This Old House Has 22 Ways to Go Green

The person behind the Coldwell Banker Twitter feed (@coldwellbnkr) passed along this great article about 22 Little Ways To Go Green from the folks at This Old House.

It is a really good read packed with tons of tips. Some of them are a bit obvious (like replacing your shower head to a water-saving one or unplugging your power tool) and some are unique but smart (like putting food coloring in the tank of your toilet to see if it is seeping and you are wasting water!) and some are just good solid tips to avoid waste that you may not have thought about (like mixing all of your drips and drabs of white paint--come on you know you've got them, we all do--into one can and using that to paint your workshop or garage.)

Definitely worth checking out and saving to save a few bucks in waste!

Coldwell Banker's Interactive Billboard in Times Square

In yet another innovative use of mobile technology, Coldwell Banker has launched an interactive billboard in New York's Times Square.

By texting "homes" and the zip code where you are searching to 30241 the billboard will display available homes in that area on the giant billboard.

Here is a demo:

It is a great way to remind people about Coldwell Banker's mobile web optimized home search that I blogged about here.

Pay No Attention to that Man Behind the Curtain!

I read a headline on Inman News today titled: "It's time for MLS consolidation" and I smiled. I couldn't agree with that sentiment more. And in thinking about writing this blog it made me think of the Wizard of Oz quote that I used in the title...the MLS system is a lot of smoke and mirrors hiding some real inefficiencies and head-in-the-sand mentalities

The real truth that most Multiple Listing Service groups (and even most REALTORS) don't want buyers and seller to know is that the clients have greater access to listing information than REALTORS do in some situations.

How could that happen, you ask? Because of bureaucracy, fiefdoms, an inability to see the big picture or at the very least an unwillingness to acknowledge the cold hard fact that time and technology has passed these REALTOR boards and their antiquated systems by.

It used to be that REALTORS held the holy grail of property search. They had, in their offices, a binder with all of the available properties in one easy to find place. So if you were a buyer--or a seller that wanted to have their house seen--you had to go to those offices and seek their counsel.

Then along came the internet...now virtually every house listed for sale (whether it is listed with a real estate agent or for sale by owner) is listed somewhere on the internet. So buyers don't need to come to our offices and prostrate themselves and beg for our assistance; they simply have to do a search on google or go to one or two reliable property search sites like REALTOR.com or Active Rain

The point I want to make, though, is that even though that fact has been shown to the REALTOR associations that run the various MLS systems time and again it hasn't changed the fact that they still believe that they own their listings and don't need any help from anyone and don't need to partner with other MLS's to share information.

That is particularly true here in NJ where just about each county has its own Association and its own MLS. New Jersey is densely populated, but it isn't that large geographically. So it isn't unreasonable to think that an agent in Atlantic City would take a listing here in Jackson. But what happens when that agent does that is, in most cases, they go back to Atlantic City and put that listing in their MLS not the MLS we use here in Jackson. When that happens buyers see the listing on REALTOR.com in their search for Jackson. If they are my clients they call me and ask me for more information...guess what? I don't have any more information than they do, because that agent wasn't thinking and s/he didn't put that information into my local MLS...so all I know about the property is what is on REALTOR.com. Doesn't give my clients much faith that I am a the professional that can assist them does it?

If the MLS's were consolidated (or at a minimum shared their listing information freely among the other associations), no matter where that information was inputted I would be able to see it and assist my clients better. But unfortunately that isn't what happens because the MLS's are afraid to understand the realities and move forward! But PAY NO ATTENTION TO THAT MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN!! I AM THE GREAT AND POWERFUL WIZARD OF OZ!

Tips For Installing Shower Doors Yourself

Before you list, it is always a good idea to finish off those home improvement projects you've been thinking of doing or, more likely, putting off for some time. As I've written about here before there are a fair number of improvement projects that will definitely add enough value to make it worthwhile tackling before you consider selling. Kitchen & Bathroom projects are definitely on that list. In that vain, here is another good Do-It-Yourself article from Inman News:

Shower doors offer choices galore
Installation can be a DIY job if you have the patience
By Paul Bianchina, Inman News

Tired of your ragged old shower curtain? Sick of hassling with that old shower door with the worn track and the missing rollers? If it's time to start thinking about a new door for your shower, you'll find a wide and beautiful assortment of options awaiting you.

Whether you have a tub/shower combination or a dedicated stall shower, there are essentially three different types of doors available:

Horizontal sliding doors: By far the most popular of the door styles is the horizontal slider, which can be used with either tub/shower combinations or with wide stall showers. A horizontal overhead track is supported by two vertical frame pieces at either side of the opening. A pair of doors then hangs from the overhead track on nylon rollers. Both of the doors are operable, with one door sliding horizontally past the other door.
Swinging doors: Swinging doors are designed specifically for use with stall showers of virtually any width. The door is mounted onto a vertical frame using a continuous hinge and swings out away from the shower (shower doors never swing into the shower stall because of the difficulty in opening it to get to a person who has fallen or otherwise become trapped inside the stall). Swinging doors can be hinged to swing in either direction, and for showers over about 3 feet in width, there is typically one or more fixed panels next to the swinging door so that the door doesn't have to be as wide and heavy. Swinging doors are also used in combination with glass panels and a metal framework to make up a corner shower unit.

Accordion doors: Designed for both tub/shower combinations and stall showers, vinyl accordion doors hang on a track and fold up against one wall in small sections. This particular door style is no longer particularly popular, given the difficulty in cleaning all of its multiple panels and parts.

KNOWING WHAT TO LOOK FOR

When shopping for a new door, you have more options than you probably realize, primarily in color and style. Your first priority is to look for a door with a good solid frame and heavy-duty rollers, hinges and other hardware. The glass is required by law to be tempered, and doors with acrylic panels are no longer allowed in most areas. Be sure and look at a full-size, operable example of the door you're interested in before you buy it.

The basics aside, the choice comes down to one of appearance. For the frame color, you'll have a choice of chrome -- typically the least expensive -- gold-tone, white, almond and a variety of other colors. For the glass, the least expensive option is opaque or frosted, but you'll also have a choice of clear, smoked, bronze-tinted, or clear or frosted glass panels with any of a variety of etched pictures. If you opt for clear glass, there are little shower squeegees you can use to quickly remove water from the glass after your shower, which helps greatly in preventing a buildup of water spots.

Some glass shops also offer doors with custom etching. You can bring them a picture, message, logo, or other artwork, and they can have the art etched into one or more of the doors or panels. This will obviously add to both the cost and the ordering time.

THE INSTALLATION OPTIONS

You've got two options here -- do it yourself or hire it out -- and the choice is directly influenced by your level of patience. Installation of a sliding or swinging shower door set requires the assembly of the frame and its installation in the shower, followed by the hanging and adjustment of the door(s), sealing of the frame, and installation of the weatherstripping.

Most shower doors are available in kits for the do-it-yourselfer, and contain all of the necessary hardware and instructions, usually with the exception of caulking or sealant for sealing the frame in the opening. Typical tools you'll need include a screw gun, hack saw, level, caulking gun, and a couple of different sizes of drill bits -- including masonry bits if you're installing the frame against ceramic tile.

Shower doors are sold through most glass shops, as well as home centers and larger hardware stores. Given the number of options, you'll probably only find the most common sizes and colors in stock; others will typically require a special order and, depending on the style and color, will take anywhere from a couple of days to several weeks for delivery.

Interesting news from Coldwell Banker

Coldwell Banker's YouTube channel is getting a good initial response...




COLDWELL BANKER ‘ON LOCATION’ YOUTUBE CHANNEL
DRAWS A CROWD

Immersive YouTube Channel Now Most Viewed in Real Estate Industry;
Attracts more than 200,000 Visitors in First Month and Features 1,700 Localized Videos

PARSIPPANY, N.J. (June 23, 2009) – In just one month since its launch, Coldwell Banker “On Location,” an innovative branded YouTube™ channel focused on real estate search and insights, has reached the milestone of more than 200,000 visitors to the site. Designed to offer consumers a new way to search for and interact with real estate information, listings and local insights via video, the channel currently features more than 1,700 videos (1,300 of which are new since the site launched), that highlight behind-the-scenes looks at towns and neighborhoods, smart tips and timely news on real estate topics, and video listings of homes for sale.

Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC launched On Location in May 2009 becoming the first brand to fully tap into the power of video. Since its launch, On Location has been among the top ten most-viewed brand channels on YouTube and is the leading real estate brand page on the site.

“The response we have seen since the launch of On Location has been tremendous and it is a confirmation that video truly is the way of the future for real estate,” said Michael Fischer, senior vice president, marketing, Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. “The Coldwell Banker sales force has already uploaded more than 1300 original videos with many, many more on the way. We are proud to lead the industry with an online resource that provides consumers with information to help them through the home buying and selling process.”

Two areas of strategic focus set Coldwell Banker On Location apart from other real estate Web sites. First, it showcases the power of video to bring real estate more vividly to life – offering behind-the-scenes looks at towns and neighborhoods, smart tips and timely news on real estate topics, and video listings of homes for sale. Second, content posted to On Location has a strong emphasis on local information and insights, so consumers can dig deeper into the areas of the country that interest them most.

Fischer noted that the channel is continuing to grow with content being added every day. “As more and more videos are uploaded, On Location will become an even greater asset to consumers. It has the potential to be the Web’s richest array of real estate video content, and the results we have seen thus far prove that we are well on our way," he said.

To create On Location, Coldwell Banker Real Estate closely collaborated with both YouTube, a Google subsidiary, and Google to develop a customized framework and user experience. In addition, On Location is the first branded YouTube channel to use dynamic IP lookup to search for videos, which automatically serves up local results when visitors first hit the site.

Development of the On Location site was a collaborative effort by Coldwell Banker interactive agency partners, FD Kinesis and Bootstrap Software, Inc.

To see a video about Coldwell Banker On Location please visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1AKZDhUrLY



YouTube is a subsidiary of Google Inc.

About Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC
Since 1906, the Coldwell Banker® organization has been a premier full-service real estate provider. In 2008, Franchise Times magazine’s prestigious Top 200 issue ranked the Coldwell Banker system No. 1 in real estate for the ninth straight year and 12th among franchisors in all industries. The Coldwell Banker System has approximately 3,500 residential real estate offices and more than 101,000 sales associates in 47 countries and territories. The Coldwell Banker System is a leader in the industry in residential and commercial real estate, and in niche markets such as resort, new home and luxury property through its Coldwell Banker Previews International® division. It is a pioneer in consumer services with its Coldwell Banker Concierge® Service Program and award-winning Web site, www.coldwellbanker.com. Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC is a subsidiary of Realogy Corporation, a global provider of real estate and relocation services. Coldwell Banker® is a registered trademark licensed to Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. Each office is independently owned and operated.



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Coldwell Banker's New Ad Campaign

I like the new Coldwell Banker ad campaign.  Of course I am biased, but I am very happy that CB is such an innovative company when it comes to technology.  Being a tech-geek myself, I like the fact that they have iPhone optimized sites and are actively Twittering and using other social media.  

Now that they have firmly planted themselves in the social media space, it is only right that they let people know they are there by way of their traditional advertising.  

Here's the ad: 

Did You Know? Credit Scores Fact vs. Fiction: Installation 2

Round Two of information provided to me by my contact at Coldwell Banker Mortgage to assist buyers in separating the FACT from the FICTION in credit scores and lending... 

Fiction: The credit score on my consumer credit report should be the same as the one the mortgage company returns.


Fact: When mortgage companies order a credit report the credit bureau will include a “mortgage adjustment” that is factored into your score. These adjustments are not controlled by the mortgage lender, but by the credit bureaus themselves. This adjustment takes a your past mortgage history into account and will reflect accordingly in the credit scores returned to the lender. For example, a customer with an extensive clean history of mortgage payments will have a different adjustment than a customer who has never had a mortgage in the past.

Fiction: There is nothing I can do to fix errors on my credit report.


Fact: If you have errors on your credit report you have the ability to file a dispute with the credit bureau to correct the erroneous information. You can go to www.annualcreditreport.com and obtain a free copy of your credit report. You will need to submit documentation supporting your claim that the information reported is erroneous, and the credit bureau has 30 days to confirm the information and update the repositories.

Fiction: My score will drop if I apply for new credit.


Fact: If it does, it probably won't drop much. If you apply for several credit cards within a short period of time, multiple requests for your credit report information (called “inquiries”) will appear on your report. Looking for new credit can equate with higher risk, but most credit scores are not affected by multiple inquiries from auto or mortgage lenders within a short period of time. Typically, these are treated as a single inquiry and will have little impact on the credit score as stated above.

Fiction: A poor score will haunt me forever.

Fact: Just the opposite is true. A score is a “snapshot” of your risk at a particular point in time. It changes as new information is added to your bank and credit bureau files. Scores change gradually as you change the way you handle credit. For example, past credit problems impact your score less as time passes. Lenders request a current score when you submit a credit application, so they have the most recent information available. Therefore by taking the time to improve your score, will put you in better position to get approved for a loan.

Tips for Buying Foreclosures

This is a handy introduction into the landscape of buying foreclosure properties for investors.  

Here is a little snippet from the article that sets up who this is aimed at: 

“This is a market where somebody who does their homework can save significant money on a home purchase and create a nice investment opportunity on a longer-term basis,” said Rick Sharga of RealtyTrac.com.

This comes from CNBC's 2009 Spring Real Estate Guide.  It is a pretty good collection of pieces on how-to's and do's and don'ts.  Suprisingly, even the guide to selling on your own is pretty even handed (which you aren't going to hear very often from a REALTOR :-) ) giving you reasons why you may want to do it yourself, but also reasons why you may need advice of an expert.  

There are a few other notable items in the Guide worth checking out, too, such as: 

• Vacation Homes Still Work for Some
  
• Wading Through The Mortgage Maze