Google Maps' Street View gives buyers one more tool to check out a potential neighborhood before actually going there with you.

Real estate pros have become accustomed to using Google Maps or similar services on their Web sites to let potential buyers know where listings are located. Now there's a new twist on the map option that will not only show visitors to your site where a listing is but also help them feel like they're standing right in front of it, looking up and down the street where they may eventually live.

Google has made this latest mapping innovation, Street View, available to individual real estate sites.

Street View allows you to see a 360 degree streetside view of any location that has been enhanced in this way. Check Google Maps for a list of cities where Street View is currently available-about 40 as this issue went to press.Google has been using Street View on its maps application, but it wasn't available to third-party users of Google Maps until early this Spring. That's when Google formally released the Street View application programming interface-tech speak for the instructions Web designers need to plug Street View capabilities into other sites.

Within three days, individual real estate sites were starting to incorporate Street View into their listings' Google Maps. Kevin Tomlinson of Miami Beach, Fla., was among the first to feature Street View for his listings, for example.Expect to see many more real estate sites incorporating Street View. Indeed, Trulia.com recently announced it was incorporating Street View into the maps of the areas that have it available.If you are interested in using Google Maps' Street View on your site, check with your Web developers; chances are they already know how to do it. Incorporating the code needed isn't a job for you unless you're tech savvy enough to maintain your own site.

Google pulled off some magic with Street View. Using a horde of vehicles mounted with cameras that take panoramic photos, it has photographed streets across many of the largest U.S. cities. This technique, along with a highly intuitive user interface, gives the sensation of really being there.The implications for potential buyers getting a better feel for the surrounding neighborhood of a listing are immediately apparent.

Using Street View is as easy as clicking on the Street View option for a map location. The area streets that have been continuously photographed will show up in blue outline.When you click within any of the blue outlined streets, an icon resembling a person shows up along with a window containing the actual street view. You can rotate this image by dragging your mouse.Google Maps' Street View gives buyers one more tool to check out a potential neighborhood before actually going there with you.

www.nutleyrealtor.net

Some homeowners are tempted to sell their home on their own instead of using
            a professional real estate agent. A portion of those owners are successful.
            But, many are not successful. The potential for savings is much more elusive
            than many anticipate. For example, when a buyer considers a home being sold
            directly by an owner they are going to discount any offer they make in
            recognition that there is no commission. Put yourself in the buyer's shoes.
            Wouldn't you? So, the dollar savings the seller may have initially
            anticipated is considerably less than expected.
            
            If you do decide to sell your home on your own, be very careful in the
            selection of your asking price. FSBOs tend to attract investors and bargain
            hunters seeking a steal. Besides looking for a commission discount they're
            also looking for FSBOs that have priced their home below market value. I
            have personally witnessed FSBOs sell their homes for tens-of-thousand of
            dollars below market value and proudly tell me how they "successfully" sold
            their home without the aid of a professional real estate agent. As you can
            imagine, intoxicated by their apparent success, they dismissed anything I
            had to say - tragic.
            
            Another factor that bites into potential savings is the cost of marketing a
            home. A seller may get lucky with just a "for sale" sign on their lawn. But,
            chances are they're going to need to spend some money to get marketing
            exposure, and this gets into the BIG hidden costs of marketing your home on
            your own. You're much more likely to get multiple offers on a home when it's
            professionally marketed. An Internet-savvy professional will market a home
            on a variety of consumer web sites (e.g. Realtor.com, Yahoo Real Estate).
            This kind of exposure casts a much wider net and greatly increases the odds
            of getting multiple offers. Multiple offers translate to a higher price,
            often above list price.
            
            Studies by the National Association of Realtors have consistently
            demonstrated that FSBOs average a lower sales price than professionals. For
            example, the 2005 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers indicated that FSBO
            sales sold for more than thirteen percent less than homes sold by a real
            estate agent. It's pretty much the same story every year this topic is
            studied. How is this possible? One reason, as I previously indicated, is the
            power of professional marketing. Would you rather have one buyer, or two or
            three buyers making offers on your home? Furthermore, it's not enough to
            find a buyer. After an offer is received and accepted there are many things
            that can go wrong and kill a deal. You need a good real estate agent to
            shepherd the sale all the way to closing.
            
            Finally, in addition to diminished monetary savings, I haven't even begun to
            discuss issues like the logistics of showing a home seven days a week,
            differentiating real buyers from lookers, security and safety concerns and
            the higher risk of liability when a homeowner sells on their own. Sometimes
            homeowners flying solo have an overly simplistic view of what's required to
            successfully sell a home. There is a reason why real estate agents are
            required to be licensed by the state.
            
            Is it impossible to sell your home on your own? No, it's not impossible.
            However, the odds are definitely stacked against you. But, there's a bigger
            issue here. When planning to sell your home the best approach is the one
            that yields the highest net price within your time frame. An overemphasis on
            avoiding or lowering the commission without understanding what methods get
            the most amount of money in a seller's pocket is an all too common mistake.
            Don't make this mistake, before deciding to sell on your own do some
            research. You may conclude that like so many other services we utilize on a
            daily basis, hiring a professional may be your best and most profitable
            option.
            
            Ed Chaparro is a licensed New Jersey real estate agent with Prudential New
            Jersey Properties servicing Metuchen, Edison and near-by communities in
            Middlesex, Union and Somerset counties in New Jersey.
            
            Ed Chaparro has over twenty years of experience working with technology and
            putting it to use to help people and businesses. Ed Chaparro mixes
            traditional real estate marketing (MLS, signs, direct mail) with a very
            aggressive Internet marketing plan that maximizes the number of buyers
            reached.
            
            For buyers, Ed Chaparro provides methods and communications that enable them
            to view their options in manner that is efficient, informative and free of
            any hard-sell tactics. This approach has garnered Ed Chaparro a great deal
            of buyer loyalty.
            
            For more details and information please visit EdChaparro.com
            

Help is on the way for New England homeowners struggling to pay their mortgage. Today, the National Association of Realtors^®, in partnership with the Massachusetts Association of Realtors^®, is taking part in a regional foreclosure prevention workshop in the Boston area.

The event, at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass., from 1-8 p.m., targets area homeowners with subprime loans or borrowers who are in financial distress and concerned about foreclosure. Homeowners will have the opportunity to meet face-to-face with more than 20 national mortgage lenders, local housing counselors and Realtors^® to help resolve mortgage issues and avoid foreclosure.

"Realtors^® build communities and care as much about keeping families in their homes as they do about helping them find the home of their dreams," said NAR President Richard F. Gaylord, a broker with RE/MAX Real Estate Specialists in Long Beach, Calif. "Any family that loses its home to foreclosure is one family too many. If homeowners in New England or throughout the country are faced with mortgages they can't afford, a Realtor^® can help them find information, resources and responsible lenders, and help them stay in their home."

At the event, MAR will provide consumers with information on preventing foreclosure and avoiding predatory lending. MAR will also be holding information sessions to help consumers learn more about loss mitigation options like short sales or auctions as well as options and resources available if borrowers do lose their home.

"Often the first person a homeowner calls when they are having financial problems with their home is their Realtor^®," said 2008 MAR President Susan Renfrew, broker/co-owner of Renfrew Real Estate in Greenfield. "It is because of those types of relationships that the Massachusetts Association of Realtors^® has been working hard to ensure the membership understands the issues around foreclosure and that they have the tools to help their clients achieve the best possible outcome."

More than 1,000 residents are expected to attend the event, which is jointly sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation. Other major event sponsors include HOPE NOW Alliance and NeighborWorks^® America. More information on the Foreclosure Prevention Workshop is available at www.theinformedhomebuyer.org.

www.nutleyreltor.net

WASHINGTON, August 12, 2008

Help is on the way for New England homeowners struggling to pay their mortgage. Today, the National Association of Realtors^®, in partnership with the Massachusetts Association of Realtors^®, is taking part in a regional foreclosure prevention workshop in the Boston area.

The event, at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass., from 1-8 p.m., targets area homeowners with subprime loans or borrowers who are in financial distress and concerned about foreclosure. Homeowners will have the opportunity to meet face-to-face with more than 20 national mortgage lenders, local housing counselors and Realtors^® to help resolve mortgage issues and avoid foreclosure.

"Realtors^® build communities and care as much about keeping families in their homes as they do about helping them find the home of their dreams," said NAR President Richard F. Gaylord, a broker with RE/MAX Real Estate Specialists in Long Beach, Calif. "Any family that loses its home to foreclosure is one family too many. If homeowners in New England or throughout the country are faced with mortgages they can't afford, a Realtor^® can help them find information, resources and responsible lenders, and help them stay in their home."

At the event, MAR will provide consumers with information on preventing foreclosure and avoiding predatory lending. MAR will also be holding information sessions to help consumers learn more about loss mitigation options like short sales or auctions as well as options and resources available if borrowers do lose their home.

"Often the first person a homeowner calls when they are having financial problems with their home is their Realtor^®," said 2008 MAR President Susan Renfrew, broker/co-owner of Renfrew Real Estate in Greenfield. "It is because of those types of relationships that the Massachusetts Association of Realtors^® has been working hard to ensure the membership understands the issues around foreclosure and that they have the tools to help their clients achieve the best possible outcome."

More than 1,000 residents are expected to attend the event, which is jointly sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation. Other major event sponsors include HOPE NOW Alliance and NeighborWorks^® America. More information on the Foreclosure Prevention Workshop is available at www.theinformedhomebuyer.org.

Homeowners concerned about the possibility of foreclosure can also access NAR's foreclosure brochure, Learn How to Avoid Foreclosure and Keep Your Home, online at www.realtor.org/subprime or MAR's brochure, Protecting Your Investment, Understanding Home Financing and Avoiding Foreclosure, at www.marealtor.com.

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