By Stephanie Sims Are real estate courses and training seminars really preparing agents for what they will actually experience in the “real world” of the industry? An ongoing murmur in the real estate community has been that real estate

Anyone who has gone outdoors in the past few years can see how much the market has changed. Neighborhoods that once were filled with families and newly remodeled houses are now littered with foreclosures, and such dramatic transitions indicate

By Christian J. Barron Designations and certifications acknowledging experience and expertise in various real estate sectors are awarded by NAR and each affiliated group upon completion of required courses. NAR and its affiliated institutes, societies and councils also provide

By Nicole Etter Can every agent be a top producer? If all agents in the business were top producers, then there wouldn’t be special skills differentiating them from the rest. Only the top agents stay on top year after

What are the top 10 qualities every top producer should have? Here were the top 10 qualities top producers shared with

What sort of guidance were top producers following early on, leading them to attain top producer status today? Several top producers remember the best piece of advice they listened to – and look where it got them! Here, they

By Cynthia Gregory According to Mary Opfer, a RE/MAX agent in Cary Grove/Crystal Lake, while marketing is important, nothing beats what clients truly want – a knowledgeable professional who genuinely cares. Opfer credits her success as a top producer

By Peter Ricci Among the many spectacular claims and observations found in Steve D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner’s best-seller “Freakonomics” book, perhaps the most noted (and infamous) was the statement that real estate agents sell their own properties

By Kristi Waterworth Most top-producing Realtors, when asked for the secret to their success, might name off a half dozen customer-centric business practices and talk about how they built their career in little steps. Few will credit a $1

By Dan Provost The October 2011 issue of Realtor Magazine reported that in September, Realtor.com had more than 50 million visits. During that same month, Zillow.com saw more than 28 million visits while Trulia.com had more than 21 million

The following report shows websites for the industry ‘Business and Finance – Real Estate’, ranked by Visits for the week ending

By Megan Oster Lori Cromie of Residential Real Estate Services has consistently been a top seller for her office – so when she received zero sales from advertising on Realtor.com for years, she knew there was a problem with

Everybody’s marketing budget is different – what should you be spending yours on to get the most ROI? Marketing Manager Chris Haran gave his opinion as to which website’s offerings are the best deals for different

By Dan Provost The federal government remains one of the biggest instigators of change in the mortgage-lending business. Consider the changes that have hit the mortgage industry since 2008: the Home Affordable Modification Program and Home Affordable Refinance Programs

By Megan Oster The 2012 elections may not begin until November, but Democratic and Republican nominees are already debating two radically different views on what government policy should be for the housing market, with ideas on the Federal Reserve,

A 10.01 percent down payment on a jumbo home loan with no private mortgage insurance required – sound far-fetched for your clients?  Not if they’re doctors who completed their residency within the last three years or medical school residents