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RISMEDIA, May 5, 2011—As the housing market continues to struggle, home buyers appear ill-prepared to take out a mortgage, answering basic questions about mortgage information wrong nearly half (46 percent) of the time, according to a Zillow® Mortgage Marketplace survey. In fact, 44 percent admitted they are not confident in their knowledge of mortgages or the mortgage process. Zillow® Mortgage Marketplace, with Ipsos, surveyed prospective home buyers, asking them to gauge their own knowledge of mortgages, and asking basic questions about mortgage facts.

RISMEDIA, May 4, 2011—RISMedia’s Achieve!–Real Estate’s Innovation & Opportunity Conference—will provide the most innovative educational programs and networking opportunities for brokers and agents. Industry experts Joe Clement, Todd Hetherington and Ed Krafchow are among the leading broker panelists who will offer an in-depth look at where the industry is today and where it’s headed in the future during the Opening Session titled: “The State of the Real Estate Industry–Expanding Your Marketshare and Profitability in 2011” at this year’s Achieve! Conference. The session will take place on Tuesday, May 24 from 1:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. at the Rye Town Hilton in Westchester County, New York.

RISMEDIA, May 3, 2011—I would first like to thank everyone for the kind words and feedback from my previous article. It’s nice to know that I am touching on some key issues in our industry and I hope that I can continue to be a good resource.

RISMEDIA, May 2, 2011—RISMedia’s Achieve! – Real Estate’s Innovation & Opportunity Conference—will provide the most innovative educational programs and networking opportunities for brokers and agents. Industry experts Joe Clement, Todd Hetherington and Ed Krafchow are among the leading broker panelists who will offer an in-depth look at where the industry is today and where it’s headed in the future during the Opening Session titled: “The State of the Real Estate Industry – Expanding Your Marketshare and Profitability in 2011” at this year’s Achieve! Conference. The session will take place on Tuesday, May 24 from 1:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. at the Rye Town Hilton in Westchester County, New York.

RISMEDIA, April 30, 2011—As a real estate professional you know that you must have a website. There are many options for creating a website, such as a company sponsored site, a custom website, or a real estate website template with hosting. Regardless of where it came from, how do you get visitors to your site now that you have one? I say, let’s throw a party and invite them! Here are five steps that you can do immediately that will bring more buyers and sellers to your website. And more importantly, these steps will keep them coming back for more! Think of this as getting ready for a big party!

RISMEDIA, April 29, 2011—I find that many of my clients avoid marketing when it comes to their sphere of influence. Yet statistics show that your sphere of influence can be the greatest source of referrals. Let’s look at how you can dig in and get the “gold.” Tip 1: Define and Grade Your Sphere of Influence When is the last time that you took a good look at your contact list? What is the total? What are the categories in that group?

RISMEDIA, April 28, 2011—There was a time not too long ago when the main demographic target of any real estate agent was the generation of Baby Boomers. This was a generation that valued the American dream of owning a home, and looked to the expertise of the agent. With that in mind, all agents advertised themselves in the same manner. Each had a specific role, whether it be Listing Agent, Buyer’s Agent, etc., and would take a glamour shot that was attached to bus benches and business cards, and would hand out calendars and magnetized notepads. These agents would rely on word-of-mouth referrals and the loyalty of their customers.

RISMEDIA, April 27, 2011—RISMedia’s Achieve!—Real Estate’s Innovation & Opportunity Conference—will provide the most innovative educational programs and networking opportunities for brokers and agents. Industry experts Dick Schlott, LP Finn and Sherry Chris are among the leading broker panelists who will offer an in-depth look at where the industry is today and where it’s headed in the future during the Opening Session titled: “The State of the Real Estate Industry – Expanding Your Marketshare and Profitability in 2011” at this year’s Achieve! Conference. The session will take place on Tuesday, May 24 from 1:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. at the Rye Town Hilton in Westchester County, New York.

RISMEDIA, April 26, 2011—Given the pressing environmental challenges facing the world, one day just doesn't seem like enough to celebrate the earth and make long-term environmental changes. Why not use this month as inspiration and make a commitment to do environmentally friendly activities throughout the year?

RISMEDIA, April 25, 2011—RISMedia’s Achieve! – Real Estate’s Innovation & Opportunity Conference—will provide the most innovative educational programs and networking opportunities for brokers and agents. Industry experts Joe Clement, Todd Hetherington and Ed Krafchow are among the leading broker panelists who will offer an in-depth look at

RISMEDIA, April 21, 2011—Sales of existing-home sales rose in March 2011, continuing an uneven recovery that began after sales bottomed last July, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. Existing-home sales, which are completed transactions that include single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, increased

RISMEDIA, April 20, 2011—Welcoming a brand new player to the real estate playing field is always big news. New perspective, new ideas, new potential on the horizon. However, with almost 200 years of history, and doing business today in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions, you can’t exactly call Citi a newcomer. You can’t even refer to Citi as a newbie to mortgage lending, a vertical it’s operated in for almost 40 years.

RISMEDIA, April 19, 2011—Leading brokers and innovators will share strategies and reveal critical opportunities for growth in today’s market at RISMedia’s 6th Annual Power Broker Forum & Reception at NAR Midyear next month. Taking place on Thursday, May 12th, at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C., the Forum, titled Opportunities and Innovations for Real Estate Brokerage Firms, will be held in the Marriott Ballroom Salon 3 from 3:30 – 5 p.m.

RISMEDIA, April 18, 2011—While some real estate markets are picking up as we head out of winter, it’s a reality that in many markets, home prices are going down. Prices in 20 major metropolitan areas decreased 1% in November from October, according to the Standard & Poor’s Case-Shiller Home Price Index released on January 25th. The index has fallen 1.6% from a year ago.

RISMEDIA, April 16, 2011—For years, real estate professionals have been trying to tailor their marketing strategies to an ever-evolving consumer. Some focus on using the latest technology or trends to stand out from the crowd, while others stick to more traditional methods of reaching buyers and sellers. Whatever the method of communication, the use of scripts can not only give an agent a better chance at a great first impression, but can impart the confidence that he or she needs to best represent a client in a dynamic market.