RISMEDIA, March 31, 2011—With the rise in Internet-based marketing, sales professionals have now become captives, feeling obligated to be on call to respond to leads 24/7, for fear they will go cold. Every sales professional has probably experienced this phenomenon but never put a name to it. Goomzee—a company dedicated to helping real estate professionals increase sales efficiency by delivering high quality buyer sales leads and automating lead follow up using mobile technology—has labeled this trend the “follow up trap.”

RISMEDIA, March 31, 2011—The Federal Housing Finance Agency has reported that the National Average Contract Mortgage Rate for the Purchase of Previously Occupied Homes by Combined Lenders, used as an index in some ARM contracts, was 4.79 percent based on loans closed

RISMEDIA, March 30, 2011—Responding to the rapidly evolving pace of technology and information delivery, RISMedia, the leader in real estate information systems, announced today the launch of its Daily Video News Update, now featured in each edition of the media firm’s Today’s Real Estate Advisor e-newsletter. “We are taking video to a much higher level than ever before in our industry,” says RISMedia President & CEO John Featherston. “Although we have been producing video as part of our news and information operation for several years now, we have now committed to incorporating unique daily videos into our widely read, national e-newsletter.”

RISMEDIA, March 29, 2011–One of the reasons real estate investing produces such incredible returns is because often times the appreciation is leveraged.

RISMEDIA, March 29, 2011—If you’re serious about shooting video, we trust you’re familiar with using a tripod. It provides the rock solid stability that sets you apart from the hand held amateurs—unless you’re after that “Blair Witch” effect.

RISMEDIA, March 28, 2011—Mortgage applications increased 2.7 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending March 18, 2011. The Market Composite Index—a measure of mortgage

RISMEDIA, March 28, 2011—It's that time of year again, and some of you should be expecting your property tax bill for the first half of 2011. If that's the case, then you'll probably be wondering just how the government calculates property tax rates and why your bill seems to change every year.

RISMEDIA, March 28, 2011—As winter gives way to spring, the threat of water flooding your basement substantially increases. “Most people believe that after the snow melts that the threat of basement flooding goes away,” explains Chris O’Donohue, water damage specialist and owner of Advantage Restoration and Cleaning Services, located in Pinckney, Michigan. “But snow usually isn’t the issue; it’s the combination of the frozen ground thawing around the foundation of the home and the arrival of heavy spring rains that cause problems.”

RISMEDIA, March 26, 2011—The IRS recently released information on processing issues that are impacting a small percentage of tax returns involving repayment of the First Time Homebuyer Credit (FTHB), primarily involving 2008 home purchases. While most of these returns are processing normally, the IRS recognizes the hardship caused by delayed refunds, and it has assigned additional staff and resources to address the issues promptly.

RISMEDIA, March 26, 2011—In a sign that the housing market is finally making a major move in a positive direction, vacation home markets—some of the most battered in the real estate downturn—are making a surge higher in many of the hardest hit areas of the nation.

RISMEDIA, March 26, 2011—Ain’t no stopping them now—QR codes are on the move! The buzz about these mythical images has grown to the point that they are on everyone’s mind, especially as this year’s marketing plans begin to go into action. Inevitably, they have fallen under the

Regional Spotlight: RISMEDIA, March 26, 2011—Recently Fannie Mae and Neighborhood Housing Services of South Florida (NHSSF) celebrated the one-year anniversary of Fannie Mae's South Florida Mortgage Help Center. Since opening its doors in March 2010, the South

RISMEDIA, March 26, 2011—As the economic downturn continues, more homeowners lagging on their mortgage payments are looking for help with basic needs. These are the findings of MortgageKeeper Referral Services, Inc., the developer of a unique database that connects users with

RISMEDIA, March 25, 2011—According to the latest Spending and Saving Tracker from American Express, more than two in five (41 percent) of Americans said that it’s a buyer’s market for real estate. However, over 61 percent agree that a seller’s market is at least a year away. Other findings: • Homeowner confidence on whether they would receive the asking price for their home is nearly evenly split—43 percent said they are confident they would; 47 percent are not very or not at all confident.

RISMEDIA, March 25, 2011—In the world of real estate, the going has been tough—and we have been going. These are the most challenging economic times that most of us have ever known. This has been a cold, long, and bitter economic winter in real estate. There are, however, hints