News and added features for you

News you can use

2010-01-28T18:56:00Z

News you can use - straight from Fannie Mae

Fannie Mae Offers New Closing Cost Assistance and Appliance Incentive for Homebuyers Fannie Mae is offering a 3.5% incentive for buyers who purchase and close on a Fannie Mae-owned home between January 28 and April 30, 2010. Buyers purchasing properties listed on HomePath.com that are closed within this period may receive up to 3.5% of the final sales price for: · Closing costs; · The purchase of new Whirlpool® appliances by Fannie Mae; or · A mix of closing costs and appliances, at the buyer's discretion, up to the maximum 3.5%. To be eligible for this incentive: · Offers must be accepted on or after January 28, 2010; · Property sales must close before May 1, 2010, and; · Buyers must be owner-occupants (investors are excluded). The incentive reinforces the organization's commitment to stabilizing communities and assisting buyers. For more information about this incentive, visit www.HomePath.com, read the press release on fanniemae.com, or contact me.

What does the designation ABR mean to the buyer?

2007-08-26T19:55:00Z

As you may know, I strive to increase my education. Recently I took a class specifically toward the needs of the buyer client. I passed the class with flying colors and completed the requirements necessary to become designated ABR. You may not know what the acronym ABR means. It stands for Accredited Buyer's Representative.

I know am in the elite group of REALTORS that belong to the Real Estate Buyers Education Council and hold the designation of an Accredited Buyer's Representative.

So you can know a little more about my new designation and the Council, I have included the following from the REBAC website:

About REBAC

The Real Estate BUYERS AGENT Council, Inc.

The Real Estate Buyers Agent Cuncil, REBAC, was founded in 1988 to promote superior buyer representation skills and services. An affiliate of THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS since 1996, REBAC's membership now numbers well over 40,000 and is the worlds largest organization of real estate professionals concentrating on buyer representation. Members who meet all course and professional experiential requirements are awarded the ABR (Accredited Buyers Representative) and/or ABRM^SM (Accredited Buyers Representative Manager) designation(s). Both are the only designations of their type recognized by NAR.

The ABR designation is geared toward agents who wish to enhance their buyer representation skills, and provides proof to prospective buyer-clients of their proficiency at servicing the special needs of buyers. The ABRM^SM designation, on the other hand, is intended for owners, brokers and managers who have or intend to incorporate buyer representation into their company's service offerings. Developed in partnership with the Real Estate Brokerage Managers Council of THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS, the education program includes the ABR Designation course as a requirement, though not the designation itself.

REBAC supports its members through a variety of benefits and publications designed to keep members informed of developments in buyer representation and to assist members improve their business. REBAC also promotes the advantages of professional buyer representation to consumers.

www.rebac.net

Coldwell Banker - An Innovator at 101 years in the biz.

2007-08-12T19:35:00Z

NEWS RELEASE

Media Inquiries: David Siroty Michael Fischer

Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC Gunslinger Media Relations

973-407-7199 917-664-7110

David.Siroty@coldwellbanker.com fischer@gunslingermediausa.com

COLDWELL BANKER^® WINS INMAN INNOVATOR AWARD

BRAND’S USE OF ONLINE VIDEO AND ENTRANCE INTO SECOND LIFE^® EARNS “MOST INNOVATIVE BROKERAGE OR FRANCHISE” TITLE

PARSIPPANY, N.J. (August 8, 2007) – Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC enhanced its reputation as an industry leader by winning a 2007 Inman News Innovator Award in the brokerage/franchise category. The announcement came Friday at the Inman Real Estate Connect Conference in San Francisco, just one day after Coldwell Banker^®made history by being the first national real estate brand to market a real home in the virtual 3-D world of Second Life. Inman News is a leading independent real estate Web site and media news service.

“Coldwell Banker might be a 101-year-old brand, but we certainly still ‘get it,’” said Jim Gillespie, president and chief executive officer of Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. “We understand the consumer has upfront control in the real estate process and enjoys the ‘infotainment’ stage where they search for listings and get comfortable with the homebuying and selling process. By combining our rich heritage and innovation, along with a sales force of 120,000 in 42 countries, Coldwell Banker is able to continually redefine the consumer’s real estate experience.”

Coldwell Banker entered the second phase of its involvement in Second Life on August 2 when it unveiled a 3-D reproduction precisely matching the specifications of a newly constructed $3.1 million Mercer Island, Wash., home, currently listed for sale by Coldwell Banker Bain on coldwellbanker.com (MLS# 27053398). Users can visit www.coldwellbankervirtualhome.com for immediate access to the “real world” home and to Second Life.

Previously, Coldwell Banker became the first national real estate company to open a virtual headquarters on Second Life and in March began selling 500 virtual homes to Second Life members.

“Second Life is a great example of our willingness to explore new channels,” said Charlie Young, senior vice president of marketing for Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. “We are gaining insight into the potential of 3-D as a marketing vehicle and learning how a tech-savvy consumer wants to interact with the brand prior to even contacting a sales associate.”

Recent Online Firsts

Joining Second Life is the latest online offering from the real estate company. Other recent innovations include:

In April 2006, Coldwell Banker became the first major national real estate company to debut streaming video content on its Web site. The video library, available from the front page of the Web site, features content from such well-known entities as Forbes, HGTV and internet video producer, Turn Here. Today, www.coldwellbanker.com hosts more than 40 videos.

In mid 2006, Coldwell Banker set another industry standard when it launched its comprehensive satellite mapping service on coldwellbanker.com. Using Microsoft Virtual Earth technology, the mapping feature enables Web users to view Coldwell Banker properties from a variety of perspectives within a state, city and community. In addition, it allows them to see a home’s proximity to 10 important service categories, including schools, shopping, dining, health services, banks and places of worship, among others.

September 2006 saw another first for the real estate industry with the development of the new Coldwell Banker Personal Retriever^®. Utilizing Real Simple Syndication (RSS) technology, the online Personal Retriever now has a downloadable “widget” application that automatically delivers daily, personalized real estate listings directly to a computer desktop. Each day it showcases all newly listed properties that meet a consumer’s specifications (e.g., location, price range, etc.), complete with a link directly to more fully detailed information about the property on coldwellbanker.com. In addition, the widget provides updates to daily mortgage rates.

In March 2007, Coldwell Banker, in conjunction with its parent company Realogy, announced that all listings on coldwellbanker.com would be automatically be syndicated to Google and Trulia at no cost to sales associates and sellers. Realogy announced a similar listings distribution arrangement with Yahoo! on August 2.

About Coldwell Banker^®

Since 1906, the Coldwell Banker^® organization has been a premier full-service real estate provider. In 2006, Franchise Times magazine’s prestigious Top 200 issue ranked the Coldwell Banker system number one in real estate for the seventh straight year and number eight among all franchisors. The Coldwell Banker System has approximately 3,800 residential real estate offices and more than 120,000 sales associates in 42 countries and territories. The Coldwell Banker System is a leader in the industry in residential and commercial real estate, and in niche markets such as resort, new home and luxury property through its Coldwell Banker Previews International^® division. It is a pioneer in consumer services with its Coldwell Banker Concierge^® Service Program and award-winning Web site, www.coldwellbanker.com. Coldwell Banker Mortgage is one of the largest telephone/web based lenders in the country. Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC is a subsidiary of Realogy Corporation, the world’s largest real estate franchisor. Coldwell Banker^® is a registered trademark licensed to Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. Each office is independently owned and operated.

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Is High Debt Getting You Down?

2007-07-29T21:21:00Z

As the mortgage market gets harder to get into, tried and true remedies to put you in the forefront of purchasing a home may be your best answer.

You may have heard the rule of paying yourself first. It’s true. No matter how small or large your paycheck, this is one of the primary beginning steps to get you into the American dream.

If you have a large amount of bills due each month, start by paying them first. Take a look at your bills and figure out which one will give you the most rewards by paying it off first. Usually this starts with a credit card, with credit card companies able to charge you between 15 and 30 percent interest, it stands to reason that they are the first bills that you should pay off. Can you come up with even an extra $20.00 per month?

Make your minimum payments each month to all your debt. Use the $20.00 to pay to your credit card to get that principal down. Once this first one is paid off take the amount of your minimum payment and the $20.00 and start paying the next bill off. Once that one is paid off, take the two minimum payments and the twenty dollars and pay the next one off. Then pay the next one off the same way. Once the first one is paid off, the others seem to just fall into place. Keep this up until all are paid off.

When you have paid the last one off, take all the minimum payments and the twenty dollars and put them in an interest bearing savings account on a monthly basis. Do this for at least one year and then you have your down payment for your new home and you already know the payment you can afford since you have been using it all these months to pay off your other bills.

Do not cancel all of your accounts. Having credit available and not used also brings up your credit score. When you are finished with all of this, your credit is back on track and you can get a better interest rate.

Of course I am not an accountant and you may want to discuss this with your accountant first, but this does actually work. Use this to get into your dream home. I would like to see that you are able to get into your dream.

Remember that there are some things that you should do while doing this:

A. Make a commitment to yourself to not incur any more debt or make frivolous purchases.

B. Cut up your credit cards. Some people put one credit card in the safety deposit box, in case of a dire emergency. I have also heard of people putting the credit card in a zipper freezer bag and freezing it in a bowl of water. This way when you feel you need the money, you have to wait to use it. It will help you decide if there is a better solution.

C. Do not close all of your credit accounts unless you have a high annual fee. Keep one or two cards open and inactive.

D. Get a copy of your credit history. Make sure it is accurate. If it is not accurate, fix any problems.

E. Use your library card and borrow books on getting out of debt. Not only will you save money buy borrowing the book instead of buying it, but you also will be less likely to buy a latte from the coffee shop next door.

F. Pay cash for your purchases. Not only does this make it less likely that you will buy some things, it also gives you a better place from which to negotiate.

G. Do not buy unnecessary items.

Do you want to see properties on the weekend?

2007-02-06T00:21:00Z

The week starts on Wednesdays Now

My new schedule:

I have had much request from many people to see homes and be available on Saturdays and Sundays. In order to serve your needs and mine better, I have now scheduled my weekend to be on Mondays and Tuesdays. This will help me facilitate some family time with my husband, grandkids, and other family members.

There will be times when you need me on Mondays and Tuesdays - don't worry. This does not mean I am not available at all on Mondays and Tuesdays. I can be available with an appointment, if you really need me to be and I will try to make myself available for all emergencies on these days.

You can email me any day and I will respond as soon as possible.

Exciting New Listing Searches Now Available

2007-02-06T00:04:00Z

Exciting new features are now avaialable for your home search.

New listing searches were always available from the Coastal Multiple Listing Service, otherwise known as Flex. You may have signed up to receive these and if you have, then you know how valuable this information has been.

Well I have more exciting new searches available for you now. This news is great whether you are buying or selling a home or other piece of real property.

The largest Oregon multiple listing site has finally made automatic searches available. I can now send you properties automatically from both the Coastal Multiple Listing Services and the major "Portland Multiple Listing Service".

You can now know about properties before they come out in the newspaper or any other advertising. This means you will be one of the very first people to know about new homes and other real property.

Utilize this search by emailing me with as much information as you can about the type of property, location, and maximum price that you are pre-approved. Don't forget to include your contact information, telephone number, address, and of course name.

Please remember if you are happily working with another Realtor(r), to please ask him or her for this information instead of me. It is a matter of ethics.