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Friday, April 26, 2013
Spring-tastic Tips For Your Clients - GO RE/MAX!
Spring-tastic Tips For Your Clients
Ahh, spring, when a renter’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of home ownership!
Some green is already peeking through after this week’s snow which means your days are about to get longer, right? Now is the perfect time to capture the attention of clients who are looking to move before winter returns again. I’ve got just the thing – an infographic!
This infographic (click on it to go to the full version) talks about the benefits of gardening, specifically detailing statistics on what the benefits are to your real estate value and how it improves your appraisal value. Of course it goes beyond that to talk about health statistics (another seasonal concern as people are looking for ways to get moving again and work off their winter weight), benefits to the environment (you can still tap into the Earth Day zeitgeist), and of course how it will affect their bottom line.
About Tim Nichols
Tim Nichols is the eBusiness Trainer for RE/MAX North Central.
via soldsignblog.com
Thursday, April 25, 2013
RE/MAX North Central Region Webinars for May and June!
THIS IS IN ADDITION TO ALL THE GREAT TRAINING CLASSES LIVE HERE AT RE/MAX PREFERRED - www.BestAgentFirst.com/Training (Go to site from PC/MAC, not mobile)
May & June Webinars Announced!
I am pleased to announce that we have scheduled our May and June webinars (not currently available in the calendar, but you can register for them by clicking on the topics below).
Many of the webinars will be run by J. Ryan Ayers who you had a chance to meet during the January and March Tech Tours as I focus on getting out to the offices for live trainings. We know that these are the days when you get very busy, so the content has been developed for 30-40 minutes of content with the option to stick around and ask questions for the remainder of the hour, with the exception of 30 Minute Apps: Evernote which will be targeted at 20 minutes of content to see whether or not you find shorter webinars valuable.
The Q2 Tech Forum will focus on Listing Presentations. If you have a presentation or specific element that you have found to be useful in the listing presentation process, please feel free to e-mail me and I will add it to the content we will be discussing (complete with attribution to your peers).
You’ve asked for more Site Builder content and we’ve heard you loud and clear. J will be spending three Thursday mornings in a row covering aspects of Site Builder from Site Design, to Site Content, and of course Search. If you haven’t developed your agent site yet or you think it could use a facelift, you don’t want to miss these sessions.
If you haven’t attended one of our webinars before, I highly suggest that you plan to log in about 5-10 minutes before so that you can download any drivers you need because we try to respect everyone’s schedules by starting on time.
*All Start Times are 9:30 AM Central Time – 10:30 Eastern Time*
May Class Dates/Topics:
9th – Design Center
14th – LeadStreet: Listings Tab
16th – 30 Minute Apps: Evernote
29th – Design Center
30th – LeadStreet: Clients Tab
June Class Dates/Topics:
6th – Tech Forum: Listing Presentations
13th – Site Builder: Site Design
20th – Site Builder: Site Content
27th – Site Builder: My Searches
Photo: Theis Kofoed Hjorth via Compfight
About Tim Nichols
Tim Nichols is the eBusiness Trainer for RE/MAX North Central.
via soldsignblog.com
Monday, April 22, 2013
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
The Vacation Home Makes a Comeback | RISMedia
As the market continues to shift, one industry trend seems to be making continuous waves: vacation homes.
With low prices and mortgage rates still available in most parts of the country, affluent buyers—or those who have always dreamed of a cabin on a lake—are making their move and purchasing second homes in exotic locations to be used as vacation getaways.
According to the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), sales of investment and vacation homes jumped in 2011, with the combined marketshare rising to the highest level since 2005.
NAR’s 2012 Investment and Vacation Home Buyers Survey, covering existing- and new-home transactions in 2011, showed vacation-home sales rose 7 percent to 502,000.
It’s easy to understand why the vacation home market would be on the rebound; not only is the overall real estate atmosphere brightening, but U.S. travel expenditures are picking up, too. In 2011, we saw an 8.8 percent rise in travel expenditures, and according to the October 2012 Traveler Sentiment Index™, traveler sentiment neared pre-recession levels, within 0.7 points of the October 2007 pre-recession high of 91.1.
People are getting away again, and as the economy stabilizes, many are looking for a standing vacation spot. But what does this rebounding market look like, and what does it mean for you as a real estate professional? Let’s take a look at the numbers, according to the 2012 NAR survey:
• In 2011, 42 percent of vacation-home buyers paid in cash, and 39 percent purchased distressed properties.
• Vacation-home sales accounted for 11 percent of all transactions in 2011, up from 10 percent in 2010.
• The typical vacation-home buyer was 50 years old, with a median household income of $88,600.
• Purchased vacation homes were located a median of 305 miles from the buyer’s primary residence. Thirty-five percent of vacation homes were within 100 miles, and 37 percent were more than 500 miles.
• Typical buyers plan to own their recreational property for a median of 10 years.
“There are lots of investors buying rental properties and second homes right now,” says Goran Forss, a broker in Temecula, Calif., whose company has had a consistently strong base of investors over the past several years—approximately one-third of all buyers—and has copious amounts of vacation rentals. In Forss’ market, a myriad of investors keeps the inventory scant.
Aside from a location that will allow them to enjoy their new home to the fullest, Forss notes that buyers are interested in maximizing their return on investment.
NAR’s survey showed that 91 percent of vacation-home buyers planned to rent their new home out within the next 12 months for at least part of the season.
Of this 91 percent, 40 percent plan to rent the home between one and eight weeks of the year, possibly to make a little extra money during the time they won’t be using the property. Thirty-two percent plan to rent their properties between nine and 26 weeks per year, and 27 percent plan to rent their homes between 27 and 52 weeks per year.
“Those (vacation properties) have become more and more popular for the savvy investor and stay booked year round due to our moderate temperature and abundance of sunny days,” explains Forss.
U.S. vacation home seekers aren’t solely staying within the country, either. The trend seems to be percolating worldwide. Shannon P. Murree, a real estate professional in Barrie, Canada, says she has seen an increase in U.S buyers looking for additional properties in her market as confidence in the economy grows.
“People are looking at (vacation homes) for their own use, and renting them out weekly during the times they won’t be using them, as well,” says Murree, who notes that she has seen an increase in this trend as of late.
When working with buyers looking for a vacation home, it’s important to understand that lending is different for non-primary properties. Get to know this financial arena so that you can help your clients as efficiently as possible. Lenders are stricter with vacation home mortgages than those for traditional homes, so your buyers must have immaculate credit—often 720 or greater—and be up-to-date with their primary mortgage.
Additionally, many lenders have been giving out “jumbo” mortgages for vacation and investment properties. Unfortunately, new mortgage guidelines put out by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will go into effect in 2014 and may put an end to these popular loans.
If you’re interested in working with vacation buyers, you should start by getting to know the niche market. According to Forss, the best way to do this could be to consider investing yourself. “The most successful agents working with investors are investors themselves,” says Forss, who owns nine rentals along with his wife and business partner, Lisa. “It’s very easy then to connect with the investors, as we know all the insights and best practices of handling investment properties.”Join RISMedia on Twitter and Facebook to connect with us and share your thoughts on this and other topics.
Need blog or newsletter content or easy, stay-in-touch e-Marketing solutions? Check out REsource and Pop-a-Note!
Send us feedbackCategories: Business Outlook, Consumer News and Advice, Home Owner News, Real Estate News, Real Estate Trends, Today's Marketplace, Today's Top Story, Today's Top Story - ConsumerCopyright© 2013 RISMedia, The Leader in Real Estate Information Systems and Real Estate News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be republished without permission from RISMedia.
via rismedia.com
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Monday, April 15, 2013
RE/MAX Preferred Welcomes New Agent - Shellie Dresser!
Welcome New RE/MAX Associates
RE/MAX North Central would like to welcome the following new RE/MAX associates to the region of Minnesota and Wisconsin:
Bonnie Armstrong – RE/MAX Results – Woodbury, MN
Shellie Dresser – RE/MAX Preferred – Madison/Madison West, WI
Richard Elliot – RE/MAX Advisors – Burnsville, MN
Donna Jensen – RE/MAX Results – Edina, MN
Rebeca Lergier – RE/MAX Results – Eden Prairie, MN
Christopher Long – RE/MAX Results – Maple Grove, MN
Ronald Long – RE/MAX Results – Maple Grove, MN
Deeyon Persaud – RE/MAX Results – Minneapolis/Uptown, MN
Bill Tate – RE/MAX Lyons Real Estate – Waupaca, WI
Welcome everyone!
If you’d like to connect with a RE/MAX real estate professional, visit: www.remax.com/officeagentsearch
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About Keri Henke
Keri Henke is the Public Relations & Communications Coordinator for RE/MAX North Central.
via soldsignblog.com
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Great Article on the support of use of Electronic Signatures!
Before the year 1500, real estate transactions were sealed by “http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/livery+of+seisin">livery of seisin”—the ceremony surrounding conveyance of a property. Closing the deal required the physical transfer of a piece of ground, twig, key, or other symbol on the premises in the presence of witnesses.
Following that custom, paper became the modus operandi and the wet ink signature has been the standard for more than 500 years.
That is until now—the era of technology—when electronic signatures promise easier, speedier, safer transactions for REALTORS® and consumers.
Congress tried to help this along by passing the ESIGN Act of 2000. Its purpose was to support and promote electronic commerce through the use of electronic records and signatures by ensuring the validity and legality of contracts entered into electronically, while preserving consumer protection laws.
Since then, electronic signatures have become much more widely accepted by most financial and lending institutions. E-vendor DocuSign reports 65,000 new users per day (not just in real estate) and expects that number to be one per second by the end of the year. ZipLogix is reporting a 102 percent increase in 2012.
Yet, despite huge growth, many REALTORS® continue to experience problems submitting forms with electronic signatures to servicers of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans, particularly relating to short sales and Real Estate Owned, or REO, properties.
In markets where distressed properties are emerging as the dominant share of the market, completing a transaction under threat of possible default or foreclosure is not unusual. In these instances, the speed and flexibility provided by electronic documents is critical.
I recently took part in a summit, hosted by NAR in Washington, DC, to examine obstacles to increased acceptance of electronic signatures. The meeting brought representatives from government, banking, lending, real estate, and electronic signature providers together for an open discussion. It was a great opportunity to exchange ideas, and our goals moving forward are twofold. One is to enact government policies that will facilitate implementation of the ESIGN Act. The other is to continue the dialog among all sectors to promote examples of best practices and find additional strategies for eliminating obstacles to full acceptance of E-signatures.
In addition to hosting the summit, NAR has also requested the Acting Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Ed DeMarco to clarify and align Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s policies on the broad acceptance of electronic signatures.
The ability to reduce records and documents to digital form and transfer them electronically, when coupled with the Internet, is transforming the commercial world in general, including the real estate world. Not only have electronic sources provided better data faster, but they are an indicator of the need to reduce all documents to digital form.
We believe that, if done correctly, E-signatures can do more than ease transactions. They also offer greater protection against fraud than traditional wet ink signatures.
We’ve come a long way from exchanging dirt and twigs. There is no doubt that electronic signatures are the wave of the future. Catch the wave!
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