URBALO

Absolutely amazing what people can do with a computer and a little “imagination”. Reading some of my favorite blogs, I came across an interesting article on how a real estate agent in Orlando created a video full half-naked female models and posts it on Youtube with the following question: can sex sell real estate?

Here comes the twisted part, this agent is a private contractor, responsible for all of his own marketing so basically, he can advertise himself the way he wants it. Apparently, his broker found out about the video circulating on Youtube and he is asked to remove the video or simply to resign.

I will post the video, but the video is NSFW(Not Safe For Work), so please be aware of this and handle it properly.

Now, there are at least two-three separate issues here:

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I bet you anything that you would have never guessed……Paris Hilton, that’s right my dear readers, the “Miss I’m not a Naughty Girl Anymore” has found her vocation: she wants to be a real estate investor. When I read this article, I really thought it was Fool’s Day, but then I looked at the calendar, and realized that we’re past that. I mean, really, Paris Hilton wants to stop partying and devote her time to real estate? Hard to believe, and honestly I don’t think anyone took her seriously.

On another note, Mademoiselle Paris is forced to sell her home in the Hollywood Hills and is currently shopping around for a gated community in the high-scale Beverly Hills. The reason? Apparently, “random guys from all around the world just showing up and leaving things.”

I have an idea, she should pair up with Miss Lohan and I’m sure they can watch over each other.

Now back to the real estate issue, since this is still a real estate blog and not PerezHilton.com, would any of you, and I’m referring to my fellow real estate agents, will have the patience to deal with her?

I know the commission would be large, but….is it worth it?

Second question, have any of you dealt in the past with such a “difficult” client?

[source:SmartMoney.com]
IT’S A HOMEOWNER’S worst nightmare: selling your home at a loss. Sadly, with the real estate market slowing, more folks are discovering that, yes, this can actually happen.

The worst-case scenarios are when folks borrowed heavily to buy in at the top or took out big home-equity loans while prices were inflating — two situations that can result in having the mortgage debt exceed the current value of the home. And if homeowners in these situations have to sell, not only will they owe money to the bank, but there could be some unexpected income tax consequences to boot.
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I came across an interesting article on Money CNN and I thought I’ll share it. It talks about real estate blogs and how the technology has changed the real estate market.

[source Money CNN]
“Home buyers and sellers have already seized much of the power once in the hands of exclusively of real estate professionals. But they’re about to get stronger still.

The changes to the real estate industry have come fast, with listings and valuations tools widely available for free on the Internet.
Now, according to many of the participants of Real Estate Connect NYC 2007, a conference devoted to outlining the changes facing the industry, the industry is on the cusp of another technical revolution, one that revolves around that Time Magazine person of the year - YOU!

Real estate blogs, which have been around for a few years, exploded in popularity during 2006. These sites provide a wealth of unvarnished opinion, truths and half-truths about towns and neighborhoods all over the country - the inside dirt on restaurants, schools and crime.

“The rules have fundamentally changed,” said Brad Inman, the host of Real Estate Connect and publisher of Inman News. “Social networking is lifting real estate and in the next 12 months it’s going to overwhelm real estate. It’s been happening since Craig’s List started but it’s only now coming to a head.”

In the past, the real estate industry always had a gate-keeper mentality.

“Brokers prospered by not giving out information,” says Dottie Herman, CEO of New York based broker, Prudential Douglas Elliman. “Clients came to them for information. This takes the industry to a whole different model.”
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