Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Things go better with persistent branding

pepsi vs coke

I saw this image a few days ago and like most designers I found it interesting. Even though the image here cheats a little (Coca-Cola logo looked different in early days), it shows in a glimpse how persistent branding gives a more stable image to the company.

It also shows two mistakes you often see in branding:

  • Copying the industry leader, or being obviously inspired by him, which is pretty much the same…
    In its early days, Pepsi seemed to be very eager to give its product the same kind of branding as Coke, not sure it’s the best way to differentiate yourself from the industry leader.
  • Using a time-sensitive item in your logo
    In 1950, Pepsi used a bottle capsule that has been abandonned afterwords. This is quite risky in terms of branding, since obsolete objects will force you to do major redesign to get rid of it.

This is a great article for all of Century 21!!!

Posted via web from adoberealty's posterous

Monday, October 26, 2009

Feared flood of foreclosures in California may be averted -

Feared flood of foreclosures in California may be averted

Lenders are working with struggling borrowers to keep them in their homes in an effort to keep a glut of foreclosed properties from further depressing the housing market.

foreclosure

Bidder Elvis Yu, right, copies down a list of available properties at an auction of foreclosed houses at the Los Angeles County Superior Court in Norwalk. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times / October 20, 2009)

By Peter Y. Hong

October 21, 2009


Signs are emerging that a much-feared escalation of California home foreclosures may not happen, as banks respond to government pressure and scale back their repossessions of troubled properties.

Statewide, the number of homes taken back by lenders dropped sharply in the three months ended Sept. 30, falling 37% over the same period a year earlier, when foreclosures were at an all-time high.

If the trend continues, it will give momentum to the fledgling recovery in the housing market. Although home prices appear to have bottomed out in much of the state, industry analysts have cautioned that a glut of foreclosed properties coming on the market could send values plunging again.

"I certainly don't think there's going to be a deluge, or second wave of foreclosures," said UC Berkeley economist Kenneth Rosen, who believes federal officials will do whatever it takes to see the backlog of foreclosures clear gradually. "There's now an appetite to make sure we get this right."

Hundreds of thousands of Californians remain at risk of foreclosure because they can't make the payments on their homes. Yet lenders are now more willing to give borrowers time to catch up with their payments, partly out of concern that more foreclosures will further depress the housing market -- and the value of their inventory.

"It's not out of the goodness of their hearts," John Walsh, president of MDA DataQuick, which provides real estate research, said of lenders' reluctance to foreclose. "It's because they've concluded that flooding the market with cheap foreclosures in this economic environment may not be in their best financial interest."

Bank of America Corp., one of the nation's biggest lenders, said the slowdown in foreclosures could be attributed to efforts to "exhaust every possible option" to keep borrowers in their homes.

"We do not hold foreclosed properties off the market," the bank said in a statement. "We have an obligation . . . to prepare foreclosed properties for market and sell them as efficiently as possible."

Others believe that big lenders and government officials are operating under a tacit agreement: Keep a lid on foreclosures.

"I don't think people are saying it to each other, but they're seeing it's in nobody's interest to have mass foreclosures," said Richard Green, director of USC's Lusk Center for Real Estate.

Banks pushed to the brink of collapse in 2007-08 by the explosion in loan defaults have been propped up by the government's $700-billion Troubled Asset Relief Program. In turn, the government has put pressure on lenders to find ways to keep struggling borrowers in their homes -- or face more aggressive action.

One possible club would be a law to allow borrowers to have loans adjusted or forgiven in Bankruptcy Court, a process known as "cramdowns."

"If there's so much as bad news on the foreclosure front, members of Congress will again start talking about bankruptcy cramdowns," said Sean O'Toole, chief executive of ForeclosureRadar, a firm that sells loan default data. "We're probably pretty close to the level of foreclosures we're likely to see going forward."

According to information released by MDA DataQuick on Tuesday, 50,013 homes were foreclosed upon in the three months ended Sept. 30, down from 79,511 for the same period in 2008.

Default notices -- the first step toward foreclosure -- jumped 19% to 111,689. But the fact that foreclosures are not rising at the same pace as defaults is evidence that banks are being more lenient.

What's more, default notices for the most recent quarter declined 10.3% from the previous three months, another sign that the tide of foreclosures is ebbing.

California has an estimated inventory of 90,000 foreclosed properties, according to ForeclosureRadar, along with more than 140,000 other properties scheduled to be auctioned.

With thousands more properties still slipping into default, it could take years to clear the backlog of foreclosures, but exactly how long will depend on how aggressive banks are at pushing homes into foreclosure and on the strength of the housing market.

Because relatively few homes in default are being repossessed, however, foreclosed homes have been selling at a reasonably quick pace. It typically takes banks seven weeks to sell a repossessed house, said O'Toole of ForeclosureRadar, but at the end of September lenders had a foreclosure inventory equivalent to a roughly five-week supply of homes, he said.

In the last three months, about 125,000 homes were sold in California. About 40% of those were foreclosures, down from nearly 60% in early 2008.

The slowdown in foreclosures can be seen each weekday morning on the steps of the Los Angeles County Superior Court in Norwalk, where several companies put homes up for auction in the final step of the foreclosure process.

On a typical day, auctioneer Brenda Mitchell spends about an hour talking to herself. The law requires her to read the addresses of homes whose auctions that day have been postponed by lenders, often at the last minute.

One morning this week, Mitchell read the cancellation list aloud from the screen of a laptop computer hanging by a strap around her neck. Those who came to bid on houses ignored her as they waited for the auction to begin; of the 800 homes scheduled for sale, 600 were canceled.

The Congressional Oversight Panel, created last year to monitor taxpayer bailout funds, has urged the administration to consider additional anti-foreclosure programs. The report criticized current loan modification efforts, which typically lower monthly mortgage payments, because such plans don't cut the total loan amount. That leaves too many homeowners "upside down," or owing more on their mortgages than their homes are worth.

Data from First American CoreLogic show that about 35% of Los Angeles area home mortgages are upside down.

Another proposal being considered by the Obama administration would encourage banks to sell distressed properties to investors who would agree to rent the home to the previous owner. Such an arrangement could save lenders the expense of foreclosing a house. Because rents today are relatively low, a homeowner probably could manage the rent payment.

Joseph Lenihan, an investor from Palos Verdes Estates, rents two foreclosed homes to their previous owners. Lenihan bought one of the homes this year for $160,000 and rents it to the former owner for $1,500 a month. The rent is more than Lenihan's mortgage and less than half the previous mortgage payment on the home, which was bought for $450,000 in 2005.

Lenihan said he was ready to buy more such homes to rent to current occupants if only the homes would be put on the market rather than stuck for months in foreclosure limbo.

"A whole lot more of that can be done if banks release more" homes, he said.

peter.hong@latimes.com

Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times

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  • Posted via web from adoberealty's posterous

    Tuesday, October 20, 2009

    October 20, 2009: Update on Tax Credit and Health Reform

    Posted via web from adoberealty's posterous

    Friday, October 16, 2009

    Easter Seals Bowl-A Thon!!


    Your contribution makes it possible for Easter Seals to offer services that help children and adults with disabilities achieve their goals and live more independent, satisfying lives.

    On 10/24/2009 Charity-minded bowlers can spend a fun-filled afternoon (11AM- 1PM) raising money to support local Easter Seals Services at a tournament hosted by Century 21 Adobe Realty.

    Our office goal is to collect at least $5000 dollars for Easter Seals. We are now collecting donations! Our player goal is to collect a minimum sponsorship of $100 dollars or more per player but any donations will be accepted.

    Email: Hector@Century21.com or Call 818-338-1117 for more information.


    Thursday, October 15, 2009

    Increase Traffic to Your Home For Sale: Ask a REALTOR® | REALTOR.com® Blogs

    Posted via web from adoberealty's posterous

    How to Take Your Social Networking to the next level - Business Networking - Biznik

    Posted via web from adoberealty's posterous

    Tuesday, October 13, 2009

    Buying Your First Home In 8 Steps (PDF)!

    If you’re renting and have a stable job with some savings, and a credit score in the high 600 range, you can likely qualify for FHA or conventional financing at historically low rates!


    Posted via web from adoberealty's posterous

    Century 21 Mortgage

    A recent Wall Street Journal article about the first-time homebuyer tax credit cautions buyers under contract to wait until after closing before purchasing appliances, furniture or similar items on credit.1 The article notes that some mortgage lenders are running credit reports on closing day, and even an additional credit inquiry (let alone a purchase) may raise a red flag that could require additional documentation and potentially delay closing.

    At Century 21 Mortgage®, we know how important it is to make the mortgage process easy for you and your customers, and to close on time. In keeping with that commitment, here are some insights you can share with your buyers regarding how lenders view credit to ensure a smoother mortgage experience.

    Lenders need to know: can your customer afford the payment? Before offering a loan, the lender examines debt-to-income (DTI) ratios. If a buyer under contract takes on additional debt, then that could change the ratio—potentially making the mortgage unaffordable. That’s a situation that both lenders and buyers want to avoid.

    Lenders make a loan offer based on 3 to 4 months banking history. By looking at your customer’s bank statements over several months, a lender has a pretty good idea where your customer’s money comes from and where it goes. An unusually large withdrawal or deposit before closing may require further documentation, so the lender knows the customer isn’t accumulating additional debt.

    Lenders want to know the customer’s track record at paying their debts. That’s where the credit rating comes in. If a new credit report is pulled before closing, it suggests that the consumer may be looking to acquire more debt—and this could jeopardize the affordability of the mortgage.

    In summary: For buyers under contract, credit purchases and credit inquiries can raise red flags, prompting a lender to ask for additional documentation. A buyer’s best bet is to work with a lender who will take the time to offer professional guidance and explain up front exactly what they need to do to close on time.

    Century 21 Mortgage is a lender that you and your customers can trust to do just that. Your local Mortgage Advisor is available to provide additional insight into the mortgage process—and to help your eligible buyers take advantage of the first-time homebuyer tax credit. Contact your local Mortgage Advisor today, or call 877-C21-MORTGAGE (877.221.6678).

    1. Wotapka, Dawn. “Want the Home Buyer Tax Credit? Don’t Shop for Furniture,” Wall Street Journal, September 21, 2009.

    Tuesday, October 6, 2009

    CENTURY 21 Real Estate Honored for outstanding achievement in search engine marketing and innotative technology.

    CENTURY 21 Real Estate Honored for outstanding achievement in search engine marketing and innotative technology.

    CENTURY 21 News Release Oct. 5, 2009

    PARSIPPANY, N.J. (Oct. 5, 2009) – Century 21 Real Estate LLC, the franchisor of the world’s largest residential real estate sales organization, is proud to announce its Web site, century21.com, was honored with an Online Advertising Creativity Award from the OMMA Awards, and a WebAward in real estate excellence from the Web Marketing Association.

    “These awards underscore the effectiveness of our interactive marketing effort and our commitment to providing an enhanced online experience for our consumer,” said Bev Thorne, senior vice president of marketing, Century 21 Real Estate LLC. “Our digital strategy continues to drive results and deliver value to CENTURY 21® System members. Since last year, we have driven 65 percent more leads to our franchisees, while decreasing our cost per lead by 50 percent.”

    The OMMA Award, which reviews submissions across all industries, honored Century 21 Real Estate for its search engine marketing work with MediaCom Search, a division of GroupM Search. Century 21 Real Estate was honored for having the best search marketing for paid search. CENTURY 21 Interactive Marketing optimized its paid search functionality through a sophisticated consumer segmentation strategy designed to better connect with consumers by honing in on where they are in the purchase cycle. CENTURY 21 and MediaCom Search also received a Stevie Award this for this same campaign in July.

    CENTURY 21 Real Estate’s receipt of a 2009 WebAward recognizes innovative technology offerings and an enhanced customer experience via century21.com. Since its re-launch last year, the site has been updated with more innovative tools to further demonstrate the CENTURY 21 System’s leadership in the online space, including Talks, an online consumer forum, and Open House Planner, an easy to use online tool that enables you to personalize, simplify, and organize your open house plan. This marks the second consecutive year that century21.com received an award from the Web Marketing Association.
    About Century 21 Real Estate LLC:
    Century 21 Real Estate LLC (century21.com) is the franchisor of the world’s largest residential real estate sales organization, providing comprehensive training, management, administrative and marketing support for the CENTURY 21 System. The System is comprised of more than 7,700 independently owned and operated franchised broker offices in 66 countries and territories worldwide. Century 21 Real Estate LLC is a subsidiary of Realogy Corporation, a global provider of real estate and relocation services.

    ©2009 Century 21 Real Estate LLC, A Realogy Company. CENTURY 21® Is A Registered Trademark Licensed To Century 21 Real Estate LLC. An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Each CENTURY 21 Office is Independently Owned and Operated.

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