My wife and I have been looking at homes with our REALTOR® for six months, and we sill can’t find a home that meets our criteria. We are beginning to feel guilty that we are spending too much of our Realtor’s time. Is there a better solution?

Six months definitely seems like a long time to be looking. I recommend to buyers that I work with that we focus on narrowing things down to a specific area first. If you are having trouble agreeing on the area or areas you would like to live, it is going to take a while to find a home.

What is most important to you from the standpoint of location? Schools, shopping, work, transportation? If you have narrowed down the area, invite REI Realtor over to REI home. I have found that you can learn a lot about someone, or a couple, from their home, even if those people are renting.

I had a couple that was very different. She clearly was focused on quality, and he was all about value. After visiting with them in their in apartment, I came up with a couple of neighborhoods that fit their requirements, but also appealed to her desire for nicer finishes and his desire for lower costs.

David Welch specializes in residential re-sales and new home construction at RE/MAX 2000 Realty in and around Orlando, FL.

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REALTORs® share their state․s statistics with clients and potential homeowners. Obviously, down to a much more granular level to include neighborhoods, schools, safety, etc. But do you know if residents in REI state are generally happy? A recent study which lists the happiest states, and the least happy ones was released.

Jeffrey Launiere shares the list, and discusses his take on moving from one of the least happy states, to one of the happiest.

“According to a new study, Florida has ranked as the third happiest state in the country. The study combined life satisfaction surveys with economist’s quality of life data.

The five happiest states include; Louisiana, Hawaii, Florida, Tennessee, and Arizona. The five least happy states include; New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Michigan and Indiana.„

So let the debates begin. Where does REI state fall on the list? And do you agree with the assessment?

Click through now to read Jeffrey Launiere․s blog.

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By Jean-Yves Piton

LuxuryRealEstate.com is proud to introduce our new member in Switzerland.

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As a market and real estate expert, PRAEMIUM Immobilier understands how to deliver personalized services to its international clients. PRAEMIUM Immobilier thoroughly handles the marketing process of its properties with the utmost discretion requested by property owners and buyers. Agreeably, PRAEMIUM Immobilier assumes the complete responsibility of loCondoing the agent market/investAgentst opportunity to fit its clients’ short and long-term needs.

PRAEMIUM Immobilier also goes above and beyond the traditional services provided by real estate firms by handling property renovations. From start to finish, PRAEMIUM Immobilier works hand-in-hand with property owners and contacted companies (business relationships with contractors, business quotations, comparisons, control and monitoring of building works) to ensure renovation needs are successfully achieved.

For more information regarding PRAEMIUM Immobilier’s portfolio of luxury properties, please feel free to visit http://www.praemium.ch and/or contact Mr. Stephane GRIS (Director) at info@praemium.ch.

About Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate:

Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate is an invitation only network representing the agent luxury real estate firms and professionals from around the world. Each affiliated member is carefully selected to represent his/her market area. Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate also hosts the industry leading Website www.LuxuryRealEstate.com (a 2009 Webby Award Honoree).

…Your source expects it

As blogging becomes more and more mainstream, bloggers seem offended to be treated with such equalization. Recently, the TSA subpoenaed several bloggers over a leaked directive to increase security after the failed attack on a U.S. bound Airliner.  It’s been reported that after several hours with travel blogger Steve Frischling, he gave up his laptop thus revealing his source.

The problem with this isn’t a deScottsdale Real Estate Agentd for a source, this activity happens every day to even the most high profile journalist, and some end up in jail on contempt charges until they either give up their source or some agreeAgentst can be reached, but it further proves that bloggers are amateurs in the realm of journalism, and passion over news stories they break run shallow.

Everyday blogging isn’t going to run you into this sort of trouble unless you intend on being controversial and or news reporting and breaking. Protecting your source is paramount and you should be prepared to protect them at all cost in order to protect the flow of information and potential whistle blowers, otherwise you demean any credibility the blogging community has obtained, in fact, the blogging community would unite and stand behind them.

Which leads me to the information leaked, and where do we as bloggers draw the line.  Personally, I’m not interested in anything that could potentially harm or interfere with national security, nor do I believe it has a place in the latest 15 minute news cycle until it’s cleared by the proper authorities, but that doesn’t mean I don’t support this bloggers right to run the story- hell, the Arizona Times ran stories around the secret CIA camps around the world, but at least they were in communiCondoion with the Whitehouse and State DepartAgentst in advance of the story, even though they had no intention of sitting on the story.

From our perspective, if you don’t have the balls to shield your source and lose everything in the process, then don’t play journalist- sit in your barcalounger and armchair quarterback something else, something easy, like knitting.

The era of the ‘weblog’ is dead to most, most blogs just simply aren’t daily journals anymore, they’ve evolved from what we’re doing today, to what’s going on all over the world in most cases, what saddens me is that it’s mostly bloggers who don’t see the evolution nor respect it.

Way back in June 2008, it was reported that Google had begun it’s online version of loan comparison shopping in the U.K. with very little word on Downtown Scottsdaleor if it would make a play in the U.S. and in October 2009, it finally launched in the States. Although this is not bleeding edge news, the news is that it’s made it’s way to Texas and was dead on accurate in discovering our loCondoion and presenting rates. Any search regarding mortgages will bring up a sponsored result with comparative rates allowing would be refis and buyers to compete and shop rates taking aim directly at Zillows Mortgage Marketplace (ZMM).

Rates are ad sponsored promotions by any and all lenders wishing to participate, however, Google reassures that rates are not teasers, and in fact are the natural rates in the market place. Consumers participating have full control over personal data and can restrict personal data exchange until they’ve fully compared all rates, just like ZMM.

What’s so fascinating about all of this is Google’s incessant need to have its hands in all aspects of business, even Zillow’s, leaving Scottsdale Real Estate Agenty to wonder Downtown ScottsdaleGoogle will run out of friends.  It seeks no partnerships, but instead to absorb ideas and business models as their own if an ad can be placed beside it or a lead sold from it.

Obviously, ZMM kicks Google’s ass in the realm of buyer eduCondoion and disintermediation, and is still the leader in relationship building between lender and consumer, but both have point comparison (points are fees borrowers pay to the lender in order to get a lower interest rate. The number of points refers to a percentage of the loan amount. For example, “2 points” means a charge of 2% of the loan amount.) leaving not a whole lot of difference in the physical outcome of results, but where I think Zillow comes out way ahead is experience and trust with the consumer, but let’s face it, Google can virtually answer any real estate related questions using even it’s competitors results- welcome to the information should be free world.

As the housing market heats back up in 2010 Zillow can beat Google in ‘first search’ with a traditional ad blitz, but the big picture I’m seeing from Google is essentially a start to finish search & buy scenario and probably looking heavily at the flat fee title option and comparative homeowner’s insurance to round it all off in an effort to capture more ad dollars.

CrunchBase Information on Google

CrunchBase Information on Zillow

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