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Tag: personalThe Federal Reserve doesn’t set mortgage rates. Mortgage markets do.
Continued here:
Correlating Mortgage Rates To The Fed Funds Rate
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Foreclosure-related filings topped 300,000 last month, according to foreclosure-tracking firm RealtyTrac. Nationwide, 1 in every 418 households was served some form of foreclosure notice but — as always — foreclosures are more common in some areas than others. In February 2010, 4 states accounted for more than half of the country’s foreclosure-related activity
Read the rest here:
February 2010 : 4 States Account For More Than 50% Of Foreclosure Activity
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There are a lot of exciting things coming out in the next few weeks – here are my top 3:
1. Like it? Hate it? The iPad which drew a ton of rumors and speculation is ready to make it’s debut. The 1st commercial aired during the Academy Awards (which explains why Steve Jobs was on the red carpet) and is officially going mainstream. The iPad will be on sale on April 3, 2010 and pre-orders begin March 12, 2010.
Here’s the commercial in case you missed it:
2. Better than the iPhone?! The Google Nexus One phone – the phone that had a lot of buzz when it first came out, is a phone that critics are still wondering if it can compete with the iPhone and other touch-pad type smartphones. Google has never made it a secret that they plan to release it to multiple carriers – just WHEN is the question. This phone is rumored to be coming to Verizon on March 23, 2010.
3. Wonder if I could sneak into this? 
f8 – The Facebook Developer Conference is slated for April 21-22, 2010.
According to the Facebook blog,
“f8 has always been about empowering a community of developers to hack, to build and to delight users. We’re looking forward to continuing this tradition at our third f8 in San Francisco on April 21-22, 2010. Please save the date!”
BONUS: One more thing to add to your calendar this month. Planning on coming to Real Estate Connect SF (#icsf) – Early Bird Registration ends in 11 days! Sign up by 3/19/10 and save over $300!
Would love your comments – please leave feedback below!
Written by: Katie Lance, Marketing Manager, Inman News
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“I have nothing to say.”
I have heard this over and over again, not just by real estate agents – but by many people who are trepidacious about getting involved in Twitter.
To many, Twitter has become more useful as a way to tap into what’s “going on today,“ than to broadcast their own messages. And once you get acclimated to Twitter, you might just find you have something to say after all.
Biz Stone, Twitter’s co-founder says,
“Naysayers should simply log onto their Twitter’s home page and search for a topic they are interested in, whether it’s their favorite sports team, the name of their company or a topic in the news.” Within a minute, they understand the appeal, he said.
Here are 3 ways to make Twitter work for you:
1. Create a custom feed. Find people to follow by searching Twitter directories. My two favorites are WeFollow or Just Tweet It. Remember, to get followers at first, you must follow others!
2. Create lists.
Lists are fantastic – and a GREAT way to organize people you follow. You could make lists for news sources, fellow Realtors, geographic areas, etc. This way you can click on that list to see what those specific people are talking about. I just created the Inman Team list – as a place for people to contact the right person at Inman News (i.e. editorial, marketing, advertising, etc.) If you don’t know who the best users are on a favorite topic, look for lists on sites like Listorious or by checking profiles.
3. Check out the most discussed topics in your area. We hear it over and over again, but real estate is truly a ‘local business.’ Find out who is around you locally and what they are chatting about. Some Twitter apps, like Tweetie and TwitterLocal, let you search posts near you. Check the Web site Happn.in to see the most discussed topics in your area.
BONUS: Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Once you’ve gotten your feet wet, use Twitter to ask questions such as the best place to grab a bite to eat in a new city, marketing tips, or anything else you need an answer to!
Some questions Realtors could start asking via Twitter are: “What’s the best marketing tool that is working for you?” or, “What is the most effective thing Realtors are doing to convert leads to sales?” These questions open the door to conversation and networking!
What are you doing to make Twitter work for you? Would love your feedback – please leave me a comment below!
Written by: Katie Lance, Marketing Manager, Inman News
Ad: Win more business! Showcase your company with a custom video ad from Turnhere. Save 50% off your first video!.
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Tip Tuesday: 3 Tips to Get the Most Out of Twitter
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Credit scoring is a huge part of the mortgage world. A given credit score can mean the difference between a 5 percent rate and a 6 percent rate; a conventional mortgage and an FHA mortgage; an underwriting approval and an underwriting denial. And yet, there’s a persistent belief among Americans that “having your credit checked” is a bad thing. In some instances, yes. In most instances, though, no.
Read more from the original source:
How To Shop For Mortgages And Keep Your Credit Scores High
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Need a mortgage rate prediction? I am a regular participant in the Bankrate.com Mortgage Rate Trend survey and this week’s survey may help you.
The rest is here:
The Official Mortgage Rate Prediction For The Next 7 Days (March 4, 2010)
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Yesterday I was pleasantly surprised to find an email newsletter from – TWITTER! I guess it shouldn’t suprise me – but at first I was a bit surprised that the company that made “140 characters” a household name, decided to get a message out to their members via email.
Good reminder to all of us that email is still a great way to get a message out – especially to your loyal fans (or followers!)
Here is the body of the email in it’s original form – lots of great new things coming down the pipeline from Twitter!
Hi there,
In the early days of Twitter, I used to send out short updates just to keep everyone in the loop since so much was happening. It’s been a while, but you signed up for short, monthly updates from Twitter so we thought it was time to start sharing more information. We’ve had quite a year. If you haven’t visited in a while, we’d like to invite you to come have a look at http://twitter.com — we’ve been busy!
Growing Up
In the course of a year, registered Twitter accounts have grown more than 1,500% and our team has grown 500%. Recently, we hired our 140th employee! His name is Aaron and he’s an engineer focused on building internal tools to help promote productivity, communication, and support within our company. We celebrated with a little dance party.Features of Note
Some features of note that we released over the course of a year include the ability to create lists, quickly spread information with a retweet button, and an easier way to activate your mobile phone to work with Twitter over SMS. We also built a new mobile web site that looks and works much better on smart phones.Feeling Inspired
By working together during critical times when others needed help, sharing important information that otherwise might not make the news, and inventing new and interesting ways to use Twitter, you’ve shown us that Twitter is more than a triumph of technology — it is a triumph of humanity. Projects like Fledgling and Hope140 were inspired by you.Chirp!
While there may only be 140 full-time employees working at the Twitter offices, there are thousands of dedicated platform developers who have now created more than 70,000 registered Twitter applications creating variety and utility for all of us. We’ll be gathering this spring at Chirp, our first ever official Twitter developer conference.Thanks,
Biz Stone, Co-founder (@Biz)
Twitter, Inc.
Would love your thoughts on email newsletters. I am a big believer in them myself – especially to drive traffic to your web site or blog. I also think they are a fantastic way to keep your ‘raving fans’ updated on the latest and greatest that you are promoting.Leave me a comment below!
Written by: Katie Lance, Marketing Manager, Inman News
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One of the topics people ask me frequently about is social media – and specifically they ask me for how to make the best use of their time. Anyone who has dived into social media knows that it is not “free” – it takes time and a thoughtful effort to make it work your time.
If you are like me, and seem to be “always connected” – whether it’s Twitter, Foursquare, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc – it’s a great reminder that you need to be smart with your time. If you’re not careful, social media can be a time suck!
So how can you be more smart with your time?
Plan social media into your schedule for 1 hour a day: 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes late in the day.
The key here is multi-task, move fast, don’t get distracted.
If I was a real estate agent – this is how I would do it:
AM: 1st thing after or before you check your email
1. Turn on your computer. Open 7 windows: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, your web site, your blog, your favorite news website (i.e. Inman News ), and your favorite ‘drip marketing’ social media site (my fave is Hootsuite). Move fast, don’t get distracted.
2. Facebook: Scroll through the page – make 3 comments on other people’s posts. Post what you are up to that day. Respond to anyone who has commented on your or left you a message. Move fast, don’t get distracted.
3. Twitter. Click your @ button (i.e. – @katielance). Anyone who has mentioned you – thank them publicly. Respond to DM’s. Scroll through your home page and re-tweet 3 things of interest. Move fast, don’t get distracted.
4. LinkedIn: Post your status update – have it feed to Twitter (check the ‘Twitter’ box to do so – so easy!) Respond to any messages in your inbox. Check your groups. Not in a group? Join a group and comment on 1 discussion a day. Move fast, don’t get distracted.
5. Close these 3 windows: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn. Keep Hootsuite.com open and your web site, blog, and your favorite news site. Pick 6-8 links to share that day in Twitter. One can be a listing. The rest must be good content or newsworthy. Pick 3 links to share for Facebook. Twitter moves faster than Facebook which is why you need to post more often. Plug your posts and links into Hootsuite. Space them 1-2 hours apart. If something is a hot topic you can schedule it to go out more than once. Move fast, don’t get distracted.
PM: Repeat!
Next day: Repeat!
Do this everyday 5-6 days a week. If you follow this schedule it will become a habit. Also don’t underestimate the power of commenting and interacting – this is probably MORE important than posting your own content and links. Social media is just that – social!
BONUS TIP: Plan into your schedule an additional 2-3 hours a week if you are a blogger. Also plan one time a week to search for new friends, fans, and followers.
Looking for more info? Stay tuned… I have something exciting in the works that will be revealed in a few weeks.
I would love to hear how you formulate a schedule for social media – what works and doesn’t work for you. Please leave me your thoughts in the comments below. Thanks!
Written by: Katie Lance, Marketing Manager, Inman News
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Problem: When someone in the real estate industry goes job-hunting, it can be difficult to navigate through all the listings posted on Monster, Career Builder or some of the other online job boards posting up.
In addition, when an employer or real estate brokerage is looking for someone with specific real estate experience, it can sometimes feel like a ‘needle in a haystack.’
Solution: Vendor Alley has a BRAND NEW job board up just for real estate job postings. I think This is a great idea. It takes a a common problem (unemployment in the RE industry) and makes a super-easy solution.
As of right now, there are 4 categories:
- Sales
- Tech
- MLS/Association staff
- MLS/Association CEO
This is a version 1 release. Vendor Alley plans on adding additional features, ‘bells and whistles, and possibly additional categories down the line.
Greg Robertson, Co-Founder, W&R Studios says, “I get a lot of requests for job postings on Vendor Alley or people wanting recommendations. I also saw that there was no single place for people to look for jobs in the real estate industry. Since Vendor Alley gets such diverse readership (vendors, MLS professionals, sales, tech, portal, brokers, agents, franchisees, etc.) I thought it would be a good place to start a job board.”
Posting a job is really simple – employers form to fill out that includes a place for a job descriptions and contact information. It is only $29.95 to post a job for 30 days via PayPal. They are also thinking about the idea of charging an additional amount to also do a post about it on Vendor Alley.
Greg has requested feedback, so please check it out and feel free to leave a comment below.
Written by Katie Lance, Marketing Manager, Inman News
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In the last few weeks or so, I have noticed an incredible amount of GOOD content coming down the pipeline. Like you, I subscribe to blogs, RSS feeds, Twitter lists, etc. But what has grabbed my attention lately has been my Facebook feed. Anyone who know me, knows that I am a huge fan of having a Facebook Fan Page. I think it is still one of the best ways that a brand, company, or individual can ’speak’ to it’s audience.
So today, I wanted to share with FOREM fans, a ’snippit’ of my Facebook feed and the articles that jumped out to me. You’ll notice that these articles are all across the board – not just real estate.
When talking to FOREM founder Joel Burslem awhile back – he reminded me of something so powerful and gave me some great advice: “Read blogs and news sources from outside your industry – we can learn so much by seeing what other successful companies and brands are doing – that aren’t necessarily in real estate.”
Here are the 10 stories I enjoyed from my Facebook feed today – in no particular order:
Starbucks Gets Its Business Brewing Again With Social Media
How the Resort Industry is Using Social Media
VIDEO: Posted by Fans of CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS
VIDEO: Facebook is the ‘Ultimate” Viral Video Tool, Ethan Beard
Realtor Mag Marketing Makeover Challenge
RPR revamps MLS licensing agreement
Want More Twitter Followers? Tweetmeme Has A Button For That.
10 Must Have Facebook Plugins For Wordpress
To Tweet or Not to Tweet: Expert Tips about Using Social Media
How to Make Money on Foursquare
Shameless plug: If you’re not following the Inman Fan Page, I encourage you to check it out! Get all the top news headlines delivered right to your Facebook news feed. Plus, be the 1st to know about contest, promos, and more.
So what are your favorite posts from your Facebook feed today? Have a great tip? Leave me a comment here!
Written by: Katie Lance, Marketing Manager, Inman News
Ad: Win more business! Showcase your company with a custom video ad from Turnhere. Save 50% off your first video!.
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According to Freddie Mac, Primary Mortgage Market Survey results are collected Monday through Wednesday, then published to the public Thursday. By design, therefore, the survey lumps mortgage market activity spread across 3 days into 1 single point of data. Survey results are skewed, therefore, based on the when survey responders get back to Freddie Mac. Last week, this point was painfully clear.
Mortgage Rates Change Faster Than Freddie Mac Can Report It
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Submitted by Sawitonline -LOOKING IN COLLEGEVILLE?
We have made your search easier than ever now see every townhome
displayed on a google map.
This short cut is updated every day so everything you find here IS AVAILABLE!
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Best of Collegeville 3 and 4 bedroom Townhomes
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I’m sure none of our loyal FOREM member commit any of these ‘blunders’ – but just in case… I figured it would be fun to do a little post about it today.
Feel free to pass this onto anyone “not following the rules!”
Top 5 Real Estate Social Media Blunders:
1. Talking about yourself to no end. Enough about me, let’s talk about ME! Yes, social media is social – but at some point, it is NOT all about you! This is tough in real estate, where you learn from every marketing person to ‘sell yourself’ and ‘you are your brand’ – which is true – but many people (especially the Gen X and Gen Y crowd) don’t want to hear all about you – they want to know about the interesting things going on in the community, in their neighborhood, local market stats, and other things that make what YOU do valuable to them.
2. Only posting your listings. Major faux-pas! Luckily I have not seen as much of this lately, but it’s still happening. You can post your listings – but make sure you post other great content. (See my ideas in #1 above)
3. Copying content and claiming it as yours. Big “no no” here. There is so much great content out there – it’s fine to use an excerpt of something and then credit the source, but don’t copy someone else’s material and claim it as your own.
4. TMI. There is a fine line between being social and giving out “too much information” – no need to tell your social network everything and anything!
5. Speaking the same on Facebook as you do Twitter. Maybe this is my own irritation, but whenever I see hashtags and @ signs on Facebook I cringe a little. The language on Facebook is different than Twitter. I think it’s fine to duplicate messages on both channels (especially since a LOT of people are only on one of the channels and not both) – but if you do, take a moments to adjust your language to be more “Facebook friendly”
I know there are a lot more blunders – what’s your favorite one? Or the one you see agents doing over and over again? Leave me a comment below.
Written by: Katie Lance, Marketing Manager, Inman News
Ad: Win more business! Showcase your company with a custom video ad from Turnhere. Save 50% off your first video!.
See the rest here:
Fun Friday: Top 5 Real Estate Social Media Blunders
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Style My House
