2009 is already being called the year of stabilization. Marika Kary shares with us the National Association of Realtors 4 point stimulus plan to help stabilize the economy. While forecasters are hoping for recovery on the economic front, what are you doing to help stabilize your business? Jylene Sheatsley gives us some great ways to set New Years goals that are reachable. 

Let’s Start the New Year With the Real Estate Recovery Plan
By Marika Kary

“The most recent economic stimulus bill, the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act, was a good first step towards stabilizing our nation’s economy. Unfortunately, a number of the Act’s provisions have not proven to be as useful at stabilizing the nation’s housing markets as was first thought. Congress may consider a second economic stimulus bill this month. If they do, there are a number of changes that could help to provide more stability to the nation’s real estate markets which most agree is a necessary step towards recovery.”

New Year’s Resolutions???
By Jylene Sheatsley

“The new year provides an ideal time to create goals both personal and business-related. Do you have any New Year’s resolutions or goals for 2009? Time to put down on paper some plans for next year. We all aspire to create a plan of action and to deliver the results. Important stuff. I’m sure you have often heard ‘if you don’t write it down, it won’t happen.’  Here are some tips to help you be successful in 2009!”

Make good use of your advertising dollars by following Lee Dworshak’s tips on website maximization.

Is Your Real Estate Website Capturing All the Leads You Can Handle?
By Lee Dworshak

Your visitors’ objectives are the most critical element to consider when designing your Real Estate website. Some common problems with real estate web sites are listed below. Don’t make these mistakes. You advertising dollars are stretched too thinly already for you to waste time with all the hype out there.

Kurt Galitski gives great advice to buyers and sellers on how to properly manage an offer.

So You Want to Make an Offer on a Home!?!
By Kurt Galitski

“A written proposal is the foundation of a real estate transaction. Oral promises are not legally enforceable when it comes to the sale of real estate. Therefore, you need to enter into a written contract, which starts with your written proposal. This proposal not only specifies price, but also all the terms and conditions of the purchase. For example, if the seller offered to help with $2,000 toward your closing costs, make sure that’s included in your written offer and in the final completed contract, or you won’t have grounds for collecting it later.”

 
There are several warning signs a buyers should heed when considering a new home. Physical damage, details about the mortgage, and the performance of the agent are all things Azucena Rodriguez points out as possible red flags that occur during the home buying process.

Common Red Flags for Home Buyers
By Azucena Rodriguez

“In the residential real estate business, a red flag refers to a condition affecting a property that might be a material fact that needs further investigation. A material fact is something that would affect the buyers’ decision to buy or the price they would be willing to pay. For example, a hole in the roof is a red flag that the roof might need replacing. Although red flag is a concept commonly associated with the physical aspects of a property, it’s a valuable notion for home buyers to keep in mind throughout all aspects for their home search and purchase. If more buyers had raised questions about the mortgages they took out during the past several years when lending practices were lax, there would be fewer foreclosures today.”

 
Mitch Weigel sees the relationship between an agent and a client as more than just business. Here he describes the duty an agent has to their client once a listing agreement is signed.

An Empowering Relationship
By Mitch Weigel

“Sports agent.  Talent agent.  Insurance agent.  Real estate agent.  What significance does the label “agent” hold, and why is it important when buying or selling a home? Webster’s dictionary defines an agent as “a person, firm, etc. empowered to act for another.”  For an “agency” relationship to exist, there must be a “principal” and an “agent.”  The principal is the person who empowers another to act as his representative, while the agent is the person empowered to act.”

 
Janine Hook brings to light the importance of using a Realtor who is a skilled negotiator, even in a buyers market.

Buyers: 3 Reasons for a skilled Negotiator in a Buyers Market
By Janine Hook

“So your agent still needs to be prepared to help you move quickly and smartly to have your offer be the one that is accepted. The very existence of the negotiation process assumes that the parties have opposing interests. For example, you as the buyer want the best price and terms possible, while the seller wants the highest price and net proceeds. Your Buyers Agent will help the seller to see the benefits that your offer brings- 

Jim Walker advises all to beware of green-washing while you are going green this holiday season.

Beware of Green-washing
By Jim Walker III

“Despite the U.S. governments efforts to provide guidelines for green produce marketing, the practice of Greenwashing, or the falsely promoting or exaggerating  the greenness of a product or service, is not unusual.  In making the determination as to the claim to be green, one can ask the following questions to help detect potential greenwashing situations:”

A reverse mortgage allows you to borrow from the equity of your home but comes with certain restrictions. David Edwards gives us the details.

What is a Reverse Mortgage
By David Edwards

“A Reverse Mortgage is a home loan which allows you to borrow from the equity that you have built up in your home over time. Unlike other loans or lines of credit, as long as you live in your home, you do not have to make any payments on the money you borrow. Any homeowner who is at least 62 and has substantial equity in their home is eligible to obtain a reverse mortgage. Your income, credit score or health history are NOT used to determine eligibility, making almost all senior homeowners eligible.”

Ki Gray outlines the Obama camp’s plan to help struggling Americans.  
Obama’s Public Works Project
By Ki Gray

“According to the plan, millions of jobs will be created across a wide range of sectors, from construction jobs working on the improvement of the highways, to high tech jobs working on expanding broadband Internet access and improving the IT infrastructure at healthcare facilities. The expansion of broadband was on the slate during the Clinton administration, but the effort never came to fruition. And hospitals and doctors’ offices have been making do on antiquated systems running ancient applications for decades.”

Search Engine Optimization is one of the best ways to get your blog noticed. Brett Combs describes how using SEO has increased traffic to his site and why it’s a good idea for all brokers to consider this easy marketing tool.

Search Engine Marketing-SEO
By Brett Combs

“Search Engine Optimization is as simple as assessing/modifying a site to include search engines as an audience to generate a better search engine ranking. This includes ensuring that a site’s architecture and navigation are visible (and usable) by the search engines and that the code/content accurately reflects the keywords that the site is an authority on. This is in contrast to ‘unethical search engine optimization or ‘blackhat search engine optimization which seeks to exploit various holes in the search engines’ algorithms to product artificial authority.”