Archive for January, 2008

What Kind of Cat are You as a Real Estate Agent?

If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!I was reading an interesting interview in a Tacoma, Washington newspaper, The Ledger. The subject was real estate coach Michael Russer who was discussing how real estate agents can use the internet.
What caught my eye was this question.

Where […]

28Jan2008 | Tom Royce | 1 comment | Continued

Loving Market Economies, Winnepeg Seminar Brings Buyers To Arizona

A weak dollar, a soft market, and snow bunnies is a great combination for a couple of Phoenix real estate agents. They got away from the water cooler complaining about the slow market, headed up to Winnipeg and put on a seminar on buying housing in Phoenix.
And guess what, they have a raft of potential […]

26Jan2008 | Tom Royce | 0 comments | Continued

Smug Renters Replace Proud Homeowners in Los Angeles

Off to a hockey tournament but an article at the Los Angeles Times caught my eye this morning. Back in 2005 the pressure to buy a home was intense on the 20 somethings. Now the tables have turned and those that did not buy have a name, the smug renter. Instead of worrying about when […]

26Jan2008 | Tom Royce | 2 comments | Continued

For Foreclosures Is This “The Year Of The Rat?”

One of the unforeseen effects of a foreclosure is the reduction of the quality of life in the surrounding area. During the summer time mosquito’s breeding in an untended pool pose a health hazard. But for some people the real problem is an age old one, the rat.
Rats can find empty houses and seeing that […]

26Jan2008 | Tom Royce | 0 comments | Continued

Existing Single-Family Home Sales Drop 2.2 Percent In December - 13 Percent For Year

Closing out a tough year as the real estate markets catch up after years of significant growth, December housing sales dropped 2.2 percent.
I am sure that I speak for many saying good riddance to 2007 and that 2008 will allow the real estate markets to find their footing.

Sales of existing homes fell in December, […]

24Jan2008 | Tom Royce | 2 comments | Continued

HouseValues Lays Off 45, Was Active Rain The Big Bet To Save The Company?

When HouseValues invested 2.75 Million in Active Rain my first reaction is that they were buying eyeballs for their product.
The announcement 2 days later that HomeValues is laying off 45 and ditched their CFO makes me worried that there is lots of rot in the organization. To invest in a company like Active Rain that is […]

24Jan2008 | Tom Royce | 0 comments | Continued

Sears Spins Off Commercial Real Estate

In a move to strengthen a struggling company, Sears has reorganized into 5 major units. The interesting point for us is that there will be a real estate unit. Speculation is that the company will be selling off some if not all of it’s 765 company owned stores.
While this strategy would have been great a […]

23Jan2008 | Tom Royce | 0 comments | Continued

Mexican Housing Boom’s While USA Housing Swoons

In an interesting twist, as the United States housing market is hitting the dip after a huge run up, the Mexican real estate market is taking off. The combination of new lending rules, a history of self financed homes, and a shortage of 6 million dwellings in the country is providing the spark for the […]

23Jan2008 | Tom Royce | 5 comments | Continued

New Dilbert Widget

If you are a fan of Dilbert, check out the new widget that Scott Adams just released. I have it on my right sidebar for your enjoyment to test out.

22Jan2008 | Tom Royce | 1 comment | Continued

Fed Cuts Interest Rate by 3/4 of a Point

In a surprise move, the Federal Reserve has cut the federal fund rate by .75 percent down to 3.5 percent after a global sell off occurred in overseas markets. The Martin Luther King day holiday had US markets closed allowing the Fed to take this preemptive move.
It will be interesting out there when the market […]

22Jan2008 | Tom Royce | 2 comments | Continued