Most of the leading Social Media sites such as MySpace and Twitter have been offering customized and/or vanity URLs for their profiles for quite some time; the world’s largest social-network, Facebook has not.
 
This all changed late Friday and early Saturday, June 12th and 13th, when Facebook allowed its 200 million users the chance to claim a personalized Web address on a first-come, first-served basis.
 
Within three minutes 300,000 users had grabbed a name.  Fifteen minutes later that number rose to 500,000 and to more than 3 million within the first few …

According to Google Adwords there were 1.2 Billion real estate related searches in 2008. No-one doubts the growing power of the Internet and the increasing number of consumers searching for properties online.
So now, more than 2,600 geo-targeted domains names, the self-proclaimed largest real estate listing domain portfolio in the world, is for sale.
Collected over a 10-year period by RealEstateNet LLC the portfolio includes more than 2,350 domains with names starting with the USA City or State name and ending in “RealEstateListings.com”, e.g., DenverRealEstateListings.com. The vast portfolio also includes:
• All 50 U.S. …

Real estate beauty is in “the eye of the buyer” So why do sellers continue to make the same basic mistakes when selling their homes. Recession or no recession we all know by now that staged homes sell faster. And yes, that means you should be staging empty foreclosed homes too!!
A professional stager can help you get the job done or you can gain the knowledge and do it yourself. It’s not “rocket science.” For example The Accredited Home-Staging Specialist course refers to the following as the Seven Deadly Sins …

The recent Earth Day gave the green revolution another shot up the arm.  When Earth Day started in 1970 a large number of people (20 million people one country) had already committed to celebrate it. Since then that number has exploded to 500 million (175 countries); about 7% of the world’s population.
But even prior to 2000 “building green” still remained outside mainstream awareness – but has that changed, and for many good reasons. Elevating the profile of “Green” has been added to the agenda of movie celebrities such as Brad …

After literally hundreds and hundreds of requests to make the annual Swanepoel TRENDS Report available in an audio format this has finally happened with the new edition of the Report.
 
Just released this week is the first ever CD set of the 160-page 2009 Trends Report published last month. The entire unabridged 2009 Swanepoel TRENDS Report is contained in a 5 CD set and offers over 4 hours of information. The report is read by Mel Aclaro, an instructional designer, trainer and the New Media Director at RealtyU, one the …

Whether you own a small real estate office or a franchise with multiple offices, real estate brokers have much in common with other small business owners during these difficult economic conditions.  This economy affects all businesses and it doesn’t really matter if you are the local hair salon or the major department store, current market conditions are tough.
For real estate brokers, owners and managers the focus revolves around how to recruit quality agents, how to retain quality and productive agents and how to increase overall profitability.  This is analogous to …

It’s the first week of February and the time my annual Swanepoel TRENDS Report is released. The 160-page annual publication announces the official list of Top 10 trends, strategies, innovations and changes shaping and changing the business of real estate.

For the last several years we have been summarizing the events of every year and forecasting the most likely shifts in the industry that could impact our industry. We have discussed topics such as the sub prime and housing meltdown (detailed back in December 2005 before the collapse), the growth in …

When the Baby Boomers were younger (1960-90), families with children made up more than 50% of all households. By the time we got to 2000 this figure had declined to 33% and by 2025 it is estimated to be around 25%.

As a result the suburban boom in housing prices that we experienced will in all likelihood slow down considerably and shift to a more urban environment. No one is predicting that suburban life is dying nor will it be replaced, but as less families continue to prefer bigger houses and …

Imagine answering the doorbell some Saturday morning only to be met by a process server who is prepared to deliver a blow that has the potential to wipe out your life savings and create havoc and stress for months or even years to come. 
 
You open the registered envelope and find yourself faced with a lawsuit on a property you sold 18 months ago while under a broker who has since sold his company.  No problem.  You paid your Errors and Omissions (E&O) insurance premium on that transaction so you’re …

As part of the annual Swanepoel TRENDS Report we also every year include a look back at the year that just passed and list the Top 10 Newsmakers, Top 10 Events and Top 10 Trendsetters for 2008. 
 
This week I am discussing the Trendsetters. Trendsetters are defined as those companies that during 2008 set forth actions that were different and memorable and could potentially have a far reaching impact on the real estate industry in the years to come.
 
The Top 10 Trendsetters in Real Estate for 2008 are:
 
1. Brookfield …