Good stuff I found this week:

Unroll.me – Email inbox service that automatically collects all those newsletters you’ve subscribed to and rolls them up into a daily digest. This take a lot of clutter out of your inbox and also has an unsubscribe feature.

Social Report – a tool for tracking all of your social media activity – a bit like Google Analytics, but for social.

blooie – Interesting looking plugin that allows you to host chat conversations on your web site. Might be a nice way to get people chatting about ideas your blog about.

The U.S. home ownership rate stands at a 15-year low with the latest figures showing 65.6 percent of Americans living in owner-occupied homes.  At peak in 2004 the ownership rate was a hair shy of 70 percent.  Over the next two years it may fall further, possibly to 64 percent before stabilizing.  But the falling homeownership rate will not mean fewer home sales.  The dynamics is such that both the rental and ownership households will rise, though the proportion will be such that the home ownership rate will fall.

Though ownership and rental demand at first appear to be a trade-off in most years, the net number of homeowners and renters also rises simultaneously in most years.  It is a natural outgrowth of about 3 million additional people living in the country each year, which generally leads to about 1.1 to 1.3 million net new household formations each year.  From the 1960s on, the number of home-owning households rose on average by about one million each year while the number of rental households rose by 300,000 to 400,000.  In some years, there are distinct tradeoffs between owning and renting with one rising while the other falls.  The starkest example of this are the years since the housing bubble crashed.  The number of homeowners fell from 2005 to today while the number of renters rose quite significantly.  The key reason for this prolonged multiyear trade-off development arose because of a sharp slowdown in household formation.  Household formation in the past 5 years has been only the half the normal rate.  It is understandable, given the difficult economic conditions of the past several years, for many young adults to move into their parents’ home or find extra roommates to share the living costs.  But a return to normal household formation will finally mean a rise in the net new numbers of homeowners and renters, as has been historically the case.  In a more optimistic scenario, if the household formation burst out in order to compensate for the prolonged suppression, to say something like 1.5 million annually over the next few years, then the increase in net new homeowners and net new renters could both be higher than their historic average gains.

The following table shows the recent past and two scenarios going forward.  The first scenario just assumes new household formation is reverting back to the historical norm.  The second scenario, which I am more inclined to expect, is higher-than-normal household formation (as people move out of their parent’s basement or live with fewer roommates, in addition to those arising from normal population growth) and with stronger rental demand because of damaged credit for homeowners who experienced foreclosures and also because of tight underwriting conditions.  Note that the number of new homeowners and new renters is solidly positive.  One could think of other scenarios but would be hard pressed to expect more years of net losses in homeowners since the economy has already added 4 million net new jobs from the low point of two years ago.  This year’s higher home sales activity and falling apartment vacancy rates are already implying a release of pent-up housing demand for both ownership and rentals.  This favorable housing demand trend looks to continue into 2013, even though the homeownership rate actually falls further to 64 percent.

The percentage of cash sales was 29 percent in June, compared to 28 percent in May, according to the latest REALTORS® Confidence Index.  The proportion of cash sales is substantially higher than the rate prior to the downturn of the housing market in 2008. The high preponderance of all-cash sales appears to be primarily due to stricter mortgage and underwriting standards as well as purchases by investors and second home buyers, who typically pay cash, have edged out buyers needing to secure a mortgage from a lender.

The Google+ live video chat function called Hangouts has been with us over a year now and I thought at the time it might be the best feature of Google+. However, it was the recent On Air addition, which allows you to broadcast and record your Hangout to your YouTube channel, that made me really take note.

The opportunity to create and record engaging video content just got a whole lot easier with this tool.

Whether you want to do a one on one interview or host an industry panel discussion featuring ten experts, Google+Hangouts On Air gives you a live streaming platform and automatic HD video capture.

I love the immediacy of a live broadcast, but you also have the option to edit the final version in YouTube to take out slower moments or edit out questions or to simply give it punch with an intro or images.

If you have someone monitoring the live YouTube stream you can even take text questions from the live audience. There is a screen sharing option so you can also present slides or share anything from a Google doc or spreadsheet.

I conducted a recent panel discussion with six participants. We had over 300 live viewers and the archive has been viewed several thousand times. The format, platform and ease of use has me hooked.

I could see some great uses for this:

• One on one interviews vcast style for a video blog
• Peer to peer industry discussions
• Pre conference or event showcases
• Opinion or current event discussions
• Survey data analysis and discussion
• Live customer case study or success profile
• Meet the author book club groups
• Product launches
• Educational seminars

The tool is very easy to use, but I thought I would share a couple tips

• When you create a Hangout you will have the option (in Advanced drop down box) of making it just a Hangout or adding the On Air feature. (You will be asked to confirm ownership of the YouTube channel you are linking to so you must be using a YouTube channel that is associated with the same email as your Google+ account)
• Privacy settings in Google+ make it so that you may not be able to add or invite someone to a Hangout unless they have you in a circle, so make sure all invitees take this step and be careful not to add Public or anyone will be able to join (Also make sure you click the option that restricts your guests from adding anyone unless you want to give them this option.)
• Remind your guests to log in to Google+ at show time and join the Hangout that will be listed on their page.
• Remind them further to have their video camera on, microphone chosen and earphones for listening. (They cannot play the Hangout through speakers or it will echo back through their mic)
• It’s a great idea to test everything ahead of time if you can so you make sure all plugins and such are up to date.

There are many moving parts involved in marketing and the online elements increase in importance with each passing day.

But, marketing is a system, and to effectively operate this system you must assemble and integrate each of the important parts into something that looks like the whole.

Your online presence is your key to success no matter what your business sells – no matter if all of your transactions are done face to face – no matter if you don’t yet see a way to get a return from your Facebook page – no matter if you’ve never bought an online ad.

The key, however, is to build a Total Online Presence^TM, much like you would a tall, sturdy building, by constructing floor by floor in specific order or in stages. Your stages may differ just a bit based on where you are today and you’ll surely come back and revisit, add on and revamp each stage as you grow, but I believe the following model is the surest way to view your online marketing as a system.

Below are the seven stages of building a Total Online Presence.

7 Stages of a Total Online Presence

Content Platform

So much of what happens online revolves around content. It’s how you get found, why people pay attention and how you start to exchange value. Without a content platform to build from a great deal of effort in other stages will be wasted.

To me the content platform starts with building a listening station with tools like Google Alerts, TweetDeck, Trackur, Social Mention, Sprout Social or Radian6. From this point you can you can gain insight into your market, your competitors and important groups, such as key journalists, while starting the work of better understanding your most important keyword phrases.

Keywords are like chapters in your total body of content plan. Doing research, using tools such as Google Keyword Tool or Wordtracker, on the most important ways to show up when people search for a business like yours and creating blog posts around these chapters, using an editorial calendar approach, is how you fortify your content platform.

Once you start consistently creating content, you can produce valuable eBooks that will be the pivotal element of your email lead capture stage.

There’s really very little reason to play this game if your don’t put the effort in at this stage.

Once upon a time, you could launch mass email campaigns with the assumption that a significant portion of the emails would find their way to a desktop computer. But no longer.

Smartphones have changed the game. To better understand the challenges you now face, let’s carefully consider the perspective of the smartphone user.

Enter Pete, your typical smartphone user. Pete is a thirty-something male who purchased an iPhone last October. He uses it frequently to change his Facebook status, upload vacation pictures, tweet witty opinions, check the weather, browse YouTube videos, text his friends, and check his email—all while he drops off dry cleaning, picks up a latte, walks to the office, and eats a burrito for lunch.

As you can see, your message in Pete’s inbox has a lot of competitors for his undivided attention. In fact, there are so many competitors that nothing wins Pete’s sustained attention for long, and you have to be smart to get a slice of it. This is the new game.

Here is what you need to know to play it well.

#1: Pete Will Read Your Pre-Header

When Pete receives your message on his smartphone, he is going to see three things, one right after the other. The first is the sender (you), the second is the subject line, and the third is the preheader (the first few lines of your email). If you don’t make the most of it, the preheader may be all that Pete reads of your email before deleting it.

Your goal is to get Pete to open the email based on what he reads in the pre-header. Come up with something catchy, or link a plain-text version of the email in the preheader (remember that not all mobile devices can read HTML). The preheader does not have to be fancy, but it should be inviting.

#2: Your Email Is Under Pete’s Thumb

After Pete has read the preheader and then opened your email, he is open to encountering any number of frustrations. Maybe that important cheeseburger image didn’t load. Or maybe your double columned newsletter is difficult to navigate now that it has been shrunk to microscopic proportions. Or maybe you stacked three links right next to each other and his giant thumb can’t open the middle one.

You do not want Pete to face any of these problems. The best way to avoid them is to check what your email will look like on a variety of mobile devices. There are websites that will provide demo versions for different mobile devices. Find one and test your design before you send out a mass email. In short, your email should be understandable, readable, and clickable no matter what screen Pete uses to read it

People often ask me: “What’s the best way to get rich on real estate?”

The overall answer is pretty simple:

• Plan to own every property you buy for a  long time.

• Drop the get rich quick schemes. Go for the get rich slowly, over a couple of decades plan — complete with a few clogged toilets, some roof leaks and nebby neighbors, but plenty of time to let inflation increase the value of your asset.

You have to take a long-term view with property, and if you do, the chances of having significant wealth down the road are much higher.

Here are a few tips you might consider.

Strive for long-term ownership

Long-term ownership is the key to earning wealth on real estate. If you own for the long term, you pay down your mortgage, hopefully see some appreciation in value and skip paying the exorbitant buying and selling transaction fees that decrease your net wealth each time.

Buy properties that are assets, not liabilities

A personal residence is an asset if you can comfortably afford the payments, along with all the rest of your bills. If you can’t comfortably afford the payments, it’s a liability. Rental properties are assets, too, if the rents cover all expenses and leave some positive cash flows. They’re liabilities if they are negative cash flows — and many people buy these to their own detriment. So start buying assets!

Carry the proper insurance

We all know that sometimes things go wrong in life, especially with real estate. Fires, floods, tenant issues, dog bites, etc., can cause loses to an owner. If you have the proper type and amount of insurance in place, you will be covered if there is a loss. It’s not too hard to have the right insurance, but talk to your agent and do a review every year.

Skip fixers or communities where the HOA is in bad shape

Rarely do fixer-uppers sell at a big enough discount to compensate for all the work that you need to do to get them in shape. Additionally, you will add value to a property by doing renovations, but probably not as much value as it costs you to make those improvements. Skip the fixers! Also watch out for HOAs in bad financial, operational or legal shape. Higher HOA fees and/or special assessments will be coming your way in these communities

The steps, process and details of buying real estate can be intimidating and overwhelming to the first-time (and even the veteran) buyer. If you’ve never done this before, you likely have no idea how the process begins or what to expect.

Every market does things a little differently, and you should ask your real estate agent how the process works in your community. For the most part, however, the transaction should follow these seven steps.

Make an offer and write up a contract

When you love a place and think it could be your future home, it’s time to take a serious and legally binding step toward purchasing it. This means writing up a purchase offer and signing a real estate contract.

Yes, at this early stage of the game, you need to sign a legally binding contract. By signing on the bottom line, you’re committing to moving forward on the purchase with the seller. There are contingencies, or “outs,” to many real estate contracts, however. Most contracts will be contingent on inspections, disclosure review, loan approval, appraisal or other matters. These “contingencies” are ways to exit the contract should something not go as anticipated.

Disclosure review

By law, the seller must provide the buyer with disclosure documents, a preliminary title report, copies of city reports and any specific local documents. For example, in California, an earthquake hazards report or a geological survey is required. In areas of the South, near the Gulf or on a riverbed, flood maps and floor reports should be provided to the buyer.

Aside from any mandated reports, the seller needs to disclose to the buyer any issues or flaws with the property that would affect the value or habitability. Generally, sellers are required to answer a series of yes or no questions about the property, the neighborhood and their experience there via a transfer disclosure statement. If there were leaky windows in the past, violations from the city, work done without permits or plans for a major nearby development, the seller is required to disclose them. This provides additional color about the property you’re considering purchasing. If there are major flaws, the seller’s agent would likely have brought them up before the contract signing. However, if something is disclosed here that is a negative factor for you, this is your out.

A reverse mortgage is a type of loan that enables older borrowers to convert their home equity into cash, often serving as a source of supplemental income for retired homeowners.

Unlike all other mortgages, in which borrowers pay their lenders, reverse mortgages flip the money flow: They pay the borrower, either in the form of a credit line, monthly payments or a combination of the two.

The loan debt gets paid off with the proceeds of the sale of the home — either when a borrower moves out or passes away.

“You’re leveraging the remaining equity in your home,” said Jeff Corbett, a former mortgage broker and current consultant in the mortgage and real estate technology industries. He said the most “practical, prudent” reverse mortgage is probably one that pays you in monthly payments, rather than in a lump sum.

Different loan options

Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECM), which are insured by the Federal Housing Administration, are the most common form of reverse mortgages. To be eligible for an HECM, which may have a fixed or variable interest rate, you must be 62, own your home outright (or, in some cases, have a low primary mortgage balance) and live in your home full time. A borrower with an HECM must pay property taxes, utilities and hazard and flood insurance premiums over the course of the loan or otherwise face the possibility of foreclosure. HECMs may not exceed $625,500.

There are also single-purpose reverse mortgages, which are offered by state, local and nonprofit organizations. These mortgages may only be used for one purpose, such as home renovations or property taxes. Usually, only low- or moderate-income borrowers qualify for them.

The final option, proprietary reverse mortgages, may have higher interest rates and upfront costs but have no income or medical requirements. These mortgages have all but vanished in the wake of the housing crisis.

The maximum loan amount a borrower may receive from a reverse mortgage is determined by the length of the loan, the loan’s interest rate and the anticipated appreciation of the home’s value over the course of the loan. This is in order to maximize the chances that the home’s eventual sale will be enough to pay the accumulated debt.

For a home worth $400,000 that has no existing mortgage, that maximum amount — known as the “net principal limit” — could be around $193,000, according to Jack Guttentag, who gives mortgage advice on his website, The Mortgage Professor. Origination fees, mortgage insurance, closing costs and anticipated servicing fees are all tacked onto the balance of a reverse mortgage when it is originated, accounting for why your net principal limit may be smaller than you’d expect.

Elle Zober of Beaverton, OR could never have guessed that the sign she put in her front yard advertising her home for sale would turn her into an overnight media sensation.

Source: HLN

But here she is, practically a household name, and her sign, which she put up in early July, is recognized from coast to coast. It reads: “Husband left us for a 22 year old … House For Sale by scorned, slightly bitter, newly single owner.”

“We just thought it would be a funny thing that people would share locally,” Zober, a 37-year-old mom, told AOL Real Estate, referring to herself and her ex-husband, whom she divorced after his affair.

Then, she and the sign ended up on national TV shows and in headlines across the country. One thing is for sure: She wanted to draw attention to her house, and she got it. However, it’s not necessarily the kind of attention that’s getting her house sold.

She’s gotten dozens of phone calls and even more emails, but only four are from “people who have actually called about the house,” Zober said. “The rest are press or people who want to talk about their own experiences [related to affairs].”

There are also bullies who “tell me I’ve gotten what I deserve,” she said.

Don’t get too personal

It might sound like an ingenious idea to use a personal storyline like Zober’s to spike interest in the sale of your home. But it can just as easily backfire. You might find, as Zober has, that the attention gets turned on you — rather than the house you’re trying to sell.

“You’re airing your dirty laundry,” said Cara Ameer, a broker associate at Coldwell Banker Vanguard Realty in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. “You have to be really careful when you have personal circumstances. … People might sense a desperate situation, and you don’t want people to take advantage of you that way.”

Interested buyers, for example, could lowball their offers if they think that you’re in a bad situation and are desperate to unload your house, Ameer said.

“But in positive situations, [using personal appeal] is definitely to your advantage,” she added. Ameer often creates listing videos featuring the owners of the homes she represents