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The growing number of lawsuits over non-disclosure of land pollution is creating increased liability for real estate brokers. Soil contamination, groundwater contamination and concern surrounding hazardous vapor intrusion into homes is putting real estate brokers on the firing line in debates as to whether or not they properly informed a prospective home buyer that existing environmental contamination on the land on which the home has been built, or nearby contaminated land, has the potential to impact the value of the property and even their health.

Essentially a sales manager's primary responsibility is to recruit, train and motivate his or her sales force to achieve peak performance. Of these three vitally important tasks, recruiting is the least understood and by far the most challenging. When you recruit the right person you will find that they're self-motivated and eager to train. On the other hand, if you hire someone that is not suited for the position, you'll experience low morale, high turnover and find yourself constantly in the training mode. While there's no perfect system that can guarantee you'll hire the right person every time, there are fundamental guidelines you must follow if you expect to recruit your way to the top!

Nationwide production of new single-family homes rose 4.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 470,000 units in December, according to newly released figures from the U.S. Commerce Department. This marked a third consecutive increase and the fastest pace of single-family housing starts since April of 2010. Meanwhile, the overall number of housing starts for the month declined 4.1 percent to a 657,000-unit rate due to a 20.4 percent dip on the more volatile multifamily side.

When I coach real estate agents, I often hear the misconception that they need to be hard on themselves in order to succeed. When I ask about the origin of this belief, I often receive stories of being conditioned by well-meaning teachers and parents in a controlling and rigid way. Since we learn to treat ourselves the way we were treated, my clients are just carrying on the legacy because they don't know how else to motivate themselves.

Since it opened in May 2009, the REALTORS® Federal Credit Union has created quite a buzz, becoming a benefit among National Association of REALTOR® members. The union offers a portfolio of services and products, and was recently rated the fastest growing credit union in the country by Callahan & Associates, a credit union information source. REALTORS® FCU ranked number one in organic membership growth, which neared 25 percent between June 2010 and June 2011. Over the 12-month time period, REALTORS® FCU also grew its loan portfolio by 10.66 percent. Currently, REALTORS® FCU has 7,501 members with total assets of $77.9 million.

Agents, have you ever listed or sold a home owned by a celebrity? If so, we want to know about it! RISMedia is excited to announce that in 2012 we will be significantly expanding our coverage of celebrity homes and their famous—or infamous—owners. For example, we read today that Michele Klosson of Sotheby's International Realty recently listed one of the two Greenwich, Conn. homes of Regis and Joy Philbin, which was reported as selling for $3 million. According to the report, the 6,000-square-foot home, which has four bedrooms, eight bathrooms, a tennis court and a swimming pool, was first listed for sale in 2008 for $5.9 million.

Several years ago, I read a fascinating article about a body language experiment that was conducted by a group of marketing students attending a major university. The experiment was designed to measure the impact, if any, of nonverbal communications on the learning process. They gathered a group of 100 student volunteers who agreed to participate in the experiment. Unbeknownst to the professor, half of the students were told to sit up straight, unfold their arms and keep their feet planted firmly on the floor. The other students were instructed to do just the opposite. They were asked to sit back in their chairs and relax with their arms folded and legs crossed. Each student was interviewed and tested immediately following the two-hour lecture and the results were quite impressive.

Freddie Mac recently released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey®, showing mortgage rates easing to new all-time record lows for all products covered in the survey helping to keep homebuyer affordability high. The average for the 30-year fixed mortgage rate has been below 4.00 percent for six consecutive weeks. The survey concluded that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 3.89 percent, with an average 0.7 point for the week ending January 12, 2012, down from last week when it averaged 3.91 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 4.71 percent.

By an overwhelming margin, American voters strongly value homeownership and would oppose efforts to weaken or eliminate the mortgage interest deduction or diminish a federal role to help qualified home buyers obtain affordable 30-year mortgages, according to a new nationwide survey gauging likely voters’ attitudes towards homeownership and housing policy issues. “The American electorate is sending a clear message that owning a home remains a cornerstone of the American Dream and preserving a federal commitment to homeownership is essential to maintain a thriving middle class and get housing and the economy back on track,” says Neil Newhouse, a partner and co-founder of Public Opinion Strategies.

Total U.S. foreclosure activity and the U.S. foreclosure rate in 2011 were both at their lowest annual level since 2007, according to RealtyTrac®, an online marketplace for foreclosure properties. The company recently released its Year-End 2011 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report™, which shows a total of 2,698,967 foreclosure filings—default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions—were reported on 1,887,777 U.S. properties in 2011, a decrease of 34 percent in total properties from 2010. Foreclosure activity in 2011 was 33 percent below the 2009 total and 19 percent below the 2008 total.

In this final chapter entry, the blueprint for 100 deals would be incomplete without taking into account the other ways, outside of a straight-up sale, where homes may come onto the market and be part of your 100 deals. Specifically, these are the real estate specialties that may be inherent to your local area, the result of a change in economic climate, or even tailored due to your own unique interests and abilities. Although you probably won’t rely on a specialty to succeed in real estate, there may be occasions when it’s important to balance your business with any one or more of these components on the side.

The number of housing markets showing measurable improvement nearly doubled in January with the addition of 40 new metros to the National Association of Home Builders/First American Improving Markets Index (IMI). The IMI now boasts 76 improving markets, up from 41 in December, with 31 states and the District of Columbia represented by at least one entry. The index identifies metropolitan areas that have shown improvement from their respective troughs in housing permits, employment and house prices for at least six consecutive months. New entrants to the list in January include the following (listed alphabetically by state):

Have you noticed that when a sports team wins a championship game, both the players and the coaches talk in terms of a "team victory" and appear to truly enjoy sharing the accomplishment? On the other hand, teams who are going through a losing streak tend to make excuses and point fingers. The success of any high-performance team is in direct proportion to the number of "team players" within the group. It's not difficult to spot a team player in any group of people because they tend to stand out from the crowd. Team players radiate a positive attitude, cooperative spirit and encourage their coworkers to excel. Team players are self-motivated individuals who are focused on the attainment of team goals.

An exacting economy and challenging real estate market didn’t prevent top brokers and industry leaders from turning out in full force to take part in RISMedia’s 2011 Power Broker Weekend—in fact, the current business landscape made it more critical than ever for industry leaders to come together for this strategic exchange of information and celebration of success in taxing times. November’s Power Broker Weekend—which took place in Anaheim, Calif., in conjunction with the annual REALTORS® Conference & Expo—was marked by three elite events: RISMedia’s 16th Annual Power Broker Forum; RISMedia’s 16th Annual Power Broker Reception & Dinner;

I know. Short sales are not easy. Short sales can be problematic. Short sales are not always worth the time and effort. And it’s always the bank’s fault. This is the classic short-sale lament of our time and for good reason—short sales have been a difficult and frustrating process for all involved: sellers, buyers, agents and banks. But the pendulum is swinging and short sales are moving—now is the time to reinvest in your short-sale strategy. There are several key reasons why things are starting to change in the short sale arena. First, the facts still speak for themselves.