VAR Member Login

Q4 2011 home sales: steady as she goes
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
As we conclude 2011 and head into 2012, Virginia’s housing market will likely continue to stabilize, due to factors like low interest rates, rising residential rental rates, and an improving household balance sheet based on increases in household saving habits.“We are encouraged by the overall numbers shown in the fourth quarter. The pace of home sales is picking up and without artificial stimulus proving that...
Legal Hotline FAQs Episode 6 – Commissions
Monday, January 23, 2012
Why did the Fed ignore the housing bubble? No one thought it would be THIS bad
Monday, January 23, 2012
Worthwhile reading from today’s Washington Post op-ed page, “Why the Federal Reserve slept before the housing crisis.” Unlike the typical blame-the-people-whose-politics-I-disagree-with piece, this one points to a much more mundane explanation of why, in 2006, the Fed apparently ignored all the signs of a major problem.

View all

IMPORTANT: New law affecting property managers pulling credit reports
Friday, September 23, 2011
If you are a property manager who uses potential tenants’ credit reports as part of your rental process, you need to be aware of a significant change to the law.This is straight from NAR’s September “Did You Know?”:
Important: VAR property management forms have been revised
Friday, August 26, 2011
Yes, you read that right: Nine of our property management forms — leases, addenda, disclosures, etc. — have been updated.This is a major overhaul done in collaboration with the Northern Virginia and Richmond associations along with VAR’s Standard Forms Working Group to make these forms more user friendly, and to ensure accuracy.If you do any work in property management you need to head to VAR’s Forms Center and get...
Virginia is setting the stage for a strong second half of 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Richmond, VA, July 21, 2011- Despite slower home sales during second quarter 2011, compared to second quarter of 2010, the housing market in Virginia may be ready to surge forward in the third and fourth quarters. Other good news is that we can see a clear increase in sales from first quarter 2011 to second quarter 2001. 
New Laws have taken affect in Virginia
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
The 2011 Session of the General Assembly, like every other session, produced many changes in Virginia law. Most of these will take effect on July 1. VAR’s legislative team was able to secure many changes during this year’s General Assembly session that will have a profound effect on your real estate business.
BREAKING: Disclosure forms for MARS transactions now available
Friday, May 6, 2011
Negotiations between NAR and the Federal Trade Commission over the MARS Rule have not yet produced the desired exemptions for Real Estate Professionals. The MARS Rule remains in effect. (See earlier article HERE) (excerpt below)If you work with clients who are doing short sales, thinking about short sales, or who you believe should be thinking about short sales, the Federal Trade Commission might be interested in...

View all

New: commercial forms
Monday, December 5, 2011
NOTE: The phone number originally given for the Richmond Association of Realtors was incorrect. It has been corrected in this version.The Virginia Association of Realtors is pleased to announce the addition of commercial forms to its Forms Center! Through a licensing agreement with Central Virginia Regional MLS, VAR will now provide the following forms:
Important: VAR property management forms have been revised
Friday, August 26, 2011
Yes, you read that right: Nine of our property management forms — leases, addenda, disclosures, etc. — have been updated.This is a major overhaul done in collaboration with the Northern Virginia and Richmond associations along with VAR’s Standard Forms Working Group to make these forms more user friendly, and to ensure accuracy.If you do any work in property management you need to head to VAR’s Forms Center and get...
Virginia is setting the stage for a strong second half of 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Richmond, VA, July 21, 2011- Despite slower home sales during second quarter 2011, compared to second quarter of 2010, the housing market in Virginia may be ready to surge forward in the third and fourth quarters. Other good news is that we can see a clear increase in sales from first quarter 2011 to second quarter 2001. 
New Laws have taken affect in Virginia
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
The 2011 Session of the General Assembly, like every other session, produced many changes in Virginia law. Most of these will take effect on July 1. VAR’s legislative team was able to secure many changes during this year’s General Assembly session that will have a profound effect on your real estate business.
BREAKING: Disclosure forms for MARS transactions now available
Friday, May 6, 2011
Negotiations between NAR and the Federal Trade Commission over the MARS Rule have not yet produced the desired exemptions for Real Estate Professionals. The MARS Rule remains in effect. (See earlier article HERE) (excerpt below)If you work with clients who are doing short sales, thinking about short sales, or who you believe should be thinking about short sales, the Federal Trade Commission might be interested in...

View all

Virginia is setting the stage for a strong second half of 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Richmond, VA, July 21, 2011- Despite slower home sales during second quarter 2011, compared to second quarter of 2010, the housing market in Virginia may be ready to surge forward in the third and fourth quarters. Other good news is that we can see a clear increase in sales from first quarter 2011 to second quarter 2001. 
New Laws have taken affect in Virginia
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
The 2011 Session of the General Assembly, like every other session, produced many changes in Virginia law. Most of these will take effect on July 1. VAR’s legislative team was able to secure many changes during this year’s General Assembly session that will have a profound effect on your real estate business.
BREAKING: Disclosure forms for MARS transactions now available
Friday, May 6, 2011
Negotiations between NAR and the Federal Trade Commission over the MARS Rule have not yet produced the desired exemptions for Real Estate Professionals. The MARS Rule remains in effect. (See earlier article HERE) (excerpt below)If you work with clients who are doing short sales, thinking about short sales, or who you believe should be thinking about short sales, the Federal Trade Commission might be interested in...
Virginia home sales stabilize in first quarter 2011
Monday, May 2, 2011
April 29, 2011 – Virginia residential home sales in the first quarter of 2011 have followed the general trend of the last several years with year-to-date sales 0.3% above last year.  January and February home sales in 2011 exceed the same month the prior year (by 2.5 % and 3.5%) according to the Virginia Association of REALTORS®’ Home Sales Report.  For the complete Virginia Quarterly Home Sales...
Take part in VAR's 2011 Member Survey
Sunday, February 20, 2011
The Virginia Association of REALTORS® wants to serve you better. To do that, we need to know what we do that works, what we do that doesn’t, and what else we should be doing.  Further, we want to know how you feel about important services and representation VAR provides that you can’t get somewhere else. To do that, we’ve created this survey. Please help us by taking a few minutes (actually, more like 10-15...

View all

New: commercial forms
Monday, December 5, 2011
NOTE: The phone number originally given for the Richmond Association of Realtors was incorrect. It has been corrected in this version.The Virginia Association of Realtors is pleased to announce the addition of commercial forms to its Forms Center! Through a licensing agreement with Central Virginia Regional MLS, VAR will now provide the following forms:
New Laws have taken affect in Virginia
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
The 2011 Session of the General Assembly, like every other session, produced many changes in Virginia law. Most of these will take effect on July 1. VAR’s legislative team was able to secure many changes during this year’s General Assembly session that will have a profound effect on your real estate business.
CoStar Group to buy LoopNet for $860 million
Sunday, May 1, 2011
CoStar Group, a Washington D.C.-based commercial real estate research firm, is set to acquire LoopNet, a San Francisco-based commercial real estate marketing firm for $860 million. CoStar operates the largest commercial real estate marketing database, with this merger potentially boosting CoStar's subscribers to 160,000 and putting its active listings at 2 million. LoopNet.com is the largest and most heavily...
Take part in VAR's 2011 Member Survey
Sunday, February 20, 2011
The Virginia Association of REALTORS® wants to serve you better. To do that, we need to know what we do that works, what we do that doesn’t, and what else we should be doing.  Further, we want to know how you feel about important services and representation VAR provides that you can’t get somewhere else. To do that, we’ve created this survey. Please help us by taking a few minutes (actually, more like 10-15...
Governor's Legislative Agenda Includes Protection of Private Property Rights
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Governor McDonnell, Lieutenant Governor Bolling, Attorney General Cuccinelli, and House and Senate Republican Leadership announce joint agenda for 2011 legislative session.From Governor's press release:Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli discussed individual property rights and their importance to the people of Virginia, stating, “There are legitimate reasons the government utilizes its power of eminent domain – for...

View all

IMPORTANT: New law affecting property managers pulling credit reports
Friday, September 23, 2011
If you are a property manager who uses potential tenants’ credit reports as part of your rental process, you need to be aware of a significant change to the law.This is straight from NAR’s September “Did You Know?”:
Important: VAR property management forms have been revised
Friday, August 26, 2011
Yes, you read that right: Nine of our property management forms — leases, addenda, disclosures, etc. — have been updated.This is a major overhaul done in collaboration with the Northern Virginia and Richmond associations along with VAR’s Standard Forms Working Group to make these forms more user friendly, and to ensure accuracy.If you do any work in property management you need to head to VAR’s Forms Center and get...
New Laws have taken affect in Virginia
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
The 2011 Session of the General Assembly, like every other session, produced many changes in Virginia law. Most of these will take effect on July 1. VAR’s legislative team was able to secure many changes during this year’s General Assembly session that will have a profound effect on your real estate business.
Take part in VAR's 2011 Member Survey
Sunday, February 20, 2011
The Virginia Association of REALTORS® wants to serve you better. To do that, we need to know what we do that works, what we do that doesn’t, and what else we should be doing.  Further, we want to know how you feel about important services and representation VAR provides that you can’t get somewhere else. To do that, we’ve created this survey. Please help us by taking a few minutes (actually, more like 10-15...
Governor's Legislative Agenda Includes Protection of Private Property Rights
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Governor McDonnell, Lieutenant Governor Bolling, Attorney General Cuccinelli, and House and Senate Republican Leadership announce joint agenda for 2011 legislative session.From Governor's press release:Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli discussed individual property rights and their importance to the people of Virginia, stating, “There are legitimate reasons the government utilizes its power of eminent domain – for...

View all

Virginia is setting the stage for a strong second half of 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Richmond, VA, July 21, 2011- Despite slower home sales during second quarter 2011, compared to second quarter of 2010, the housing market in Virginia may be ready to surge forward in the third and fourth quarters. Other good news is that we can see a clear increase in sales from first quarter 2011 to second quarter 2001. 
New Laws have taken affect in Virginia
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
The 2011 Session of the General Assembly, like every other session, produced many changes in Virginia law. Most of these will take effect on July 1. VAR’s legislative team was able to secure many changes during this year’s General Assembly session that will have a profound effect on your real estate business.
Virginia home sales stabilize in first quarter 2011
Monday, May 2, 2011
April 29, 2011 – Virginia residential home sales in the first quarter of 2011 have followed the general trend of the last several years with year-to-date sales 0.3% above last year.  January and February home sales in 2011 exceed the same month the prior year (by 2.5 % and 3.5%) according to the Virginia Association of REALTORS®’ Home Sales Report.  For the complete Virginia Quarterly Home Sales...
Take part in VAR's 2011 Member Survey
Sunday, February 20, 2011
The Virginia Association of REALTORS® wants to serve you better. To do that, we need to know what we do that works, what we do that doesn’t, and what else we should be doing.  Further, we want to know how you feel about important services and representation VAR provides that you can’t get somewhere else. To do that, we’ve created this survey. Please help us by taking a few minutes (actually, more like 10-15...
Governor's Legislative Agenda Includes Protection of Private Property Rights
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Governor McDonnell, Lieutenant Governor Bolling, Attorney General Cuccinelli, and House and Senate Republican Leadership announce joint agenda for 2011 legislative session.From Governor's press release:Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli discussed individual property rights and their importance to the people of Virginia, stating, “There are legitimate reasons the government utilizes its power of eminent domain – for...

View all

New Laws have taken affect in Virginia
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
The 2011 Session of the General Assembly, like every other session, produced many changes in Virginia law. Most of these will take effect on July 1. VAR’s legislative team was able to secure many changes during this year’s General Assembly session that will have a profound effect on your real estate business.
Take part in VAR's 2011 Member Survey
Sunday, February 20, 2011
The Virginia Association of REALTORS® wants to serve you better. To do that, we need to know what we do that works, what we do that doesn’t, and what else we should be doing.  Further, we want to know how you feel about important services and representation VAR provides that you can’t get somewhere else. To do that, we’ve created this survey. Please help us by taking a few minutes (actually, more like 10-15...
Governor's Legislative Agenda Includes Protection of Private Property Rights
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Governor McDonnell, Lieutenant Governor Bolling, Attorney General Cuccinelli, and House and Senate Republican Leadership announce joint agenda for 2011 legislative session.From Governor's press release:Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli discussed individual property rights and their importance to the people of Virginia, stating, “There are legitimate reasons the government utilizes its power of eminent domain – for...
Realtor® Day on the Hill is February 9
Sunday, January 2, 2011
On February 9 we need you to tell your legislator...... to stop re-taxing people -- no more recordation taxes on refis!... not to hold you responsible if public records are wrong! ... that toxic drywall needs to be disclosed!...to pass agency laws that protect you and your clients!It's our best chance all year to get our message across -- and we need bodies to do it. We want to crowd their offices with Realtors® so...
Cash-strapped governments ramping up tax-collection efforts
Monday, October 25, 2010
Tax officials in the DC area are trying new, and maybe extraordinary, efforts to collect tens of millions of dollars in delinquent payments. These efforts are hoping to help combat the huge projected budget deficits that threaten to slash public services. Together, DC area localities are owed more than $40 million in overdue real estate taxes from fiscal 2010. In Arlington, real estate tax delinquency has nearly...

View all

Q4 2011 home sales: steady as she goes
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
As we conclude 2011 and head into 2012, Virginia’s housing market will likely continue to stabilize, due to factors like low interest rates, rising residential rental rates, and an improving household balance sheet based on increases in household saving habits.“We are encouraged by the overall numbers shown in the fourth quarter. The pace of home sales is picking up and without artificial stimulus proving that...
Why did the Fed ignore the housing bubble? No one thought it would be THIS bad
Monday, January 23, 2012
Worthwhile reading from today’s Washington Post op-ed page, “Why the Federal Reserve slept before the housing crisis.” Unlike the typical blame-the-people-whose-politics-I-disagree-with piece, this one points to a much more mundane explanation of why, in 2006, the Fed apparently ignored all the signs of a major problem.
A principal reduction update
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Principal reduction is back (still?) in the news. Here’s a quick update.The basic idea is that, as part of a workout package with homeowners, lenders would reduce the principal owned along with or instead of the interest rate. But it’s not simply a matter of homeowners asking for a handout. (One way to think of it is a short sale — to the same owners.)More and more economists are saying that, if we want out of the...
Fed hints at changing caps and regs to spur commercial lending
Friday, January 13, 2012
With commercial lending risky as it is these days, Federal Reserve Governor Elizabeth Duke said that caps on loans — and the regulations around them — may need to be tweaked to encourage lenders to enter the CRE space.Today, thanks to 2006 regulations, when the value of a CRE loan reaches a certain level (100% of capital if it’s secured by construction and land) stricter guidelines come into play.To avoid those...
Voters, Democrats, Republicans on tax breaks and the MID
Thursday, January 12, 2012
According to a survey conducted on behalf of the National Association of Home Builders, 75 percent of Americans support the mortgage interest deduction — specifically, “believe it is appropriate and reasonable for the federal government to provide tax incentives to promote homeownership.”The survey, done by two groups (one left, one right) found that the sentiment was, for the most part, shared across the aisle: 84...

View all

Buyer’s down payment comes from a gift? Remember the rules
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
According to NAR, more than a quarter of first-time home buyers used a gift (from a friend or relative) as their down payment last year. That’s fine and dandy, but, this being America and all, there are rules that must be followed.For example, buyers probably need to come up with at least some of the down payment themselves. And they should document the gift — have a letter explaining that it’s not a loan.Read more...
Legal Hotline FAQs Episode 5: A Grab Bag of Issues
Monday, November 14, 2011
Legal Hotline FAQs Episode 4: Property Owners Associations
Monday, October 17, 2011
Now available: Episode 4 of the Legal Hotline Q&A with Blake Hegeman. The topic? Property Owners Associations (POAs) and some common pitfalls agents fall into when dealing with them. In this third installment, Blake addresses questions like When does the clock start on the POA packet review?Can packet review rights be waived?Can buyers use the POA packet to get out of a contract?
Legal Hotline FAQ Episode 3: EMDs
Monday, October 3, 2011
Now available: Episode 3 of the Legal Hotline Q&A with Blake Hegeman. The topic? Earnest money deposits and some common pitfalls agents fall into when dealing with them. In this third installment, Blake addresses questions like
IMPORTANT: New law affecting property managers pulling credit reports
Friday, September 23, 2011
If you are a property manager who uses potential tenants’ credit reports as part of your rental process, you need to be aware of a significant change to the law.This is straight from NAR’s September “Did You Know?”:

View all

Q4 2011 home sales: steady as she goes
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
As we conclude 2011 and head into 2012, Virginia’s housing market will likely continue to stabilize, due to factors like low interest rates, rising residential rental rates, and an improving household balance sheet based on increases in household saving habits.“We are encouraged by the overall numbers shown in the fourth quarter. The pace of home sales is picking up and without artificial stimulus proving that...
Why did the Fed ignore the housing bubble? No one thought it would be THIS bad
Monday, January 23, 2012
Worthwhile reading from today’s Washington Post op-ed page, “Why the Federal Reserve slept before the housing crisis.” Unlike the typical blame-the-people-whose-politics-I-disagree-with piece, this one points to a much more mundane explanation of why, in 2006, the Fed apparently ignored all the signs of a major problem.
A principal reduction update
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Principal reduction is back (still?) in the news. Here’s a quick update.The basic idea is that, as part of a workout package with homeowners, lenders would reduce the principal owned along with or instead of the interest rate. But it’s not simply a matter of homeowners asking for a handout. (One way to think of it is a short sale — to the same owners.)More and more economists are saying that, if we want out of the...
"Seasonally adjusted" and "annual rate" — what they mean
Thursday, January 19, 2012
I realize that many people understand what phrases like “such-and-such was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of of 657,000″ mean in the real world, but I wasn’t one of them. So at the risk of sounding like a fool, I figured I’d explain it, just in case there are others whose eyes gloss over.A piece about housing starts begins like this: Privately-owned housing starts in December were at a seasonally adjusted...
Think everything’s made in China? Think again
Monday, January 16, 2012
“Everything’s made in China these days!” Wrong.The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco decided to find out exactly how much of what we buy really is made in China. Here’s what it found.A total of 88.5% of U.S. consumer spending is on items made in the United States.Two-thirds of that consumer spending is on services, which are obviously local (no matter what accent the waiter has).All right, forget services. What...

View all

Why did the Fed ignore the housing bubble? No one thought it would be THIS bad
Monday, January 23, 2012
Worthwhile reading from today’s Washington Post op-ed page, “Why the Federal Reserve slept before the housing crisis.” Unlike the typical blame-the-people-whose-politics-I-disagree-with piece, this one points to a much more mundane explanation of why, in 2006, the Fed apparently ignored all the signs of a major problem.
A principal reduction update
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Principal reduction is back (still?) in the news. Here’s a quick update.The basic idea is that, as part of a workout package with homeowners, lenders would reduce the principal owned along with or instead of the interest rate. But it’s not simply a matter of homeowners asking for a handout. (One way to think of it is a short sale — to the same owners.)More and more economists are saying that, if we want out of the...
A big win for homeowners
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Virginia senators, delegates hold favorable views toward housing.Virginia homeowners will be well-served by the representatives who were elected to the state Senate and House of Delegates in early November.That's according to the Virginia Association of REALTORS®, which endorsed and supported a record number of successful candidates. The association, representing the interests of both REALTORS® and homeowners,...
Fed hints at changing caps and regs to spur commercial lending
Friday, January 13, 2012
With commercial lending risky as it is these days, Federal Reserve Governor Elizabeth Duke said that caps on loans — and the regulations around them — may need to be tweaked to encourage lenders to enter the CRE space.Today, thanks to 2006 regulations, when the value of a CRE loan reaches a certain level (100% of capital if it’s secured by construction and land) stricter guidelines come into play.To avoid those...
Voters, Democrats, Republicans on tax breaks and the MID
Thursday, January 12, 2012
According to a survey conducted on behalf of the National Association of Home Builders, 75 percent of Americans support the mortgage interest deduction — specifically, “believe it is appropriate and reasonable for the federal government to provide tax incentives to promote homeownership.”The survey, done by two groups (one left, one right) found that the sentiment was, for the most part, shared across the aisle: 84...

View all

The numbers are in
Monday, February 21, 2011
Real estate is about numbers. Prices, rates, area, bedrooms, and of course, sales. There’s nothing wrong with a good anecdote — or 10 — but our business is one like, say, baseball: Stories are fun, but you learn more by looking at the numbers than by listening to the tales. That’s why we compile them and ponder them, massage them and fret over them, and seek out the trends that will tell us that things are looking...
Take part in VAR's 2011 Member Survey
Sunday, February 20, 2011
The Virginia Association of REALTORS® wants to serve you better. To do that, we need to know what we do that works, what we do that doesn’t, and what else we should be doing.  Further, we want to know how you feel about important services and representation VAR provides that you can’t get somewhere else. To do that, we’ve created this survey. Please help us by taking a few minutes (actually, more like 10-15...
Latest Commonwealth thanks RPAC contributors
Thursday, January 6, 2011
You may have noticed that this issue of Commonwealth has more than one cover. If you invested in RPAC in 2010, yours offers "Thanks for everything." (If you invested $99 or more it has a gold border to boot.)And if you didn't invest? Let's just say the cover image isn't quite as friendly. If you didn't contribute in 2010, we included a handy envelope to get you started in 2011. For brokers, we even threw in a...
zipForm introduces Mobile Web Edition
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
zipForm has introduced a Mobile Web Application as a companion application to zipForm 6 Professional (online version). Smartphone users you can now keep important transaction information readly available at your fingertips. Current zipForm users can order the new application in their zipForm 6 Professional account. New users can order both the Web and Mobile Web applications here. The new application allows you to:
VHDA.com has a new military programs page
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Got a strong military clientele? The Virginia Housing Development Authority (VHDA) has a website just for you and your clients.

View all

Rebenchmarking: What’s the deal?
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Here’s everything you need to know about the revised — “rebenchmarked” — figures NAR released for existing-home sales.(Quick recap: In early 2011, it came to light that NAR’s national home sales data was inaccurate — it seemed to overestimate the number of existing homes sold from 2007 through 2010 by as much as 10-20 percent. Why?Because exact national data is impossible to get thanks to MLS overlap, lack of data...
Latest Commonwealth is packed with ideas
Thursday, December 8, 2011
The latest issue of Commonwealth Magazine to hit your mailbox includes tons of little tips, tricks, and inspiration for your 2012 business plan. We give you hints on everything from staging to safety to unique touches you can add to your client relations.Also in this issue:
2011 Real Show photos are online
Monday, October 31, 2011
If you attended and would like to browse photos from this year’s REal Show (or didn’t attend and want to see what you missed), check out VAR’s Smug Mug page to see lots of great candids. If you took a minute in the expo to sit and have a new headshot taken, you can check out J. Ford Photography’s website (password is var2011) and order prints or digital copies. Ah, memories!
Q3 Virginia home sales show increasing stability
Thursday, October 27, 2011
The 3rd Quarter 2011 Virginia Home Sales Report has been released, with many indications that we may be starting to see some stability in many housing markets throughout the Commonwealth. The annualized pace of home sales started to increase again in the 3rd Quarter of 2011. This increase is the first such improvement in this long-term trend since late 2009 and early 2010 when the federal home buyer tax credit...
VHDA scoops up four awards for housing efforts
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Every year, the National Council of State Housing Agencies gives a series of awards to the state agencies that have done the most to promote and protect affordable housing. In 2011, the Virginia Housing Development Authority took home four of the 17 awards. Check it out, yo:

View all

Why did the Fed ignore the housing bubble? No one thought it would be THIS bad
Monday, January 23, 2012
Worthwhile reading from today’s Washington Post op-ed page, “Why the Federal Reserve slept before the housing crisis.” Unlike the typical blame-the-people-whose-politics-I-disagree-with piece, this one points to a much more mundane explanation of why, in 2006, the Fed apparently ignored all the signs of a major problem.
Ready for your close-up? HGTV’s "House Hunters" looking for Realtors, clients
Thursday, January 19, 2012
If you have a house in escrow and the buyers are good looking, HGTV might want to use you for an episode of House Hunters.Roni Spitzer, a casting producer for the show, is heading an open casting call for Realtors® across the country. (It’s an ongoing show, so there isn’t a deadline.)What are they looking for? I’ll quote Ms. Spitzer:“The property would need to be in escrow with a closing date with buyers that are...
RESO wants to standardize listing data
Thursday, January 19, 2012
The Real Estate Standards Organization wants to standardize some of the more confusing parts of a listing by creating an industry-wide “data dictionary” of definitions.Two of the notable definitions the group would like to set are number of bathrooms and days on market.“Number of bathrooms,” you might think, is pretty straightforward. You’ve got full baths and half baths, so a home might have 2 baths, 3 baths, or 2...
A principal reduction update
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Principal reduction is back (still?) in the news. Here’s a quick update.The basic idea is that, as part of a workout package with homeowners, lenders would reduce the principal owned along with or instead of the interest rate. But it’s not simply a matter of homeowners asking for a handout. (One way to think of it is a short sale — to the same owners.)More and more economists are saying that, if we want out of the...
RE/Max: December sales jump unexpectedly
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
RE/Max is reporting that 2011 ended not with a whimper, but with a bang — sales were up not only from November (+5.7%) but also from December 2010.Read all about it here.

View all

Arizona Association buys largest regional MLS in the state
Monday, August 15, 2011
 The board of the Arizona Association of Realtors voted to acquire the state’s largest MLS, the Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service Inc. (ARMLS), for $4.75 million. The plan is to work with the state’s 13 other MLSs to create a single entity covering the entire state: the Arizona Multiple MLS. (Yes, that’s “Arizona Multiple Multiple Listing Service.”) Much of the work is already done, at least from an...
CoStar Group to buy LoopNet for $860 million
Sunday, May 1, 2011
CoStar Group, a Washington D.C.-based commercial real estate research firm, is set to acquire LoopNet, a San Francisco-based commercial real estate marketing firm for $860 million. CoStar operates the largest commercial real estate marketing database, with this merger potentially boosting CoStar's subscribers to 160,000 and putting its active listings at 2 million. LoopNet.com is the largest and most heavily...
NAR's Realtor Party Political Survival Initiative
Thursday, April 7, 2011
As you may know by now, NAR recently rolled out plans for a proposal called “the REALTOR® Party Political Survival Initiative.” In the wake of a recent Supreme Court ruling that will allow corporations to contribute unlimited funds into the political system, the NAR initiative is intended to maintain and cement REALTORS®' place among the most influential advocacy groups in America. 
CoreLogic reports drop in foreclosure shadow inventory
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Foreclosure shadow inventory (mortgages in 90+ days of deliquency) are a considerable factor against the recovery of the housing market. The estimates put the current inventory around 1.8 million homes equating to a nine-month supply; a six-month supply is considered healthy. CoreLogic reports that this is an 11 percent drop in this inventory from one year ago. Read the full story on Housing Wire here...
David Stevens heads to top position at Mortgage Bankers Association
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today announced that John A. Courson, the association’s President and CEO, will be leaving the association, effective June 1, 2011.  Courson will be replaced by David H. Stevens, Assistant Secretary for Housing and Commissioner of the Federal Housing Administration at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in May.  Stevens had...

View all

Upcoming Meetings & Events

See all events...
VAR's Legislative Advocacy Conference
February 14, 2012 - 9:30am - February 16, 2012 - 1:15pm
The Omni Richmond Hotel, 100 South 12th Street, Richmond, VA 23219
Get Active: VAR's Legislative Advocacy Conference The real estate networking & political event of the year. Attend this event and meet with your legislators on THEIR turf.  Learn the latest on trends and issues impacting your business. Register for the best rates by February 6 and save!

Home

Tags:
  • Share this