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The Latest News from WFG National Title Company
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listing mobile appslisting portalsMobilemobile applicationsreal estate social networkSelectTechnology
January 8, 2015

Google Capital takes a stake in Indian listing portal CommonFloor

CommonFloor, which claims to be India’s biggest listing portal with more than 500,000 listings in 200 cities, says an investment by Google Capital will help it beef up the platform to enable buyers and sellers to find a match more quickly. Google Capital’s stake in CommonFloor was not disclosed, but…
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mortgage reportsSelectTechnologythe mortgage report
January 8, 2015

Agents can impress buyers by playing ‘The Mortgage Rate Game’

Mortgage rates can be unpredictable, making it tricky for homebuyers and homeowners who are refinancing to decide whether to lock in a rate with their mortgage lender, or gamble that they’ll do better if they wait a week or two. Mortgage-news website The Mortgage Reports has rolled out a weekly…
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102
BrokerageSelectteresa boardman
January 8, 2015

50 ways to leave your brokerage

Let’s face it: Changing real estate companies is pretty common for real estate agents. Most of us are independent contractors, which is different than being an employee. Independence is one advantage of being an independent contractor. But leaving a brokerage because “business is bad” and going to another makes no…
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203
Agent adviceMarkets & Economyoutlookpete flintprofilereal estateReal Estate & Personal FinanceSelecttrulia
January 8, 2015

Pete Flint: ‘With Zillow, we can unlock even more innovation’

Pete Flint is the co-founder and CEO of Trulia. Are you optimistic about 2015? The 2015 housing market has a lot going for it. The market has emerged from the worst pains of the housing crisis. Foreclosures have declined sharply, as has negative equity. Even though the recovery remains unfinished,…
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221
MarketingMobileprofilereal estateSelectSEOTech & GadgetsTechnologytom ferry
January 8, 2015

Tom Ferry: ‘When hands go up, I feel like we’re winning’

Age: 44 Job title: Co-owner and CEO, Tom Ferry – Your Coach Location: Irvine, CA Hours per week spent on social media: 14 hours plus team support Social media accounts: Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram Target demographic: Real estate professionals Average number of posts per day: One to three, depending on the channel…
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204
Agent adviceBuyers & SellersleadsMarkets & Economyportalsreal estateSelectTechnologythird-party websites
January 8, 2015

Are you thriving or suffering due to third-party websites?

If you work in real estate, you have likely heard or spoken this sentence: “Zillow is killing the industry.” Well, here’s a controversial opinion: In spite of the prevailing opinion, our industry is actually thriving in the age of consumer-driven, third-party real estate websites — and I can prove it. According to…
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169
listhublisting syndicationMLS & Associationsrealtor.comSelecttruliaZillow
January 7, 2015

Portals seek national standards for listing syndication

More and more multiple listing services are signing direct agreements with third-party listing portals such as Zillow and Trulia, but the terms of these agreements — and the technology behind them — are often less than ideal. That’s according to Clareity Consulting, a real estate consulting firm that along with…
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fhafha insurance premiumsFreddie MacMMImortgagemutual mortgage insurance fundNARobamapresident obamaSelectThe National Association of Realtors
January 7, 2015

FHA slashing mortgage insurance premiums by $900 a year

After raising them six times during the housing bust, the Obama administration is reversing course and rolling back mortgage insurance premiums charged by the Federal Housing Administration by enough to save homeowners an average of $900 a year. In a move expected to bring 250,000 first-time homebuyers into the market,…
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Buyers & SellersInternationalmarketMarkets & Economyonlineportalreal estateRohit RaghavSelect
January 7, 2015

Indian portals must focus on consumers

The trickle of investments into Indian online real estate space has become a flood over the past few quarters, with significant money pouring in from Softbank Group, News Corp, NEA, Tiger Global and others. Flush with investment dollars, the leading online real estate players are trying to do everything possible to attract…
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