CoreLogic (NYSE: CLGX), a leading provider of information, analytics and business services, has released its February Home Price Index (HPI) report, the most current and comprehensive source of home prices available today, the company reported. Excluding distressed sales, month-over-month prices increased 0.7 percent in February from January. The CoreLogic HPI® also showed that year-over-year prices declined by 0.8 percent in February 2012 compared to February 2011. Distressed sales include short sales and real estate owned (REO) transactions. The report also shows national home prices, including distressed sales, declined on a year-over-year basis by 2.0 percent in February 2012 and by 0.8 percent compared to January 2012, the seventh consecutive monthly decline.

National Commercial Auctioneers announces a three-day bank-ordered real estate auction in the Carolinas April 17, 18 and 19, according to Randy Ligon, regional vice president and broker.

Greg Rand (@GSRand), CEO of OwnAmerica.com and host of Rand on Real Estate on 770 WABC, takes a call from an investor in Springfield, N.J. The caller is seeking guidance on selling her current investment property. She is having a difficult time getting her mortgaged refinanced.

In 2012, online real estate marketing promises to be more challenging than ever before for real estate agents and brokers. This is largely due to the sheer number of competitors that have been, or are finally becoming Internet savvy in their marketing efforts. While being an expert on search engines isn’t attractive to many people, developing an overall strategy to win search engine placement on the web is now critical and should be a cornerstone in promoting your personal or professional brand and generating a steady source of ongoing leads. Organic search engine placement is a powerful way to gain dominance over your competitors in the single largest area where your customers are initiating the process of which home to buy or sell and deciding which agent to hire.

REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT—According to the Central Coast Regional Multiple Listing Service, distressed properties make up only 6 percent of the available listings on the market in San Luis Obispo today. The California Association of REALTORS®’ Distressed Home Sales Statistics

“The first step toward achieving customer loyalty is understanding that when you get a client, you get them for life, not just for one transaction,” says Jeff Murtaugh, Designated Broker with Realty Executives Tucson Elite. Read on as RISMedia’s Managing Editor Paige Tepping

Housing starts will nearly double and home prices will begin to rise in 2013, with prices increasing significantly in 2014. Those rosy predictions come from a new semi-annual survey of 38 of the nation’s leading real estate economists and analysts by the Urban Land Institute’s Center for Capital Markets and Real Estate. The economists foresee broad improvements for the nation’s economy, real estate capital markets, real estate fundamentals and the housing industry through 2014, including: • The national average home price is expected to stop declining this year, and then rise by 2 percent in 2013 and by 3.5 percent in 2014.;

Prudential Real Estate, a Brookfield Residential Property Services company located in Connecticut, released a new national survey showing that Americans are significantly more optimistic about homeownership than they were a year ago.

“Anyone who puts their home on the market today is serious about selling,” says Matt Cockerham. “They want to know what buyers are thinking and they want to know that I’m working to get them this information.”

Markets that experienced the biggest boom in foreclosures in 2009 and 2010 today are experiencing a decline in new foreclosures. New data from the National Association of REALTORS®’ Local Market reports shows that the national foreclosure rate eased from 2.8 percent in June of 2011 to 2.7 percent by December, with 113 of the 163 markets surveyed experiencing a decline in their foreclosure rate over this period. While the improvement was widespread, the largest aggregate declines occurred in markets where the rate had ballooned in 2009 and 2010. Markets in Florida

Fierce competition within the current real estate market has proven that building a brand is an ongoing investment of time and energy. Strategic thinking and progressive ideas are just a few of the top qualities an agent of the future will possess. They are also the driving forces behind a ...

It is becoming increasingly clear that the U.S. economy is improving, creating a more favorable backdrop for residential real estate investment. Our nation’s economy is kicking into second gear; monthly job gains have exceeded 200,000 for three consecutive months, providing the necessary fuel to create modest economic growth. An improving economy translates into positive wage growth, boosting consumer confidence which in turn, boosts home buying. Sales of existing homes registered 4.59 million annualized units in February, reflecting a housing recovery that began in mid-2011. Similarly, sales of new homes registered 313,000 annualized units in February, compared to 295,000 annualized units in July of last year.

Ken Crowley, the broker/owner of RE/MAX Realty Group, certainly knows how to build long-lasting relationships; his company recently celebrated their 25th anniversary. Read on as he chats with RISMedia’s Executive Editor, Maria Patterson, about building

When it comes to branding, thinking outside the lines of traditional marketing is a surefire way to raise awareness and harness customer loyalty. With an impressive statistic of 97 percent brand awareness,

Pending home sales were down slightly in February but remain notably above the pattern in the first half of last year, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings, eased 0.5 percent to 96.5 in February from 97.0 in January but is 9.2 percent above February 2011 when it was 88.4. The data reflects contracts but not closings.