Real Estate News from Homes101™

August 21, 2008

Technology, Real Estate Investing and the REALTOR: Perfect Together

[Note: To follow is an excerpt of an interview with Pankaj Shukra, founder and CEO of T-Rex Global. To listen to, or download the show archive MP3, go to www.IncomePropertyInvestmentTalk.com.]

Granite Countertops Not Deadly

Think twice about ripping out that granite countertop because you think it'll give you cancer.

You Want To Do What? The Importance of Listening To And Evaluating Your Client's Plans

The real estate business truly is amazing. No matter how long you've been involved in it, the same simple truths seem to present themselves year to year, and by default, we are bound to make some of the same old mistakes from time to time. Maybe the most significant of these truths is the importance of qualifying and listening to your clients. Here are a few embarrassingly recent stories about my mistakes in not listening to and evaluating my client's plan. Hopefully they will help to illustrate this lesson and prevent other agents from following suit.

August 20, 2008

Builders Doing Their Part to Help Consumers Take Advantage of Tax Credits

The recently passed Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 helps first-time homebuyers enter the housing market in a number of ways, like offering a tax credit of 10 percent of the cost of the home, not to exceed $7500. Builders are doing their part to stimulate activity at a time when sales activity is beginning to pick up pace. Pulte Homes, for example, is giving an even broader boost to buyers as with its "Jump-Start" promotion whereby every buyer who signs a purchase agreement on a new Pulte, Del Webb or DiVosta home through September 15, 2008 is eligible for at least $7,500 in savings in addition to any government-sponsored tax credits that may apply to their home purchase.

HOA Reserve Funds Investment Policy

Investing reserve funds prudently produces enormous fruit to the homeowner association. The difference in interest yield over 30 years can amount to tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. Interest earnings reduce the amount of contributions required of the HOA members. So, it behooves the board to establish and closely monitor a good reserve fund investment policy. Here is a sample which can be adapted to your use:

GTA Resale Housing Remains Stable in August

TORONTO, ONTARIO-- (Marketwire - Aug. 19, 2008) - The Greater Toronto Area (GTA) resale housing market remained stable throughout the first half of this month, Toronto Real Estate Board President (TREB) Maureen O'Neill announced today.

Successful Blogging for Real Estate Agents -- Don't be DORKY!

DORKY: A style of writing, primarily used in self-promotion, which is predictable, boring, boilerplate or just plain blah.

August 19, 2008

What the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 Means for You

Good news has made its way into the real estate arena this summer -- in the form of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008. What does this Act mean for you?

Toronto Explosions Remind us to Respect Propane

I've had two experiences with things blowing up unexpectedly. The first was in 1979 in Mississauga, Ont., when a train carrying propane and other gasses derailed about a mile from my house. The rail cars exploded, creating huge fireballs in the sky and sending toxic fumes into the air. The accident forced the evacuation of 200,000 people from the area, and we were not able to return until several days later.

Hot Open House Tips for the Summertime

Open Houses still remain on my list of top things agents should be doing right now. The market is ripe for buyers that you can educate on the current state of the market. And there is no better place to find them than at an Open House.