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RISMedia, June 22, 2011—The 1960 Presidential Debates between Vice President Nixon and Senator Kennedy were the first nationally televised debates in presidential campaign history. With the advent of television the debates took on a visual dimension and for the first time, 70 million voters were given the opportunity to not only hear the candidates, but to visually compare them as well. Surprisingly, opinion polls revealed a sharp contrast between the voters who had actually watched the debates on TV versus those who had merely listened to them on the radio.

RISMEDIA, June 21, 2011—Greg Rand (@gsrand), CEO of OwnAmerica.com hosts “Rand on Real Estate” on 77WABC Radio in New York, where this week’s discussion comes from a caller from Orange County who does not believe that this is a time to buy real estate. Rand addresses a question about the effects of shadow inventory on the market and gives his recommendation to buy now, noting it has never been a better time to become a landlord. Rand also tackles the issue of high taxes making it difficult to turn profits from investments from a caller in New Jersey.

As real estate professionals continue to grapple with the “new normal,” it is more important than ever that brokers and agents understand where our industry is today as well as where it’s headed. This was the theme at RISMedia’s Achieve! Conference, a day-and-a-half-long event that took place last month and brought together leading industry experts and covered several important topics that are critical to achieving success as we head toward the future. John Featherston, president & CEO of RISMedia and Todd Hetherington, CEO, Century 21 New Millennium co-moderated Part 2 of the conference’s two-part Opening Session, and were joined by numerous industry leaders who took an in-depth look at where the industry stands today in addition to providing insight into the opportunities that are available in today’s market.

How do you acquire a Prosperity Mindset? Most people think it's by having a lot of money. But the truth is that you acquire a Prosperity Mindset first by releasing Scarcity Beliefs about money; which leads to successfully creating all the money you want. This article will share the Groundbreaking Secrets to Attracting Money by creating a Prosperity Mindset first. You might be telling yourself consciously or subconsciously, “all this stuff about prosperity consciousness is fine, but I need to get more money and then I'll feel more prosperous.” When we put the cause outside of ourselves, we are disempowered. There's no way to snap your fingers and instantly acquire an abundance of money.

RISMedia, June 17, 2011—New research from NAHB examines the scope of impact on housing markets from the scheduled October 1, 2011 decrease in the GSE and FHA loan limits. These loan limits determine what types of mortgages may be securitized by the GSEs, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, or insured by the Federal Housing Administration. Loans that fall outside of these limits would be subject to tighter credit conditions, including higher interest rates and larger downpayments.

RISMedia, June 16,2011—(MCT)—The housing market's continuing funk has metro Atlantans using a grab-bag of creative strategies to buy, sell or just tread water so they can make a career move. For instance: • Renting out a property has become the end-run around the market's chokehold on mobility. More homeowners are turning to real estate agents to keep an eye on their homes, not sell them. Homeowners typically rent out their homes so they can buy or rent somewhere else. This has created a new line of property management work for the real estate industry.

RISMEDIA, June 15, 2011—The current state of the real estate industry is contingent upon an improved consumer experience, according to experts and panelists, including several members of RISMedia’s Real Estate Information Network® (RREIN), at RISMedia's 2011 Achieve! Conference held in Rye, N.Y. on May 24 and 25. As a result of the days' many educational sessions and networking, the conference proved that plenty of opportunities still exist for progressive and forward-thinking brokerages that are focused on its consumers.

RISMedia, June 14, 2011—Today's buyer-take-all bonanza is a boon for fence-sitters and buyers with great credit and deep pockets. But sellers are steeling themselves to new realities that include paying (rather than making) money at the closing table, providing extras to sweeten the deal, and spending more time and cash making the home camera-ready. For first-time sellers who have never been through the process before, it's a different world. One where the value of the house isn't measured in the profit made on the sale, but by the enjoyment the owners had from living in the home.

RISMedia, June 13, 2011—When was the last time you wanted to watch a black-and-white or one of the old “Technicolor” films? For most of us, they just don’t have the same engagement magic they held years ago when compared with the latest innovations like 3-D and special effects. In short, customers want more and a better experience than ever before. Today, consumers are tougher to attract, engage and ultimately connect with due to the highly noisy and confusing market. When it comes to real estate, using the best resources available to engage new prospects will give you the competitive edge, more customers and ultimately more profits.

RISMedia, June 11, 2011—How can you stay self-motivated and productive in the midst of turbulent times and a sluggish economy? How do you persevere as a salesperson when times are tough and customers seem to be holding on to every penny in fear of economic uncertainty? Every challenge, setback and personal difficulty you encounter in life also brings with it the seed of equivalent or greater benefit! The key to overcoming adversity is to avoid the temptation of panic and instead, focus on finding the greater benefit. Adversity will never leave you where it found you; it will either strengthen your character or weaken your resolve.

RISMedia, June 10, 2011—Despite the ups and downs of the housing market, home owners and non-owners alike consider owning a home essential to the American Dream. That's the key finding of a recent survey of people likely to vote in 2012 that was conducted on behalf of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) by Public Opinion Strategies of Alexandria, Va., and Lake Research Partners of Washington, D.C. "The survey results show that Americans see beyond the immediate housing market to the enduring value of homeownership," says NAHB Chairman Bob Nielsen, a home builder from Reno, Nev.

RISMedia, June 9, 2011—With financial institutions tightening lending standards and requiring more from home buyers, consumers are asking more from their agents than ever before. And in response, many agents and brokers are pursuing advanced education and professional certifications to help them navigate the changing real estate landscape and better serve their clients. I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to speak at RISMedia’s 2011 Achieve! Conference last month to a group of agents with similar expectations. And just like these agents, I found myself asking the same question as I prepared for the conference: What are the key programs and tools that agents need for success in today’s market? And how can REBAC help?

RISMedia, June 8, 2011—At a time when new home construction in the Northeastern region of the United States has dropped by more than half since 2007, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), there is at least one Connecticut builder/developer whose company remains well in the black—and whose innovative single-family homes and multi-family condos are attracting a new kind of consumer.

RISMedia, June 7, 2011—As time goes on, the landscape of our real estate industry is beginning to look more and more like a high school campus. We have cliques, and whichever one is on top at the time looks down on the others as inferior. However, our cliques don’t have names like “popular,” or “troubled,” or “wannabes.” Instead, we have Traditional, REO, and Short Sale. Originally, the clique on top of our industry was Traditional sales. Traditional sales can be likened to those kids years ago who were “popular” because they were very status quo. They had few blemishes, never caused any problems, and did what was expected. Traditional held the top spot for many years, and no one ever thought they would be outnumbered.

RISMedia, June 6, 2011—Make this your transformational mantra for engagement in social media. This means not just characters in tweets, but real actions and sharing with others—whether it’s your knowledge, cool tools or any other valuable information you can share. This will help you build new relationships and lead to more fans or likes, followers and others who connect with you; new business will follow. Did you know that fans are 41 percent more likely than non-fans to recommend a product they are a fan of to their friends?*