DIY has some interesting new apps for iphone users.
Most of them have youtube demos you can preview before purchase or installation. Check them out, in the process you'll probably find another one or two you like.
It is interesting to me that when there is a problem that gets a mass of the public involved, the attempted resolution by "the powers that be" is so severe that it creates another issue.
As an appraiser, I can understand and appreciate the fact that there needed/needs to be some serious reform from both the lending side and the regulation of the appraisal industry. As a REALTOR, I can also understand that no matter how skilled and experienced the appraiser thinks they are, buyers don't react in a scientific or artistic manner; it's emotional.
Appraisal is both an art and science, but it should include some psychology or at least a study of the people and how they relate to the reactions. There should also be some industry wide requirements for loan officers, underwriters, REALTORS, etc for basic appraisal principals. Most of us can't walk into a hospital and read patient chart and actually understand what is happening. Appraisals are not that difficult but they are the key that unlocks the entire process. Without the "value" you don't make the loan, purchase the property, get into unwarranted debt...
I think that it's important to understand the entire process. We are however, assisting and facilitating what is likely the largest financial investment most individuals make. I believe it would be beneficial for the formal education process to be more expansive and the material more life-like. For any of these involved fields; there should be a cross training of the anatomy of the others. If you are involved at any point in the process as loan officer, appraiser, underwriter, REALTOR, etc. you should be aware and have some understanding of the sum of the total.
No one group created the housing crisis, crunch, bubble....however we are all responsible for a part of the process. Being complacent or having blinders on doesn't excuse your accountability. No matter where you are in the process you should be apprised.
If you haven't already perused the Home Valuation Code of Conduct or HVCC or the Federal Housing Finance Agency updates, now is the time, as the process is currently being affected and you need to be informed.
Ok, if you have been to a seminar, particiapted in a webinar, picked up any type of real estate magazine you've undoubtedly heard or read the phrase "social networking". It has become second nature to some of us who twitter, facebook, activerain, linkedin, YouTube, namyz and many more. However the time management element can be tricky. It is hard not to let your curiosity wander as you peruse pictures, videos and more. These tools can be as much an educational component as a networking opportunity. My advice is to establish a schedule and purpose plan. This can be as simple as a word or excel document that provides the type and description of the audience and the trend or content format you want to publish. For example:
•· activerain = real estate professionals; post type blog
•· YouTube = all audiences; post type video
•· facebook = company page; post type conversation, video, link
Then you need to decide if you are going to duplicate your posting or your trend. If you are discussing the tax credit and you have video content are you going to post the same video across all of your social links? Your plan must include a schedule; daily posting, weekly, as needed, etc. and an allotment for the time you dedicate to working these sites. It also allows you to communicate with and incubate those leads that are not quite ready. It gives them the option to work at their pace to get to know you and the market. I believe that this medium is definitely worth spending time on and I have closed business from the opportunity.
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Ever since I started using Twitter, I have been interested in the kind of information that you can glean from the mass of tweets send people every day. Given the growing number of Twitter users (and sure to grow even more quickly, now that it has been adopted by the likes of Oprah), Twitter can be a great source of all kinds of information. Companies are using Twitter information to learn in real time what people think of their products, as reported in this NY Times article. And there are many tools out there that can take Twitter data and turn it into valuable information you can use. One example is TweetStats. TweetStats gives basic information about trends on Twitter, what the hottest topics are right now, as well as information about a specific Twitter feed's trends. Another, more humorous analyzer is Cursebird, which tracks the use of swearing on Twitter, and can give a Twitter user a swearing score from 0 (Lame) to 100 (George Carlin Wannabe). Twitter's search is a good place to start if you want to start tracking Twitter trends yourself. Just type in the search terms you wish to track and a results page will appear. Using a hash(#) tag can help your search for tweets relating to specific topics, for instance, if you want to see what people are saying about REALTORS, just search for ‘#realtor' and see what the people are saying about REALTORS. Want to know how panicked or calm people are about swine flu, use a search for ‘#swineflu' and watch take a look at the collective mood of the Twitter community. You can also use the advanced search feature to refine your search by criteria such as location, date and mood. Another great tool is TweetDeck, a multi-platform Twitter client. Not only is it a great Twitter client for posting and reading the people you follow, it also allows you to create tabs based on Twitter searches, so you can see the results of several searches at once. As increasing numbers of people use Twitter and as more and more people start digging into Twitter data, we will see some great tools that can make use of all that data. For instance, you could have a tool that tracks how people feel about the housing market in a given geographic area, or the popular reaction to a given news announcement over time. The best killer app for Twitter trending is likely to be something no one has even thought of yet. |
From Center for REALTOR technolony newsletter http://crt.frogpond.com/DispNewsletter.cfm?NEWSLETTER_ID=3234
It’s not just about buying a piece of property; this is a financial decision that is serious for everyone involved. This significant life event requires understanding and preparation.
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