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“All real estate is local,” the saying goes. But what buyers and sellers really want to know is known as “hyper”-local information—the numbers and news that affect their specific community’s neighborhoods. When an agent shares information about the first day of school, the date of the high school football games, or how road construction will affect a morning commute, that agent becomes more than a home seller…he or she becomes a trusted resource. The best agents already know this. Award-winning Texas broker Krisstina Wise, owner of The GoodLife Team, regularly posts graphs on the company’s blog showing average sales prices and closed sales for Austin.

In 1957, Earl Nightingale, speaker, author and co founder of the Nightingale-Conant Corporation, recorded his classic motivational record "The Strangest Secret." "The Strangest Secret" sold over one million copies and made history in the recording industry by being honored as the first Gold Record for the spoken word. Nightingale, known as the "dean of personal development," concluded that life's "strangest secret" is that we become what we think about all day long. Your belief system, like your computer, doesn't judge or even question what you input; it merely accepts your thoughts as the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Think thoughts of defeat or failure and you're bound to feel discouraged.

(MCT)—The economy grew at an annual rate of 2.5 percent in the three months ending Sept. 30, the government reported, easing fears that the nation would fall into a second recession but still too slow a pace to cut significantly into the high unemployment rate. “We’re inching our way forward,” says Diane Swonk, chief economist at Mesirow Financial. The new data from the Commerce Department on Thursday showed slow but steady improvement in the economy throughout 2011. The third-quarter data was in line with economists’ projections.

RISMedia is excited to announce the launch of “REsource,” the real estate news leader’s much-anticipated, brand new content licensing platform that offers the most affordable and robust real estate article and video content solution on the market today. REsource Real Estate Content Solutions offers access to an archive of thousands of real estate-focused articles and videos of interest to both consumers (B2C) and business professionals (B2B) via RISMedia’s vast Content Library. Whether it’s compelling business development or how-to articles or videos of critical interest to your home buyers and sellers, you’ll find topics of all real estate interests in REsource’s vast article and video library.

One hundred might seem like an arbitrary number of transactions, and it is. Yet, from our experience, it’s also an ideal milestone for real estate professionals looking for a more stable and productive business environment. Still you may wonder, why not 50? Why not 200? Certainly, 100 is not the pinnacle and you shouldn’t feel bound to stick rigidly to this number by any means. However, 100 is our recommendation as a working blueprint for success; let us explain why that is…

As economic conditions continue to challenge and stymie real estate professionals and their consumers, RISMedia and Citi have come together to host a by-invitation-only event during next month’s REALTORS® Conference & Expo: The Power Broker Economic Summit. Taking place on Saturday, November 12, from 9 – 11 a.m. at the Anaheim Marriott in Anaheim, California, the Economic Summit will feature in-depth analysis from prominent economist, David Stockton.

The past few weeks have showcased numerous signals that the real estate market is on the rise. Recently, we have reported statistics pointing to an industry turnaround, including a 15 percent rise in housing starts in September; a surge in builder confidence in October, an increase in mortgage applications and a slew of regional market improvements across the country.

With the mixed messages being put forth by today’s media, it’s no wonder consumers are wary. One report tells us interest rates are at record lows and that it’s a great time to buy, while another tells us foreclosure rates continue to rise. No matter what the real state of the housing market is, the bottom line is that consumer confidence remains at an all-time low, and without a restoration of consumer confidence, the real estate market will continue to flounder. Ted Rusinoff, president of recently launched EquityLock, believes his firm offers a viable solution—one that will give home buyers the comfort level they’ve been looking for while simultaneously increasing home values across the country.

So many real estate professionals today are wondering, “How can I stay positive in today's market?” Like any discriminating real estate professional, you realize the value of a positive mental attitude. Here are 8 ways that you can create and maintain a positive mental attitude in today's market. 1. Avoid toxic people What does this mean? Who are the toxic people? Toxic people can be well-meaning people but when they talk to you, they are coming from a negative attitude about money, finances, and especially about the current real estate situation.

Longtime industry leaders and forward-thinking visionaries will be honored during RISMedia’s 16th Annual Power Broker Dinner, taking place during the upcoming NAR Conference & Expo in Anaheim, California. This by-invitation-only networking event will be held at the Anaheim Marriott at 7 p.m. on Friday, November 11. RISMedia’s annual Power Broker Reception & Dinner recognizes the industry’s leading brokers, as determined by the results of RISMedia’s annual Power Broker Report & Survey. Each year, the Power Broker event brings together real estate’s leading decision makers—from top brokers and executives to industry visionaries

At the height of the real estate boom in the mid-2000s, brokers began realizing that to sustain business for the long-term, they would need to climb aboard the “one-stop shopping” bandwagon. At the center of the full-service real estate model? A mortgage operation. Adding a mortgage component was not only a way to meet consumer demand for a simpler transaction but, more importantly, a vehicle for driving ancillary income and improving profit margins. As this business model met with mounting success, a mortgage operation quickly went from ancillary to core business for many real estate firms. Today, however, as the industry battles back from the housing crisis and the economic recession, and struggles to meet the challenges of a credit-crunched mortgage environment, the question becomes: How can brokers reinvent their mortgage operations and help get buyers into homes?

Editor’s Note: “Blueprint for 100 Deals or More Than $1 Million Per Year in Income: The exact systems and technology to sell 100+ homes, every year—no matter the market,” is a new book by leading real estate industry executives Alan Shafran and Rick Bengson that outlines how to build your business as well as make more money, please more customers and improve your overall quality of life, whether you are a novice or climbing the ladder in the real estate business. For the next 10 weeks, RISMedia will be running portions of each chapter every Wednesday, highlighting the in-depth information and invaluable resources the authors have compiled in this exciting, new publication.

Greg Rand (@gsrand, CEO of OwnAmerica, and host of “Rand on Real Estate” on 770 WABC, discusses with a caller the reality that banks are not tightening their lending standards; they are just following the standard practices that they were using years ago.

After achieving superstardom playing for John Wooden's powerhouse UCLA Bruins in the early '70s and winning three, straight College Player of the Year Awards, Bill Walton was destined to become an NBA legend. Known as “The Big Red-Head,” Walton won the NBA Most Valuable Player award while playing for the defending NBA champion Trail Blazers in 1977-78. At the top of his form, Walton scored, passed, intimidated, hustled, and played the role of leader with the best centers of his day.

The National Association of REALTORS® has a renowned reputation for its consistent support of its members throughout the years. From up-to-date news, value-added offers and significant savings on products and services, the organization prides itself on delivering timely and dependable assistance to members on a daily basis. Taking its service one step further, REALTOR.com®, the official website of the National Association of REALTORS®, will soon go global by featuring listings from all over the world, translations for all listings (U.S. and foreign) in eight languages and currency and measurement conversion services. Adding to its advantage, the services are available at no additional cost for all agents whose MLSs are currently listed on the site.