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RISMEDIA, April 15, 2011—(MCT)—Homes are more affordable these days, the selection is abundant, and interest rates are still fairly low. For some people, it could well be a great time to buy. But as too many struggling borrowers now realize, the cost of owning a home is hardly limited to paying the mortgage. There are a host of other checkbook-sapping details—both recognizable and unexpected—that can get overlooked in the excitement of buying a house, especially if it's your first.

RISMEDIA, April 14, 2011—"I don't know why I'm sabotaging myself.” I hear this statement every day from clients and prospective clients. This sentiment is extremely common amongst both seasoned and new entrepreneurs. I hear many examples of self-sabotage in my coaching practice and many pleas for help to reverse self-sabotage. Let's look at some problems and some solutions. The first example of self-sabotage that comes to mind is carrying around the belief, "I am not good enough." It is a very common self-limiting belief and it will sabotage your success because it doesn't allow you to "shine."

RISMEDIA, April 13, 2011—In one of the first articles I wrote for this column, I said that the majority of home buyers today without 20% to put down on a new home are getting an FHA loan. I also said that many of those home buyers—in particular, those with a 720 or better FICO score—could have saved money on a conventional loan with private mortgage insurance (MI). And now that the FHA is increasing their pricing for the second time in less than six months, this message is even truer today.

RISMEDIA, April 12, 2011—The Power Broker Roundtable is brought to you by the National Association of REALTORS® and Charlie Oppler, NAR’s Special Liaison for Large Firm Relations. Watch for this column each month, where we address broker issues, concerns and milestones.

RISMEDIA, April 11, 2011—A diverse line-up of real estate visionaries and experts will share insights and strategies at RISMedia’s Achieve! Conference this May. RISMedia’s 23rd annual educational and networking event will take place on May 24th and 25th at the Rye Town Hilton in Rye, New York. To go directly to the registration site, click here.

RISMEDIA, April 9, 2011—The biggest mistake that most real estate agents make in dealing with their clients and colleagues is that they are unconsciously committed to “people pleasing.” The signs to watch out for will clearly show you whether you are inadvertently falling into a “people pleaser” pattern. If so, you’ll be shown an alternative strategy. You’ll learn what it means to commit to “win/win” or “no deal.”

RISMEDIA, April 8, 2011—The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) hosted a media teleconference recently, along with other industry and consumer groups and finance experts, to discuss the negative impact that overly restrictive lending rules recently proposed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. would have on the housing market and larger economic recovery. The plan unveiled by the FDIC would require a minimum 20 percent down payment for “qualified residential mortgages,” or QRMs, that would exempt lenders from forthcoming risk retention rules under the Dodd-Frank financial reform law passed last year.

RISMEDIA, April 7, 2011—The economy is improving overall and, as a result, some bright spots are showing up in the real-estate market. However, the foreclosure spike, which began around the same time the recession did, isn’t a distant memory just yet. In many areas, foreclosures are still happening; in some areas, those numbers have increased. Surprisingly, foreclosures have even encroached into some key cities that were formerly thought to be unshakable real-estate markets -- like San Francisco, where foreclosures actually rose in 2010 (including in luxury neighborhoods like Pacific Heights, where a condo that sold in 2007 for $2.3 million recently sold for $1.44 million as a foreclosure).

RISMEDIA, April 6, 2011—Many relocation services departments within real estate brokerages are considering alternative activities as fewer transfers affect traditional services. Less mobility activity doesn’t eliminate the need for corporate services, but may call for new approaches to support B2B needs and establish your firm as a key resource for this valuable business source. RIS Consulting Group has released a whitepaper on this subject, which can be downloaded for free here.

RISMEDIA, April 5, 2011—First, let me start off by saying I am a hybrid geek and proud of it. And in this day and age, with computers, tablets and phones changing as fast as they do, who doesn’t want to be a geek? That said, I must admit, I am extremely ashamed of how some of my fellow geeks have been treating real estate professionals. Now, before I unleash “Revenge of the Nerds Part 4,” and my email gets hit with spam and my site gets hacked, I want to be clear: I do not believe your IT team or outside programmers are intentionally giving you bad information or trying to rip you off. They are just not giving you 100% correct information—and some might be trying to take advantage.

RISMEDIA, April 4, 2011—As the cold temperatures become a distant memory, and the spring selling season gains momentum, consumers have come to agree on one thing—now’s a good time to get off the fence and into the real estate market. This is the overall theme in the latest American Express Spending and Saving Tracker survey, a monthly survey that tracks the spending and saving habits of consumers in order to get an indication of what’s happening in the market. “This month’s Spending and Saving Tracker provided an up-to-date look at various consumer trends and gave us the opportunity to assess how consumers are feeling about the current market in addition to gauging homeowner confidence,” says Leah Gerstner, vice president of public affairs at American Express.

RISMEDIA, April 2, 2011—Today’s consumers are seeking two things. The first is social proof—in other words, that you are who you say you are and you do what you say you’ll do. The second is social ranking. Forget about how many awards you’ve won or your latest sales figures; tell me instead how the public rates you. In today’s economic climate, the consumer rules, and consumer ratings will have a greater and greater influence on the decisions people make, including which real estate agent they choose.

RISMEDIA, April 1, 2011—RISMedia’s Daily Video News Update for Friday, April 1, is taking the real estate industry by storm, already viewed by thousands of real estate professionals this morning. In honor of April Fools’ Day, today’s video, “Overnight Housing Explosion,” is RISMedia’s humorous look at today’s real estate market, media industry, and political landscape. Don’t miss out! Click here to watch the video now. Responding to the rapidly evolving pace of technology and information delivery, RISMedia, the leader in real estate information systems, launched its Daily Video News Update earlier this week. The Video News Update is now featured in each edition of the media firm’s Today’s Real Estate Advisor e-newsletter.

RISMEDIA, April 1, 2011—Developing relationships with new clients is a huge priority in real estate. Most of you will undoubtedly agree, but as many home buyers and sellers look progressively more to the Internet to answer questions and search for products, an increase in Internet based leads would be expected, right? Online factors will determine how successful or unsuccessful your web presence will be in capturing new business. Let’s take a look at some of the major issues that may be impacting your ability to capture quality leads from the web.

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.”