Archive for December, 2007

Bush Signs Mortgage Foregiveness Debt Relief Act

Well the Mortgage Relief Act has been signed just before Christmas. What is good about this legislation is that those who have been hit with a a foreclosure or short sale now will have tax relief on the loss accrued by the lending company as opposed to it being considered taxable income.
White House Press [...]

21Dec2007 | Tom Royce | 4 comments | Continued

Realius: How To Market in a Web 2.0 World

What is the cry that is heard across the real estate spectrum? The one I am hearing is that there are not enough buyers and too many agents. Red Oak Realty in Berkeley, California has found a way to turn the down time into a great fun tool that will bring people in and raise [...]

20Dec2007 | Tom Royce | 3 comments | Continued

Newspapers Losing Online Classified Advertising Battle

It looks like the newspapers have lost another battle they could have won. With fully staffed classified advertising departments and an outside sales staff newspapers should be dominating online classified advertising.
Instead properties like Craigslist and other independent classified online sources are dominating the battle. Real Estate has learned that online is where the leads are [...]

19Dec2007 | Tom Royce | 6 comments | Continued

Why Deals Fail, and How You Can Make Future Ones Succeed

Jeff Brown, writing over at Bloodhound Blog, has an excellent post on why some people get so obsessed with winning a deal that they end up killing it. Jeff aptly calls it “Looking through the wrong end of the telescope” and it applies to far more than real estate.
I have worked with and partnered [...]

18Dec2007 | Tom Royce | 4 comments | Continued

Facing Foreclosure or Short Sale? Hang On As Government is Looking To Bail You Out

Try this one on for size.

Speaking before the Rotary Club of Fredericksburg Virginia, Bush said his administration is working to allow more people to afford mortgage refinancing to make it easier to stay in their homes, and said he wants US law changed so forgiven mortgage debt is not treated as a tax expense. [...]

17Dec2007 | Tom Royce | 2 comments | Continued

You Know it is Bad When They Make Country Music About it…

Ol’ Merle Hazard with his new hit, H-E-D-G-E..

17Dec2007 | Tom Royce | 0 comments | Continued

Foreclosure Auction In Arizona Sell 150 Homes, Builder Auction in Oregon 141 Homes

The large number of foreclosures across the country have led to a glut in the market. Instead of people clamoring to the courthouse steps to find a deal, now these sheriffs auctions are sparsely attended. The problem is that many of the homes that are being sold are upside down, meaning the bank is trying to [...]

17Dec2007 | Tom Royce | 6 comments | Continued

Busy Day, Lots Of Christmas and Karate

We had a busy day with lots of Christmas, hockey practices, and our local Karate schools Extravaganza. Both boys graduated to the next level of belts but the marketing of it is amazing.
A week before Christmas they combined the graduation of 3 schools and attracted over 2,000 spectators and another 500–700 kids who got [...]

16Dec2007 | Tom Royce | 0 comments | Continued

Realtors Take Action Against Failing School System in Clayton County, Georgia

What happens when a failing school system impacts the local housing market?
In a relatively stable Atlanta market, Clayton County property values have dropped 20 percent. The local Realtor organization, The Metro South Association of Realtors, after seeing that the local school system is at risk of losing it’s accreditation for the second time in 5 [...]

15Dec2007 | Tom Royce | 3 comments | Continued

Off Topic: The Inner Life Of The Cell

Typically I try to stay very on topic for this site but I came across this video via Instapundit and I had to share it with you.
The Inner Life of a Cell

via Havard’s Multimedia Site

15Dec2007 | Tom Royce | 3 comments | Continued