The digital camera, in one form or another, is one of the real estate professional’s essential tools. In our March Buyer’s Guide, we’ll be taking a fresh look at this ever-changing category, and we’d like to hear about what you’re using for image capture and why. Is your smartphone “good enough” for your photo needs? Do you also carry a compact camera or digital SLR? And what are you doing with those pictures, once taken: are they all destined for virtual tours online, or do you print some as well?
Share your thoughts on digital cameras with writer Mike Antoniak as he prepares this guide. Also, participate in the polls below to let us know what you consider before you purchase a new camera.
By Robert Freedman, Senior Editor, REALTOR® Magazine
In the closing weeks of 2010 the Federal Communications Commission published its net neutrality rules, effectively making it the sheriff of the Internet and prompting one of the big Internet service providers, Verizon, to file a lawsuit.
As sheriffs go, the FCC isn’t riding a very large horse into town. Its job is to make sure the Internet service providers (ISPs) like Verizon, Comcast, and ATT — the broadband providers, in other words — don’t make it harder for some Web sites and Web applications to reach consumers while making it easier for others.
In other words, an ISP can’t enter into a deal with one Web site to make its content come up quickly on consumers’ computers while slowing down another website that provides the same type of content. The new sheriff says ISPs have to treat similar types of web content equally. Continue reading »
By Stacey Moncrieff, Editor in Chief, REALTOR® Magazine
In his State of the Union address Tuesday night, President Barack Obama made scant reference to housing and no mention of the mortgage interest deduction. That was probably a wise move on his part — not only because most Americans favor the deduction and there’s speculation (but no evidence that I know of) that he’ll get behind efforts to reform it, but also because such a mention would have been an odd duck in a speech that set out to inspire a country wearied by economic and political turmoil — and to focus the nation’s attention on jobs.
White House Chief Speechwriter Jon Favreau and President Barack Obama put the finishing touches on the president's Jan. 25, 2011, State of the Union address. (Source: whitehouse.gov)
That said, don’t get too comfortable. During the one-hour speech, Obama made clear his belief that tax reform is critical to reducing the nation’s deficit. Although no significant tax reform legislation is expected to gain traction in 2011 or even in 2012, count on NAR leaders to give new meaning to the term hawk as they keep an eye out for any proposals that could impact housing values and, in turn, hurt local governments.
Opening the State of the Union with a nod to new House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), Obama went on to deliver blunt truths (“Our own engineers graded our nation’s infrastructure a ‘D’“; “America has fallen to 9th in the proportion of young people with a college degree.”); recall the nation’s great triumphs, from the transcontinental railroad to the space program to creation of the Internet; and call on Congress to help foster innovation, improve the education system, and rebuild the nation’s infrastructure. All three are essential to his top priority, he said, which is job creation: “We need to out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world. We have to make America the best place on Earth to do business.”
In the real estate industry, that was bound to be a welcome message since healthy real estate markets depend on a strong job base. Whether Obama’s rhetoric will translate into a lower unemployment rate depends to some extent on how well the Democratic president, Republican-controlled House, and Democratic-controlled Senate work together.
A House United, Somewhat
Both before and after Obama’s speech, commentators talked about the sense of civility — in the wake of the Jan. 8 Tucson, Ariz., shootings — that permeated the chamber. House and Senate members, sitting in an unorthodox arrangement, wore black-and-white ribbons to honor the shooting victims. The family of Christina-Taylor Green attended the event as guests of First Lady Michelle Obama, and Mark Kelly watched from the Houston hospital room, where is wife, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) is being treated.
REALTOR® Magazine Senior Editor Katherine Tarbox was in Washington for the speech, and reported on the civil tone of the evening:
Following from his progress during the lame-duck session, President Obama struck a chord of bipartisanship — and members of Congress got in on the act. For the first time in history, members from opposing parties sat together, applauding as the leader of the free world praised America for its greatness. “Remember, for all the hits we’ve taken these last few years, for all the naysayers predicting our decline, America still has the largest, most prosperous economy in the world,” Obama said.
By Brian Summerfield, Online Editor, REALTOR® Magazine
In an effort to get a better sense of the challenges REALTORS® face in today’s market and explain to members NAR’s positions and actions on key issues, the Leadership Team held its first-ever virtual “Town Hall” meeting yesterday afternoon. The panel — which included NAR 2011 President Ron Phipps, President-Elect Moe Veissi, Vice President and Liaison to Government Affairs Vince Malta, and Vice President and Liaison to Committees Elizabeth Mendenhall — heard questions and comments from members who were videoconferenced in from Northern Virginia and REALTORS® from around the country who called in.
The very first question concerned an issue that’s dogged many members over the past couple of years: the slowness and unpredictability of banks’ decisions and processes, particularly around short sales. As Phipps pointed out, NAR has met with representatives of a few large banks, and will meet with more soon, in an effort to work out a solution to this problem.
According to Phipps, at the root of the issue is a lack of “ironclad policies” that Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the big banks all adhere to. That said, the pace of short sales and other unconventional transactions is starting to pick up, Malta said. Continue reading »
By Robert Freedman, Senior Editor, REALTOR® Magazine
Some lawmakers like to call the mortgage interest deduction (MID) a tax break for higher-income households but the vast majority of households that take the deduction are middle-income families, earning either less than $100,000 a year or between $100,000 and $200,000 a year (the typical cut-off point between wealthy and non-wealthy households).
Younger households are also among the biggest beneficiaries, because such a small part of their monthly payment goes to principle. Other big users are larger households—those that need bigger houses to accommodate everyone in their family.
These are a few findings from NAR Research into who would be impacted the most should President Obama propose and Congress pass cuts to MID. You’ve probably already heard these and similar stats — like the across-the-board 15-percent decline in home values should MID go away.
But the numbers have some interesting consequences. That 15-percent value drop, for example, isn’t just bad for home owners. It’s a fiscal disaster for local governments. As the value of homes in their jurisdictions sink, the localities’ property tax collections will also shrink. And to make up the gap, they’ll have to either raise taxes or cut services. It’s a classic example of a Hobbesian choice.
The video above, with NAR Economist Danielle Hale, looks at the impact of MID curbs. You can get additional insights, along with some compelling charts and graphs, from a presentation Hale has put together.
By Brian Summerfield, Online Editor, REALTOR® Magazine
I’m back in Chicago after a weather-filled week spent in New York for Inman’s Real Estate Connect event, and I’ve had the long weekend to digest the tips, trends, and techniques discussed there. If I had to sum up the entire experience in a phrase, it would be this: The changes in consumer behavior over the past few years are nothing short of revolutionary.
Houston Association of REALTORS® CEO Bob Hale told a story about a man who went into a Best Buy store, found an electronics item, looked it over, then checked the price of that same product online using his smartphone. He found it was $40 cheaper on the Web, so he bought it there and left the store empty handed. A couple of days later, the item arrived at his house.
Here’s something else: According to REALTOR.com President Errol Samuelson, 2010 was the first year that more consumers found the house that they ultimately bought than their REALTORS®.
These two examples — and a few similar ones I heard at the conference — point to a transformation in how consumers make decisions in the marketplace. Continue reading »
By Erica Christoffer, Multimedia Web Producer, REALTOR® Magazine
When considering your Web presence, ask yourself this: Am I interacting with my client base?
If the answer is no, or not quite sure, here are eight tips from the International Builders’ Show Thursday morning session on unleashing the sales power of your Web site (presented by Scott Stroud of Builder Radio Media Network, Rick Storlie of New Home Sales Coach, and Erik Cofield of Buildtopia and Builder1440).
1.) Don’t pay a developer to run your Web site. Make the move to WordPress. You’ll save oodles of dollars, have the ability to update more frequently, and ensure more control over your site.
2.) Start blogging… A LOT! A blog is all about human interaction. Blog regularly and promote your posts via social media.
3.) Stumped on what to blog about? Three ideas: progress of a design or building project, interesting client stories or profiles, and community news or events.
4.) Use negative feedback as an opportunity to shine. If you receive a complaint or unflattering comment, “turn it into a positive,” says Stroud. Respond with an apology and outline a solution. Negative comments can be relevant. Continue reading »
By Brian Summerfield, Online Editor, REALTOR® Magazine
David Carr, media and culture columnist at The New York Times, said Thursday morning in a presentation at Inman’s Real Estate Connect conference that the line between consumers and producers of content is blurring, and for the twenty-something “digital natives” of today and subsequent generations, that line doesn’t even exist.
“Consuming and producing media are no longer discrete activities,” he explained.
That’s just one of the developments that’s triggering a revolution in media, he said. Another is the instant access to information available through a number of platforms. Carr pointed out that he totes more informational power around in his backpack than existed in the first newsroom he worked in. Moreover, the silos between those various platforms are breaking down as content can be delivered in so many different ways.
All of this points to a kind of convergence, in which there are few if any distinctions between categories of people, devices, and delivery methods in the media space.
“We’re all going to end up in the same business very quickly,” he said. “The traditional verticals of TV, Web, and so forth are not going to be sustained.”
The implication of this is that if you’re in the business of brokering the relationship between the consumer and information, the long-term outlook is precarious, Carr added.
Does the proliferation of data and ways to access it — often in just a click or two — present a threat to real estate pros? After all, if consumers will be able get all the information they need about a property or market on their own, will they really need to hire a practitioner?
Carr thinks they will. That’s because real estate professionals provide services that go beyond information. They do everything from guiding buyers and sellers through the transaction process to offering emotional support through difficult decisions. In his talk, Carr fondly recalled the REALTOR® who helped reign in his anxieties and expectations during his first home purchase. It’s that kind of assistance that will keep practitioners relevant for the foreseeable future.
“What do I need (a practitioner) for? Why can’t we live in an FSBO world? It’s because there’s value added beyond the data,” Carr said.
David Carr, media and culture columnist at The New York Times, said Thursday morning in a presentation at Inman’s Real Estate Connect conference that the line between consumers and producers of content is blurring, and for the twenty-something “digital natives” of today and subsequent generations, that line doesn’t even exist.
“Consuming and producing media are no longer discrete activities,” he explained.
That’s just one of the developments that’s triggering a revolution in media, he said. Another is the instant access to information available through a number of platforms. Carr pointed out that he totes more informational power around in his backpack than existed in the first newsroom he worked in. Moreover, the silos between those various platforms are breaking down as content can be delivered in so many different ways. Continue reading »
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