Real Estate News You Don’t See on the News – from The Cutting Edge   August 18, 2009
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The week’s real estate posts of interest from The Cutting Edge.

18 AUG 09

Study Says Homes in More Walkable Markets Get Higher Prices

‘Green’ is low real estate priority | Real Estate and Technology News for Agents, Brokers and Investors | Inman News “Most respondents in a survey of Better Homes and Gardens magazine readers said they most value ample storage space (74 percent) and closet space (74 percent) as very important in house hunting, while just 22 percent said they rate “eco-friendly” features as very important.”

Walkable neighborhoods also bankable | Real Estate and Technology News for Agents, Brokers and Investors | Inman News “Homes in neighborhoods where goods, services and fun things to do are located within walking distance can command a price premium of $4,000 to $34,000 over otherwise similar homes in less walkable areas, according to an analysis of recent home sales.”

Homeowners More Optimistic About the Future Than Any Time in Past Year | Zillow Blog – Real Estate Market Stats, Celebrity Real Estate, and Zillow News“Four times a year, we field a survey with Harris Interactive to get a pulse on how homeowners perceive the value of their own homes and their local real estate market. Our quest – to find out how realistic homeowners are about their own homes’ values, and how optimistic (or not) they are about the coming six months.”

17 AUG 09

Suckface With Facebook Today or Tomorrow, You’ll Just Plain Suck. True or False? | Real Estate Opinion MAG – AgentGenius “Everywhere I go, I hear earfuls of Facebook yadder. It’s a time suck. It’s a tool. It’s the future. It’s a fad. I don’t get it. Who cares. Get a life. I’m an addict. Don’t you work? Etc. You hear it too, right?”

16 AUG 09

Commercial Real Estate Lending Picking Back Up : The Real Estate Bloggers “Reports of commercial real estate lending are coming in, a welcome sign for an industry that has been hit hard by the credit crunch. It looks like there is more money available on the West Coast, but anyone who owns commercial property and is unable to roll over their loans must be thinking there is light at the end of the tunnel now. ”

15 AUG 09

Fishing for the details takes all the fun out of real estate fish stories “So some nice folks bought more home than they could afford during the housing boom. They couldn’t make their payments, so they put the home on the market for more than it was really worth, even back then. It sat on the market for four years, through a normal listing or two, through a short-sale listing, and then it finally sold to your friend as a lender-owned home. Is that about right?”

A Price That Works In A Market Headed South via the Housing Bubble Blog“‘When your neighbors house is on fire you don’t wait to call the fire department to help put out that fire, because the danger is it’s not just going to destroy that home, but it’s going to spread in the neighboorhood and destroy other homes as well,’ he said. ‘The effect of foreclosures has been to accelerate and deepen the declines in value, particularly in communities where it’s been concentrated. Studies have shown that those are not natural declines or declines that would otherwise happen.’”

Calculated Risk: Hotel Owners Walking Away “… From San Diego to Dearborn, Mich., an increasing number of hotel owners in the U.S. market are simply walking away …Distressed noncasino hotel loans now cover more than 1,000 properties with a cumulative loan value of $16.8 billion, according to Real Capital Analytics ….”

Calculated Risk: First-time Home Buyer Frenzy With a growing sense of urgency, first-time buyers are searching for homes, worried that time is running out on an $8,000 federal tax credit. Real estate agents say they’re seeing a surge of first-timers who want to close on a property by Nov. 30, the deadline for the credit. The rush has set off bidding wars and stirred up a normally quiet August market.

14 AUG 09

First-time Home Buyer Frenzy A few key points: This has boosted existing home sales, and will continue to boost existing home sales (reported at close of escrow) through November. This will put upward price pressure on low-to-mid level homes during this period. This is the also the target price range for most cash-flow investors. At the same time, the foreclosure moratoriums and modification programs have limited supply – especially in the low-to-mid priced areas.

Price cut on 1 in 4 listings | Real Estate and Technology News for Agents, Brokers and Investors | Inman News One in four homes on the market as of Aug. 1 had its asking price reduced at least once, although price reductions were smaller on average in July than June, according to an analysis by real estate search site Trulia.

13 AUG 09

Geology vs. Weather

Calculated Risk: Report: Record Foreclosure Activity in July “RealtyTrac … today released its July 2009 U.S. Foreclosure Market Reportâ„¢, which shows foreclosure filings — default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions — were reported on 360,149 U.S. properties during the month, an increase of nearly 7 percent from the previous month and an increase of 32 percent from July 2008. The report also shows that one in every 355 U.S. housing units received a foreclosure filing in July.”

BloodhoundBlog.com | Am I being Paranoid about what the NAR is calling the “Recovery?” “Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for a recovery. I would love to see a recovery. Did I mention that really strong sales would be great? The issue for me is that sales that are still 3% below a year ago doesn”t look like a recovery to me.”

Calculated Risk: Jim the Realtor: Investor Watch

Calculated Risk: National Data: Distressed Sales and Types of Buyers Here is some national data on the number of distressed sales in Q2, and the types of homebuyers. This is from a survey by Campbell Communications (excerpted with permission).

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Joe Spake is a Memphis, Tennessee based Consultant, Real Estate Broker, and Blogger. Call 901.214.5563 for a consultation or click to make a social connection.
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Thanks you for reading Real Estate News Summary for week ending August 18, 2009. For similar Memphis Real Estate articles visit Memphis Real Estate Buzz ,

Special note for current RSS Subscribers – If you subscribe to Memphis Real Estate Buzz via RSS feed, Please subscribe and start following this new feed for spake.com.  This will assure that you do not miss any items from either blog as I begin the process of merging the 2 blogs into one feed. Watch for future updates

Real Estate News You Don’t See on the News – from The Cutting Edge   July 21, 2009

You can always get the raw feed and subscribe at  The Cutting Edge.  If you use RSS, subscribe here:  Cutting Edge RSS Feed

The week’s real estate posts of interest from The Cutting Edge.

July 21, 2009
Twitter for Beginners: 5 Steps for Better Tweeting
“Twitter is immensely useful as a utility for joining in the global conversation and sharing thoughts, opinions, information, and media. But for new users, there’s also a fairly steep learning curve. For many people new to Twitter, the site doesn’t immediately “make sense” and it can be a bit daunting. But there are things those users can do to make the service more useful from the get go.”

Real estate rules of engagement | Inman News
“The next step in the online consumer lifecycle is engagement. They’ve found your site; they came and didn’t run away (aka bounce); and now they’re probably going to do something.”

Great marketing versus stupendously bad marketing | 1000Watt Consulting
“A good marketing campaign begins by understanding what you’re trying to achieve. It helps define who you are, what you stand for and how your brand should be perceived.”

Spice up your mainpage with card.ly (via prsarahevans)
Nice looking contact widget for your website or blog.

July 20, 2009
Frank: I’m Not to Blame for Housing Bubble: Tech Ticker, Yahoo! Finance
“Who’s to blame for the subprime housing bubble? A popular answer – especially on the right side of the aisle – is Massachusetts Democrat, Barney Frank. Why?”

July 19, 2009
With MLS listings available everywhere on the internet, why do you need a buyer’s agent? | Greg Swann’s Arizona Republic columns | BloodhoundRealty.com: Phoenix real estate
“Here’s an intriguing question: Given that it’s so easy to search for homes on the internet, why do you need a buyer’s agent? Face it, if you use the MLS search tool on my web site, you’re seeing exactly the same listings I see. And you know better than I ever could what you like and what you don’t like.”

Translating mortgage language may raise cost but lower consumer risks : Business : Memphis Commercial Appeal
‘Even if lenders ultimately are forced to do fewer loans as a result of new regulation, the consumer protections are still worth it, said John Sullivan, president of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents. “I would rather people have more difficulty getting the loan than getting a loan they can’t afford to pay in three years,” he said.’ – Sounds a little troubling for consumers and Realtors

July 18, 2009
Calculated Risk: Ritholtz: “Why are people calling a bottom for Real Estate?”
Barry Ritholtz presents the following graph and asks: “I cannot figure out why people continue to call for a bottom in Real Estate — as if there is going to be this snap back any day now.” – an interesting read, from an economics point of view

Calculated Risk: Jim the Realtor on High Rise Condo Project
“Jim the Realtor takes us on a tour of the 679-unit Vantage Point complex in downtown San Diego. “They had been taking $25,000 deposits since 2004, but could only generate around 200 sales – not enough to qualify for Fannie/Freddie financing (need 70% pre-sold).” Jim says the developer has returned the deposits, converted a part of the building to apartments – and is now to trying to sell again at a lower price – that Jim thinks is still too high.” – What’s with these Condo Developers? I have heard this story over and over from all parts of the country. Someone has to be profiting from this.

July 17, 2009
Scandalous Foreclosure – Housing Doom
“The Watergate Hotel will be auctioned Tuesday, five years after a developer bought it with hopes of restoring it to its glory days as a Washington icon. Alex Cooper Auctioneers will take bids that morning at the company’s Wisconsin Avenue offices from potential buyers with the capital to invest in one of the city’s most famous buildings in the weakest economy in decades. ”

Estate of Things » Blog Archive » Home values are falling. Should property taxes be falling, too?
“As the amount of property tax collected decreases, local governments can raise the tax rate to make up for it. Wait, I could actually end up with a tax increase this year?”

July 16, 2009
Steal This Blog Post: Protect Your Home from Being Stolen
“Scam artists are stealing homes, not by the tip of a gun, but by the tip of a pen– forging deeds and filing them with the County Clerk, Register of Deeds. It’s easier than you think. Much of the information on the home, including the owner’s name, is public.” – Interesting, and pretty darn scary.

Photographers’ rights: an image problem | Real Estate and Technology News for Agents, Brokers and Investors | Inman News
Teresa Boardman: “What we’re seeing on the trenches, are bids higher than asking by 7, 8, 10 thousand dollars. Most buyers that use FHA financing do so for its lax down payment requirements since they don’t possess conventional type money to put down . Which brings up the question: Where are these buyers coming up with this money to close these transactions? My theory is that first time homebuyer tax credit money is being used to cover the difference.”

Are Realtors Defeating Stimulus? | Real Estate Opinion MAG – AgentGenius
“..What we’re seeing on the trenches, are bids higher than asking by 7, 8, 10 thousand dollars. Most buyers that use FHA financing do so for its lax down payment requirements since they don’t possess conventional type money to put down . Which brings up the question: Where are these buyers coming up with this money to close these transactions? My theory is that first time homebuyer tax credit money is being used to cover the difference…”

Product Review: Real Estate Shows | Real Estate and Technology News for Agents, Brokers and Investors | Inman News
“Real Estate Shows is an online tool for creating online video presentations that feature panning and zooming displays of still photos, along with text descriptions and a music track. Video options include 30-second, 60-second and 90-second videos. The site advertises that the videos “will look and feel like TV commercials.” Real Estate Shows is managed by Bill Leider, Jeff Turner and Steve Zehngut.”

July 15, 2009
Brokers need social media guidelines | Real Estate and Technology News for Agents, Brokers and Investors | Inman News
“Realtors can reach out to their customer base through personal Web sites like Facebook, blogs, Tweets, YouTube videos and live broadcasts, to name a few possibilities. All of these marketing methods are free, and none requires a significant investment in equipment. So what’s to lose?”

Beware of Foreclosure Rescue Scams! — The Phoenix Real Estate Guy
“Sadly, there are scammers and con artists out there that prey on homeowners in distress (and even those that are not). Some of these sub-humans are very good at what they do.”

For uptodate real estate posts, subscribe, free, to The Cutting Edge or subscribe to the Cutting Edge RSS Feed

Thanks you for reading Real Estate News Summary for week ending July 21, 2009. For similar Memphis Real Estate articles visit Memphis Real Estate Buzz ,

Special note for current RSS Subscribers – If you subscribe to Memphis Real Estate Buzz via RSS feed, Please subscribe and start following this new feed for spake.com.  This will assure that you do not miss any items from either blog as I begin the process of merging the 2 blogs into one feed. Watch for future updates

Real Estate News You Don’t See on the News – from The Cutting Edge   July 7, 2009

Your Comments, please:
I have had fun aggregating  real estate news stories from a variety of sources and posting the resulting links weekly.  You may have noticed that I missed last week’s post.  I am trying to improve the look and utility of this regular post, so please bear with me.  If you have suggestions as to improving the format or the direction you would like to see this post go in, please comment.

No matter where I end up with this feature, you can always get the raw feed and subscribe at  The Cutting Edge If you use RSS, subscribe here:  Cutting Edge RSS Feed

The week’s real estate posts of interest from The Cutting Edge.

• 50 Do-It-Yourself Marketing Ideas for Your Real Estate Business | MyTechOpinion.com – http://www.mytechopinion.com/2009…
• Calculated Risk: The Booming Repo Business – http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/2009…
• Calculated Risk: MBA: Record Home-Equity Loan Delinquencies –  http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/2009…
• Haunted House? Michael Jackson Already Haunting Neverland : The Real Estate Bloggers – http://www.therealestatebloggers.com/2009…
• What it takes to fix housing – Housing Doom – http://housingdoom.com/2009…
• Real Estate Search – Google to Punk Your Local MLS? Is It Possible? | Real Estate Opinion MAG – AgentGenius – http://agentgenius.com/real-es…
• America’s New Ghost Towns – http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs… Chilling! – js
• FHA Website Gives Misleading Information About Reverse Mortgages – Housing Doom – http://housingdoom.com/2009…
• Realtor on Realtor Action – Is the RE.net a waste of time? | GeekEstate Blog – http://www.geekestateblog.com/realtor… yesterday Is social media really bringing business your way, or is it just a big cocktail party for your Realtor buddies?
• 7 Ways to Make Twitter Easier & Worth Your Time | Real Estate Opinion MAG – AgentGenius – http://agentgenius.com/real-es… Sunday
• Neighborhoods are the heart of the City – http://memphisrealestatebuzz.com/2009… Sunday from Memphis Real Estate Buzz
• The Housing Bubble Blog » Realtors Conclude Value – http://thehousingbubbleblog.com/… Sunday
• BloodhoundBlog.com | Private ownership of the land is the source not just of our freedom but of our civility and of our humanity itself – http://www.bloodhoundrealty.com/Bloodho… Sunday
• Calculated Risk: Songs for the New Depression* – http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/2009…Saturday – Loudon Wainwritht III – Includes “Paul Krugman Blues”
• Calculated Risk: LA Times: ‘Another wave of foreclosures’ – http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/2009… Saturday
• Sell This Pig! | Real Estate Opinion MAG – AgentGenius – http://agentgenius.com/g-rants… Friday from – who ever thought it was a good idea for real estate agents to write advertising copy?
• Why those who can pay walk away from mortgages – MarketWatch – http://www.marketwatch.com/story… Friday
• Mortgage Lending Drops as Interest Rates Rise – Surprised : The Real Estate Bloggers – http://www.therealestatebloggers.com/2009… Friday Mortgages are harder to get than ever, IMO
• Memphis Daily News – Is Twitter the News Outlet for the 21st Century? – http://www.memphisdailynews.com/editori… Friday – Twitter is gaining credibility and importance as a news source.
• Real Estate Crash: How’s Your City Doing: Tech Ticker, Yahoo! Finance – http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ti… Friday Yahoo Finance – real estate market crash update
• Calculated Risk: Another Involuntary Landlord and Summary – http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/2009… Friday
• Businesses urged to put best Facebook on : Business News : Memphis Commercial Appeal – http://www.commercialappeal.com/news… Thursday
• Real Estate Blog – Why Loan Officers Kill Deals, Cost You Time and Money and Anger Customers – http://activerain.com/blogsvi… July 2
• Calculated Risk: NAR: Pending Home Sales Index Increases Slightly – http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/2009… July 1 Pending home sales numbers are meaningless if the sales don’t close.
• Calculated Risk: House Prices: The Long Tail – http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/2009…July 1 Home prices still going down, but now at a slower rate
• Why Home Inspection Negotiations Fail viaSeattle Real Estate | Rain City Guide – http://www.raincityguide.com/2009… June 30
• via BloodhoundBlog.com | Do It Yourself and More Nonsense From Otherwise Intelligent Folk – http://www.bloodhoundrealty.com/Bloodho… June 30
• Housing Plan Stuck, National Recovery In Hands of Real Estate Market – via The Real Estate Bloggers – http://www.therealestatebloggers.com/2009… June 30
• Matrix » AMC Appraiser: How Am I Supposed to Appraise This Thing? – http://matrix.millersamuel.com/… June 30
• Where is the Real Estate Industry Headed? via Real Estate Opinion MAG – AgentGenius – http://agentgenius.com/g-rants… June 30

For up to date real estate posts, subscribe, free, to The Cutting Edge or subscribe to the Cutting Edge RSS Feed

Thanks you for reading Real Estate News Summary (week ending 07-06-09). For similar Memphis Real Estate articles visit Memphis Real Estate Buzz ,

Special note for current RSS Subscribers – If you subscribe to Memphis Real Estate Buzz via RSS feed, Please subscribe and start following this new feed for spake.com.  This will assure that you do not miss any items from either blog as I begin the process of merging the 2 blogs into one feed. Watch for future updates