In a relatively uncertain real estate market with lenders exercising strict lending practices, finding qualified home buyers can be daunting. However, there is a pool of qualified buyers who are otherwise neglected: International Buyers.

With a continually expanding global economy, local real estate has the potential of reaching home buyers anywhere in the world. The U.S. real estate market has always been an attractive investment vehicle for foreign buyers, who place emphasis on America’s strong private property rights and historically, long-term market stability.

According to a report by the National Association of Realtors®, for the time period ending 1Q2010, purchases by foreign buyers (those whose main residence is outside of the United States) accounted for $907B, a 4.45% share of the residential market. And although purchases by foreign buyers were reported in 39 states, there was a heavy concentration in California, Florida, Arizona, and Texas.

Furthermore, 55% of foreign buyers are cash buyers, due in large part to difficulties in financing real estate purchases in the U.S. Compare that to 92% of Americans who finance their home via a mortgage.

So how can real estate professionals market to international buyers? Continue reading this post

HomeGain is always working hard to improve our programs – and a new enhancement is now available for AgentEvaluator® real estate agent members!

We are pleased to offer 800 numbers at no additional cost to help AgentEvaluator members keep track of all the calls that go to them via HomeGain.

(Sample proposal shown here with 800 number highlighted in yellow.)

To view a log of calls that come through your 800 number, go to your AgentEvaluator Control Center and look for the Statistics page.

For questions about how this enhancement works, or any other aspect of AgentEvaluator®, call (877) 744-4968 to speak with your HomeGain Regional Manager.

Thanks to a special request made by Max the HomeGain Gorilla, we are having our first-ever Halloween photo competition for our real estate agent members!

What to do: Simply email a photo of how you spent your Halloween — whether it’s dressing up yourself, your kids or dog in a costume, decorating your home or realty, tactfully placing a pumpkin on a client’s home for sale, or your own idea.

(See photo below… who is that chicken?)

What/how you win: We are giving away 4 prizes to 4 lucky agents (see prizes below). All entries will be judged by the HomeGain Blog Team, based on creativity, originality and/or relevance.

Do it by: All entries must be received by Wednesday, November 3, 2010 at 10am PST. (Halloween falls on a Sunday — October 31st — so we are giving you a few extra days to submit your photos.)

Spooky Halloween Photo Sweepstakes Prizes

1st prize: $100 HomeGain credit*

2nd prize: $50 HomeGain credit*

3rd prize: $25 HomeGain credit*

PLUS, a special prize will be awarded to one agent who submits the most fun photo of Max in a costume (choice of a plush Max, a Max bobblehead or a Max mug).

Email your photo (One photo at a time and don’t forget to include your contact info.)

Rules: Continue reading this post

Today HomeGain announced that it is inducting 18 AgentEvaluator® Find A Realtor® club members, bringing the total to 73 inducted agent members this year — and whom together have earned over $6.8 million in gross lifetime real estate commissions. Read the press release.

HomeGain last inducted 27 members into its clubs in July, and is now inducting an additional 18 members (see below for club agents’ names):

• 5 new HomeGain Platinum Club members (totaling 369 agent members who have earned $125k or more in gross real estate commissions from HomeGain leads)
• 7 new HomeGain Gold Club members (totaling 303 agent members who have earned $75k or more)
• 6 new HomeGain Silver Club members (totaling 260 agent members who have earned $50k or more)

“We are pleased to induct these new club members and highlight their remarkable level of achievement,” stated Louis Cammarosano, General Manager at HomeGain.

HomeGain has 26 agent members in its Diamond Club (who have earned more than $500k in gross commissions) and two members in its Million Dollar Club (who have earned more than $1,000,000 in gross commissions).

HomeGain AgentEvaluator Award Club members have earned over $100 million dollars worth of real estate commissions since 1999 when HomeGain was founded. Award Club membership has grown to include 960 HomeGain members.

Newly inducted agent club member comments:

Continue reading this post

I’ve been online tonight reading a lot of different views on Internet Leads.  I keep hearing and reading the same complaint.  “Internet leads are no good because I don’t want to chase the business.”  “They are never serious buyers.”   “I would rather work on referrals and networking”.

It’s interesting because in some ways, not much as changed since I got into Real Estate back in 2001.  I was told then by everyone, don’t waste your money or time on Internet Leads.  As I look back, all of those real estate agents who told me that either never had more than a half dozen sales per year, or are no longer in business today.

So let’s talk for a minute about what they call “chasing the Internet Lead”.

Firstly, chasing and prospecting can be interchanged.  If you are going to make money in this business, you need to understand that prospecting is a major part of this business, at least for those who are successful.  I recently attended a seminar in Las Vegas that had 4,200 Agents attending.  I had talked to probably 50 Agents that sell between 50 and 150 homes per year.  They all had one thing in common: they all prospect daily.  Therefore, they are successful because of the amount of prospecting they do on a daily basis.

So what does this have to do with Internet Leads? Continue reading this post

Many buyers interested in Hawaii real estate are unfamiliar with the term ‘Leasehold’, but it is of critical importance to understand. Most are familiar with real estate ownership in Fee Simple (also known as Freehold), in which a purchaser owns the land and any improvements and fixtures thereon.

However, in a few states, including Hawaii, there is another form of ownership: Leasehold.

When a landowner enters into an agreement/ground lease with a lessee, it creates a leasehold.

The main differences between ownership by Fee Simple and Leasehold are:

•    A leasehold buyer does not own the land on which improvements are located and, as such, must pay a ground lease.
•    The use, alteration, and maintenance of the premises are subject to conditions/restrictions named on the lease.
•    Use of the land is limited to the time remaining of said lease. At the expiration of the lease, either a new lease must be negotiated or the land reverts (and in many cases, the improvements thereon) back to the landowner, in what is called ‘reversion’.

Why would a potential buyer prefer a leasehold property over fee simple ownership? Continue reading this post