June 4th, 2010

Weekly Roundup

By Jackie Berg, Marketing Specialist

• The Library of Congress and Columbia University are beginning to preserve geospatial data (via ReadWriteWeb):

“Through its partnership with Columbia, the Library of Congress is creating a digital clearinghouse of maps and satellite images that are important for preserving the unique insights that geospatial data provides.”

• MyTechOpinion reviews new apps for the iPad:

“So you have the iPad now….time to put it to good use! To start, you need some apps. You won’t have the abundant choices like with the iPhone since it’s still early. But there are several iPad apps worth adding right away.”

• Roost introduces evaluations for broker Facebook pages (via a bird’s eye view blog):

“Facebook presents real estate brokerage companies an enormous opportunity to extend their brands – but only if it’s done right. Our intention is to help you identify where you’re strong and where you need to improve so you can do just that.”

• Tom Royce of The Real Estate Bloggers makes an interesting observation on a new negligent generation of home owners:

“If you want an example of the old school philosophy between doing whatever it takes to pay ones mortgage to the new school ‘lets just walk away from the home when it is upside down’, we need to take a look at rapper Chamillionaire.[...] This could be scary as a new generation sees the housing market not as a person’s castle and lifelong goal but as a disposable asset. “

• NAR asks for an extension on tax credit eligibility (via The Real Estate Bloggers):

“The law states that homes had to close by June 30th, 2010. But with the foreclosures, short sales, and bump in the market activity, getting to the closing time for many buyers is not going to happen. We are already seeing many of the contracts that were signed in expectation of the tax credit run into difficulties. Now, agents and the NAR are afraid that another whole crop of sales will not make it to the table in time to qualify for the handout.”

• Fannie Mae tightens restrictions on home loans, worrying some real estate analysts (via Rain City guide):

“Effective on loan applications taken on June 1, 2010 or later, Fannie Mae is requiring lenders to confirm that undisclosed liabilities are not present prior to funding a transaction as part of their Loan Quality Initiative (LQI). Currently a credit report is pulled and is valid for a specific amount of time–as long as the transaction closes prior to the expiration of the credit report, it typically is not repulled.  Fannie Mae is now requiring the lender to make sure that there is no new or undisclosed credit at closing.”

Tags: geospatial data, home loan restrictions, iPad, NAR, Roost, tax credit eligibility.

February 5th, 2010

Weekly Roundup

By Jackie Berg, Marketing Specialist

In case you missed it, here are some great reads from the worlds of technology and real estate:

• You’ve certainly heard a lot about the iPad, but here is the official demo video (via Mashable):

“Even though the Apple iPad won’t be available for another 60 or 90 days (depending on the model), Apple already has its official iPad website up and running. In addition to showing off some of the applications, features and design and technical specifications, the website also features an eight-minute video with Apple’s design and development team discussing the device and showing it off.”

• A collaboration portal for architects that won’t even require you to spare a dime:

“Coming soon in the first of the year Architecture 5¢.com is going to become the hub where Architects and clients can come to talk to one another. A place where architects from all over can talk to each other and collaborate. A place to show your work, talk to home owners, answer questions, and most importantly help you get back to work.”

• Real Estate CEOs are more positive about improving market conditions this year than in 2009 (via REALTOR® Mag):

“The 110 members of the Real Estate Executive Roundtable are more positive about their industry in the first quarter of 2010 than they were in 2009 with the sentiment index at 73, up from 63 in the fourth quarter of 2009. The sentiment index measures confidence in real estate market conditions. However, a common concern of respondents is the employment picture.”

• Foreclosure filings jumped in Las Vegas, which had the largest number of foreclosure filings of any city last year (via CNN/Money):

“In cities such as Las Vegas, Phoenix, Miami and Bakersfield, Calif., soaring home prices of the mid 2000s drove homebuyers to desperate measures, such as taking on hybrid adjustable rate mortgages, also called toxic ARMS. These products only remained affordable as long as home prices grew; once prices stopped rising, borrowers began to default.”

• The buzz about Google mapping just went from Street View to Store View (via Search Engine Land):

“I received a tip from a New York retailer named Oh Nuts, that Google came to their store to take pictures for a new Google Maps product named “Google Store Views.” I was told that they took pictures of the inside of the store, every 6 feet, in all directions. They also took pictures of products. Google Store Views will allow people to essentially walk into the store, off of Google Street Views. ”

Tags: foreclosures, Google, Google Store View, iPad, Las Vegas real estate.