Today, why don’t we have a look at some really great ways not to sell a house (or your services) via video commercials?  Actually we don’t see all that many T.V. commercials for real estate or real estate agents beyond the local community channel video bulletin board.

Is it that television advertising for real estate is just not profitable?  I’m not sure, but after plowing through YouTube for awhile, I’ve come to realize that maybe this is a good thing.  Take a look…

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Does this video make you want to call this agent?  Actually it kind of scares me a little bit.  Literally.  It might be the perfect preview for a Discovery channel program, the local zoo, or maybe even a scary movie, but for real estate?  See what I’m trying to say?

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Alright, now this one’s at least kind of funny, but effective?  I’ll let you decide.

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Don’t you think the soundtrack for this real estate commercial is just a little bit over intense?  And especially so for the still pictures being shown for the visual.

So the question remains, do video real estate commercials help sell homes – even if they’re really good – or are they just diversion of time and money spent?

This one’s for all of you out there who are thinking about renting out an investment property.  Yes indeed, there are plenty of great benefits from this type of real estate investment – great profit potential, building equity, automatic income, and the list goes on.

But don’t be fooled, owning rental properties can also be quite a chore from time to time, especially if you choose to be your own landlord instead of paying a property manager to take care of the grunt work.  Unfortunately, sometimes the nightmare of bad tenants happens to even the most savvy rental property owners.

Like this:

How about this one?

And here’s what happens when you rent to friends…

So is it all really worth it?  I’ll still say yes.  But just remember… Screen, screen, screen potential tenants!

Most of the time, there’s way more upside potential to rental property investing than there are problems.

Bank of America Purchasing Countrywide

This is the big news of the day and beyond.  Bank of America is buying Countrywide for $4 billion in stock averting a bankruptcy disaster.  We’ll be hearing plenty more about this for a long time.

The Red Flags in Real Estate

There are some big red flags in the world of real estate currently and REALonomics does a great job of pointing out a few of the most obvious ones.  Basically, in many ways the industry has skipped over common sense and plowed deep into troubled water.  Thankfully, it’s a bit more transparent these days than it might have been just a few years ago.

Bargain Buyers Better Beware

Lots of truth here… We’re getting close in many regional markets of being at that teetering point between a rock bottom price deal and the upturn as more buyers begin to buy again.  Sure, there’s still plenty of time left to snag a great deal, but I think the point is it won’t last forever.

Why a Brokerage Website Needs To Be Modern

Some good observations here in Pat Kitano’s musings about what a new brokerage web site should be all about these days.  Here’s a hint – it’s not the boring real estate site of the past.  Instead, smart brokerages will emulate at least the best features from the last wave of web 2.0 real estate sites.

What’s With Secret Rooms?

Actually, the real question is, what would you do if you found this hidden room in your new home?  The moral of the story is to do absolutely thorough inspections of the home, including mold inspections, before the purchase.  Don’t settle for just a simple run-thru or you could be in for major troubles too!

Going green was all the rage in home improvement and new home construction last year.  And yes, it’s true – with the end of 2007, we did see the expiration of a tax benefit for those making qualifying green improvements to their homes.  But that doesn’t mean that green is dead at all.  Actually, it’s quite the contrary.  Making your home as green as possible is still worth every last bit of effort.

Go a Step Further This Year.

Maybe last year, you took some small steps towards making your abode a little bit greener.  Perhaps you make the switch to efficient compact fluorescent lighting.  Maybe you took the extra bit of consideration to buy low VOC paint for that bedroom you redid last fall.  If so, that’s great!

As you plan spring and summer projects for your home this year, consider taking it a step further.  Do something big.  Need an idea for a splendid springtime do-it-yourself green project?  Find a way to reuse runoff water and grey water for landscaping and irrigation.  Check your local codes, but almost all will allow the storage and reuse of rainwater collected from the roof and gutter system.

Energy Costs are Still on the Rise.

As our nation’s energy costs continue their journey upwards, I think it’s safe to say the days of dirt cheap kilowatts and therms are a thing of the past.  High rates are here to stay, but that doesn’t mean your home’s energy sucking systems and appliances must stay too.

How about replacing that old rickety water heater with a brand new ultra efficient tankless water heater?  This will cause two things to happen right away – your energy usage and costs will plummet and your comfort will increase.  That’s right, tankless water heaters heat water on demand, allowing an endless supply of hot water for showers and other tasks while eliminating the need to constantly keep a huge barrel of water heated up at just the right temp 24/7.

At the same time, it might be advantageous to update your HVAC system with one of the newest high efficiency models, even if your current standard efficiency system is only a few years old.  I know this sounds crazy, but a couple thousand dollars worth of upgrades in efficiency when it comes to an energy thirsty furnace and air conditioning system will usually pay for itself in a matter of a few short years.  Ultimately, after the initial investment is recouped – let’s say in three or four years – you’ve got another good fifteen years of what amounts to profitable savings left in the equipment’s life span.

Take Action Today.

The green home ideology is here to stay.  Take action in 2008 and save bundles of money for years to come, all while helping reduce your impact on the environment too.  It’s a win-win situation for all!

Have no doubt about it… 2008 has some big things in store for real estate and for home lending too.  From more foreclosures to tightening lending practices, this year could be one of the most memorable years we’ve had in a long time.  But in the world we live in today, where technology plays a bigger role than it ever has before, chances are good that the year in tech will trump even the most interesting non-technology happenings of the year when it comes to real estate.

New trends in real estate technology (or any technology, for that matter) are always hard to predict, it is safe to assume we’ll see some of these things happen in 2008…

Real Estate Will Embrace More Tech – I know this might seem like a no brainer, but as society grows more and more dependent on technology and internet based technology especially, real estate’s use of technology will increase be a very large percentage – even just this year alone.  Expect to see the use of video skyrocket as the barriers to entry and ease of video creation now equal the level of still digital photography.  In 2008, offline real estate marketing will continue to shrink while the use of the web to promote properties goes mainstream, even among the most adamant embracers of non-technology.

Growing Reliance On Google – Google is growing monstrously huge in importance to all industries these days.  While there are some detractors and naysayers of the internet giant, it’s clear that 2008 will only bring us to be more reliant on mighty Google.  If the trend is going to reverse, I just don’t think it’s going to happen this year.  After all, real estate is finding more and more practical use for Google Maps and Google Base.  And don’t forget – the arrival of a real gPhone is probably just around the corner.

Social Networking Skyrockets – As social networking continues to grow up, so will its use by professionals.  MySpace has found its niche among teens and musicians.  Facebook has a little bit more potential for real estate.  LinkedIn might have the most potential for real estate yet.  But I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw the emergence of real estate specific social networking become widely accepted.  After all, real estate is a big enough niche to make it worthwhile.  If the right platform isn’t already in existence, 2008 will probably be the year it happens.

Again, it’s hard to guess where technology is going… Just when the next big thing seems to be a no brainer, we seem to swerve and go in a whole new direction.  The only sure thing is that 2008 will see plenty of action when it comes to real estate technology – we’ll just have to wait and see exactly what kind of action it ends up being!

The first few days of the new year have come and gone.  Know what that means?

Well, if you didn’t guess it, it means that most of us have already made and subsequently broken a new year’s resolution.

• Work out more.
• Lose weight.
• Read lots of books.
• Quit smoking.

Have you tried any of these in the first few days of 2008 yet?  Still successful?

Resolutions are great, but in reality, they rarely work.  The fact is we use them as an excuse to go out and spend a bunch of money on fancy exercise equipment that will only end up in next summer’s garage sale.  On the other hand, real goal setting is proven to have a profound effect on our success.  Here’s how to make it work…

Recognize the Benefits of Goals.

Goals really do work, especially when they’re written and frequently reviewed.  Yes, write them down on paper and take them out of your desk drawer at least once a week to review and track your progress.  Goal setting does little good if the ideas are just filed away for the long term.  It’s been proven that by reviewing goals often and keeping them at the top of mind exponentially (likely subliminal in nature) increases our chances of reaching them.  Give it a try!

Don’t Procrastinate!

This is probably the most important step of goal setting – taking action now.  The new year is the perfect time for any of us in the real estate business to start fresh.  Heck, it’s a slow time of the year anyway, so that gives us even more reason to take action and start planning the rest of the year.  Accomplish your goals by setting them this week and no later.  All too often, any procrastination will just put them off completely for another year.

Make Goals Reasonable.

There are dreams and then there are goals.  Both are great to have, but in all practicality, we’ll actually end up accomplishing goals that are challenging but reasonable.  Use your dreams for the big picture vision and then break them down into baby steps.  For example, for each aspect of your goal setting, make a five year goal, a one year goal, and then a “take action today” step to get the ball rolling.  It’s so much easier to achieve small steps – plus, the momentum will help to keep us interested.
 
So what are you waiting for?  Make 2008 wildly successful by setting goals now!

Have you Googled Yourself Lately?

Go ahead and give it a try.  Anyone in the business of mortgage lending or real estate should obviously be on top of their online identity and Google is perhaps the biggest affecter of your virtual self.  Two of the best ways to control your identity as presented by Google are arguable to maintain a Linked In profile and to blog on a regular basis.  Take control!

These Kinds of Photos Won’t Help Your Image…

This is pretty funny – it’s a top ten of the worst real estate agent photos.  Yeah, it’s they’re good for a quick laugh, but it’s true – many will plaster cheesy and totally unprofessional photos of themselves all over the net for some reason.  Here’s a quick question… do self portraits, professional or not, actually help attract clients?

What is a Real Lead?

Check out this provocative video from 1000Watt Blog.  Pretty much covers all the bases, doesn’t it?  Moral of the story is simply this – it’s about the customer, not the agent.  A successful agent will listen to the need of their clients and take action to help, not self-promote.

How to Live Like an A-Lister

Just discovered this fun little blog – The Real Estalker – that covers the world of celebrity real estate.  It’s fun to see the homes of the celebrities with our own eyes and from the perspective of a regular old real estate deal.  See for yourself…

Investors Can Win in 2008.

There’s some great insight and advice here for real estate investors looking to take control and be successful in 2008.  Perhaps the best tip is using “purposeful planning.”  Of course, that’s just good advice for anything in life, making it all the more applicable to real estate too.

We’ve been hearing rumors of the Google phone for some time now, but just recently the hearsay is beginning to look even more promising.  Yes indeed, Google’s officially shown off some bits and pieces of not only a potential hardware prototype, but also the foundation of a possible software interface.

On the surface, the tidbits released look quite a bit like Apple’s uber famous iPhone, but in all reality, a Google phone would be substantially different.  First and foremost, it looks to be open source.  In fact, in their recent video release, Google has even announced a challenge for developers to come up with the best compatible applications along with their release of the open code framework called Android.

What does this all mean for real estate?  Well, look forward to a phone with specific applications geared towards those in the market – agents, buyers, and sellers alike.  We all know how much of a stir the introduction of Apple’s iPhone made early this summer.  I think it’s predictable that Google’s foray into the realm of mobile communication promises to be even bigger.

Take a look at this clip from Google’s Sergey Brin and Steve Horowitz to see it in action for yourself…

Wal-Mart Meets Real Estate

Is this for real?  Apparently it is.  A Realty brokerage in Phoenix actually opened up a new office inside an area Wal-Mart.  Retail meets home selling at last.  But can this model possibly work?

Getting Up To Speed with LinkedIn

So you’ve been meaning to get started with social networking all year long and the year is over now.  Well, don’t put it off any longer.  Check out this super easy tutorial for getting started with LinkedIn by Brian Brady.  It can’t get any easier than this.

The Internet Changes in 2008

There are always lots of potential changes in store when it comes to the internet.  A favorite blog or site can be here today and gone tomorrow.  But generally, we can count on the infrastructure that makes it all possible.  Will 2008 be the year that the internet reaches its limits?

Video Blogging Hot for Real Estate?

That’s the big question – will video blogging work for real estate agents or not?  It’s worked remarkably well in some fields of interest, but predicting the same success across a totally different market is hard to do.  Read on for further discussion.

Home Prices are Falling!

Big surprise or not?  I’ll let you decide.  I will say that 2008 might just be a time of awesome opportunity for those who want to snag a great investment or residence at a bargain basement price.  The real question is how low will prices go?

Manufactured Homes Often Present Challenges

And here’s proof.  Interesting story about the process of trying to get a loan on a repossessed manufactured home approved and the challenges faced.  Good quick read if this is your sort of thing…

Just the other day, we took a look into what the coming new year looks to promise for the world of real estate.  If one thing is clear, it is that market changes will continue to expand and grow upon developments we’ve seen over the last several months.  And of course, there’s always room for a little surprise here and there too!

But just what does 2008 hold for the home lending and mortgage industry?  Let’s take a look…

Firming Up the Interest – As the entire real estate market begins to regroup and adjust itself for an optimistic rebound, home lending will also follow suit.  Throughout 2007, it seems like we’ve constantly been focused on trying to predict how interest rates will move next.  But now that current happenings are better understood, expect interest rates to stabilize for awhile during 2008.

Think More Conventionally – It’s easy enough to predict that the mortgage banking industry will seek stability through tried and true lending practices that have been time tested and proven reliable.  During 2008, as we rebound from previous shaky financing, conventional fixed rate loans will be more popular than ever for those who are well qualified.  And for those that aren’t – well things won’t quite be the same…

The New Lending Alternatives – Just as subprime loans and unpredictable ARMs have been the alternative lending staple of choice for quite some time, now that the risky business has more or less imploded on itself, other lending alternatives will keep on showing up in 2008.  However, this time, many of the alternatives will involve various forms of seller financing instead of what would have been done with subprimes in the past.

Plan for Full Disclosure – As lenders have figured out that they have to protect their investment a little bit more diligently than the “anything goes” attitude of recent years past, low doc and no doc home loans appear to becoming more and more obsolete.  The reasons are legit and although more paperwork is likely to be required as we move through the new year, at least the mortgages will be based on solid ground.

Mortgage Professionals Shall Prosper – Professional is the key word.  Expect a much more professional attitude from those in the lending business in 2008.  Many mortgage brokers who were just riding the wave have since been forced right out of the business.  Those that are left look to be more keen on what’s going on in the industry.  They’ll continue to prosper by keeping a totally professional attitude and only putting together deals that promise to work.

So there’s my take on 2008 when it comes to mortgages and home lending.  Up next will be predictions on what’s in store for real estate technology in the new year.