January 28, 2017
TECH TIPS
Top REALTORS® Share 10 RPR Strategies for Success

Learn how a successful Realtor duo transitioned from a traditional data provider to RPR with unexpected ease and over-the-top performance results. Then see how two agents, each from different markets, combine their local expertise with RPR data and reports to guide homebuyers toward solid, profitable decisions.


Digital Marketing 101 for Agents

Want to expand your digital footprint? Learn from the best!   Sellers can't trust you to market their home if you can't market yourself. Resist the urge to sign up for every social media platform and tool available. Pick one to start with and perfect it. Agents can plug their demographic and home trend data into Facebook.


LOCAL NEWS
December's Bergen County 10K Market Report
 
Most of 2016 offered the same monthly housing market highlights. The number of homes for sale was drastically down in year-over-year comparisons, along with days on market and months of supply. Single Family Closed Sales increased 15.3 percent to 287.Townhouse-Condo Closed Sales decreased 6.4 percent to 162.


NEWS YOU COULD USE
Most Real Estate Pros Struggle to Clock In on Social Media

Social media is no longer an offshoot of a real estate marketing strategy. According to a new survey by RISMedia, the majority of real estate professionals (57 percent) say social media is a "time suck," compared to 43 percent who say it is "time well spent." Forty-five percent of respondents say they spend 0 hours-1 hour per week on social media for their business, while 32 percent spend 2-4 hours.


Responding to Clients: Overcoming Objections on Pricing

This month at the Center for REALTOR® Development, our featured course at 25 percent off is the Pricing Strategies: Mastering the comparative market analysis (CMA) online course, which discusses in detail how to prepare a CMA, how to work with appraisers, and how to guide clients through the complexities of valuation in real estate.


INDUSTRY NEWS
  Urban Land Institute Predicts Positive Economic Changes for New Year

A new presidential term always brings change, especially when it comes to the economy. But despite the doom and gloom of the media, the overall economic outlook for the country and real estate market seems relatively positive, according to a recent Urban Land Institute webinar. During the hour-long webinar held last week, institute experts shared their views on what real estate professionals should expect as a result of new leadership in the White House and the federal executive departments, as well as new lawmakers in both houses of the U.S. Congress.

Fast-growing Technology Sector is Fueling a Housing Boom in Cities Across America

Silicon Valley isn't the only place a tech boom is fueling rising home prices. From Nashville to Raleigh, N.C., Austin to Cambridge, Mass., thousands of high-paying technology jobs are lifting home prices and fueling a boom in construction.


GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES
Where are Global Buyers Searching in the United States?
 
New data from realtor.com® offers more comprehensive reporting to display true market interest of global buyers searching in the United States. The graphs below show the countries searching U.S. properties, and which U.S. cities were of most interest to them.


Economy Watch: Global CRE Investment Forecast for Growth in '17

Investment in the world's largest real estate markets-including major U.S. markets-will probably enjoy considerable strength this year, a new analysis by JLL predicted. In fact, global investment volumes are forecast to rise to about $700 billion this year, up from $650 in 2016. 


LEGISLATIVE NEWS 

Trump Administration 'Indefinitely' Suspends FHA Mortgage Insurance Premium Cut

The recent reduction in annual mortgage insurance premiums for Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-backed mortgages has been "suspended indefinitely," the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced. The cut would have lowered premiums to 0.60 percent, saving FHA-insured borrowers with a closing date on or after Jan. 27, 2017 an average $500 this year.


2017 AFFILIATE PARTNERS


Eastern Bergen County Board of REALTORS | 201.288.5000 | communications@bergenboard.com
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