Category Archives: Pound Ridge

44 Reasons Why You Should Use Social Media for Your Personal and Business Brand | South Salem Realtor

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Why would you want to waste your time blogging and building a following on social media networks? Why would you bother? It all seems like a lot of hard work really.44 Reasons Why You Should Use Social Media for Your Personal and Business Brand

For hundreds of years expressing yourself and displaying your passion and talents was confined to writing, drawing or painting on a piece of paper and then begging a publisher or someone of influence to tell the world or publish your work or display it.

It took time, money and often access to powerful social and business networks. Being rich or royal was often a prerequisite to being noticed. It also took a lot of time with death often happening before fame kicked in. Many musicians and artists didn’t achieve fame until centuries later.

Artists and creatives often needed access to kings and queens and their benevolent attention to break through the barrier of anonymity.

Gatekeepers to Fame and Influence

Television, radio and modern mass media made it easier to be discovered and break through the influence glass ceiling. In reality it still required money and other people’s networks and the new kings and queens were now the journalists, editors and media moguls. They were the new gatekeepers to fame and influence.

Blogs, social media and social networks have turned this traditional and glacial model of influence, attention and self expression on its head. It is mobile, multimedia rich and its free. The power is now in your hands.

The challenge now is not having access to the media because social media has provided the tools and means to take control. They are now Your” media and you have control. You just need the passion and the motivation to make it happen.

The “real” challenge now is breaking through the conversations and clutter of billions of personal publishers in an increasingly online world.

Why Use Social Media?

So why you should you blog, create valuable content and build networks on social media? Is social media just about being superficial or is it much deeper than that? Social media has touched something in human consciousness that goes beyond just online conversations. It has provided a global connectedness that is culture and nation changing. It has given us as individuals control over our lives and how we express ourselves.

That is what is exciting.

The power of media now resides in your hands and everyone can express themselves to the world and carve out and create their own corner of influence.

The democratization of media that is social media, allows everyone to express themselves globally in full color and rich multimedia. No longer do you need to beg a book publisher for access. You can now self-publish and place your book in the Amazon or Apple book store.

Here are a few reasons why you should tap into the power of social media that may resonate with you.  This may motivate you to take control of your life and business with the new world of online publishing and marketing via blogs and social media networks.

  1. Turn your passion into a business
  2. Take control of your life
  3. Take control of your publishing
  4. Take control of your marketing
  5. Become a thought leader
  6. Travel
  7. Be paid to speak
  8. Become influential
  9. Make a difference
  10. Leave a legacy
  11. Build trust
  12. Earn respect
  13. Build an online asset that will show up in Google search results for years
  14. Build a business online
  15. Create independence
  16. Meet cool and influential people both virtual and face to face
  17. Grow your own network of influence
  18. Open up business opportunities
  19. Accelerate the rate of growth both personal and business
  20. Become well known or even famous
  21. Be wanted and even demanded
  22. Be valued
  23. Develop self respect
  24. Turn your life form ordinary to extraordinary
  25. Become an author
  26. Change people’s lives
  27. Change your own life
  28. Grow
  29. Be able to leap out out of bed instead of crawl
  30. Learn more about passion instead of just showing up
  31. Gain energy
  32. Learn more about yourself through self expression
  33. Leave your day job behind
  34. Fire your boss
  35. Make your mum proud
  36. Make your friends jealous
  37. Put a smile on your face
  38. Put a spring in your step
  39. Discover skills you didn’t know you had
  40. Sing in the car or shower
  41. Find purpose in your life
  42. Overcome the fear of public speaking
  43. No longer have to worry about the fear of rejection
  44. Connect to global markets

What About You?

How has social media changed your life or business? Has it been transformational?

Do you think that the social web is the biggest change to self expression, influence and publishing since the printing press 500 years ago?

What have I left out?

Look forward to your feedback in the comments below.

via jeffbullas.com

Agents, builders get warnings about mortgage ads | North Salem NY Real Estate

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Mock direct mail advertisement illustrating claims that could be misleading.Mock direct mail advertisement illustrating claims that could be misleading.

Federal regulators have sent warning letters to more than 30 companies, including real estate agents, homebuilders and lead generators, warning them that their mortgage advertising on websites, Facebook and in newspapers and direct mailers may be deceptive.

The Federal Trade Commission said it sent letters to 20 companies in a coordinated action with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which issued warning letters to approximately a dozen others.

The FTC said the agencies’ review of about 800 mortgage ads from a wide variety of media “revealed several types of troubling claims that could be misleading to consumers.” The review found potential violations of the Mortgage Acts and Practices Advertising Rule and the FTC Act in:

  • Ads that offered a very low fixed mortgage rate without discussing significant loan terms.
  • Ads containing statements, images, symbols and abbreviations suggesting that an advertiser is affiliated with a government agency.
  • Ads “guaranteeing” approval and offering low monthly payments without discussing “significant conditions” on these offers.

A mock mortgage advertisement from a fictional real estate agent created by the FTC as an example of a potentially misleading ad.

The CFPB said many of the potentially misleading practices seemed to be directed at older borrowers, and active-duty military service members, or veterans.

“Some advertisers will use your military or veteran status as a way to approach you, promising special deals or implying VA approval,” the CFPB said. “Others will use the lure of a ‘no-payment’ reverse mortgage to troll for older Americans desperate to find a way to stay in their home when they can no longer afford a mortgage payment. And although mortgage rates are very low right now, an offer promising ‘historically low rates’ may still have hidden traps that turn it into a bad deal.”

The Mortgage Acts and Practices Advertising Rule, which took effect in August 2011, has been known as Regulation N since rule-making authority was transferred from the FTC to the CFPB. The rule prohibits material misrepresentations in advertising or any other commercial communication regarding consumer mortgages.

The FTC and the CFPB share enforcement authority over non-bank mortgage advertisers such as mortgage lenders, brokers, servicers and advertising agencies. Mortgage advertisers that violate the rule may be required to pay civil penalties.

via inman.com

Strong sales and tight inventory boost home prices | South Salem Real Estate

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A combination of rising sales and the lowest inventory in six years helped existing-home prices post annual gains for the eighth month in a row in October, the National Association of Realtors said today.

Sales of existing homes were up 2.1 percent from September to October and 10.9 percent from a year ago, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.79 million.

At $187,600, the national median price for all housing types including single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops was up 11.1 percent from a year ago. The national median price last posted eight consecutive months of annual gains before the crash — from October 2005 to May 2006.

Also released today, a survey by the National Association of Home Builders showed builder confidence rose in November for the seventh month in a row to its highest point since May, 2006.

Rising home prices are boosting home equity, and NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun thinks the improvement could be even greater next year.

“Rising home prices have already resulted in a $760 billion growth in home equity during the past year,” Yun said in a statement. “Given that each percentage point of price appreciation translates into an additional $190 billion in home equity, we could see close to a $1 trillion gain next year.”

NAR estimated there were 2.14 million existing homes listed for sale at the end of October, a 5.4-month supply at the current sales pace. That’s the tightest inventory since February 2006, when the months’ supply of homes stood at 5.2 months.

October’s inventory is down from a 5.6-month supply in September, and represents a 21.9 percent decline from the 7.6-month supply that existed a year ago. Many analysts view a six-month supply of housing as an even balance between buyer and seller demand.

Homes were on the market for a median of 71 days in October, down 26 percent from a year ago when the time to sell an existing home took a median of 96 days.

First-time buyers accounted for 31 percent of purchasers in October, down from last October’s 34 percent.

Distressed homes accounted for 24 percent of all existing-home sales in October — down from 28 percent last October — with an even split between foreclosures and short sales. Foreclosures and short sales sold for 20 percent and 14 percent, respectively, below market value.

All-cash deals accounted for 29 percent of October’s sales — the same as last year and a percentage point higher than September. Investors accounted for 20 percent of existing home sales in October.

Existing-home sales, October 2012

Seasonally adjusted annual rate4.79 million
% change from October 2011+10.9%
% change from September 2012+2.1%
National median price$178,600
% change from October 2011+11.1%
Unsold inventory (months’ supply)5.4
Share of all-cash buyers29%
Share of investor buyers20%
Share of first-time buyers31%
Share of distressed sales24%

Source: National Association of Realtors

All U.S. regions saw existing-home sales and prices swell in October from a year ago. The Midwest leading the way with an 18.1 percent year-over-year increase to an annual pace of 1.11 million units and a median price of $145,600, up 10.6 percent from last October.

Despite some effects of Hurricane Sandy, the Northeast saw home sales increase 13.7 percent from a year ago to a yearly pace of 580,000 units, with median prices up 4.6 percent, on an annual basis, to $232,600. The annual pace of sales dropped 1.7 percent in the Northeast from September — the only region to see a monthly drop.

NAR anticipates that Hurricane Sandy will continue to influence the region’s housing market in coming months. “We expect an impact on Northeastern home sales in the coming months from a pause and delays in storm-impacted regions,” Yun said.

Existing-home sales in the South were up 11 percent to an annual pace of 1.92 million units from October 2011. Median sale prices were up, too, to $152,200, 8.2 percent above last October’s median price.

In the West, sales were up 3.5 percent from a year ago to an annual rate of 1.18 million units, and median prices jumped 21.2 percent from last October to $242,100, the largest yearly proportional price jump of any region.

via inman.com

Buying a house with resale in mind | Pound Ridge Realtor

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At the end of the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s, homeowners in many areas cashed in big profits when they sold. This enabled them to trade up to a bigger home, sometimes in a better neighborhood.

Homeowners used their homes as piggy banks through the use of home equity lines of credit (HELOCs) to buy cars, pay for vacations and medical bills, renovate their homes, and pay for college educations and retirement.

The recent housing recession brought a halt to this as home values dropped 30 percent or more, depending on location, wiping out equity for some and leaving many who bought with a low cash down payment with negative equity. More than 24 percent of homeowners in the U.S. today have a mortgage value that exceeds the market value of their homes.

2012 may be a pivotal point in the housing market. The decline in home prices has subsided and prices are actually moving higher in some markets. Buyers, instead of being reticent to buy a home that may lose value, are now anxious to buy before prices rise further. Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors, projects that home prices nationally will rise 5 to 10 percent over the next three years.

Does this mean that we’re moving back to a housing market that will enable homebuyers to treat their homes as an investment opportunity rather than just as a place to live?

There are still possible bumps ahead for the housing market. Millions of foreclosure properties have yet to come to market. The global economy is slowing, and U.S. economic and job growth are meager. Even so, some buyers who purchase in choice locations today could realize substantial gain when they sell.

HOUSE HUNTING TIP: High-demand neighborhoods are usually located close to centers where job creation is high. A good transportation system enhances home values, particularly if your neighborhood is near a hub that provides the means to travel in several directions. Some areas have benefited from foreign homebuyers.

Location has been touted as the key factor determining home value. That is still the case. Buyers want quality housing in close proximity to green spaces, recreation, good shopping and transportation.

One strategy is to buy a home that lacks curb appeal and could use updating that’s located in a neighborhood of superior homes. The neighborhood is already known as a winner. Your challenge is to bring the property up to the quality of the neighboring homes by making cost-effective improvements.

Shoddy renovations will be seen for what they are when you sell. Hire quality contractors at a reasonable price. Some homeowners do not make back what they paid for improvements when they sell. To ensure you don’t overimprove for the neighborhood, find out what buyers want and how much they’re willing to pay for it before you renovate.

For example, in California, a study conducted by UCLA and the University of California, Berkeley, showed that homes with a “green label” sold for approximately 9 percent more than comparable nonlabeled homes. A green-label home is labeled by Energy Star, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), and GreenPoint Rated.

There’s a certain amount of luck involved in making a profit on a home sale. For instance, buying a home in the next hot spot and waiting for the neighborhood to turn around before you sell could yield a tidy profit. A neighborhood that’s adjacent to one that’s already highly desirable might be a good place to look.

Patience will work for you if your aim is to come out financially whole or ahead of the game when you sell. Plan to hold for the long term. Don’t sell in a down market.

THE CLOSING: If the market presents an opportunity to sell sooner, take it, unless your home means more to you than profit.

via inman.com