Each Friday we share with you the must-read, real estate news of the week. We’ve got everything you need to know to stay on top of breaking industry news and trends.

“How To Build A Better Real Estate Website”

Those who have attended Inman Real Estate Connect or Agent Reboot are very familiar with Seth Price of Placester. Seth and his team are helping real estate agents revolutionize their websites to become more discoverable and accessible online (they also happen to look amazing). Check out this infographic he and his team use to illustrate the key components of a stellar website. Continue reading . . . .

“8 Tips For A Successful Open House”

This week MSN Real Estate shared a great piece on how to take your open house ho-hum to superb. The article answers all the necessary questions – how do you get the right people there? How do you ensure they see the full value? How do you turn interest into offers? Continue reading . . .

“Why It’s True: You Should Own, Not Rent”

The “American Dream” means owning a home rather than renting. And despite the huge losses millions of homeowners suffered in the past decade, the dream is still alive and well. But what, exactly, do people value the most in owning over renting? A study by Fannie Mae shows that most renters aspire to own someday, though they feel it may be more difficult to buy than in the past. Continue reading . . .

After touring a home you’re interested in, be sure to get the age, specs, working order and service record for each of these 10 potential problem areas before signing on the dotted line.

Sellers – do your part and have these documents prepared and ready to go should a buyer ask for the complete records.

CONTRIBUTED POST BY: Tara Christianson, CENTURY 21 Redwood Realty

Inman Real Estate Connect.  Does that mean something to you?

It should.  For over 17 years, the Inman Real Estate Connect conferences have been the premiere place to learn the latest ideas and practices in the real estate industry, discover new technologies and provide some of the best networking opportunities in the country.  Previous topics discussed and ideas floated before their time have included: digital transactions, video marking for real estate, and Web 2.0.

If you’re looking to understand not only what’s going on currently in the real estate industry, but also directions for years to come, Inman Real Estate Connect is the place to do it.

As an agent, Inman Real Estate Connect has been important to me as I have been able to stay with, or ahead of, other real estate agents in my area when it comes to understanding what technologies the industry is using and will use, as well as the directions the industry is heading in.

I’ve also been able to have discussions with industry leaders about their best business practices, who have helped me come up with plans for implementation in my own business.

As a technology trainer, I’ve been able to make invaluable contacts with real estate technology companies, and have often been able to be on the ground floor as a beta tester based on discussions and introductions at Inman.  For both areas of my business, the networking and referral opportunities have been second to none.  It’s easy to run into the CEO of a real estate or technology company in the venue’s lobby and strike up a conversation.

Although the Inman conference, held every January in New York City, has already passed, there’s still time for the upcoming event.  As a first-time Inman Real Estate Connect Ambassador, I, and the President of CENTURY 21 Redwood Realty, Eddie Berenbaum, who will be an Inman speaker, would like to personally invite you to join us at Inman Real Estate Connect San Francisco this year.

The conference will be held at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square from July 10-12.  Although regularly priced tickets are $1,199, with this link you can save $400 on tickets: http://bit.ly/ZMpfHa!

This year’s conference focuses on trends in machine learning, crowd funding, big data and robotics.  Speakers will include the CEOs of Trulia and Cheezburger, the founder of Doorsteps and the Senior Real Estate Reporter for Forbes Media.  Not sure how all of that will apply to the real estate industry?  There’s only one way to find out!

This year, the CENTURY21 Commercial team lined up appointments with many prominent retailers such as Spirit Halloween and A&E Stores as well as restaurateurs such as Chipotle, Denny’s, Bruegger’s Bagels and many others. Not only did these meetings lead to establishing long-term business relationships, but they also resulted in some immediate business opportunities.

Stay tuned for more to come!

The C21 Indy500 car unveiled at RECon

In fact, the results revealed that 42 percent of those searching for homes have made an offer in the past six months, yet only 11 percent have had their offers accepted.

President and CEO Rick Davidson says, “The (economic) recovery has transformed the mindset of many buyers and sellers who grew accustomed to the buyers’ market we saw for years. Right now, we’re in a situation where buyer confidence is building back up and demand is strong. As our survey indicates, sellers are now in a more favorable position.”

The key findings of the survey include:

Talk about Housing Demand: 33 percent of those searching for a home say they have been at it for over a year, while 67 percent have been searching for up to a year.

Willing to Make Compromises: 80 percent of homebuyers are willing to compromise on location-related attributes such as commute, proximity to friends and access to restaurants , shops and general conveniences.

Sealing the Deal: 85 percent of home searchers are willing to go above and beyond to force the deal through.

• 51 percent of people would be flexible with the closing time.
• 31 percent would compromise by purchasing the house as-is.
• 29 percent would compromise by putting more cash down than they planned on.

Check out the survey infographic for more facts:

Talk About Housing Demand

Home Buyers Are Willing to Compromise

Home Buyers Are Willing to Go Above and Beyond

The Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing team began the week by making sure the car itself and driver Josef Newgarden had everything necessary for a successful practice.

Josef climbed into the driver’s seat, helmet and firesuit on, ready to rock.

He zipped around the speedway, an exciting preview to the live action we’ll witness on race day, Sunday May 26th.

Post-practice, Josef met with IndyCar fans, smiling, shaking hands and posing for pictures.

Quite the comedian, Josef always keeps us laughing.

When Josef and the Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing team head home after practice, the Smarter. Bolder. Faster. IndyCar rests in its own branded garage. Check out the signage over the doors!

To keep up with the CENTURY 21 IndyCar, be sure you are following the brand on Facebook and Twitter. For those on Twitter, follow all things Indy 500 on the hashtag, #C21Indy500.

Each Friday we share with you the must-read, real estate news of the week. We’ve got everything you need to know to stay on top of breaking industry news and trends.

“Home Prices Show Biggest Gain In 7 years”

This week AOL Real Estate shared news on the improving market, courtesy of a new data, “A survey shows U.S. home prices rose 10.5 percent in March compared with a year ago, the biggest gain since March 2006. CoreLogic, a real estate data provider, said Tuesday that annual home prices have now increased for 13 straight months. Prices are rising in part because more buyers are bidding on a limited supply of homes for sale.” Is this what you’re seeing in your market? Continue reading . . .

“Optimism Over Home Prices Reaches Milestone”

Teke Wiggin of Inman News reported this week that optimism about the housing market is growing among consumers, “A majority of Americans now expect home prices to increase over the next year, pointing to growing optimism among housing-market observers, according to the results of Fannie Mae’s April 2012 National Housing Survey. By comparison, in April of last year only 32 percent of those surveyed said they believed home prices would appreciate over the next year. In April, the three percentage point increase in the share of Americans who believe prices will increase was enough to push the total share of those bullish on home prices to 51 percent, Fannie Mae said.” Continue reading . . .

“8 Tools To Boost Your Office’s Productivity”

We all wish we had more hours in the day, especially when it comes to the real estate business. This week Agent Genius posted a terrific article about 8 tools and apps you can use to streamline your business. Continue reading . . .

It was a completely packed house.

Joining Mick Scheetz and Tracy Hutton of CENTURY 21 Scheetz was Michael Bernoff, results coach and motivational speaker, who delivered a jolt of inspiration to attendees.

Tracy then welcomed to the stage Sarah Fisher, owner of Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing. Sarah shared with the group what it means to her to work Smarter, Bolder and Faster. Something tells us there’s an emphasis on the Faster.

Driver Josef Newgarden arrived on stage to thunderous applause. Josef energized the room and gave a helping hand with the day’s raffle.

Josef was wearing his CENTURY 21 firesuit, complete with his Twitter handle on the back. You can follow Josef, @JosefNewgarden.

After the events at Dallara IndyCar Factory, members of the CENTURY 21 team were given a private tour of Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing HQ, including a look at the race car as it’s being prepped for the Indy 500.

It was a great day in Indy and we can’t wait for the big race on Sunday May 26th. Follow CENTURY 21 on Facebook and Twitter for real time updates between now and race day.

Each Friday we share with you the must-read, real estate news of the week. We’ve got everything you need to know to stay on top of breaking industry news and trends.

“Digital Identity – 10 Things A Real Estate Agent Needs To Consider”

What comes up when a prospective client Googles you? That is the question you should ask yourself when thinking about your digital marketing strategy. In this piece from Agency Logic, consider 10 questions that will help define your online presence, generate more leads and close more deals. Continue reading . . .

“5 Takeaways From The Latest Case-Shiller Report”

This week’s report is the latest sign that the U.S. housing market has rebounded after home prices hit a bottom one year ago. The report showed broad-based home price gains, with all 20 cities that compose the index posting year-over-year price gains. For more all the details and stats, continue reading . . .

“Top 25 Most Profitable Markets For Flipping Houses”

Flipping houses is back. This time, lending is different, and the economic climate is dramatically different, so investors are taking a different approach, but as with any business transaction, profits are the name of the game, so where can flippers get the most bang for their buck? Continue reading . .

C21: Why should brokers and agents make the time to join the brand at ICSC in Las Vegas?

HF: If you have commercial clientele in the retail space, it is the single most important convention to attend. ICSC is all about retail. It’s the place where connections are made, the training takes places and where deals are done.

C21: If someone is new to the commercial business, would you advise they attend?

HF: For someone that is new in the business, they can attend and have a greater understanding because of the caliber of training. Those who have been doing commercial real estate for a long time and already have the clients, it’s the place they can go to have a stronger presence. Either way, you should be among the people who are doing the bulk of the deals.

C21: Tell us more about the importance of the CENTURY 21 Commercial booth at the convention.

HF: The booth is where we, CENTURY 21 System members from across the country, come to meet. Because retail is one of those parts of our industry where clients want multiple locations, going to ICSC and being at the CENTURY 21 booth gives you the chance to develop relationships with System members all across the country. It allows you to deepen your referral network.  You don’t just want to call a stranger, you want to know the person on the other end of the line, spend time with them and realize they are a valuable partner.

C21: For a CENTURY 21 System member on the fence about registering, what’s your 30 second elevator pitch?

HF: Deals are being done at ICSC. People are signing leases. The deal tables are open from 9am – 5pm, people putting pen to paper. This is every broker, developer, retailer and mall manager all in one place, ready to sign. Need I say more?

C21: To register for ICSC RECon in Las Vegas, visit the convention’s website.