Monthly Archives: May 2012

MBA: Mortgage originations will outpace 2011 | North Salem NY Real Estate

Because of increased refinance applications and originations, the Mortgage Bankers Association raised its mortgage origination forecast for 2012 by $188 billion to $1.28 trillion.
In 2011, originations totaled $1.26 trillion.
The MBA expects refinance originations to reach $870 billion in 2012, a figure similar to 2011. The association is slightly lowering its purchase originations forecast for 2012 to $409 billion from $415 billion, reflecting lower than previously expected home prices and home sales.
The MBA’s updated forecast of refinance activity is largely independent of the HARP 2.0 initiative.
“We factored HARP lending of roughly $100 billion in both 2012 and 2013 into our April forecast, and the HARP share of refinance activity has remained relatively constant over recent months,” said Mike Fratantoni, MBA’s vice president of research.
“However, mortgage rates below 4% and regular media coverage showcasing ‘record low mortgage rates’ provide sufficient incentive and impetus for borrowers to examine their current rate,” Fratantoni said.
The MBA projects lower mortgage rates for the rest of 2012, also causing it to lift its refinance forecast.
“Scenarios we have consistently highlighted that could drive rates down and refis up have materialized, primarily due to market turmoil in Europe,” Fratantoni said. “Deterioration of the debt situation in Spain and Greece and a new regime in France that is a weaker proponent of European austerity, along with slower economic growth globally, have driven the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield down.”

via housingwire.com

Mount Kisco NY Real Estate | Consumer sentiment reaches post-recession high

Leave a reply

Consumer sentiment rose in May to its highest level since October 2007, despite a tough month on Wall Street and worsening conditions in Europe.
The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan index climbed to 79.3 in its final May reading, up from a midmonth tally of 77.8 and April’s score of 76.4.
May’s consumer sentiment index beat out February 2011’s score of 77.5, the previous post-recession high in a month-end reading. It also topped analysts’ expectation of 77.8 according to Econoday.
The index surveys households each month on economic conditions, with a score of 100 considered an exceptionally high level.
Countries in the eurozone are struggling under the weight of austerity packages. Industrial output in stronger countries slowed the last quarter, dimming the ability to bolster weaker economies in the eurozone. Talk of Greece exiting the Euro increased in May, adding to volatility.
On Wall Street, major stock indices are all down. Dow Jones and Standard & Poor’s are down 5% this month. Nasdaq is also down nearly 7% for May.
Gas prices, however, loosened their grip on U.S. consumers’ wallets this month. The natonal average was at $3.67 a gallon Friday, down from $3.84 a month earlier, according to AAA.
Conditions also improved on the jobs front, according to survey respondents, as fewer people said they heard about job losses in May than anytime since mid-2007. Richard Curtin, director of the survey, said that could either mean more positive employment reports are on the way from the government, or consumers are a bit too optimistic.
“The most likely prospect is that job growth resumes at a modest pace and that confidence remains largely unchanged until after the November election and decisions about tax policy are made,” Curtin said in a news release.

via housingwire.com

First-quarter housing data shows promise: Freddie Mac | Pound Ridge NY Real Estate

Leave a reply

Initial economic growth estimates for the first quarter hit 2.2%, slower than the fourth quarter of 2011, but still improved from three of the past four quarters, Freddie Mac said in its U.S. Economic and Housing Market Outlook.
Optimism also spread through the market due to a rise in new housing construction and remodeling initiatives. Personal consumption also grew at a 15.3% annual rate as more Americans spent on kitchen appliances and consumer durables, Freddie Mac said.
“Taken together, the first-quarter data releases provide an encouraging sign for both the macroeconomy and the housing recovery,” said Frank Nothaft, vice president and chief economist for Freddie Mac. “While not uniformly positive, for the most part, the data trend in the right direction.”
Nothaft also pointed out that home prices are now at or near the trough in many housing markets and delinquency rates are beginning to decline.
Another incentive for homebuyers comes in the form of record low interest rates, which offer purchasers a chance to jump into the market at rates not experienced in 60 years.

via housingwire.com

Bedford NY Real Estate | Nearly one-third of mortgaged homes underwater

Leave a reply

The negative equity problem for U.S. homeowners might be worse than previously thought, at least according to a new measure from Zillow ($40.27 0%).
The online real estate data provider, in its first negative equity report, said 15.7 million, or 31.4%, of homeowners were underwater on their mortgages in the first quarter. That’s up from 31.1% three months earlier but down from 32.4% in the first quarter 2011.
Homeowners owed $1.2 trillion more than the value of their homes in the first quarter, according to Zillow.
With roughly 10% of homeowners 90-days-plus delinquent on payments, negative equity “remains only a paper loss” for most, said Zillow Chief Economist Stan Humphries.
“As home values slowly increase and these homeowners continue to pay down their principal, they will surface again,” Humphries said in a news release.
But Zillow’s measure is considerably higher — and subsequently more dire — than another report on negative equity among homeowners. A CoreLogic ($17.50 0%) study from the fourth quarter 2011, the most recent available, tabulated roughly 11 million underwater homeowners, or 23% of all mortgaged properties.
Zillow said it analyzes available outstanding mortgage debt data, including lines of credit and first and second mortgages, provided by credit agency TransUnion. CoreLogic uses its own database of mortgages, which the company says accounts for roughly 85% of mortgages in the U.S.
Cynthia Nowak, a Zillow spokeswoman, said the company’s survey covers an estimated 50 million out of roughly 53 million mortgaged homes.
The differing numbers of underwater homeowners might have to do with the general problems of covering such a huge market, said Bill Emmons, an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. There’s no absolute way to measure outstanding mortgage debt, he said, but the bigger difference likely comes from how each outlet measures home values.
“Even if you do come up with estimates for individual house values, it’s almost always assuming orderly market conditions,” Emmons said. “There is no answer or no solution to assigning values to something that hasn’t sold yet.”
The real issue, Emmons said, is that the different measures haven’t changed much. Zillow’s first-quarter reading fell just one percentage point from a year earlier, while CoreLogic’s fourth-quarter numbers came in at the same level as third-quarter 2009.
This negative equity and loads of debt present problems for the economy and skittish lenders, Emmons said. But for homeowners, the bigger harm is that negative equity raises the probability that other factors, like unemployment, could lead to default.
“It’s sort of like your immune system being compromised,” Emmons said. “You’re just more vulnerable to anything coming along.”
Even for a current borrower, negative equity makes it harder to move and to refinance their mortgage, said Fred Furlong, an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.
But all households, even those from states that didn’t see huge price drops, have cut back on nonmortgage debt on similar levels, Furlong said. It’s as if “there has been a broader lesson” from the housing boom and bust, he said.
Zillow’s report is especially bleak for metropolitan areas in states hit hard by the housing crisis. Las Vegas led the country’s biggest cities with 71% of mortgaged homeowners underwater in the first quarter, followed by Phoenix at 55.5% and Atlanta at 55.2%.
Pittsburgh marked the low among big cities at 16.7%, trailed by New York at 21.3% and Boston at 22%

via housingwire.com

Record low mortgage rates hold steady | Bedford Hills NY Real Estate

Leave a reply

Fixed-rate mortgages held steady from the prior week’s record lows, helping to drive homebuyer affordability across the nation.
The Freddie Mac survey showed the 30-year FRM averaged 3.78% for the week ending Thursday — a new low — ticking down from the prior week’s record average of 3.79%. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 4.60%.
The 15-year FRM, a popular refinancing choice, averaged 3.04%, unchanged from last week‘s record average. A year ago, the average rate for a 15-year FRM was 3.80%.
Five-year, Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgages averaged 2.83%, again unchanged from last week and down from 3.41% a year earlier.
And one-year, Treasury-indexed ARMs averaged 2.75%, down from last week’s average of 2.78% and down from 3.11% last year.
“Mortgage rates were virtually unchanged this week with fixed-rate loans remaining at record lows and helping to drive homebuyer affordability,” noted Freddie Mac chief economist Frank Nothaft.
The National Association of Realtor’s housing affordability index reached an all-time record high in the first quarter. And in April, existing home sales rose to the highest rate since January with an annualized rate of 4.62 million homes purchases increasing in all regions.
Similarly, sales of new homes also rose last month, beating the market consensus forecast, said Nothaft, adding that the Federal Housing Finance Agency‘s purchase-only house price index rose 0.5% in the first quarter from a year earlier, representing the first four-quarter increase since the first quarter of 2007.
Home loan analytics firm Bankrate, which surveys large banks, reported the 30-year FRM did not change from last week’s rate of 3.97%, while the 15-year FRM ticked down to 3.19% from 3.2%. The 5/1 ARM rose to 3.02% from 3.0%.

via housingwire.com

Phoenix housing market lights up like ‘a switch suddenly turned on’ | South Salem NY Homes

Leave a reply

Phoenix homebuilders are seeing the light, so to speak, with sales trending upward for the past six months, according to a new report from Keefe, Bruyette & Woods.
Analysts with KBW met with land developers, homebuilders and banks in Phoenix and found a generally optimistic tone with 2012 permits expected to grow by more than 50% while resale inventory levels have declined to less than a two-month supply.
Builders in the market include Meritage Homes, Taylor Morrison, Starwood Land Ventures and Terra West Communities.
“The Phoenix market is strong, and numerous people said that home sales activity significantly accelerated starting in November ‘as if a switch suddenly turned on,’ ” said KBW. “The pace of activity through May remains robust.”
The market saw its mix of homes for sale improve, KBW said, as the percentage of homes sold as REOs and short sales fell to 45% from as much as 70% last year.
Foreclosure inventory also is down 50% year-over-year, with much of that remaining supply in tertiary markets and with significant demand from investors who want to turn the homes into rentals.
KBW said builders interviewed noted home prices have increased 20% to 25% year-over-year through March.
“Phoenix is a nonjudicial state and the pricing dynamics of both foreclosures and rentals are such that these properties can generate cash yields of 7% to 8%, which remains attractive to investors,” KBW said. “Participants in this market include Colony Capital (which recently acquired 220 homes in Arizonia, California and Nevada), Starwood Property Trust ($20.29 0%), Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. ($11.70 0%) (in conjunction with Beazer Homes), and others.”
As the resale market in Phoenix gets more competitive, KBW believes homebuilders will be in the spot to attract more buyers. Some builders have already raised their prices by at least 1%, KBW said.

via housingwire.com

Case-Shiller home prices decline 2% in Q1 to new post-crisis lows | Cross River NY Real Estate

Leave a reply

Home prices nationwide continued to decline in the first quarter of 2012, but at a moderate pace, according to the latest Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices. S&P called the drop in prices as hitting “new post-crisis lows.”
The national composite index fell 2% over the fourth quarter in Q1 and 1.9% from the year earlier period, S&P said.
The 10- and 20-city composite indexes had annual returns of -2.8% and -2.6%, respectively, for the month of March.
Meanwhile, average home prices for the 10-city composite fell by 0.1% in March when compared to February, while the 20-city composite index remained unchanged. Still, the composite indices in the latest S&P report are at their lowest levels since the housing crisis began in mid-2006.
Cities that saw home prices hit new lows in the most recent report for March included Atlanta, Chicago, Las Vegas, New York and Portland.
“While there has been improvement in some regions, housing prices have not turned,” said David Blitzer, chairman of the index committee at S&P indices. “This month’s report saw all three composites and five cities hit new lows. However, with last month’s report nine cities hit new lows. Further, about half as many cities, seven, experienced falling prices this month compared to 16 last time.”
“The national composite fell by 2.0% in the first quarter alone, and is down 35.1% from its second quarter 2006 peak, in addition to recording a new record low. The 10- and 20-city composite mimic these results; also down about 35% from their relative peaks and hit new lows.”

via housingwire.com

Waccabuc NY Realtor | Beautiful Landing Pages: Tips and Examples

Leave a reply

Beautiful Landing Pages: Tips and Examples
By Laura Moisei. Filed in Web Design
Hundreds of witty articles have been written around the topic of landing pages. We all know the basic facts – that these are the pages a visitor reaches after clicking on a banner ad or a promotional link, and that they play a crucial marketing role by converting leads into customers for the business. When it comes to designing a landing page yourself however, matters seem to be far more delicate than you would have expected after going through how-to documentation. This is why today, we have chosen to share a collection of actual landing page examples for inspiration.
According to a pretty scholarly classification you may find in Wikipedia, landing pages fall in two major categories: reference and transactional. If they are to be called reference, pages have to display information that is both appealing and relevant to the visitor (text, multimedia). “Transactional” landing pages are the ones who aim at immediate sales or at least in capturing strong sales leads.
As you will probably agree with me, all landing pages meet both criteria: they inform the visitor upon the offer as well as incite actions from his side. Otherwise we wouldn’t need calls-to-action on absolutely any landing page, would we?
What needs to be clear before launching any landing page in the www is the nature of the desired visitors’ action. Is increasing newsletter signups your goal? Then design a CTA with the message “Signup now to our newsletter”. Do you aim to have trial purchases from visitors? Say so. Generally speaking, the essential recipe is to make your landing page express this offer as clearly and as enticingly as possible.
Recommended Reading: Beautiful “Coming Soon” Page Design
Tips for Designing a Landing Page
Some quick tips to start from when designing a landing page:
1. Use the AIDA principle
This is a chain of events that we desire to happen once a lead reaches the platform displaying the promoted product or service. Mainly, the steps are:
Awareness – attract attention from the visitor
Interest – which can be aroused by highlighting the benefits to the customer
Desire – induce in customers the idea that they want the product or service
Action – customers performing the purchase process
2. Not too many distractions; leave A way out
The idea is simple. If the landing page has virtually no navigation option except for the CTA button, visitors will force their exit. Don’t think that if you don’t provide any navigation, they won’t find a way to leave – they will, maybe even by shutting down the browser. And these visitors will not come back.
3. Make it pass the blink test
Typically, a landing page has to catch the visitor’s attention in the first 3 seconds of entry. If the guest blinks, and can’t see clearly what he should find on the page or isn’t interested with what he saw, he is most likely to bounce away empty-handed.
4. Don’t create false expectations
The landing page has to be consistent with the hints provided by the original ad, or vice versa. Visitors have to find on the landing page what they were first promised in the ad they clicked.
As we have promised, let’s tour some nicely designed and effective landing pages of B2B and B2C. We will explore their strengths and inevitable weaknesses. Watch out for the following in the gallery below: visual communication, branding and trust indicators, content effectiveness, calls-to-action.
Showcase: Beautiful Landing Pages
99Designs
This is the version of a landing page targeted towards designers and students. 99Designs also has a landing page for the other side: businesses that need designs. As for this one, it’s very effective in terms of endorsement (see the bold testimonials) and truly speaks the language of the audience with figures and trust indicators (number of community members, amount of money they earned). Notice the bright red shade of the single CTA button – this usually is something to avoid, but in this particular case it’s not disturbing, as it matches the color of the logo.
123RF
123RF makes a clear statement of purpose in this landing page with the image slider and the four median boxes. You understand in an instant what the service is and how you can use it (Search, Sign Up, Pay-As-You-Go, Buy Subscription). The light grey background is unobtrusive and puts the highlight on the essence, that being the image. What I personally think they can improve on is the list of stock photography categories, it’s a bit stuffed. And the CTA is a bit too subtle for the clickable boxes.
Favomatic
I absolutely love the design of this landing page. There is contrast, good slogans in each section and it brings a lot of information without forcing you to read everything (the small font does it all). It does have navigation, but a vertical one, by scrolling, which considerably reduces bouncing rates.
BiznessApps
Strong calls-to-action, emphasized slogan and an impressive list of endorsements – this is the right combination for a landing page and this page has it. Plus, it includes a minimum amount of text and uses a demo video, as it’s a known fact that people prefer watching a short film than reading. The form is an element they can slightly improve on. Usually, you should give first before you can get, so if in exchange for submitting the form visitors can receive free treats, then the “Send message” button can say something like “Get your free stuff now!”
Brusheezy
Another proof less is more. This landing page looks very neat with a single icon and prominent header. Notice the two calls-to-action, at the top and bottom – this is a foolproof method to make the message persistent without overcrowding the page. Highlighting the benefits for the customers instead of the product’s features is another vanquisher.
JailBreak
This page may be a little too crowded, but it’s in the tradition of landing pages for apps. However, the decision to divide the page in segments makes it easy to navigate through all the elements. You can find everything you may be looking for: features, benefits, testimonials and even a guarantee of a refund if you are not happy with the result. The last one is quite risky, as it may raise questions on the quality of the service, and it was a good idea to place it all the way at the bottom
PageLines
Minimalism is the key concept here. I personally like that this page doesn’t tell you everything right away, but invites you to discover. What I don’t find so enjoyable, however, is a video that starts automatically (a feature I generally avoid) – even if Andrew Powers is not only skillful but also handsome! Also, the fact that there’s no immediate CTA may be a drawback for the website.
Pico
This landing page is simple yet powerful. The “greater than” red sign is salt and pepper to the overall appearance. The paragraph arrangement resemble a newspaper layout and is quite suggestive for the purpose of the CMS. The CTA buttons are a bit too weak, though, and the lady in the bottom right corner causes a mild distractin; with too much surprise on her face, does she look like she is able to negotiate a business matter?
Shoeboxed
The descriptive lines for each of the sections are an example of descriptive language use. You understand the message in a split second, as your line of sight quickly scans the first row and arrives at the CTA button. If you are still hesitating, there is a testimonial to help, together with strong endorsements – won’t you trust a company that’s featured in Forbes and Tech Crunch? I would.
SquareSpace
Professional looking landing page, this is. A bold slogan, CTA buttons that you can’t resist clicking and a very good endorsement, this is the combination to success. I also like that they put their context of use in the center of the page, with a screenshot of the way their pages look and infographic-like indications. The 3-element structure of the page is another strong point.
More:
You may find below some more examples of interesting landing pages.
StockFresh
Wix
XHTMLchop
Cubender
DailyRazor
FireCore
Fotolia
Inkd
iPage
LightCMS
Odyssey
P2H
ShortStack

Suggestion:

–>
You might li

via hongkiat.com

Bedford Corners NY Realtor | Tips on Optimizing a Facebook Page

Leave a reply

With the increasing popularity of Facebook, Facebook pages are starting to rank higher in search engines. The high ranking status makes your company’s official Facebook page an important source of ongoing internet traffic. More traffic means more potential sales, so it is a good idea to learn how to optimize your Facebook page for potential customers.
Update Content Regularly
High quality content posted regularly to your company’s Facebook page can increase search engine optimization by encouraging visitors to repost and link back to your page. As opposed to stand-alone webpage content which should focus on targeted keyword densities, Facebook page updates should spotlight informative and entertaining content. Also, popular content posted to your company’s Facebook page will encourage more visitors to “like” or “fan” your page, which is important in creating a broader customer reach and creating customized Facebook URLs.
Research Effective Keywords
While targeted and effective keyword saturation is of lesser importance in your company’s Facebook page updates, the keyword chosen for your Facebook page name is, however, important. The name you choose cannot be changed once it is entered during registration, so proper research is vital before setting your business up on Facebook. There are several tools available online which can provide keyword statistics, including how often your chosen word or phrase was searched recently.
Custom Facebook URL
Once you reach a certain number of fans on your Facebook page, you gain the ability to create a custom URL. The username which is used to generate your custom URL should be based on the relevant keywords you researched while opening the account. By optimizing other aspects of your company’s Facebook page, you can attract the fans needed to meet the custom URL requirements.
Backlinks
Do not rely solely on visitors to create quality backlinks to your Facebook page. Time spent posting keyword rich backlinks on other relevant websites will help to optimize your page, raise its search engine ranking and increase traffic. Blogs, forums, and other social media outlets are great places to incorporate optimizing backlinks to your Facebook page.
Keywords in “Info” Section
The use of relevant keywords in the “info” section of your Facebook page can improve search engine optimization. Facebook pages with good keyword density take advantage of the high ranking these kinds of webpages receive. When relevant optimizing keywords are worked into the “info” section in natural and entertaining language, readers will be able to find your Facebook page and enjoy the content.
Optimizing your Facebook page will bring more traffic and attention to your content. Well selected keywords, quality content and effective backlinks will help to make your Facebook page standout

via dreamgrow.com

Content Marketing – Online and Offline Expertise | Chappaqua NY Real Estate

Leave a reply

Have you ever thought that you are probably already doing content marketing ‘offline,’ with talks and presentations at conferences or business fairs? The concept of content marketing is nothing new, but web 2.0 has created unlimited opportunities to publish and spread content online with the help of the Internet and social media networks. If you understand the similarities and differences between content marketing ‘on’ and ‘off’-line, your online marketing strategy will become much (easier and) more effective.
The main difference between online and offline expertise lies in the way content is published and distributed, the number of people you can reach, and the readiness of which people share content. However, there is more to the difference between online and offline content marketing. It is worth taking a closer look at the two forms of content marketing in order to connect the them in the most efficient and successful way.
Same story, different outcomes
Even though the stories and content in online and offline content marketing often are the same, the methods and the format by which the content is presented can differ quite strongly; the achieved results will, accordingly, be diverse. Online content – such as videos, articles, comments, graphics – has the chance of staying visible for a much longer period of time than offline content. In fact, it can be fairly difficult to remove content from online media once it has gained a certain visibility. (This should be kept in mind when publishing sensitive content.)
In today’s social media world, the number of people who will see your online content will (quite likely) be much larger than the number of people you can reach via offline methods, simply due to the potentially viral mediums social media outlets provide. The people you reach online will probably also represent a greater variety of people, as targeting a specific group becomes much more challenging. A misstep online can therefore have much more drastic consequences than a similar misstep offline. At the same time, a well-placed contribution online will have more potential to impact your company than the same content placed offline.
Although large networks mislead you into seeking the largest number of people reached, you should consider if these people truly represent your target group. Then, if so, can they be reached via these networks? In the end, it is not the number that counts, but if you have really connected to people interested in you and your business. Ask yourself: can your target group be reached via Twitter, Facebook or Google+, or rather LinkedIn? It might be worth looking at smaller networks, as they may be better suited to reach the right people for you. This can be compared to offline networking, as many prefer a small conference over a large business fair, if if it is better suited to their direct purpose.
Same Goals, Different Approach
The goals in online and offline content marketing are closely connected: build a reputation as an expert and connect to people who can turn into business partners, collaborators and clients. With online and offline content marketing, it is important to attract the handful of people that fit with your business ideology, rather than wasting time investing on an infinite amount of unrelated people. Let this consideration be part of the decision in which type of content you use. Rather create content that is helpful to your target audience than ‘fun’ stuff that is spread, but does not inspire relevant people to return to you for information.
With offline networking, target groups can be more easily identified and reached at conferences and business fairs. Online, this kind of targeting is more tricky; rather than an introduction at a specific conference (with a preselected audience), your online networks are created by building an interested and faithful readership of friends, followers, and fans. Locating and interacting with your right target group relates to formulating a strong content strategy. Online you must produce continuity and consistency, as well as quality in your content. Whereas one piece of good content, i.e. a presentation at conference, can be enough in offline marketing – you will probably need more than that to gain the success you are looking for online.
Personality vs. Anonymity
Although speaking for a company throughout social media might induce a desired amount of anonymity, you should be aware that personality plays a big role in reputation. Even if the diction and facts in your content are perfect, when personality is missing you risk someone else get the job, as most of us would prefer to work with someone we feel we ‘know’ and can trust. In offline content marketing, your personality is usually part of the picture; you personally speak at a conference and the best business meetings might have result from the shared coffee after your talk. Within the anonymity of the Internet, you have to make sure your personality transcends through the screen. This might especially be a problem if your company expertise builds on the expertise of multiple employees, or you choose to have social media activity run by an external social media manager.
You can achieve great things with your content marketing activities. Being aware of the differences between online and offline content marketing and playing them to your own advantage could make the difference in making the right connections and generating the most active leads.

via dreamgrow.com