Monthly Archive for June, 2009

Making Your Website Searchable and Social Media Friendly


There is an increasing demand for fresh, live web content as well as an increasingly high expectation of consumers to be able to interact with what they find in search results. This naturally requires that website owners and content publishers make their websites both search and social media friendly. Here are 5 ways to do just that from Lee Odden at Mashable.

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“5 Reasons a New Home Beats the Foreclosure Every Time”


Widely regarded as the authority on new home sales, best-selling author Myers Barnes is the among the building industry’s most requested advisors and speakers. In this guest column, Myers gives us 5 smart reasons to opt for the new home instead of the foreclosure.

Foreclosure. In the new homes market, it’s the “F” word. The number of foreclosure filings in the U.S. rose by 81 percent in 2008 and by a whopping 225 percent from 2006. The housing market is flooded with the tsunami of perceived bargains. The key word here is “perceived.” There are several reasons that the “buyer beware” rule should be in effect when considering a foreclosed property:

1. Poor maintenance. If the owner wasn’t paying the mortgage, what makes you think he/she was investing in even the most basic upkeep?

2. As is. The “As Is” caveat could be costly for the buyer. A new home and its contents have warranties that protect the buyer. When buying a foreclosure, you get exactly what you pay for.

3. The angry owner. In the wake of a foreclosure, many former owners feel victimized by their situation. There are countless tales of homes being stripped of appliances, lighting fixtures, and even plumbing—all of which are removed in haste, and with no concern for the incoming dweller.

4. Hidden cost-cutters. If the foreclosed property is a new home, the builder was likely cutting many corners to avoid mounting more debt. What’s hidden under the drywall? “New” doesn’t necessarily mean a home is in excellent condition; it could mean that no one has yet discovered the creeping shortcuts.

5. Wasted time. Purchasing a foreclosure requires a mountain of paperwork and it can take months before you discover whether the bank accepts the deal. And what happens if your offer fails to make the cut? You begin the lengthy process again.

When your prospective buyer tosses down the “F” word like a gauntlet, pick it up and present the reasons why the foreclosed property is a questionable investment, at best. Then bestow upon them the many reasons that the new home you’re selling will deliver long-term value, satisfaction, comfort, and peace of mind.

Keep Selling,

Myers

Read more at the Myers Barnes Blog.

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First-Time Buyers to the Rescue


With everyone wondering when we’ll “hit bottom,” and when inventory will begin to tighten, The Baltimore Sun published an article today that indicates buyers may be beginning to finally feel competition again:

“April Longest had a lot of reasons to move from an apartment in Hampden to a house of her own: low interest rates, a first-time-buyer credit and a monthly payment not much higher than her rent. But one of the biggest motivators of all for buying a semi-detached rancher in Medfield last month came from her competition - other buyers.”

“Stephanie Yungman, a real estate agent with Zip Realty, said business began picking up in mid-March. She said buyers appear to be more motivated than they have been in months, and it’s become more common for the more aggressively priced homes to get multiple offers. ‘There were even a couple of times I was saying I feel like we’re in the boom again,’ Yungman said.”

Read the entire article here.

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Red-Hot New Home Sales And Marketing Solutions


What’s hotter than hot? The e-marketing strategies that are getting new homes sold. Come and learn the New, New Fundamentals with New Homes Sales Training Expert and Best-Selling Author Myers Barnes and Real Estate E-Marketing Expert Tom Nelson of NDG Communications at the 2010 International Builders’ Show.

This year’s show will be January 19-22, 2010 in Las Vegas. Myers and Tom will share the latest and greatest strategies and tactics of online real estate marketing used by some of the most successful companies in North America. Don’t miss your chance to ask the experts—get more information on the 2010 International Builders’  Show here.

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