GLOZAL's Blog – January 2012 Archive (29)

Inman News released a report highlighting metro areas that are expected to “outshine many other markets in real estate performance this year.” 

In its report, Inman News scanned metro areas with populations over 150,000 to find where real estate sales volume is rising, job markets are growing, foreclosure…

The Obama administration will be expanding eligibility requirements for its foreclosure prevention program, the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP), to help more struggling home owners participate. 

The program will expand its eligibility requirements for those who may qualify for a loan…

Foreclosures in the third quarter sold, on average, for about a 34 percent discount compared to the average sales price of homes not in foreclosure, according to the latest report from RealtyTrac. 

But in some metro areas discounts can be even larger between foreclosures and other home…

San Diego-based ARG Abbott Realty Group has taken a very public stance in its decision to immediately stop syndicating listings to third-party websites -- including Zillow, Trulia, and Realtor.com -- with Jim Abbott, the company president and managing broker, explaining the decision by his 25-agent firm in a YouTube video posted Thursday.

The company's…

Foreclosures in the third quarter sold, on average, for about a 34 percent discount compared to the average sales price of homes not in foreclosure, according to the latest report from RealtyTrac. 

But in some metro areas discounts can be even larger between foreclosures and other home…

Some cities are known for having more stress than others. Sperling’s Best Places recently ranked the most stressful cities in the country, taking into account such factors as unemployment, suicide rate, divorce rate, commute times, crime, mental health, and the number of cloudy days, among other…

LOS ANGELES, CA) -- Pierce Brosnan and his wife, environmental activist and former broadcast journalist Keely Shaye Smith, put the property on the market at $3.9 million in 2010 while building another house nearby.



The gated Mediterranean they sold has separate space for…

While there are plenty of real estate industry discussions and reports focused on consumer trends, demographics and behavior, a roomful of real estate agents, brokers, executives and technologists got to hear firsthand about consumers' hopes, dreams and fears during a session at the Real Estate Connect…

Builder confidence is at its highest level since June 2007, yet another sign that things are finally perking up in the new-home market, which has faced some of its darkest days on record this past year. 

For the fourth consecutive month, builder sentiment for newly built, single-family homes was on…

Chicago continues to garner the most Web traffic at Realtor.com, taking the No. 1 spot once again for the highest search ranking in December at Realtor.com. 

Based on rankings of 146 metro markets, here are the cities that had the highest search rankings for December 2011 at…

A Lincoln, Neb., area housing inspector says he resents being described as a “total idiot” in an e-mail that was reportedly sent to more than 400 real estate agents, and he’s suing a real estate agent and her company for the name-calling. 

According to the lawsuit, home inspector Matthew Steinhausen…

Compared to first-time home buyers, purchasers of high-priced homes tend to be more educated about the market, know exactly what they want, and demand high quality service, a group of luxury real estate executives panelists said at a Real Estate Connect conference last week, Inman News…

LAS VEGAS – Jan. 17, 2012 – Is your refrigerator running? If you don’t know, just ask it.



A vision of the future is now taking shape that will allow communication with the ever-increasing number of gadgets in people’s homes: A refrigerator suggests recipes based on its contents and keeps track of the…

Scammers have targeted delinquent borrowers during the past few years, hoping to take advantage of their desperation and financial inexperience. Their approach typically involves posing as a representative of a nonprofit or government agency who can help with a loan modification or some other form of…

NEW YORK -- Brokers, be concerned about the loyalty of your top agents.

A survey conducted by InmanNext, an agent-focused website operated by Inman News, found that 61 percent of agents earning over $100,000 per year are considering whether to open their own brokerage.

Chris Smith, Inman News evangelist and a contributor to InmanNext, and Katie Lance, Inman News social media director and contributing editor to Inman Next, revealed the results during a session at the…

Foreign investors are finding plenty of deals in the U.S. when it comes to real estate, and, as such, more international investors are flocking to key states to buy their piece of the American Dream. 

Mexico is the top country of origin for…

Most homes are not designed with the family pet in mind, but Fauna Plus Design of Kobe, Japan, designs dog-friendly homes that are both attractive, practical, and attentive to animal behavior. To maximize space, the company has designed a home with an indoor kennel for a Labrador retriever located under a…

Mortgage applications for purchase -- a gauge of future home buying -- increased 8.1 percent last week, the Mortgage Bankers Association reports. The purchase index on an unadjusted basis now stands at 41.9 percent higher than last year, signaling more people taking out loans to buy homes. 

More home owners are also taking advantage of low interest rates. Refinance activity last week also increased, inching up 3.3 percent from a week earlier. Overall,…

Fannie Mae Chief Executive Michael Williams will resign from his post.

The government-sponsored enterprise said in a statement that Williams will stay on as CEO until the company's board of directors chooses a successor. He joined Fannie in 1991.

Williams became head of…