RISMEDIA, August 10, 2010—When it comes to online marketing, video is the undisputed leader for efficiency and effectiveness. But, technology is only half the formula. The other half is content. And therein lies the problem for many agents and brokers.

RISMEDIA, August 10, 2010—In an effort to help responsible homeowners who owe more on their mortgage than the value of their property, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recently provided details on the adjustment to its refinance program, which was announced earlier this year, that will enable lenders to provide additional refinancing options to homeowners who owe more than their home is worth. Starting September 7, 2010, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) will offer certain “underwater” non-FHA borrowers

RISMEDIA, August 10, 2010—Last week brought to a close another year in my life. I can’t say that I celebrated, but I marked the occasion as I normally do with some reflection on the journey up to this point.

RISMEDIA, August 10, 2010—(MCT)—With the overhaul of financial regulation in the bag, the Obama administration will focus next on housing finance with an eye to deciding the fate of mortgage finance titans Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

RISMEDIA, August 9, 2010—Home values in the United States continued to decline in the second quarter of 2010, with the Zillow Home Value Index falling 3.2% year-over-year and 0.6% from the first quarter to $182,500. The national rate of decline decelerated

RISMEDIA, August 9, 2010—The real estate industry and especially the mortgage industry have been overwhelmed with changes, regulations and consolidations recently. In the last couple of months, many transactions nationally have experienced delayed closings or worse as a result of the application of new guidelines affecting APR, Good Faith Estimates (GFE), Truth in Lending (TILA) and condo project approvals to name a few.

RISMEDIA, August 9, 2010—The last five years have been a roller coaster ride for real estate brokerage firms both nationwide and here in Florida. Today's broker must balance the consumer and associates needs while maintaining profitability.

RISMEDIA, August 9, 2010—(eM+C)—Conversion optimization is the process of testing your website and landing pages to improve conversion rates. The real estate industry average conversion rate sits between 2% and 4% percent, but organizations

RISMEDIA, August 9, 2010—With so many homeowners facing tough decisions about their mortgages in or approaching default, questions abound about how to best handle the complex situation with the bank lenders they’re indebted to. To help clarify such

RISMEDIA, August 9, 2010—The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) now requires all HUD-approved reverse mortgage counselors to provide their clients with the National Council on Aging's (NCOA) 28-page consumer booklet on reverse mortgages. In addition, counselors must complete an extra level of financial assessment to help prospective borrowers gain a greater understanding of financial risk and other factors that may impact their loan.

RISMEDIA, August 7, 2010—From using the latest gadgets and tools to communicating with buyers online, today’s successful agents are maximizing technology to build their business. And buyer’s agents are no exception. A recent REBAC member survey showed that more than half of buyer’s agents have a smart phone and are regularly using social media or networking sites to reach buyers—a real estate trend that will continue to grow.

RISMEDIA, September 25, 2010—(MCT)—One of the mysteries of space—we're talking real-world living space, not the cosmos—is that perfectly sound logic often leads to an illogical aesthetic. We all occasionally make cringe-worthy decorating mistakes. If you are in the process of decorating your newly-purchased home or ready for a redecoration, there are three common design mistakes involving scale, balance and proportion that you should avoid. Fortunately, they have quick and easy fixes.

RISMEDIA, August 6, 2010—(MCT)—Bruce Baldwin is well past the "extreme excitement" he felt when he became a first-time homeowner three years ago. In fact, the cabinetmaker has now joined thousands of homeowners who face foreclosure. He says he feels so snake-bit by homeownership that he doubts he'll ever buy again. "It was the American Dream. Now I could care less if I ever deal with a bank again," said Baldwin, who lives in Ocoee, Fla., not far from Orlando. “What I went through was an absolute nightmare.”

RISMEDIA, August 6, 2010——I was so excited when my husband went to a search engine optimization (SEO) conference and one of the sessions was about integrated marketing. I thought to myself, “Wow, it’s not just me who thinks this is something that needs

RISMEDIA, August 6, 2010—The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR’s) Green REsource Council teamed up with a number of green industry groups and real estate associations earlier this year and developed guidelines and a tool kit to help local MLSs green