 percent of REALTORS® are under the age of 30. How can the industry reconcile such a discrepancy? As attendees of RISMedia’s recent Broker Best Practices Webinar learned, the solution is a spoke-hub recruitment and retention strategy, centered on—what...
By Brad Shorr Keyword selection is the heart of an SEO campaign. If you select the wrong keywords, most or all of your subsequent campaign investment will be wasted, even if you use brilliant SEO techniques. Why? Because if you select the wrong keywords, you won’t attract the right type of traffic — i.e., traffic from visitors who are interested in buying or renting...
