Broker Beat – February 2011

In This Issue:

• The Year Ahead for the MLS
• Good News for Mobile Subscribers
• Greater Bay Area Market Report
• National Housing Outlook – 2011
• Housing Industry Readies Mortgage Tax Break Fight
• MLSListings Announces New Leadership
• Outreach Unveils New Training Courses, Format
• Best of the Web–How to Customize the New Facebook Profile
• Best of the Web–The New Normal:Social Media Demographics
• Stories for Clients–Don’t Sabotage Your Conforming Loan
• Stories for Clients– Remodeling and ROI

2011: Bringing Our Value to YOU

2010 was a year of significant uncertainty for real estate. Agents and brokers braced for the piñata’s blow as federal economic reports and predictions swung wildly, and tax reform advocates boldly declared everything ‘on the table’, regardless of consequence—placing even the mortgage interest deduction at risk.

An increasing crop of consumer sites flush with advertising cash furthered their advance on audience share by adding new bells and whistles—while tacking on disclaimers, leaving homebuyers confused or uninformed about the importance of reliable data.

Social networking usage reports offered staggering statistics on the exponential rise in relationship marketing opportunity, but very little guidance and even less instruction on how anyone other than a technophile might go about capitalizing on the medium.

Despite the many challenges, the facts remain: it’s still an excellent time to get into the housing market. According to the Pew Research Center, 80 percent of homebuyers still believe owning a home is a smart long-term investment. Mortgage rates are at historic lows. Pending home sales rose in four of the last five months, according to NAR’s chief economist, Lawrence Yun. Reuters reported on January 5 that a majority of the nation’s small businesses plan to hire in 2011, and that December’s new-hire numbers were the highest on record, tripling forecasts.

As an MLS, it’s our job to preserve, maintain and enhance our unique value to our subscribers, taking into account both market conditions as well as the wants and needs of our customers. This issue of Broker Beat details just some of the many initiatives we are working toward this year on your behalf. We’ve also enhanced this newsletter, adding a new section featuring consumer articles you can share directly with your agents and clients.

I look forward to hearing from you about these projects, and other ideas on how we can best serve you as the industry’s most timely, accurate and cooperative resource for real estate professionals.

Regards,

James Harrison, RCE, CAE
President and CEO
MLSListings, Inc.