April 2018
Homeownership rate bounces back — After hitting a generational low in 2016, U.S. homeownership has been bouncing back. See an interactive chart of homeownership trends.
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Web Extras
March 2018
Broker-to-Broker Recommended Reading — The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey. Click here to read part one.
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Mansion seller sues Zillow over hidden Zestimates — In the latest bit of pushback against Zillow, the owner of a New Jersey mansion has filed an antitrust suit against the creator of Zestimates. Read an archive article, Homeowner sues Zillow over "sloppy" value estimate....
February 2018
Broker-to-Broker Recommended Reading — The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz. Click here to read chapters one and two....
January 2018
Family of slain Realtor sues broker for negligence, wrongful death — Three years after Arkansas agent Beverly Carter was murdered while showing a home, her family sued her brokerage, claiming the company bears part of the blame. See a copy of the Carter family’s lawsuit.
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Off-market listings soar in some markets — Most homes for sale are posted on multiple listing services, but a few metro areas are seeing high numbers of pocket listings. Read an archive article that gives a brief background on pocket listings. ...
Broker-to-Broker Recommended Reading — The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann. Click here to read chapters one and two....
December 2017
As cybercrime proliferates, here’s how to stay safe — There are ways to make your company and your agents harder targets for cybercriminals. Read the Data Security and Privacy Toolkit created by the NAR Legal Team....
November 2017
So many leads, so few closings: Tips for converting online prospects —
If you’re paying for online leads but not following up on them promptly, professionally, and persuasively, you’re wasting your precious marketing budget. Watch a video showing Rachel Adams’ online lead conversion tactics.
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Fewer than half of brokers have clearly communicated safety policies — The National Association of Realtors has made agent safety a priority after the murder of Beverly Carter, an Arkansas agent who was killed in 2014 while showing a home to criminals posing as buyers. See the NAR’s 2017 Member Safety Report....
October 2017
WOOP: Four steps for truly harnessing the power of positive thinking — Empirical studies show the impact of positive thought is more complex than many self-help gurus suggest. See Gabriele Oettingen speak about the limits of positive thinking.
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September 2017
Realtor association revenue growth outpaces CEO pay in 2015 — The nation’s 60 largest Realtor organizations pulled in some $600 million in revenue in 2015, and they paid their CEOs more than $20 million, according to Real Estate Broker’s Insider’s annual analysis of tax returns filed by national, state, and regional associations....
August 2017
With in-office coffee bar, high-traffic location, young broker goes old-school — California broker Troy Palmquist owns The Address in Oxnard, CA, and his first office is in a high-traffic retail space. See photos of his Starbucks-like space which includes a leather couch and a bar with coffee, beer and kambucha on tap.
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Commissions will remain under intense pressure, industry disruptors say — Real estate commissions mostly have defied the predictions of the doomsayers who anticipate brokerage fees will plummet. But the onslaught continues, this time from British discounter Purplebricks, which plans an ambitious expansion into the U.S. real estate market. Learn more about the Purplebricks British invasion....
July 2017
Homeowner sues Zillow over "sloppy" value estimate, predicts more pushback — Since 2006, Zillow has been posting "Zestimates" of property values and for just as long, homeowners and agents have griped about what they consider inaccurate estimates. See disgruntled seller Barbara Andersen’s lawsuit against Zillow....