Category Archives: blog

MY MARKETING PLAN IS BETTER THAN YOURS | Bedford Realtor

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Is it?

Do you feel you offer a better marketing strategy than the next Realtor?  

You do?  Good!  

Now, can people easily see that on your site? Uh-oh, this is where most agents are getting tripped up.

While perusing a fantastic Google+ community page called Photography for Real Estate, I stumbled upon an excellent video pitting “other” Realtor’s images compared to what the Connie Barnes’ team is producing.  Rather than just telling you how genius I think this video is, please watch it.

After watching this and being floored, not only by the presentation of the video, but the content contained therein, I knew I had to interview Connie and her team.  It’s not just about the plethora of comparison videos she has, but also her marketing centric posts like this one on the iPhone and this one explaining their team’s marketing plan.  They are front and center, fully transparent, and showing the world why they are the best in their local area.    Check out her numbers below.

Connie Barnes Business

 

Also, after visiting her site www.conniebarnes.com, look at her website traffic and you will quickly see how having such compelling marketing can lead to $48 million in sales.

Remember, your website isn’t here there to draw people in from the web, it’s also there to provide reassurance to clients you have already met and continue to tell your story long after you left their house.

Website Traffic

I wanted to dive deeper into Connie’s marketing plan, motivation behind her site structure, and how she started off on her path of marketing transparency.

After watching the interview,  if you have any questions for Connie or her team, please post them to theirGoogle+ page!

I know this interview is quite long, but worth all 15 minutes. Enjoy!

 

 

http://techsavvyagent.com

 

BANKS TO BERNANKE: Farmland Looks Bubbly | Bedford Hills NY Real Estate

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Ben Bernanke

REUTERS/Larry Downing

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke

In February, Bloomberg reported that members of the Treasury Borrowing Advisory Committee (TBAC) – made up of high-level executives at Wall Street’s biggest investment banks and asset managers – warned in a quarterly TBAC meeting with Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke that farmland, junk bonds, and mortgage real estate investment trusts were looking bubbly. 

Via a Freedom of Information Act request, Bloomberg obtained the minutes to that meeting and has revealed some more information about what was said at the meeting in a new report.

According to the minutes, Bloomberg reporters Craig Torres and Joshua Zumbrun write that the TBAC opposed the Fed’s third round of quantitative easing – this time open-ended, unlike the previous two iterations – when it was announced in September:

The advisory council opposed continued Fed accommodation on Sept. 14, a day after the conclusion of the FOMC’s two-day meeting Sept. 12-13. The Fed after that gathering announced a third round of bond buying with purchases of $40 billion per month of mortgage-backed securities.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/wall-streets-biggest-banks-opposed-qe3-2013-5#ixzz2SnR5xmHD

The Inflation Data Are Pointing To Another Housing Bubble | Katonah Real Estate

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t’s easy to spot a Fed-sponsored housing bubble if you look in the right places. The best place to start is an analysis of price inflation as measured by the BLS as compared to a CPI-variant that takes actual housing prices into consideration instead of rent.

This is a followup to my post Dissecting the Fed-Sponsored Housing Bubble; HPI-CPI Revisited; Real Housing Prices; Price Inflation Higher than Fed Admits.

Data for the following charts is courtesy of Lender Processing Services (LPS), Specifically the LPS Home Price Index (HPI).

The charts were produced by Doug Short at Advisor Perspectives. Anecdotes on the charts in light blue are by me.

Background

The CPI does not track home prices per se, rather the CPI uses a concept called “Owners’ Equivalent Rent” (OER) as a proxy for home prices.

The BLS determines OER from a measure of actual rental prices and also by asking homeowners the question “If someone were to rent your home today, how much do you think it would rent for monthly, unfurnished and without utilities?”

If you find that preposterous, I am sure you are not the only one. Regardless, rental prices are simply not a valid measure of home prices.

OER Weighting in CPI

CPI categories

Mish Shedlock

OER is now at 24.041% of CPI, which still rounds to 24.0%, but the other housing wedge is now an even 17.0%, down from 17.1% in the previous version.

 

The rest of the charts show various effects if one substitutes actual home prices as measured by the HPI in the data.

Two Inflation Indexes 

CPI with HPI substitute for OER and FFR

Mish Shedlock

click on any chart for sharper image

As measured by the CPI, price inflation is 1.47% annualized. As measured by HPI-substitution, price inflation is a much higher 3.33%. The Fed would have you believe everything is under control. Of course they said the same thing in 2005.

Read more: http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2013/05/hugely-negative-real-interest-rates.html#ixzz2SnQBfapO

Do You Know These Time Saving Blogging Tips? | Cross River Realtor

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Over the last few days we’ve been tackling the problem of ‘not enough time to blog’ that many bloggers struggle with. I started by sharing 7 tips for busy bloggers on how to find time to blog and then had 14 of my blogging friends share a little about their blogging routines.

When I asked these 14 bloggers about their routines I also asked if they had any tips for other busy bloggers. I’m glad I did because collectively they give some great insight below.

Chris Garrett

chris_garrett_blogworld.jpg

  1. Write down any ideas you have and transfer them to your blog drafts as soon as possible. If you can, skip the writing down part and go direct to your blog drafts. Maybe use a smart phone so you are more likely to have a handy route to your blog!
  2. In your drafts add a semi-decent headline (not final, just enough to get the idea across) and some bullets. At the very least the point you want to make. If you don’t then you will forget what your post was about. Trust me on this, I speak from experience, ha.
  3. Work out the best time of day for you to write and schedule time in that slot. I find my best writing is between 10am and 1pm, and second best between 6pm and 8pm. After lunch is a better time for me to talk but not write. We all have a rhythm, listen to yours.
  4. Set a timer. Tell the family to not disturb you until the time is up. Close all distractions. Write.
  5. Break up your writing into less daunting chunks if you need to. One session just do outlines. Next session do bad drafts. Third some editing. Then formatting. Then final polish and posting. Don’t try to do too much otherwise you will never do enough!

 

 

http://www.problogger.net/archives/2013/04/27

Despite Sellers’ Markets, Seventy-one Percent Still Say it’s a Good Time to Buy | South Salem NY Real Estate

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Home prices are rising at double digit rates. Inventories are at historic lows. Two out of five applicants for a purchase mortgage are rejected. Yet nearly three quarters of Americans say it’s a good time to buy a home.

While some would argue its always a good time to buy, conditions have turned to favor sellers in most markets across the nation. Yet even though a slight majority of consumers participating in Fannie Mae’s latest monthly National Housing Survey expect prices to rise over the next three months, 71 percent said its still a good time for buyers.

By contrast, the share of respondents who say now is a good time to sell climbed 4 percentage points in April but still reached only 30 percent, compared to 15 percent at the same time last year. That’s not even half as many as those who said it’s a good time to buy. The percentage that said it’s a good time to buy stayed steady from March.

The share of respondents who say mortgage rates will go up fell 3 percentage points to 43 percent, while those who say they will go down increased slightly to 7 percent.

The average 12-month rental price change expectation held steady at 4.1 percent.

Forty-eight percent of those surveyed say home rental prices will go up in the next year, a 2 percentage point decrease from last month’s survey high.

The share of respondents who said they would buy if they were going to move increased slightly to 65 percent.

“For the first time in the survey’s three-year history, the majority of Americans surveyed now expect home prices to increase,” said Doug Duncan, senior vice president and chief economist at Fannie Mae. “Crossing the 50 percent threshold marks a significant milestone as most Americans believe a housing recovery is truly occurring throughout the country. Reflecting that increased optimism toward housing, the share of Americans who think it is a good time to sell has doubled during the last year. Many homeowners who have been underwater are gradually returning to positive equity, and selling is now becoming an available and attractive option again.”

 

 

 

http://www.realestateeconomywatch.com/2013/05

Loan officers, banks tighten FICO standards | Mt Kisco NY Real Estate

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Obtaining a mortgage with a FICO score in the 620 range is more difficult in today’s lending environment, the Federal Reserve concluded in its April survey of loan officers and bank lenders.

The Federal Reserve polled a little under 100 banks and found 32 of respondents are less likely to approve a borrower with a FICO score of 620 and a down payment of 10%.

Even with a higher 20% down payment, 18 banks remained skeptical about originating a mortgage.

However, when a FICO score reaches 680, banks differ on the outcome. With a 10% down payment, 16 banks remain less likely to approve the borrower, but another 8 banks said they’re now more likely to bite with this FICO-LTV combination in effect.

If you throw in a 20% down payment and a 680 FICO, only 8 banks said they’re less likely to approve the borrower, while 16 are now more likely.

Meanwhile, the subprime market is still around, but lenders tend to avoid it with tighter FICO requirements and more regulations stifling interest.

Ten banks said demand for subprime mortgages remains the same, while another two banks claim consumer activity in the space has grown somewhat stronger in the past three months.

Despite the slim change in the subprime market, 59 of the surveyed banks still avoid subprime lending.

 

 

http://www.housingwire.com/news

KB Home CEO: We’re in the right markets | Cross River Real Estate

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KB Home’s chief executive officer sees a housing recovery taking hold in certain markets and feels well-positioned to capture some of the business.

“Across this country, we’re in the right markets,” said Jeff Mezger, president and CEO of KB Home ($32.67 0%) at the builder’s 2013 analyst conference.

Mezger addressed the crowd Tuesday, speaking to the recent growth and success of the homebuilder over the past year. Between investments, revenue generation and cost reduction, the average sales price for the company increase 24% year-over-year in the first quarter.

On top of that, 60% of deliveries were to first-time buyers, noted Mezger, who adds that today’s first-time homebuyers are bringing in more income and buying homes in better communities.

We have focused on both the long term and the short term, said Mezger, who adds the company’s stock over the last four months has been the top performer.

“We’re in the right markets today; it’s the right time,” added Mezger. “We like where we’re at.” Currently, the company is working in some of the strongest markets in the country: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Metro D.C., Nevada, New Mexico North Carolina and Texas.

According to Mezger, 49% of KB Home’s ($24.67 0%) revenue in 2012 came from California; in the first quarter that increased to 51%. Texas is the biggest market by unit sales for the homebuilder.

Mezger noted that the builder likes its footprint and has no immediate plans to expand. “We will at some point, but it’s not necessary today,” he said.

How to score seller clients when inventory is low | Waccabuc NY Real Estate

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Loads of agents know firsthand that an uptick in buyer activity and some loosening of lending purse-strings can result in a particular flavor of supply-demand imbalance we call “a seller’s market.”  A recent Truliastudy proved this market season is just that: 75% of surveyed consumers said it’s better to buy a home now than a year from now.

But the same study revealed that there’s also pressure from the other end of the market – only one in three consumers said it would be better to sell now than a year from now. These patient would-be sellers have pushed inventory to a 12-year low.

Trulia ($34.34 0%) provides a number of ways that agents can grow their seller clients while so many are wanting to hold out another year.

http://www.housingwire.com/fastnews

Zillow survey: 5% home value growth expected in 2013 | South Salem NY Real Estate

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With more than 100 forecasters predicting Zillow’s Home Value Index could end the year up an average of 5.4% from last year, fears of a market bubble resurfaced.

According to the latest Zillow ($62.94 0%) Home Price Expectations Survey, the median U.S. home value is expected to rise to $165,280, on average by the end of 2013.

At the end of 2012, the U.S. Zillow Home Value Index stood at $156,800.

In the latest survey, conducted in late February, respondents reported they expected average home value growth of just 4.6% in 2013. In 2014, respondents predicted average home value appreciation of 4.4%, up from prior expectations of 4.2%.

While panelists were more skeptical on near-term value appreciation this year and into 2014, their expectations for nationwide home value growth in 2015, 2016 and 2017 were slightly more pessimistic than in prior surveys.

Panelists said on average they expect annual home value growth between 3.5% and 3.7% from 2015 through 2017. This is a modest drop from previously expressed expectations in the 3.6% to 3.8% range.

Cumulatively, respondents anticipate home values to rise 22.3% through 2017, on average.

“The panel’s expectations of near-term home value appreciation remaining above historic norms are consistent with a market struggling to satisfy strong demand from buyers attracted by rock-bottom interest rates and improving economic conditions,” said Zillow Chief Economist Stan Humphries.

Humphries added, “But looking further out, that appreciation will have to moderate as interest rates rise, or else homes that seem affordable today – despite rapidly rising values – are going to look very expensive relative to people’s incomes as it gets more costly to finance a home. How the Federal Reserve handles the eventual winding down of its policy of quantitative easing will be critical in determining if the current period of rapid appreciation is a benign bounce off the bottom, or a more dangerous bubble being re-inflated.”

The more optimistic quartile of panelists predicted, on average, a 6.6% rise in home values in 2013. However, the pessimistic bunch expects an average increase of only 4.2%.

 

 

http://www.housingwire.com/fastnews

Charlotte housing market gains momentum | Katonah NY Real Estate

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CoreLogic, an Irvine, Calif.-based company that provides monthly reports on housing prices, said Charlotte rose 7% in the Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill area in March from the same month a year ago.

Also, the Charlotte Regional Realtor Association reported that Charlotte-area home prices increased by 1.1% on average in April from the same month last year, as inventory continues to dwindle.

According to the preliminary data from the association, the average sales price in April rose to $217,166 from $214,739 in April 2012. The number of sales increased 34% year-over-year, to 2,915 from 2,168, writes the Charlotte Observer.

 

 

http://www.housingwire.com/fastnews