Real Estate Cartoon

Creation of Swamp Cartoons

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Nat'l Real Estate Post:
TRID warning for real estate agents.  Will cause delays.  Come August 1st, 2015 there will be new rules regarding lending disclosures that will cause delays.  All real estate agents MUST be made aware of this ASAP.
http://thenationalrealestatepost.com/trid-warning-for-realtors/?
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Shared by Juawai, Morrocco.

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Creative destruction rises in the near suburbs around the country as an increasing number of builders are buying up modest suburban homes just to knock them down and build the kind of bigger homes that people want. -- Trey Garrison in HousingWire
http://www.housingwire.com/blogs/1-rewired/post/34022-trending-thursday-more-mcmansions-ferguson-home-values-and-more
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According to a release from First American, the new site, DataTree.com, is built on the industry’s “largest database of property and homeowner information and document images.” The company said that DataTree’s database will contain 99% of U.S. housing stock and include more than 5.5 billion recorded document images.
...“built to be the fastest, most comprehensive and easiest to use property research solution on the market.” -- Ben Lane in HousingWire http://www.housingwire.com/articles/34026-first-american-launches-most-comprehensive-property-research-website
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Shared by Juwai, St. Bartelemy. 

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The 15 hottest markets for homebuyers and sellers this spring

California dominates list

Brena Swanson in HousingWire

http://www.housingwire.com/articles/33755-the-15-hottest-markets-for-homebuyers-and-sellers-this-spring

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The economy contracted 0.7% in the first quarter of 2015, revealing the truth behind how tough the start of the year was for the market, according to the "second" estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis Friday. -- Brena Swanson in HousingWire http://www.housingwire.com/articles/34032-gdp-contracts-07-reinforcing-weak-start-to-1q
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Shared by Archilovers, taken by Fedde DeWitt, W.I.N.D House, Netherlands

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Nat'l Real Estate Post:
CNN released and article that points out that renting is outpacing home ownership costs.
http://thenationalrealestatepost.com/renting-is-getting-very-expensive/?
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The gap between stagnant incomes and rising rents in many parts of the country is growing out of control. Renter households need to make $19.35 an hour working full time to afford a two-bedroom unit, which is $4 more than the estimated average wage of workers, an article in The Wall Street Journal said.

Rental affordability has grown as a challenge in recent years due to a number of factors, including increasing demand as more people choose to rent or are forced to because they can’t get mortgages; a relative lack of rental construction in recent years in comparison to past cycles; and stagnant wage growth.

Brena Swanson in HousingWire  http://www.housingwire.com/articles/33956-minimum-wage-workers-cant-afford-rent
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Shared by Darja Vizjak, Mozirski gaj, Slovenia.

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Quicken Loans secured the first victory in its battle against the U.S. Department of Justice and the Department of Housing and Urban Development when a federal judge ruled that Quicken’s lawsuit against the government will be heard before the government’s case against Quicken is heard in a separate court. -- Trey Garrison and Ben Lane in HousingWire http://www.housingwire.com/articles/34042-quicken-loans-wins-first-round-in-court-battle-versus-doj-hud

Chinese Architectural Nod to Star Trek

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbl45otRBiw
Chinese nod to Star Trek
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Nat'l Real Estate Post:
The lunatics have taken over the asslyum! http://thenationalrealestatepost.com/have-the-lunatics-taken-over-the-assylum/?
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Shared by Juwai, Tour Odeon in Monaco

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Chinese builder puts up 57-story skyscraper in 19 days

http://realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/chinese-builder-puts-up-57-story-skyscraper-in-19-days/47108262

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....one brokerage in Seattle appears to have had it with the whole MLS/online listings thing as it stands, and dropped out of their local multiple listings system. Sounds crazy, maybe not at all.

But Quill Realty sees a major advantage for sellers by leaving the MLS. The new terms could make it more attractive for sellers to list a house — especially important in Seattle's hot housing market where supply is not keeping up with demand.

Trey Garrison in HousingWire http://www.housingwire.com/blogs/1-rewired/post/33986-monday-morning-cup-of-coffee-time-to-cut-the-mls-cord
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Shared by James Harrison, taken by Maria Herdot, Budapest

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Home Price Index now just 8.4% below June 2006 peak

The month of March saw the largest monthly gain in home prices in nearly two years, according to a new report fromBlack Knight Financial Services (BKFS), a Fidelity National Financial (FNF) company.

Black Knight’s latest Home Price Index, released Tuesday, shows that home prices were up 1.2% in the month of March and up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. Those totals represent the largest monthly gain in national home prices since June 2013. -- Ben Lane in HousingWire http://www.housingwire.com/articles/33985-black-knight-home-prices-see-largest-monthly-gain-in-two-years

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Sales of new single family houses in April 2015 were 517,000 at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR), up 6.8 percent from March’s revised rate and up 26.1 percent from April 2014. -- US Department of Commerce
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Shared by Uros Kralj, taken by Richard Beresford Harris Natural History Museum, London England.

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U.S. Sen. David Perdue (R-GA) has introduced the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Accountability Act of 2015. The legislation will make the CFPB accountable to the American people by bringing it under the Congressional appropriations process. Given the expansive reach of the CFPB, Senator Perdue’s bill will provide critical Congressional oversight. In March, Sen. Perdue offered a similar amendment that was included in the final 2015 Budget Resolution.

“The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was spawned from the disastrous Dodd-Frank financial regulation law,” said Sen. Perdue.  -- In NationalMortgageProfessional.com  http://nationalmortgageprofessional.com/news/54158/georgia-senator-introduces-cfpb-accountability-act?

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Although the argument rages as to whether or not tighter mortgage lending standards have limited consumer access to credit, there can be no doubt that most mortgages are originated with the intention of selling them onto the secondary market. Thus, they are originated under the terms of GSE or Ginnie Mae standards. It would seem that even the free market has been flowing toward the security of the government guarantee.
The cost of a mortgage would likely go up. The result to the consumer would be anything but positive. Perhaps the consumer would be safer in a limited number of respects; but that consumer would also, in many cases, be frozen out of the home-buying market.  -- Joseph Murin in HousingWire http://www.housingwire.com/blogs/1-rewired/post/34000-caution-gse-reform-could-have-serious-unintended-consequences

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Rates to Rise this Year

As predicted by many economists, the Federal Reserve is indeed considering raising the Federal Funds Rate later this year, Fed Chair Janet Yellen said Friday. -- Ben Lane in HousingWire http://www.housingwire.com/articles/33981-yellen-if-economic-improvement-continues-fed-will-raise-rates-in-2015
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Housing affordability took another hit as rents outpaced home values in April for the first time in years, according to the latest Zillow Real Estate Market Report. Last month’s home values recorded a three percent year-over rise to $178,400, but rents increased four percent year-over-year in the same period to $1,364. In some major markets, rents have been running far ahead of home values for nearly a year–San Francisco’s rents have been faster than home values in July 2014, while Boston’s annual rental growth has outpaced home value appreciation since August 2014. -- Phill Hall in NationalMortgageProfessional.com http://nationalmortgageprofessional.com/news/54113/rents-rise-home-sales-and-rates-stagnate?+Rates+Stagnate
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Shared by James Harrison, taken by Joao Neves, The Golden Rule

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2 reasons the housing market is underacheiving

1. Supply is constrained

2. Demand is lagging

Mark Flemming in HousingWire

http://www.housingwire.com/blogs/1-rewired/post/33929-reasons-the-housing-market-is-underacheiving

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Building permits in April 2015 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of 1,143,000, up 10.1 percent from the revised March rate and up 6.4 percent from April 2014. Housing starts in April 2015 were at a SAAR of 1,135,000, up 20.2 percent from March and up 9.2 percent from April 2014. -- Bureau of Economic Analysis
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Shared and taken by Debbee Whitesell, Alberta Legislature Building is in Edmonton, Alberta

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The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo sentiment gauge dropped to 54 this month from 56 in April, figures from the Washington-based group showed Monday. Readings greater than 50 mean more respondents report good market conditions. The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey called for an increase to 57. -- Bloomberg News http://www.nationalmortgagenews.com/news/origination/confidence-among-homebuilders-unexpectedly-declined-in-may-1051186-1.html?
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On the list are all four large metro areas in Texas — Austin, Houston, Dallas and San Antonio — where an oil and gas boom has fueled job growth and population growth, pushing home prices well above their sustainable levels. That boom may also last a little longer, as the state recently put an end to local government's ability to ban fracking.

Home prices in these four markets are also well above their historical peak levels: 26.9% for Austin, 18.3% for Houston, 14.8% for Dallas and 8.4% for San Antonio. Of the other three overvalued metros, Miami, Fla. and Washington, D.C. were on the list in October; Charleston, S.C., is a new addition. -- Trey Garrison in HousingWire http://www.housingwire.com/articles/33940-corelogic-there-are-now-7-hugely-overvalued-housing-markets-right-now

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Shared, taken and designed by Gavin Maddock Design Studio.  Pearl Bay Residence, on South Africas’ West coast.

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Contract closings dropped 3.3% to a 5.04 million annualized rate after a 5.21 million pace that was the strongest in almost two years, figures from the National Association of Realtors showed Thursday in Washington. The median forecast of 78 economists in a Bloomberg survey called for a rise to 5.23 million. Prices jumped as the number of houses for sales declined from the same time last year. -- Bloomberg News http://www.nationalmortgagenews.com/news/origination/sales-of-previously-owned-homes-unexpectedly-decline-1051504-1.html?
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RealtyTrac: Foreclosure activity jumps to highest level in 18 months

Trey Garrison in HousingWire http://www.housingwire.com/articles/33957-realtytrac-foreclosure-activity-jumps-to-highest-level-in-18-months

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Shared and taken by MonaX.  Tonglu, Zhejiang Province

Chinese Tourists are Fly 'n' Buy for Real Estate, Too.

Chinese tourists to spend $264 billion overseas by 2019

This means real estate, too!

http://list.juwai.com/news/2015/04/chinese-tourists-to-spend-usd-264-billion-overseas-by-2019?

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Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 0.2 percent in the first quarter of 2015, according to today’s “advance” estimate.  -- US Department of Commerce (This is so puny!!)
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Shared by Mirjana Jesensek, Hunyad Castle, Transylvania Romania

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Benworth Capital has launched a $50 million capital raise for a technology-based platform it's touting as the place where real estate opportunity meets crowdfunding transparency.

Fundrageous, Benworth's new real estate crowdfunding platform, will give borrowers a new channel by which they can fund local projects and causes.

Benworth is a provider of alternative short-term mortgages for South Florida, headquartered in Miami. Its main focus initially will be on raising capital from the U.S. and Latin America and attracting borrowers with deals ready to be funded. -- Tayana Macheel in Origination News http://www.nationalmortgagenews.com/news/technology/benworth-capital-launches-real-estate-crowdfunding-platform-1050228-1.html?

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Thirty-year fixed-rate mortgages rose 12 basis points from last week, to 3.8%. Rates were still down 41 basis points from last year. Fifteen-year fixed-rate mortgages averaged 3.02%, up eight points from last week and down 30 points from last year. -- Colin Wilhelm in Origination News http://www.nationalmortgagenews.com/news/origination/mortgage-rates-climb-due-to-german-bund-selloff-1050239-1.html?
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Shared by Daniel Schwabe, Rozenhoedkaii, Bruges, Belgium

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The median price of an existing single-family home rose from a year earlier in 148 of the 174 areas measured, the National Association of Realtors said in a report Monday. Fifty-one areas had price gains of 10% or more, compared with 24 regions in the fourth quarter. Prices declined in 25 areas. -- Bloomberg News http://www.nationalmortgagenews.com/news/origination/home-prices-increase-in-85-of-us-cities-1050548-1.html?
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Foreclosure inventory tumbled by 25.7%, while completed foreclosures also dropped by 15.5% from March 2014, according to the latest report from CoreLogic (CLGX).

There were 41,000 completed foreclosures nationwide in March 2015, down from 48,000 in March 2014, representing a decrease of 65.2% from the peak of completed foreclosures in September 2010, according to CoreLogic data. -- Brena Swanson in HousingWire http://www.housingwire.com/articles/33867-corelogic-foreclosures-plummet-26-from-march-2014

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Shared and taken by Armando Rogers, Panama City, Panama

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Rent.com conducted a survey of 1,000 millennial renters to find out how they are planning their next move, finding more than half (57%) rank affordability as the most important factor when choosing an apartment. Yet when asked, 55% said they are willing to spend up to $150 more per month in order to stay in an apartment they love. Nearly one in four respondents (24%) are willing to shell out an additional $400 a month, just to keep their pad.
--Brena Swanson in HousingWire http://www.housingwire.com/articles/33846-rent-is-rising-but-millennials-will-fork-over-the-cash
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There are now more multi-family units than ever before. Relative to the growth of population, people are forming fewer and fewer new households. The real question is: is this a temporary trend due to the damaged economy, or is it long term transition in the way people form households? There has been much discussion surrounding the values of millennials and homeownership. Are millennials just not interested in owning homes, or are they just not financially prepared to do so at this stage in their lives? -- David Lykken in NationalMortgageProfessional.com
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Shared by James Harrison, Diamond Tower Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Airbnb, Yes or No

Nat'l Real Estate Post:
Airbnb is a great way to rent out your house and to rent property around the world. They do have $1million in insurance for any problems. The hotel industry is trying to shut it down.
http://thenationalrealestatepost.com/fannie-ceo-needs-a-raise/?
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The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 4.6% on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 4% compared with the previous week. -- Trey Garrison in HousingWire
http://www.housingwire.com/articles/33794-mortgage-applications-drop-46
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Shared by Majda Pal, Italy

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In theory, solar energy is an ideal way to provide electricity for homes and businesses. 

Prices for rooftop panels dropped sharply the last few years. Amortized over a decade or two, the price is considerably lower than what your regulated utility delivers over the grid.

Solar cells last a long time. Unlike wind, hydro, gas, coal, or nuclear, they don’t have any moving parts. There are no spinning turbine. They absorb sunlight and produce electricity.

The one drawback to solar is storage. You still need to power your home at night or on cloudy days. People with rooftop solar arrays usually stay connected to the grid. This complicates the systems. Many utilities impose extra fees to hook up this way, too.

Elon Musk just changed this. On April 30, he unveiled the Tesla Powerwall, a giant battery that can store enough juice to keep your home running all night.  -- Patrick Watson in NewsMax  http://www.newsmax.com/Finance/StreetTalk/musk-tesla-Utility-Industry-solar-power/2015/05/05/id/642812/?
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Shared by James Harrison, taken by Matthias Haker, Skyfall

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Trending Thursday: Jumbos jump, Zillow roadmap and the jobs horizon

This is what's happening, right now -- Trey Garrison in HousingWire http://www.housingwire.com/blogs/1-rewired/post/33820-trending-thursday-jumbos-jump-zillow-roadmap-and-the-jobs-horizon

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“The spring and summer home buying season has gotten off to a stronger start, reflected in some of the improvement in consumer housing sentiment,” said Doug Duncan, senior vice president and chief economist at Fannie Mae. “The share of consumers who intend to own rather than rent their next home rebounded after a two-month slide. Meanwhile, home price growth expectations strengthened to the strongest pace since last October.

“Nevertheless, consumers continue to express concerns about the recent weakening economic conditions and high home prices. -- Trey Garrison in HousingWire http://www.housingwire.com/articles/33816-fannie-mae-more-consumers-positive-on-housing-but-still-on-sidelines.

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Shared and taken by Dieter Birr, Schönburg/Oberwesel

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Americans are taking a greater fancy to homes overseas thanks to the rise of the U.S. dollar and relatively cheaper home prices, an article in CNNMoney said.

"The U.S. dollar is still strong and the economy is good and the rest of the world is a little softer," said Jason Kumpf, a real estate specialist at USForex. "It's a great time to increase your pieces on the international Monopoly board."

Property prices in some European markets fell 40-50% during the financial crisis and haven't fully recovered, according to global real estate consultancy Knight Frank.   

-- Brena Swanson in HousingWire http://www.housingwire.com/articles/33821-more-americans-size-up-real-estate-overseas 

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Florida based Benworth Capital has launched a real estate crowdfunding platform called Fundrageous.  Bedworth is an alternative mortgage provider based in Miami.  The new portal was announced at the eMergeAmericas conference held this week. Benworth founder and CEO of both companies, Bernie Navarro, was quotedon the launch;

“Real estate investing has long been relegated to a private club for the select few. Our intent is to democratize real estate investing, benefitting both the borrower as well as accredited investor.”

“Investors are often presented with two equally bad options,” he added, “either overcrowded, small-yield opportunities; or investments with large potential but little transparency.” -- JD Alois in Crowdfundinsider.com

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Shared by Darja Vizjak, Celje Slovenia

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Fannie Mae reported net income of $1.9 billion for the first quarter of 2015 and comprehensive income of $1.8 billion. -- Trey Garrison in HousingWire http://www.housingwire.com/articles/33813-fannie-mae-reports-net-income-of-19b-in-1q

Phantom Jobs Hurt Housing Market

The economy may be in a weakening phase, growing just 0.2 percent in the first quarter and the Atlanta Federal Reserve's forecast showing an expansion of only 0.8 percent by the end of June. 

But this weakness likely won't be reflected in the Department of Labor’s job report for April, says New York Post columnist John Crudele. 

"That’s because Labor uses trick statistics when it gives a picture of the springtime job market," he writes. "Each spring, Labor starts adding phantom jobs to its count— jobs they guess have been created but can’t prove have been created." --  Dan Weil in NewsMax.com http://www.newsmax.com/Finance/StreetTalk/Crudele-beware-phantom-jobs/2015/05/06/id/643017/?
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Nat'l Real Estate Post:
1/2 of the mortgage lenders in the US don't require criminal and financial background checks, comprehensive testing, licensing or continuing education classes. Those people are in the BANKS.  However, Dodd-Frank requires non-bank loan officerst to have all that.  But, D-F also doesn't allow any transition for bank MLO's to become non-bank MLO's.  Rep. Stivers has put in a bill (HR 2121) to allow a 90 day grace period for the bank MLO's to get their classes and licensing finished when moving to a non-bank.  Since banks have pulled way back from giving mortgages these MLO's need to be able to find a new job in a non-bank mortgage office.  (Sounds good to me.)
http://thenationalrealestatepost.com/90-licensing-grace-period-for-bank-los/?
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Shared and taken by Marbeliza Fernandes, lighthouse in Germany.

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...home prices and rents keep rising, but sharply declining homeownership means fewer households are benefitting and more and more households are being priced out of homeownership and forced to pay higher rents, a client note from Bank of America/Merrill Lynch says.

Similarly, home prices are up by 25% from the bottom in December 2011, while personal income has only grown by 12.8%, roughly half the level of home price growth. In the past (think housing bubble/crisis), large divergences between home price growth and income growth had disastrous consequences. -- Trey Garrison in HousingWire  http://www.housingwire.com/blogs/1-rewired/post/33766-monday-morning-cup-of-coffee-home-price-and-wage-divergence-raise-alarms

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The delinquency rate for mortgage loans on one-to-four-unit residential properties decreased to a seasonally adjusted rate of 5.54% of all loans outstanding at the end of the first quarter of 2015.  

This was the lowest level since the second quarter of 2007. The delinquency rate decreased 14 basis points from the previous quarter, and 57 basis points from one year ago, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’sNational Delinquency Survey. -- Trey Garrison in HousingWire http://www.housingwire.com/articles/33800-mba-mortgage-delinquencies-andforeclosures-drop-in-1q

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Shared and taken by Werner Polwein, New York City

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Gallup's U.S. Job Creation Index reached plus 31 in April, inching past its previous high of plus 30 from September of last year.
For the first time since Gallup began tracking the index in 2008, index scores are plus 30 or higher in all four regions of the country. Each region has a new high index score, with the Midwest leading the other regions at plus 33 in April. The index score in the East had never reached the plus 30 mark before the latest poll. -- Trey Garrison in HousingWire
http://www.housingwire.com/articles/33803-gallup-job-creation-index-highest-since-september-2014
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RealtyTrac: Flippers were 4% of all home sales in the first quarter

Average gross profit hit $72.5K -- Trey Garrison in HousingWire

http://www.housingwire.com/articles/33806-realtytrac-flippers-were-4-of-all-home-sales-in-the-first-quarter

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Shared and taken by Sergei Kostin, Crimea. Foros. Foros Church of Christ Resurrection.

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Nat'l Real Estate Post:
Clayton Homes is the largest builder of homes in the US, is owned by Warren Buffet.  It builds mobile homes and has completely cornered the market.  They sell the homes, insurance, finance the homes and furnish the homes, all by companies owned by Berkshire Hathaway.  The interest rates are 7 points higher than the going rate and are mostly sold to low or middle income buyers.  They are not regulated to the same standard that every other lender in the country is.  (The whole situation sounds predatory to me.)   We need more companies that will lend to mobile home buyers.   http://thenationalrealestatepost.com/when-is-foreclosure-okay/?
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The March 2015 international trade deficit increased 43.1 percent from February, to $51.4 billion. Exports increased 0.9 percent to $187.8 billion, and imports rose 7.7 percent to $239.2 billion.  -- US Department of Commerce
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Shared and taken by Hany Aziz, Fort de Saint John the Baptist, Berlenga Island, Portugal 

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The 15 Hottest Markets for Buyers and Sellers This Spring:

15.  Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, California

14.  Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, California

13.  San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, California

12. Santa Cruz-Watsonville, California

11. Boulder, Colorado

10. San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, California

9. Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, Michigan

8. Ann Arbor, Michigan

7. Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, Tennessee

6. San Diego-Carlsbad, California

5. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Massachusetts-New Hampshire

4. Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, Colorado

3. Vallejo-Fairfield, California

2. Santa Rosa, California

1. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas 

Brena Swanson in HousingWire http://www.housingwire.com/articles/33755-the-15-hottest-markets-for-homebuyers-and-sellers-this-spring

Email Hacks Affect Real Estate Agents

Nat'l Real Estate Post:
Hacking is starting to affect real estate agents. Too many important and scary details to put in this summary. Go to:
http://thenationalrealestatepost.com/wicked-real-estate-cyber-hack/?
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“Paying kickbacks for mortgage referrals is illegal, and it has been illegal for decades,” said CFPB Director Richard Cordray. “Secret and unlawful payments keep consumers in the dark and put honest businesses at a disadvantage, and the Consumer Bureau will continue to take action against them.” -- Trey Garrison in HousingWire
http://www.housingwire.com/articles/33725-cfpb-maryland-ag-take-action-against-pay-to-play-mortgage-kickback-scheme
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Shared by David Sov, Saint-Paul-de-Vence, southeastern France

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In the wake of the financial crisis, nonbank lenders and servicers have witnessed a significant emergence in the mortgage business. In fact, independent mortgage banks (IMBs) are heavily dominating the single-family market. The IMB share of overall mortgage originations has increased from 25% in 2008 to 40% in 2013, according to MBA’s own research.
Moreover, unlike national depository lending institutions, nonbanks are subject to company licensing and regulation in every state in which they operate. State regulators collect and review quarterly financial statements including balance sheet and income data, as well as quarterly data on IMB’s origination and servicing activities. IMBs and other nonbank lenders are also subjected to market discipline via the counterparty oversight activities of their warehouse banks, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Ginnie Mae and FHA, all of whom review and analyze the financial and operational performance of their IMB customers. -- Bill Cosgrove in HousingWire http://www.housingwire.com/blogs/1-rewired/post/33726-mbas-cosgrove-the-importance-of-nonbanks-in-the-mortgage-market  
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Personal income in March 2015 increased less than 0.1 percent. Nominal personal consumption expenditures (PCE) rose 0.4 percent. Real PCE increased 0.3 percent.  Nominal disposable personal income (DPI) increased less than 0.1 percent.  Real DPI decreased 0.2 percent. The personal saving rate as a percentage of DPI was 5.3 percent in March.  -- US Department of Commerce
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Shared by T. Siyah, Chefren & Cheope, Giza, Egypt (by Blue Sky Travel Egypt)

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WASHINGTON — Homeownership hit its lowest point in 25 years, according to recent data, in another sign that the housing sector continues to be the laggard during this economic recovery. -- Brian Collins in National Mortgage News
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Nat'l Real Estate Post:
Discount brokers give discounted commissions, but also fewer services.  When marketing your full service real estate company, highlight your connections in the real estate community, your contacts: reputable lawyers, handymen, contractors, mortgage loan officers etc. 
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Shared by Rock Sharma, Location unknown.

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Nat'l Real Estate Post:
For traditional real estate agents to continue to succeed in this technological environment, learn to use the available technology, like Zillow, and market your knowledge, contacts and people skills.
http://thenationalrealestatepost.com/zillow-turns-fast-fsbo/?
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“The Fed is starting to lay the groundwork for the eventuality of interest rate hikes,” says Greg McBride, chief financial analyst for Bankrate.com. “It’s only prudent for consumers to prepare themselves as well.” -- Jonnell Marte in The Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/get-there/wp/2015/01/05/where-interest-rates-are-going-in-2015-and-what-it-means-for-your-loans/
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Shared by Plugarasu Maria, House Between Two Rocks , location unknown

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The 15 hottest real estate markets this spring

15.  Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, California

14.  Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, California

13.  San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, California

12. Santa Cruz-Watsonville, California

11. Boulder, Colorado

10. San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, California

9. Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, Michigan

8. Ann Arbor, Michigan

7. Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, Tennessee

6. San Diego-Carlsbad, California

5. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Massachusetts-New Hampshire

4. Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, Colorado

3. Vallejo-Fairfield, California

2. Santa Rosa, California

1. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas 

.-- Brena Swanson in HousingWire

http://www.housingwire.com/articles/33755-the-15-hottest-markets-for-homebuyers-and-sellers-this-spring