How to Attract Buyers Even if You Don't Have a Listing

By Craig Proctor

An agent approached me the other day with a problem. He wanted to work with buyers who were looking for homes in a highly desirable area of his marketplace. Most of us have such an area where the homes are worth more, and thus the commission earned is higher. In my marketplace, the areas are called Glenway, Stonehaven and College Manor. In this particular agent's marketplace, the high demand area was called Ruby Hills. Read the rest of this article.

Which listing agreement do I use?

I have a seller who wants to sell an unimproved residential lot. What listing agreement should I use?

The choice of listing agreement depends upon the likely buyer’s intended use. Since a buyer will probably use the lot for residential purposes (e.g., to build a home), the residential listing agreement (TAR form 1101) would appear to be the best choice. The listing broker could delete those matters that would apply to improvements or add a statement indicating that the property is an unimproved lot in the Special Provisions paragraph. Either of these alternatives would tend to eliminate confusion by the seller.

It should be noted that these same considerations would apply to the choice of a listing agreement if the likely intended use of a buyer of an unimproved property would be for commercial or farm and ranch purposes.

Learn how a Legal Defense Fund victory upholds Texans' property rights

Listen to the latest Texas REALTOR® Update podcast and hear how the Legal Defense Fund helped a Richardson REALTOR® uphold property rights for all Texans. No matter your comfort level with technology, it’s easy to listen to Texas REALTOR® Update:
Click here to listen to Texas REALTOR® Update on your computer. If you have problems listening to Texas REALTOR® Update on your computer, check out these troubleshooting tips.

Or subscribe to Texas REALTOR® Update, so it automatically downloads to your iTunes or other audio file-management program.

Read about the topics discussed on this episode, or visit the podcast archives to listen to past episodes.

New "green" standard adopted

The International Code Council, which develops the building safety codes used to construct most residential and commercial buildings, approved a National Green Building Standard. The new standard provides guidance for safe and sustainable building practices for all residential construction. The standard's rating system allows builders, designers, and communities to choose the levels of high-performance green buildings that best suit their needs. Key provisions include: land conservation, rainwater collection, construction of smaller homes to conserve resources, improved indoor air quality, and homeowner education on proper maintenance and operation to maintain a home's green status.

Obama announces Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan

President Obama this week announced his plan to help 7-9 million families avoid foreclosure by restructuring or refinancing their mortgages. The Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan contains three main elements:

1. Government-sponsored enterprise refinancing for responsible homeowners suffering from falling home prices
2. Three-year $75 billion initiative to reduce monthly payments for 3-4 million at-risk homeowners
3. Supporting low mortgage rates by strengthening confidence in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
   

Review the details of each element in this NAR Governmental Affairs Update.