RISMEDIA, October 1, 2010—In one of the most challenging real estate markets we’ve experienced in years, real estate professionals across the board are taking the time to set themselves up to find success in today’s market and ride the wave into the future. This was just part of the motivation behind the announcement that Pleasanton, Calif.-based Mason-McDuffie Real Estate, Inc. has joined the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLCs national franchise network—marking the largest franchisee ever to join the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate brand, as well as the largest in Realogy history.

RISMEDIA, October 1, 2010—(MCT)—The moving truck pulled away from the curb, loaded with Wallace Farmer's possessions. He locked the front door for the last time and left town—clutched by a long-simmering anger that finally gave way to relief. Farmer didn't sell his Baltimore house, worth far less than the $180,000 he paid in 2006. And he didn't lose it to foreclosure. He walked away from the rowhouse and the mortgage. It's the bank's problem now.

RISMEDIA, October 1, 2010—Many home buyers now and into the foreseeable future will face tight lending standards and the need to improve their credit score to get prequalified or preapproved for mortgages. Be aware of the following steps your prospects can take for some speedy credit

RISMEDIA, October 1, 2010—You’ve most likely been told thousands of times that you, as a real estate agent, need a Web presence. You may have even been given reason after reason as to why you need a Web presence. Your clients are online; they’re looking at properties without you;

RISMEDIA, October 1, 2010—(MCT)—Wendy and Robby Haun had to sell their home near Cary, N.C., to make way for a state highway project, but the comfortable ranch house did not go to waste. It went to Builders of Hope, a pioneering Raleigh, N.C., nonprofit that has found new life and new families for more than 60 discarded dwellings in the past four years. Since 1999, the Hauns had lived in the house next door to Wendy's childhood home. The N.C. Turnpike Authority bought both houses for the 18-mile Triangle Expressway which is now under construction.

RISMEDIA, September 30, 2010—RealtyTrac, a leading online marketplace for foreclosure properties released its Q2 2010 U.S. Foreclosure Sales Report, which shows that foreclosure homes accounted for 24% of all residential sales in the second quarter of 2010 and that the average sales price of properties that sold while in some stage of foreclosure was more than 26% below the average sales price of properties not in the foreclosure process—down slightly from a 27% average discount in the first quarter.

RISMEDIA, September 30, 2010—Do you have an accountability problem at your real estate company? According to Rick Lepsinger, president of OnPoint Consulting and author of Closing the Execution Gap: How Great Leaders and Their Companies Get Results, there are two main ways to tackle it. First, you need to forestall excuse-generating problems upfront by creating conditions that make it more likely your agents will follow through. Second, you need to help and encourage your agents to take responsibility after mistakes have already been made—without making them feel worse than they already do.

RISMEDIA, September 30, 2010—The real estate industry has seen a huge number of changes over the past 20 years with the advent of pagers, cell phones and the Internet, and a new one coming out now for search engine optimization will do the same thing with how agents market

RISMEDIA, September 30, 2010—How do we get consistency into our training? What incentives do I offer my recruiting candidates? What can I do to motivate my agents to prospect? These are just some of the questions on the minds of real estate professionals today. And the answer is

RISMEDIA, September 30, 2010—At a recently held event at the Pentagon, Fannie Mae and the U.S. Army announced new initiatives to help service members who are struggling with their mortgage payments avoid foreclosure. The effort includes a mortgage payment forbearance of up

RISMEDIA, September 30, 2010—As part of the Obama Administration’s continuing effort to provide quality housing counseling to the nation’s homeowners, buyers and renters; the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced the availability of more than $5.1 million

RISMEDIA, September 29, 2010—New research from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) reveals that the benefits of housing-related tax deductions, such as the mortgage interest deduction, generally decline in value as individuals age. Using Internal Revenue Service Statistics of Income (SOI) data, NAHB was able to report for the first time how various tax deductions are used by different age groups. The analysis demonstrates that the biggest beneficiaries are younger households, who typically have large mortgages, small amounts of equity in their homes and growing families.

RISMEDIA, September 29, 2010—This week’s headlines from the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® include: archived webinars available at no cost from NAR’s Right Tools, Right Now initiative; Realtors Property Resource™ announces 100 MLS

RISMEDIA, September 29, 2010—Data through July 2010, released by Standard & Poor's for its S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, one of the leading measures of U.S. home prices, show that the annual growth rates in 16 of the 20 MSAs and the 10- and 20-City

RISMEDIA, September 29, 2010—I am frequently asked what I think the single most important factor is in determining the success or failure of a salesperson. My response is often met with surprise, because most people expect me to say something about the necessity