Josh Austin's (elkhunter1) Blog

I had a dream the other evening.  I was watching CNBC the other night.  A story came on about Countrywide home loans.  The reporter was talking about the proposed company purchase from Bank Of America.  As the reporter was making her point all I could think of was how much trouble Countrywide was...

Well I just went live with HunterOfHomes.com (my website) today!  There are a few bugs to work out and a blog that will be added in a few days.  I wanted a site that was relatively simple and easy to navigate (something my dad could use :-).  If anyone has a chance to check it out let me know wha...

Does anyone have any great ideas to attract investors?  Recently I have come across some great opportunities to purchase some distressed residential properties.  My challenge has been to put together a comprehensive list of investors that may be interested in these opportunities.  I have visited ...

With the ever growing number of short sales and REO properties recently I have a question regarding appraised value.  Will an appraiser look at a short sale or REO in his list of comparible properties?  Is there any different weight given to these distressed properties?  Some of these properties ...

I am currently building a real estate website.  I am curious to see what others view as "must have" on a site.  Also, what is the best website you have been to (real estate or other)?  Do you think Flash is useful or distracting?  Finally, what is the best way to increase traffic to your site?  T...

For Sale By Owners can be a great way to add new listings.  Without being too pushy or bothersome does anyone have any suggestions how to market to FSBO's and set yourself apart from other agents that may come knocking?  Has anyone had success sending mailers, or is a doorstep visit the way to go...

Does anyone have any creative ideas that have paid off for them in personal advertising?  I have heard of paying to run a short commercial ad in movie theaters, holding private screenings, building a float for a local parade, etc.  Is there anything that has worked well for you that is non tradit...

I have heard from a local lender that a home owner accepting a short sale will face the same credit penalty as allowing the property to go to auction.  This seems to be counterintuitive, I have always assumed the home owner might take a hit on their credit but not as much as letting the property ...