The Daily (041116) Hot Sheet of the Top Real Estate News Trending Now   How scammers hack into your transactions The FTC worked with NAR to post an alert on its website about scammers hacking into a real estate agent's or a lender's email to steal closing funds. Read more. The clock is ticking on flood insurance reformNAR Pres. Tom Salomone, others say national flood insurance reform is needed to lower taxpayers' costs and the economic impact of disasters: NFIP is currently $23B in debt. Read more. New HUD rule stirs controversyThe fed rule intends to make renting easier for those with a criminal past - but critics say it's confusing, ambiguous and will be difficult to implement. Read more.Seller frustrated by junky home next doorReal estate Q&A: The owner of a year-old stale listing is... 04/10/2016

It's not Brain Surgery, but the results may surprise youTyrone was having trouble at school; his teacher was always yelling at him, "You're driving me crazy, Tyrone; can't you learn anything?" One day Tyrone's mother came to school to see how he was doing. The teacher told her honestly that her son was simply a disaster, getting very low marks, and that she had never had such an unmotivated and ignorant boy in her entire teaching career.Tyrone's mom, shocked at the feedback, withdrew her son from school and moved out of Detroit, relocating to Cleveland.Twenty-five years later, the teacher was diagnosed with irreversible cardiac disease. Her doctors all strongly advised her to have open heart surgery, which only one surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic could perform.Left with no other options... 04/08/2016

ONLY A TRUE GOLFER WILL UNDERSTAND THESE:   Don't buy a putter until you've had a chance to throw it. Never try to keep more than 300 separate thoughts in your mind during your swing. When your shot has to carry over a water hazard, you can either hit one more club or two more balls. If you're afraid a full shot might reach the green while the foursome ahead of you is still putting out, you have two options: you can immediately shank a lay-up or you can wait until the green is clear and top a ball halfway there. The less skilled the player, the more likely he is to share his ideas about the golf swing. No matter how bad you are playing, it is always possible to play worse. The inevitable result of any golf lesson is the instant elimination of the one critical unconscious motion that all... 04/08/2016

The Daily Hot Sheet of the Top Real Estate News Trending Now April 7, 2016  How much do local disasters disrupt the market? Gas leaks and local disasters can send real estate markets into a tailspin. A RealtyTrac study found that a Calif. gas leak caused nearby sales to drop 44%. Read more.Study: College debt delays homeownershipA Fed study found that for every 10% increase in student loan debt, the probability that a first-time buyer would apply for a mortgage went down by 1%. Read more.Starker exchange can save on capital gains taxesLegal Q&A: Can I sell an investment property without paying a lot of capital gains taxes? Yes, but only if you follow the rules - and there are a lot of rules. Read more.Banks ramp up push for home-equity linesLenders are again touting cash-out refinances ... 04/06/2016

 The Daily Hot Sheet of the Top Real Estate News Trending NowApril 4th, 2016   Got flood insurance? Rates go up today On April 1, flood rates move incrementally higher as required by law - an average 9% nationwide - but the impact on any single property varies greatly. Read more. Fannie Mae debuts loan option for 'green' retrofitsBuyers who want green home options, such as solar panels, can now buy a non-green home, upgrade it and roll the installation cost into their mortgage. Read more. Fla. consumer sentiment rises in MarchThe biggest spike was in Floridians' one-year expectation for personal finances, which rose 6.1 points. Overall, the index was 1.6 points higher than in Feb. Read more.HUD: Final rule on religious liberty protectionsReligious affiliation won't be considered in HUD'... 04/04/2016

Daily Hot Sheet of Real Estate News Trending NowApril 1, 2016   Trends: More Americans heading south Census Bureau: For almost 100 years, relocating Americans tended to move toward the Pacific, but a shift finds them moving to Fla., Texas and the Carolinas. Read more.HOA should accommodate religious beliefReal estate Q&A: A switch to electronic key fobs presents a problem for some residents on the Sabbath. Does the homeowners association have to accommodate them? Read more.Which Fla. metros are best for rental investing?RealtyTrac report compares counties based on 2016 rental changes, gross rental yields and annual investment returns. In Alachua, for example, return is 10.2%. Read more.Mortgage rates almost unchanged this weekThe average rate on a 30-year FRM this week was 3.71% - a neg... 04/01/2016

When you question an old man  An old man lay sprawled across three entire seats at a concert.  When the usher came by and noticed this, he whispered to the old man, "Sorry sir, but you're only allowed one seat." The old man didn't budge. The usher became more impatient. "Sir, if you don't get up from there I'm going to have to call the manager." Once again, the old man just muttered and did nothing.  The usher marched briskly back up the aisle, and in a moment he returned with the manager. Together the two of them tried repeatedly to move the old dishevelled man, but with no success. Finally they summoned the police.  The officer surveyed the situation briefly then asked, "All right buddy what's your name?" "Fred," the old man moaned. "Where you from, Fred?" asked the police officer. Wi... 04/01/2016

  AT THE NEW S. FLORIDA SENIORS COMPLEX     On the first day at the new seniors complex, the manager addressed all the new seniors pointing out some of the rules:  “The female sleeping quarters will be out-of-bounds for all males , and the male dormitory to the females. Anybody caught breaking this rule will be fined $20 the first time.”   He continued, " Anybody caught breaking this rule the second time will be fined $60. Being caught a third time will cost you a fine of $80.     Are there any questions?" At this point, an older gentleman stood up in the crowd inquired: “How much for a season pass?"  03/30/2016

The Daily Hot Sheet of Real Estate News Trending Now March 31, 2016  Economist: Millennials will soon start buying homes Rollins prof says demand will go up: Millennials make up 1/3 of buyers, incomes will rise and 44% of renters (many millennials) plan to buy within three years. Read more.Court upholds homestead exemption restrictionsA three-judge panel ruled last week that a couple could not claim two homestead exemptions even if one solely owned their Fla. home and the other their Ind. home. Read moreFla. real estate investment part of int'l eventFlorida Realtors recently joined international leaders to showcase the state at the global property market, conference and networking event in Cannes, France. Read more.5 uncommon ways to come up with a downpaymentMany people put a little mo... 03/30/2016

Market Minutes For The Week Of March 28, 2016Basic economics didn’t hold in February. Sales of existing homes were down a surprising 7.1% to 5.08 million units on an annualized basis. At the same time, the median price of an existing home dropped 1.4% to $210,000 for February, while supply, the lack of which has been an issue for the past two years, was up 3.3% to 1.88 million units. So, for last month, we had more supply and lower prices, yet sales tanked. As for new homes, we saw a different dynamic at play. Sales of new homes rose 2% to 512,000 units on an annualized basis. Sales were up, but so too were prices. The median price of a new home was up a strong 6.2% to $301,400 for February. Supply is also on the rise. There’s a 5.6 months’ worth of supply at the current sales pace. Thi... 03/28/2016

The Daily Hot Sheet of Real Estate News Trending Now March 28, 2016   Homeownership increasingly difficult in some areasRealtyTrac: Home prices are rising faster than wages in most of the U.S., making it harder for average wage earners to become homeowners in some urban centers. Read Average rate on 30-year mortgage falls to 3.71%Freddie Mac: Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates declined this week after three straight weeks of increases - which could spur would-be homebuyers to enter the market. Read more.6 ways to explain low inventoryFactors influencing the lack of homes on the market include homeowners who are still underwater on their mortgages and not enough new-home construction. Read more.Moderate expansion expected for commercial marketNAR: Sustained job growth and improving cr... 03/28/2016

Dealing With Content Overload...In today’s internet age, anyone with a new idea, strategy or technique can spread the news in minutes.  Millions do just that every day! That means, as a sales associate, you’re exposed to so many new ideas that it may become overwhelming. Yet, some of those ideas might just result in a boom to your business. How do you find the time to figure it out? When you come across a new idea, strategy or technique that you think might benefit you, schedule a block of time in your calendar to try it.  It doesn’t have to be right away. It could be a month from now. Just schedule it in. Then, during that block of time, jump in with both feet and give the idea a try. See what kind of results you get.  You’ll soon know whether that idea will benefit you.  03/27/2016

When a Customer Asks, "What Makes You Different"  There’s an old saying that people don’t buy similarities, they buy differences.So, it’s no surprise that, occasionally, a prospect is going to challenge you with the question, “How are you different from other sales associates?”  How should you respond? Some sales associates instinctively rattle off a laundry list of strengths and services. That approach only serves to overwhelm the prospect. A better approach is to keep it simple. When asked, respond with, “What clients like most about my services is…” Then mention just one or two things that differentiate you. That way, prospects will not only understand what makes you different, they’ll remember it, too.    03/27/2016

Market Minutes Ending For The Week Of March 25, 2016  The labor market continues to show strength, with jobless claims remaining below 300,000 for the 55th week. A tight labor market supports a Fed policy rate hike. The strong labor market and signs of possible inflation have Fed members talking of increasing rates. Some speculate there could be a move as soon as April. Oil is now less of a factor in mortgage rates, as prices hover around $40 a barrel. Expect speculation of a Fed rate hike to be more of a factor moving forward. Even though existing home sales were down in February, demand remains high. Tight inventory has been blamed, along with weather also being named a factor. New home sales were up in February, led by single-family home sales. Housing market fundamentals remain stro... 03/25/2016

The Making of a Politician... A father told his 3 sons when he sent them to theuniversity: "I feel it's my duty to provide you with the bestpossible education, and you do not owe me anything for that.However, I want you to appreciate it. As a token, please each put$1,000 into my coffin when I die."And so it happened. His sons became a doctor, a lawyer and afinancial planner, each very successful financially. When theirfather’s time had come and they saw their father in the coffin,they remembered his wish.First, it was the doctor who put 10 $100 bills onto the chest of thedeceased.Then, came the financial planner, who also put $1,000 there.Finally, it was the heartbroken lawyer's turn. He dipped into hispocket, took out his checkbook, wrote a check for $3,000, put itinto his father's cof... 03/24/2016

Seven Keys To Follow When Hiring An Assistant  An assistant can be a big asset to your business. Hiring an assistant to deal with the world at large and administrative issues in particular gives you more time—and fewer interruptions—to work on the things you love to do that bring in revenue. Hiring for a job this important is serious business. Here’s how the experts say you should go about it. Make a list of the duties. Jot down everything you want your assistant to do—answering the phone and emails, billing, banking, record keeping, etc. If you want to include personal tasks, such as booking airline tickets for family trips, list those too. This helps you define the type of person you need, and lets applicants know what to expect on the job. Define the personality. For your own benefit... 03/23/2016

 The Daily Hot Sheet of Real Estate News Trending Now  March 23, 2016   Millennials fuel apartment-building boom But will the boom last, as more millennials have kids and think about things like schools, more living space and maybe, buying a home in the suburbs? Read more Housing crunch: Blame owners or builders?One analyst cites "gridlock in the mid- to low-end of the housing market" as the main reason for low inventory, claiming a price gap is shutting out many move-up buyers. Read more. Real estate tips to prep for spring buyersAgents' spring open house checklist should include tasks like updating promo photos, cleaning their "For Sale" signs and previewing the supply of homes. Read more.Multifamily developers weigh first floor retailBut new retail needs a lot of potential shoppers t... 03/23/2016

  The Daily Hot Sheet of Real Estate News Trending NowMarch 21, 2016   Hispanic ownership rate up for first time in 6 years In another sign of a real estate recovery, the Hispanic homeownership rate increased from 44.5% in December 2014 to 46.7% in December 2015. Read more. Legal: Dealing with neighbor's shoddy fence repairReal estate Q&A: What can be done about a neighbor's fence that needs repairs and protrudes into a homeowner's yard? Read more.In 2015, billions raised for commercial investmentInvestors raised $443 billion last year to spend on commercial investment - a 3% year-to-year increase and the highest amount since 2009. Read more.Businesses have unique social media rulesSocial media is merely another form of advertising, say legal experts; and though less formal, companies c... 03/21/2016

Market Minutes Ending For The Week Of March 18, 2016  Recent economic data showed signs of underlying inflation. Combined with strong housing and labor markets, this could contribute to higher mortgage rates. However, the latest Fed commentary urged caution, sharing intent to raise policy rates but not until later this year. This could help near term to keep rates steady. Another factor that could help keep rates low is recent retail sales. February's weak sales could signal weakness in the economic outlook, helping rates. Housing starts hit a 5 month high in February as builders ramped up construction. Single-family housing projects surged 7.2% to the highest pace in over 8 years. Building permits were down slightly from January to February, but still up 6.3% over the previous year. Pe... 03/20/2016

The Daily Hot Sheet of Real Estate News Trending Now  March 18, 2016  Tech changes make Realtors' jobs easier - and harder RealtyTrac added "nearby criminal offender risk" to a report any homebuyer can access - the latest step toward instant and free neighborhood evaluations. Read more.New cash-sale disclosure rules? Not a big dealMiami is a test market for new fed rules created to uncover money laundering in real estate, but local Realtors say it won't significantly impact their business. Read more.It's not a housing bubble: 3 reasonsRising home prices and looser credit may make today's market look like a housing bubble, says NAR's Lawrence Yun. But it's different than pre-recession run-ups. Read more.Mortgage rates rise for third week - to 3.73%30-year fixed mortgage rates declined in... 03/18/2016