I have been doing a lot of reading lately regarding the pros and cons of holiding Open Houses in this market where buyers can view interior and exterior features online at  anytime and in a market where there is so much inventory.  I found this Boston.com article to cover the entire spectrum of broker opinions.  I may have to agree that there are considerable limitations of hosting Open House, I think, however, that hosting an Open House early on in the Marketing of a new property has benefits and potential.  You may be "appeasing" your seller client and may be entertaining nosy neighbors but as a Broker that has sold properties at Open Houses over the years....you just never know.

Thought this article from the Wall Street Journal was quite interesting citing the trend of buying a new home and bailing on the old one which has depreciated in value. Anyone interested in weighing in on the ethical aspects of this "buy and bail" trend? If indeed, any of you believe there are any.... Anyone seeing this in their marketplace? You can certainly see this trend growing and perhaps creating sales opportunities but.......Read the entire article at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121314811278463077.html?mod=fpa_mostpop

Recently, I went to the marathon 12 hour continuing education program to complete the hours that I needed to renew my license in Massachusetts. Hard as I try, I can never seem to get my act together to take the more prudent and leisurely route of single classes at a time. Anyway, I never really expect to gain a whole lot from the classes that are offered. I really tend to consider it a day I simply pull off the calendar every two years. Well listen to this... I actually learned something. I was (along with my classmates) completely unaware of the extent to which properties and individuals are being scrutinized by the insurance industry and the potential impact that it can have on some of our sales. Log on to www.choicepoint.com. It is a database that has been created to share our personal and property insurance claims. This information is taken into account when our clients are obtaining binders for homes they have purchased. Big deal, maybe yes, maybe no. I checked with my Insurance Agent about the potential of past claims effecting future coverage rates. The example I gave him was water damage but there are obviously countless others. His response to my inquiry was,

"A past claim history for a particular property could effect the buyers ability to get coverage. This would be an issue if the past claims indicate some continuing defect or extra risk associated with the property. Your example of past water damage causing future mold problems could be a reason for an underwriting to shy away from a risk. The insurance costs get substantially higher if standard coverage is not available and coverage has to be obtained through surplus/excess insurance carriers (or organizations such as Lloyds). Those rates are not as regulated and basically they can charge what they want."

In some cases, I am led to understand that the consequences of unusually larger than expected insurance rates have disqualified buyers and cancelled closings. At the last minute-no less. YIKES!! I am also led to believe that Massachusetts is somewhat behind the times on this and that those of you practicing in other parts of the country are already dealing with this situation. Are contingencies of "no more than x insurance rates" commonly used? Do sellers obtain insurance price ranges prior to listing? I'd really love to know. Please share your experiences with all of us. Thanks

Below are tips to help improve your online visibility among the major search engines by updating your Blog Page Title and Keywords.

1) Login to your account
2) Click on "Blog" tab
3) Click on "Edit Blog Settings"
4) Update the "Blog Title" and "Keywords for Search"

This "Blog Title" area provides an easy option for you to get creative with the way your MyAgentBook blog is indexed by the search engines. This area can include your name, your business name, keywords, etc. Having the "Blog Title" in place will help increase the chances people will visit your page via targeted search engines queries.

Does your real estate expertise focus on a certain keyword, topic or geographical region? If so, consider using those as options for your Blog Page Title.

Ex: Jane Doe - Realtor in Detroit, Michigan
Ex: Real Estate Marketing Tips by John Doe