I read a very interesting article on RedFin’s blog this weekend – it mentions that the RedFin team did a usability study and observed the interaction of users with its website. It turns out that with regard to online “branded” (i.e., “banner” ads), the users didn’t even see these ads! Apparently,
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08/25/2008
I was reviewing my website statistics recently and noticed a meaningful uptrend in traffic from MSN.com vs. Google. Don’t get me wrong, Google provides substantially more traffic to my website than MSN or Yahoo do. But, within the past month, I have seen an uptick in traffic from MSN. I think the
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08/20/2008
I’ve gotten a few requests recently to post a list of tips for buyers in the market for REO properties. Specifically, the request was understand the process of how to write offers for these foreclosure properties. After doing a bit of internet research, I came across a clear, comprehensive list f
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08/18/2008
I’ve gotten a few requests recently to post a list of tips for buyers in the market for REO properties. Specifically, the request was understand the process of how to write offers for these foreclosure properties. After doing a bit of internet research, I came across a clear, comprehensive list f
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08/18/2008
I just came across an interesting article in yesterday’s SJ Mercury, Square Feet, which reports on an innovative program in San Mateo County called “HEART” that funds first-time home buyers. To qualify, a buyer must have a household income less than $150K, a FICO score of 680 or higher, and the h
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08/14/2008
I came across a very useful feature of Google Maps recently, called “My Maps”. As the name suggests, it allows you to make custom maps by plotting points, drawing lines, making shapes and annotating on the map. There are some great ways to use this tool in real estate which can significantly help
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08/11/2008
Interesting article in today’s SF Chronicle regarding the impact of workforce commute programs (such as the Google shuttle program) on the various neighborhoods of San Francisco. The example cited is that housing near the various stops of the (free) Google shuttle service has bucked the broader r
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07/25/2008
I recently noticed a very cool feature added by the folks over at Trulia.com – the integration of Google’s innovative Street View imagery found on Google Maps. When you search for a property on Trulia.com, you’re shown an actual street-level image of the property. You can move up and down the str
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07/17/2008
Thought I'd pass along the following useful piece of information - Google is now displaying the listings that you upload to GoogleBase onto its highly popular Google Maps product. Many people are already familiar with GoogleBase, but until now, Google has only shown listings when you type in some
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05/14/2008
For those of you getting lots of interest from potential clients about foreclosed and/or REO properties, I came across a very useful mapping application to guide you. Its from HotPads.com and is a heat map of foreclosure data, with the data broken down by city or even district. The color of the
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04/11/2008
