InfoCentral Blog

Meet Me in California…Again

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:30:45 -0600

NOVEMBER 2009 -- "There is something stimulating about a convention," the National Real Estate Journal reported in November, 1939. "It is enjoyable, for one thing, to greet old friends, to make new ones, to swap stories and experiences in the general companionship of a Realtors' convention."

That year 1600 REALTORS® and guests gathered at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. They came from 37 different states and the Territory of Hawaii to discuss issues vital to real estate. Accourding to the Journal, those included "the reclamation of blighted areas of our cities; brokerage problems involved in business shifts; building houses for low-income groups; and the ever-present bugaboo of taxation."

Happy 65th (or 89th?) birthday to RLI!

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:04:50 -0600

In October 1944, George Domm, a Michigan farm broker, became the first president of the REALTORS® Land Institute. Originally known as the Agricultural Institute, the new group was an affiliate of the National Association, created to represent the interests of real estate professionals specializing in farmland and rural properties. Over the next three years, Domm organized the Institute’s Board of Directors, created chapters in sixteen states, and nearly tripled the Institute’s original membership of 178.

But RLI's story begins much earlier than 1944. By 1920 farm brokers were forming their own organizations in several different states. That year REALTOR® Wilbur Mansfield sent 7,000 invitations to other farm brokers around the country, asking them to attend the NAR convention that summer in his home town of Kansas City.

Top Field Guides for September

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 09:10:34 -0600

The list of the 10 most used Information Central Field Guides for September 2009 was released today. They are:
1. Field Guide to Short Sales
2. Field Guide to Preparing & Staging a House for Sale
5. Field Guide to Quick Real Estate Statistics
6. Field Guide to Do-Not-Call, Do-Not-Fax, and Do-Not-E-Mail Laws
3. Field Guide to Opening a Real Estate Brokerage
4. Field Guide to 1031 Exchanges
7. Field Guide to Errors & Omissions Insurance
9. Field Guide to Buying vs. Renting
8. Field Guide to Foreclosures
10. Field Guide to REALTOR® Safety

Youth Magnet Cities

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:14:54 -0600

Today's Wall Street Journal (link available to members through ProQuest) has an article on which cities a panel of experts thinks will emerge as the go-to destinations for post-recession college graduates to start their careers. Not surprisingly, big cities dominate the list. While quirky smaller cities had an appeal in the past, recession-weary grads are more likely to seek out the stability and broad job markets of larger metropolitan areas.

Also missing from the list are many cities of the sunbelt and south. Las Vegas and cities in Florida, only recently booming, have been hit hard by the housing crisis. And Charlotte, a major banking hub, is still reeling from the financial crisis. Ascendant are the cities of the West Coast and Northeast, with a few mid-continent power spots thrown in. Not all the cities on the list have emerged from the recession unscathed. Portland, on the list at number 4, has an 11.2% unemployment rate. However even with the tough job market, Portland continues to appeal to the young with it's vibrant, hip culture. Tying for first place are Washington DC - government jobs, culture and a high tech corridor - and Seattle - high tech and bio-tech with a beautiful setting.

View the top ten after the jump.

Field Guide to Social Networking for REALTORS®

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:47:21 -0600

Everyone seems to have a Facebook page. As of September 2009, Facebook reports over 300 million monthly active users around the world. And it's just not for the college set anymore. Earlier this year the website Inside Facebook announced that the fastest growing demographic group on Facebook is women over 55 and that 45% of Facebook’s US audience is now 26 years old or older.

But there's more to social networking than Facebook. There's LinkedIn for networking and Active Rain for those in the industry. So how are you using social networking? Check out our updated Field Guide to Social Networking for REALTORS® to learn about social networking, to see how other real estate agents have embraced it to increase their presence on the Internet to attract more clients, and to learn about the variety of social networking websites you might want to join.

Field Guide to Choosing & Using a Smart Phone

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:20:52 -0600

For most REALTORS® the question isn't do I need a smart phone, but rather it's "which one?" In today's fast-paced, quick turnaround world, getting by with a standard mobile phone probably won't cut it. Modern smart phones combine a phone with a camera, mobile web access, an organizer, on the fly email, and GPS so you can find that listing. Some phones allow you do add applications to pull specialized real estate content such as comps, nearby houses for sale and market trends.

But what features do you need? What brand should you choose? Do you really need all the latest bells and whistles? What do other real estate professionals use their smart phones for? Whether you're looking to get your first smart phone or just are thinking about an upgrade, find out the answers to these questions and much more in our updated Field Guide to Choosing and Using a Smart Phone.

Quick Real Estate Statistics

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:11:43 -0600

Looking for quick statistics for your sales meeting or a customer brochure? Need a quick fact to make your point? Information Central has compiled some of the most requested statistics for quick and easy access in its newly updated Field Guide to Quick Real Estate Statistics. Find the information that you need, as well as its source, including member stats, FSBOs, Home Buyer info, and technology.

Field Guide to Twitter

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:06:13 -0600

Twitter is a way of sending short bits of information to your subscribers. The messages are limited to 140 character at a time, called a Tweet. Let your clients know what you are doing for them, post short descriptions of new listings, keep your team on schedule. Learn more at our newly updated Field Guide to Twitter (and be sure to follow NAR Info Central on Twitter!).

Field Guide to REALTOR® Safety

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:34:27 -0600

You meet lots of people in the real estate business - some nice and some not so nice. It's REALTOR® Safety Week (Sept. 13 - 19, 2009) and it is more important than ever to protect yourself. Learn how to protect yourself at open houses and in the car in our timely Field Guide to REALTOR® Safety. Get safety tips, handouts and posters from The National Association of REALTORS® and REALTOR® Associations.

Top 10 Field Guides for August 2009

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 12:44:59 -0600

The list of the 10 most used Information Central Field Guides for August 2009 was released today. They are:
1. Field Guide to Short Sales
2. Field Guide to Preparing & Staging a House for Sale
3. Field Guide to Opening a Real Estate Brokerage
4. Field Guide to 1031 Exchanges
5. Field Guide to Quick Real Estate Statistics
6. Field Guide to Do-Not-Call, Do-Not-Fax, and Do-Not-E-Mail Laws
7. Field Guide to Errors & Omissions Insurance
8. Field Guide to Foreclosures
9. Field Guide to Buying vs. Renting
10. Field Guide to Real Estate Office Policy Manuals

Field Guide to Working with FSBOs

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 13:59:34 -0600

Home sellers must eventually decide whether to hire a REALTOR® or to sell their home on their own. But even after they decide to go solo, FSBOs can still be convinced to use a REALTOR®'s expertise. In this updated Field Guide you'll find dozens of articles, books, videos, studies, statistics and Web sites to help you find out who FSBOs are and how to work with them.

Inhale the Web

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 13:40:41 -0600

Looking for a one-stop location to track a particular topic? What are the bloggers, tweeters, youtubers, diggers, and googlers saying about x? Addictomatic could be the solution. Simply type in a search term - a name, topic, personality, location, etc - and addictomatic sets up a dashboard pulling from feeds across the internets. You can re-arrange the feeds by dragging the boxes around - so for example, if you're finding the most helpful results from bloglines, you can pull that box to the top of the page for ease of reading. When you're satisfied, save the page to your favorites and it check in later to see new results.

The site also tracks what's popular now via its recent searches page.

Are McMansions going away?

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 10:54:57 -0600

The Census Bureau reports that the median square footage of newly built homes has shrunk by 7%. Says author Sarah Susanka, "As more and more people build or remodel homes that satisfy in quality rather than quantity, there will be a huge shift in what we perceive as desirable." Others are blaming the recession for reducing house sizes.

Top 10 Field Guides for July

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 09:39:53 -0600

The list of the 10 most used Information Central Field Guides for July 2009 was released today. They are:
1. Field Guide to Short Sales
2. Field Guide to Preparing & Staging a House for Sale
3. Field Guide to 1031 Exchanges
4. Field Guide to Opening a Real Estate Brokerage
5. Field Guide to Errors & Omissions Insurance
6. Field Guide to Quick Real Estate Statistics
7. Field Guide to Foreclosures
8. Field Guide to Real Estate Office Policy Manuals
9. Field Guide to Buying vs. Renting
10. Field Guide to Social Networking for REALTORS®

Social Media for Small Business

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 13:57:34 -0600

Looking for more help in getting a grip on how your business can benefit from a social media program? If you have a Facebook account, I encourage you to sign up for the group Social Media for Small Business - Sponsored by Dell (search in the upper right corner of Facebook and become a fan). They have lots of content geared toward small businesses and how they can utilize social media to increase sales and drive business.

The group includes guides, screencasts, a discussion board, and YouTube videos. Topics include how to listen to what others are saying about you online, starting a blog, using Twitter, and generating buzz with crowdsourcing. And best of all, it's not just a big ad for Dell computers. Today for example, they posted a link to a video on why small business might want to post to YouTube and tips on how to get started with creating a channel and loading a video.

Also remember, members can turn to our online library here at the National Association for further help with social media tools. We have Field Guides, white papers and eBooks available for free! And if you haven't found REALTOR® Magazine's blog, Speaking of Real Estate, it's another good source of information.