MLS Real Estate & Listings Blog

The Pacific West and Tri Counties Association of Realtors, a Realtor trade group in Southern California, has lost about 2,500 members since the end of 2006 with the decline in area home sales. But the group has a plan — lots of plans, in fact.  more…

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The National Association of Realtors has plans to call nine witnesses to testify in court if an antitrust lawsuit filed by the U.S. Justice Department proceeds to trial, and may call upon an additional list of 14 witnesses.

A preliminary live trial witness list, produced by the National Association of Realtors in a Feb. 14 court document, includes a list of "will call" witnesses and a separate category of "may call" witnesses.  more…

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Some brokers and MLSs are rushing to distribute property information for display on popular third-party real estate Web sites, and a paper released this week by a Minneapolis law firm encourages a thorough review and negotiation of terms to help ensure that the deals properly protect industry interests.

Brian Larson, a Minneapolis lawyer who works with dozens of Realtor associations and multiple listing services, said the paper was prompted by an industry trend to broaden online distribution channels for property information by working with a range of Web sites.  more…

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Realogy Corp. officials on Monday detailed continued plans to cut costs through office consolidations and other actions in response to the reeling real estate market.

After consolidating about 67 company-owned brokerage offices in 2007, Realogy has plans to consolidate or reduce in size an additional 70 company-owned office locations during the first two quarters of this year, said Richard A. Smith, company president and CEO, during an earnings conference call Monday.  more…

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Advancements in communications and technology have created lots of efficiencies, but at the same time have sent many people spinning in a 24/7 world of e-mail, instant messages and cell phone calls.

Real estate professionals know this all too well — living an "always on" lifestyle can leave a person stressed, anxious and perpetually under the gun.  more…

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The National Association of Realtors has submitted its application for a Web-based credit union that could deliver a range of financial services to members, including mortgage, auto and business start-up loans, Realtor-branded debit cards, personal and business checking and savings accounts, and money market accounts, among other offerings.

This proposed credit union, which has a working title as the Realtors Federal Credit Union, would be open to the estimated 1.2 million members of the association, Realtor-affiliated staff members and their families.  more…

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The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has finalized the settlement of an antitrust complaint against Multiple Listing Service Inc., a Realtor-operated multiple listing service based in Wauwatosa, Wis., despite objections by the National Association of Realtors trade group.  more…

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Real estate brokerage and franchise company Realogy Corp. reported a $797 million net loss in 2007 for the period since its April 10 acquisition by an affiliate of private equity firm Apollo Management LP.

The company also reported a $44 million net loss for the period from Jan. 1, 2007, through April 9, 2007. That compares with net income of $365 million in 2006 and net income of $627 million in 2005.  more…

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Steve Ozonian, the much-traveled real estate executive who took a leading role at flat-fee brokerage company Help-U-Sell in 2006, has resigned from his management role to serve as an adviser.

In a message to Help-U-Sell brokers this month, Ozonian detailed other corporate management changes, including the formation of a new board of directors.  more…

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A lawsuit filed against a New York City real estate trade association and several major brokerage companies is in the process of settling, according to court documents filed this week.  more…

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Lawyers for the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, in a legal filing this week, asked the commission to reverse a December decision by an administrative law judge that vindicated a Michigan MLS from antitrust charges.

A commission hearing is scheduled for April 1 in Washington, D.C., to consider the appeal by federal antitrust officials.  more…

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Busloads of home buyers are hopping aboard the foreclosure bandwagon in search of bargains, and real estate agents and brokers are supplying the wheels and deals in markets across the country.

Ruth and John Ahlbrand, who own and manage RE/MAX Central, a Las Vegas brokerage company, bought a 40-seat luxury coach and wrapped it with advertising that features their TourVegasHomes.com Web site and the company’s phone number.  more…

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RealSure, a company that offers real estate consulting and publishing services, today announced the launch of the latest real estate wiki, or industry-focused user-generated encyclopedia, at RealEstateWiki.com.

The new site, launched in beta in January, features abut 3,000 definitions for real estate terms, about 1,000 answers to frequently asked questions, about 400 biography pages for industry luminaries, and a list of about 500 real estate acronyms, among other resources, according to the announcement.  more…

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The National Association of Realtors has a Code of Ethics that its 1.3 million members agree to abide by. The Association of Associates Representing Sellers (AARSTEAM), a new membership group created by the CEO of a New York real estate brokerage company, offers an alternative called the "Oath of Actions."

Realtor-affiliated for-sale property information databases are known as multiple listing services, or MLSs, and millions of Realtor-listed properties are displayed at NAR-affiliated Realtor.com.  more…

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Ever search for a word but can’t seem to find it? Or try to recall a fact that won’t roll off the tip of your tongue?

Ever need to buy a vowel from Vanna White?

What’s missing from the online real estate experience?

As part of a brand analysis for an East Coast brokerage, I drilled 10 pages deep into Google’s results for "real estate" in the company’s market area. I explored every result. There were 100 Web sites in total. Of these 100 sites:  more…

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Despite the tough market, RE/MAX International reported on Tuesday that the company sold 940 franchises in 2007 and boosted its net office count by 4 percent compared to the prior year.

The company had 7,016 offices at the close of 2007. Texas, the Carolinas and Florida had the highest franchise growth in the United States, and Italy, Portugal and the Czech Republic led overseas franchise sales, the company announced.  more…

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Even as the California Association of Realtors pursues a statewide real estate data-sharing effort that could evolve as a statewide multiple listing service, regional collaborations among multiple listing services are pushing forward with their own plans.  more…

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* ActiveRain will win in court
* ActiveRain will lose in court
* The two parties with settle out of court

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Have you ever watched someone text message while they’re driving? A new service called Jott may soon make simple texting obsolete.

For many boomers, texting has always been a bit of a challenge. Many of us get the concept, but seeing or pushing the keys without our glasses is difficult.  more…

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