Carnival of Real Estate

Welcome to the July 17, 2006 edition of the Carnival of Real Estate. This also happens to be the very 1st edition of this blog carnival! 

The Carnival of Real Estate was started to spotlight the best blogs and bloggers in Real Estate. The initial response has been fantastic  — many thanks to all of the blogs that submitted posts this week. We have 5 bloggers who have signed up to host future carnivals. Next week’s carnival will be hosted at at Searchlight Crusade — please submit your posts by Sunday. 

So, are you ready for the Carnival? Without further ado, here are the best 18 posts submitted by the real estate blogging community:

Pick of the Week

• It was a tough choice, but Dan Melson at Searchlight Crusade takes the trophy for the best post this week for Loan Quote Guarantees. Dan discusses (in detail) the ins and outs of the loan process and the games that both borrowers and loan officers play in the mortgage world.  What is your loan officer promising you (and is she/he really authorized to do so)?

The following posts are presented in no particular order — other than to separate those about national real estate from those specific to a region.

National Real Estate:

• Dave Gooden presents Waterfront property prices going up, up, up… posted at Pine Needle Lawn. Want waterfront property in the Midwest? Now might be the time to buy with prices predicted to be on the rise for the next 20 years. 
• John Barker, who runs his own Mortgage Blog, presents Why not FSBO?. John mentions some of the mistakes you might make if you attempt to sell on your own and what type of help an agent can offer.
• Claudia Wicks, who writes Agent CEO, presents What does it mean to be an Agent CEO?.  For those agents reading this — Do you have a job or a business?  Chances are, if you are successful agent, you treat your job like a CEO.
• Doug Mataconis from The Liberty Papers writes about Zoning Laws And Property Rights. Are you properly educated about how they are related? An example of what could happen if you aren’t.
• Anesia Springborn presents Realtor Mishaps posted at TheLandLordBlog.com. When talking about hiring agents, I always hear the advice to "Interview three agents." Here’s an example of when that advice is not fool-proof.  Great agents are out there, it’s just a matter of finding them!
• The Home equity debate, written by A Samuel at Property Blog, gives some good and not-so-good reasons to cash in on your home equity. Are you someone that cashes in to finance a holiday or other large event? If you didn’t guess, "to pay for a large event or holiday" is on the list of reasons to not use home equity. 
• Paul’s Tips presents How to work out if you’re better off renting or buying a place to live. Sure, buying a home is an emotional transaction, but what are you sacrificing in exchange?  Opportunity costs, among other things, should be considered before diving in headfirst. 
• Douglas Doss writes about Real Estate Commissions and Fees.  Are commissions too high given how the market has escalated?  Could a flat fee price structure work?
• WebHomeUSABlog brings you Google-Zillow Model for Real Estate by Clifford Jacobson.  He says local search is the future of online advertising and those positioned to take advantage will prosper.
• Serena Greenslade at Funny Dubs presents Use your voice to increase your sales.  Want to become a more effective agent? This post gives some advice on methods that help to better utilize your voice in the sales process. The methods covered? Word Pictures, Excercise, Volume, Pace, and Standing Tall.
• Cathleen Collins presents In the 21st century world of real estate, nothing says ‘roadkill’ like a dead dinosaur? posted at BloodhoundBlog — The weblog of BloodhoundRealty.com. Expect change. Embrace change. As a real estate professional, what are you doing to differentiate yourself from the pack?
• Real Estate Marketing, written by Joel Burslem, writes 3 Ways to Create Your Own Blog Network. Blogging is going mainstream and here are some tips to help "grow your own mini-media empire."
• Our very own Jeff Somers writes Internet vs Traditional Buyers. The real estate landscape is changing. Among the interesting points is that people who use the Internet as a significant part of their homebuying process (called "Internet buyers") increased from 28% of all buyers in 2000 to 70% of all buyers in 2006.

Local Real Estate

• Todd Waller at S.E. Michigan Real Estate presents Ann Arbor Housing Statistics and Google…Huh?.  How many jobs do you think are created when Google opens a new office?  Todd has the answer- and it may surprise you. 
• Carlsbad Real Estate presents Oceanside new Southern California "Riviera" ? Price increases seen over the last 5-6 years have changed opinions on real estate in Oceanside, CA.
• Nina Smith at Sitting Pretty presents Palm Springs. The post-mortem on our Palm Springs investment: a project that was supposed to be a quick fix and flip.
• GaryP presents Extreme Home Staging posted at Tri-City Real Estate News, saying, "Stage your home with people not just cookies and flowers."

Since this is the 1st edition of the Carnival, we included posts from everyone who submitted. As Carnival submissions increase with increased awareness, people will undoubtedly be left off the list. To have a post be in consideration for a future edition of the carnival, please remember that you have to pick your best post and submit it! The host is not responsible for "finding" the best posts on the Web, just reviewing the ones that are submitted.

We hope you join us in continuing to read and contribute to the carnival!  For information about how to participate in next week’s carnival, please see the Carnival of Real Estate "home" blog.  Thanks for reading!