During the housing boom, loans were easy to come by. After the housing bubble burst, the reaction was extremely opposite from banks: tighten all guidelines. Now, although the market has improved, it can still be a challenge for buyers

  After years of speculation, it finally happened – on Dec. 10, 2013, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), the regulatory agency that oversees government housing behemoths Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, finally had an official director. Indeed, it

Broker associate Karen Karapasha of RE/MAX Westside says that in order to succeed as a Realtor, you must be prepared to do anything to help your clients. While preparing for a closing, Karapasha learned that even though her client

Realtor Christi Borden of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Gary Greene noticed buyer traffic has been consistently strong all year in the Katy/West Houston area. Inventory was so low that it dropped to 0.6 months last April and was

Our Inside Edition features are a chance to dig deep, a way for us to investigate a specific topic in Miami’s real estate market with greater detail and nuance. What Inside Editions proved most popular with our readers? Click

What will happen with housing in Houston next year? We asked several Houston’s industry experts for their 2014 predictions. Houston is one of the fastest growing housing markets in the nation. This year, inventory was at an all-time low,

Cindy Hamann is the branch manager of Coldwell Banker United’s Woodlands office, which represents 100 agents. The office, Hamann said, only has 50 desks – half of the agents work remotely. She has managed the office for 12 years.

When it comes to recruitment, managing brokers need to focus on the overall experience an agent receives while working with their firm. They need to talk a little less, listen a little longer and show a little more. Here

CALIFORNIA: California is the home of the largest MLS in the nation: the California Regional Multiple Listing Service (CRMLS) with 71,000 members. It’s the product of a 2010 merger of Pomona-based Multi-Regional Multiple Listing Service Inc. (MRMLS) with the

According to CNBC, on average, there are 35,000 agents who advertise on Zillow, and they spend an average of $269 a month. But in Houston, listing with HAR.com and the MLS is the way to go – these listings

When Realtor Jo Anne Johnson made the transition from Coldwell Banker United to a boutique brokerage in 2011, she did it to meet the needs of her business. However, as her business grew and developed, her needs changed, and

Changing companies can be a difficult thing to manage in our current real estate market. In the past, you could plan your transition between transactions. However, today, with short sales and home sale contingencies becoming the norm, it is

With questions circling about how the lending industry is changing and what’s staying consistent, agents need to be kept abreast of important changes. From industry trends, to what’s needed to qualify for FHA loans, to changes to jumbo loans,

Technology is constantly changing to become faster, easier and more efficient. We are lucky that we’ll always have the most updated and improved form of technology, but it’s overwhelming to keep updated with the latest trends. It’s important to

Whether it’s an iPad, the Samsung Galaxy Tab or a Kindle Fire, the usage of tablets is growing fast. A study conducted by Staples predicted that there will be 82.1 million tablet users in the United States by 2015. Why should