Sales and Texting? Know the Rules
Texting your sales prospects en masse can be an efficient way to get your message through if you follow these best practices
Will NAR's Landmark Commissions Settlement Lower Housing Costs?
The $418 million deal changes long-standing rules—written and unwritten—that consumers claim inflated sales commissions for home sellers, including new-home builders
January's Mortgage Rate Dip Prompts Some Thawing of the Housing Market
A drop in mortgage rates from recent peaks nudged more homebuyers and sellers into the market, signaling the start of greater supply and demand
Report Explores US Homeownership Trends, Finds Minorities Making Gains
A new National Association of Realtors report finds Asian Americans and Hispanics have made the greatest gains in homeownership over the past decade
Consumers Show Renewed Optimism About Homebuying
Fannie Mae's Home Purchase Sentiment Index reaches its highest level in almost two years
The Best Places to Buy a Home During Fall
These housing markets offer greater inventory and more affordable list prices during the fall season
Sales + Marketing Best Practices
10 Key Sales Performance Measurements
Want to boost your sales conversion ratio? Track each salesperson’s performance against these 10 sales performance standards
NAR: Pending home sales down 2.8% in January, but remain well above cyclical low
Pending home sales eased moderately in January for the second straight month, but remain 20.6 percent above the cyclical low last June, according to the National Association of Realtors. The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator, declined 2.8 percent to 88.9 based on contracts signed in January from a downwardly revised 91.5 in December.
Meritage builds ‘deconstructed’ home to demonstrate green features
Home-building giant Meritage Homes cut the ribbon last month on its first high-performance, green community in the San Antonio area. To help educate potential buyers on the green homes, Meritage built a demonstration home that “literally peels back the walls and ceilings to showcase its energy-saving features,” according to the company.
Sales + Marketing Best Practices
How to Cultivate a Take-Charge Culture
Having a clear strategic vision, demanding accountability, and performing as both a leader and manager are vital to taking charge of a new-home sales organization
Drive Consumer Traffic to Your Website, 16 Tips
Homebuyers are out there, but people can’t buy what they don’t know is for sale. Sales and marketing pros must connect with the right buyers at the right time
Obama’s mortgage-market reform plan calls for winding down Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac
The Obama administration’s long-awaited proposal for reforming the U.S. mortgage market calls for shuttering both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac over a period of five years or more. The two agencies, along with the Federal Housing Administration, currently provide more than 90 percent of housing finance.
2012: The year mobile takes over
Next year, for the first time, it’s expected that more consumers will access the Internet using a mobile device than a traditional desktop or laptop computer. The proliferation of smart phones like the iPhone and Droid — combined with the precipitous drop in price for these high-tech devices and better data connections — means that a sizable chunk of the population is connected 24/7.
PB February 2011
5 Trends in Infill Housing | Driving Consumer Traffic | First-Time Home Buyer Preferences
Sales, prices fall in Manhattan
The housing market in Manhattan has slipped slightly, after both the pace of sales and median home prices fell, according to The Wall Street Journal.