I thought this would be a fun list to post for everyone as a follow-up to my movie-themed post last time. Here are the top ten most memorable real estate agent roles in the movies:
1. Jack Lemmon, Glengarry Glen Ross
2. Annette Benning, American Beauty.
3. Al Pacino, Glenarry, Glen Ross
4. Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor, Superman
5. Kevin Spacey, Glengarry Glen Ross
6. Jerry Blake, The Stepfather
7. Michael Keaton, Clean and Sober
8. Adrienne Barbeau, Open House
9. Josh Mostel, The Money Pit
10. Poltergeist, Craig T. Nelson
I find it interesting that the majority of these roles portray real estate agents in a negative light (albeit great performances). I think its about time Realtors got a better rap in Hollywood!
Who would you add to this list or remove?
For more great top ten lists and tons of other great information, please check out The Real Estate Wiki and if you feel like it, consider adding an entry to help out:)
Here's a fun look at some of the top ten real estate movies of all time following in the vein of my top ten countdown til 2009. Now, any lists are always subjective, these are just a few of the more amusing ones from Amy Hahn.
Which would you add to or take off the list?
10. Neighbors starring John Belushi and Dan Akroyd
Hehe always make sure you meet your neighbors and get a good feel for the neighborhood.
9. The Amityville Horror starring Josh Brolin
Follow your instincts. If you feel weird about a house, maybe there's a good reason.
8. Pacific Heights starring Michael Keaton
If you're renting, always make sure to do a good, thorough background check with references!
7. Open House starring Adrienne Barbeau
Open houses can be scary for new realtors, so make sure everything is planned well in advance and think about hosting a more experienced agent's open house first.
6. Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House starring Cary Grant
Before investing in a house, make sure you get the proper inspections and reviews. Also, even the worst fixer upper can turn into the home of your dreams through hard work and determination, so don't discount that fixer-upper you saw.
5. Poltergeist starring JoBeth Williams and Craig T. Nelson
Always check into the history of the house you're buying or selling, otherwise something unwanted might pop up (or out at you!);p
4. Life As A House starring Kevin Kline
Reminds us of the important role a home can play in our lives and that the right house can make all the difference in our lives.
3. American Beauty starring Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening
In real estate, the better you are at promoting yourself and your services, the more business you'll get and the more authority you'll have. However, be sure to use this authority in a responsible way!
2. Duplex starring Drew Barrymore and Ben Stiller
Always make sure to double check everything and never take anything at face value. If you're a buyer, this means making sure you know all the relevant facts about the home you're buying. If you're a real estate agent, make sure the seller has disclosed absolutely everything and double check it yourself.
1. The Money Pit starring Tom Hanks and Shelley Long
This is a remake of "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House" and carries the same message: always make sure you know exactly what you're getting.
Note: due to the number of excellent comments, I've added additional real estate related movies below for you (and me!) to check out. Make sure to visit the Real Estate Wiki for some more great lists; after all, that's where I found this one:)
Glengarry Glen Ross Moster House Gone With the Wind The Notebook One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest The FountainHead Grapes of Wrath Open House Its A Wonderful Life
And from Stanley Fosha some great movies and quips:
Wall Street - Stocks, bonds, real estate. The art of the transaction as a movie. The Brutal, Blood Thirsty, Battle of the Transaction. I love this film. "What's worth doing is worth doing for money."
Blazing Saddles - Hedley Lamar and his henchman try to steal the land of Rock Ridge for a new railroad. The funniest real estate transaction ever filmed! "Unfortunately there is one thing standing between me and that property - the rightful owners."
Field of Dreams - An entire film devoted to coming up with a mortgage payment. Oh sure, there's some baseball tossed in there, and some land development tips, but this one is about raising the money to pay for the farm. "If You build it, they will come."
Joe's Apartment - Little known. Little seen. Joe's apartment building is going to be stolen by an evil land developer (aren't they all evil?) and Joe fights them off with cockroaches. I've been selling a lot of cash deal properties in questionable areas lately....this one strikes home. "We know where you live. We LIVE where you live!"
Thanks everyone for giving us all something to do over the weekend!
Hello everyone! I hope you all had a great Christmas and have an excellent New Years. Before the New Year, I thought it would be appropriate to touch on some top 10 lists for 2008. The first of these is The Top 10 Titans of the Real Estate Industry in 2008.
Independent Brokerage Companies, Franchise Groups and Real Estate Networks are always ranked on separate lists as it is impossible to really, effectively compare these different kinds of organizations.
The following group of the “biggest of the biggest” (in alphabetical order) combines all residential real estate brokerage types into one list. They are aptly named “The Top 10 Titans of the Real Estate Industry in 2008.”
The criteria in the report was based on metrics such as scale, growth, innovation, internet strategies, industry profile and consumer awareness, among others.
1) Everyone's moving away. Don’t let a home’s curb appeal keep you from glancing down the street. Are there several other homes for sale? Are nearby businesses boarded up or vandalized? Get the scoop from the neighbors. If everyone else wants to leave the street, maybe you should, too - before you’re stuck with a bad investment.
2) Mediocre maintenance. Three layers of roofing and gutters with plants growing in them are signs the owners aren’t big on maintaining their home. What else did they neglect?
3) Foundation failures. Check out the yard grading. If the yard slopes towards the house, it could cause water to run down the foundation walls or into the basement, which will be costly to repair. Scour the foundation for damage. Bulges or cracks bigger than 1/3 inch can mean the house has serious structural issues.
4) Bad odors outside or inside. Take a big whiff of the air inside and outside the house. Do you smell anything funky? If you can’t smell anything but the huge baskets of potpourri all over the house, this could be a red flag.
5) Old or faulty wiring. While you’re probably not an electrician, make sure all the switches and outlets in the house function properly. Flickering lights, circuits that don’t work and warm or hot outlets or faceplates are all symptoms of wiring problems.
6) Fresh new paint. New paint can really spruce up drab walls, but it can also hide bigger problems, like water damage, mildew or mold. If the room smells strange or if you see stains or saggy walls or ceilings, have an inspector look for mold and leaks.
7) Blockades and locked doors. Ask about any rooms that are “off limits” during your home tour, and arrange to see them later if you’re interested in the house.
8) Foggy or non-functioning windows. Check for water in between double-paned windows and make sure all the windows are functional.
9) Structural walls or floors have been removed. Sure you love the open floor plan, but was the house always open or did the homeowners renovate? If they removed a load-bearing wall without adjusting the framing, it can shift weight to other parts of the house. Hire a structural engineer if you think any renovations are questionable.
10) Bugs! No one wants a house with a pest problem - be it roaches, mice or worst of all, termites. Be on the lookout for unwelcome creatures as you tour the house. Even if no foes pop out while you’re there, consider a separate termite inspection if you’re thinking of purchasing the property.
Here are some of the best blogs on real estate search and we happen to agree with them. If you had to choose, which top real estate search sites would you choose as the best for 2008?
Mercer's Worldwide Cost of Living Survey 2008 was recently released. According to the Real Estate Wiki, Mercer surveyed 253 cities across six continents and measured the relative cost of over 200 items in each place, including housing, transport, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment.
Here are the top 10 most expensive cities to live in:
In July 2008 Kiplinger Magazine picked the 10 best cities in which to live and work, researched by Ken Stolarick. They looked for places with strong economies and abundant jobs, then demand reasonable living costs and plenty of fun things to do.
When we ran the numbers, some of the names that popped up made us do a double take at first. So the team at Kiplinger Magazine hit the road to meet the movers, shakers and regular folks, experience the ambience and take in the sights.
Newsmakers are defined as those people that during the previous calendar year 2007 made headlines as individuals, as a result of their actions and leadership of the companies or associations they are involved with.
The Top 10 Newsmakers are selected every year and published in the Swanepoel TRENDS Report.
10. Walter Forbes
Exposed in April 1998, the Walter Forbes white-collar criminal saga came to a close in 2007 when Walter Forbes, former CEO of Comp-U-Card International, was convicted in a $252 million earnings overstatement that caused investors to lose $14 billion. The HFS merger with CUC in 1997 to create Cendant never really recovered from the fraud fallout scandal and during 2007 it actually separated into four separate public companies. In October 2007 the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York upheld Forbes’ 12 years and seven months prison sentence for his conviction of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and two counts of making false statements. He is also required to pay more than $3 billion in restitutions.
9. Allan Dalton & David Lereah
As the former President of Realtor.com, Dalton was seen at most important real estate conventions and events, always championing the “cause” until he suddenly disappeared from the public eye to take up the position of President and CEO of a new business entity under for Move, Inc. The “secret project” that will apparently be transformational for both consumers and real estate professionals is due to be launched early 2008. Joining him in this venture is Dr. David Lereah, who until recently was NAR Chief Economist and had the job of “spin doctor,” making the housing bubble appear smaller and less serious than it really was.
8. Errol Samuelson In 2007 Move, Inc. announced that Errol Samuelson was being promoted to President of Realtor.com. He succeeded Allan Dalton, who has been asked to lead a dedicated team developing a new business venture for Move, Inc. Samuelson will continue to serve as the president of Top Producer, a Move, Inc. company he has been overseeing for the past three and a half years. Soon after his appointment he announced various new initiatives and is rapidly converting Realtor.com – a Web 1.0 technology – to a newer Web 2.0 company.
7. Sherry Chris
Few men (Steve Ozonian comes to mind) and no women have moved so many times in leadership during the last decade as Sherry Chris - from Royal LePage, to Real Living, to Prudential Northern California, to Coldwell Banker and now to the newly revived Better Homes and Gardens brand. And she still remains a highly sought after “leader.” With the last two moves both taking place in 2007 Sherry will now have to show that she is able to build something out of this potentially strong “women focused” brand - BH&G. She has a chance to make real estate history but Real Living (Harley and Kaira discussed above) already have a strong presence in this arena and certainly won’t make it easy for her.
6. Harley and Kaira Sturdivant Rouda
This husband and wife team makes a powerful couple. Barely 12 months ago REALTOR® Magazine named Rouda one of Real Estate’s Top 25 Most Influential Thought Leaders, while Inman News named him one of the Most Influential People in Real Estate. And a few months ago they both received the Corporate Value Award for their ability to continue to create the greatest corporate value for their company through economic, financial, job, organic and acquisition growth. Quietly, yet not quite so slowly, this Ohio based company has moved from a local independent in five years to 200+ offices with 4,000 agents in 20 states. Kaira has also just finished writing a book titled Real You Incorporated: 8 Essentials for Women Entrepreneurs, which is due out in February 2008
5. Steve Morris
Driven, outspoken, bold and immensely focused - the characteristics of most good entrepreneurs – are qualities seen when speaking with Steve Morris. His passion for growing EXIT Realty has no bounds. Like earlier industry entrepreneurs such as David Liniger, Morris believes he can and will change the real estate industry; forever. From the cover of Real Estate Magazine to an in-house produced 60 minutes interview nationally distributed to the industry on DVD, both Steve and EXIT were often in the news this past year.
4. David Charron
Dave has been the driving force in managing and growing Metropolitan Regional Information Systems, Inc. (MRIS). With 65,000 agents MRIS is the largest MLS Boards in the country. In July 2007 he facilitated the merger of the two largest multiple listing services on the East Coast covering 61 counties and more than 30,000 square miles. The region extends north of Richmond, Va., including Maryland, the Greater Washington/Baltimore metro region and into the Greater Philadelphia region encompassing counties in Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey. What makes this even more unique is that under the agreement, MRIS Cornerstone Universal RETS Exchange, known as MRIS CURE, will combine listings from the two MLSs into a single database. MRIS CURE utilizes the Real Estate Transaction Standard (RETS), which allows participating MLS operators to combine their listing content into a single database and still retain full distribution control of their respective content. With this move Charron has shown, at least theoretically, that MRIS has no boundaries and could very well become a major MLS player and influencer as the industry struggles in finding a national solution.
3. Dale Stinton
Although he has only been NAR CEO for a short time, Stinton has harnessed his approximately 27 years with NAR to present one of the most forward looking initiatives in the Association’s history. At a time when the real estate profession is reeling with sliding market corrections he presented a plan to raise annual dues significantly and utilize the funds on programs that will result in significant changes in the real estate landscape. Three segments in particular could result in major changes. 1) Homeowners Data Base - Most legislative positions taken by NAR deal with real property owners’ ability to improve, transfer, market and finance their properties. The proposal to enlist homeowners in the Association’s lobbying and legislative process provides them the opportunity to become involved. This is a clever and potentially far reaching political move. 2) Credit Union - A NAR operated credit union with all members having an automatic membership has many and interesting possibilities. 3) MLS Gateway - The formal proposal of a National MLS database of sorts is very forward thinking and whether or not it will ever materialize its contemplation will spark and accelerate the process of consolidation of MLS’s vendors and boards across the country.
2. Alex Perriello
A 25 year veteran of the real estate industry, Perriello has worked himself up through the ranks at Coldwell Banker to become the company’s CEO and now also President and CEO of the Realogy Franchise Group (formerly Cendant Real Estate Franchise Group). Balancing franchisee needs against shareholder needs is tough, but Perriello together with Richard Smith, Chairman of Realogy, seems to have mastered the art as they continue to expand the largest real estate group in the world. Perriello's leadership during the past year included forming a strategic alliance with the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP), a non-profit 501(c)(6) trade association with nearly 15,000 members, and the re-introduction of the former defunct real estate brand Better Homes & Gardens through a 50-year licensing agreement with Meredith Corporation – publishers of the Better Homes & Garden magazine.
1. Thomas O. Barnett
Confirmed on February 10, 2006, by the Senate as Assistant Attorney General of the Antitrust Division for the United States Department of Justice, Thomas O. Barnett, a Harvard Law Graduate, has decided that the real estate industry needs his help. According to the Antitrust Division the estimated median commission paid by home sellers in 2006 was $11,672, in light of which Barnett plans on removing the barriers to competition that in his opinion will save consumers thousands of dollars in real estate commissions. He even launched a new website in 2007 to educate consumers and policymakers. The website includes maps identifying states with real estate laws that can inhibit competition, a calculator to help consumers tally their potential savings when brokers pursuing new business models compete for their business and links to additional government resources. So is this the first step in Government officially telling an industry what to do?
As we come closer to the end of 2007, I thought it might be appropriate to list the top 10 events that have impacted the real estate industry the most. These events are defined as those occurrences that transpired during the calendar year 2007 that made headlines and captured the attention of the real estate industry.
The Top 10 events are selected and published in the Swanepoel TRENDS Report every year and based upon their potential future impact on the industry rather than only their 2007 impact:
10. Closing Down of Foxtons
Born in the Web 1.0 era, lasting through the crash and surviving with a name change from Your Home Direct (YHD) to Foxtons (foxtons.com), the discount real estate brokerage company filed for bankruptcy in 2007 listing $40.9 million in total liabilities and $488,000 in assets. For many this was an affirmation that the discount model isn’t viable yet, many others see it as just a precursor to a declining real estate market that will still claim the “lives” of many real estate companies, irrespective of the model. But further research uncovered the fact that the closing of Foxtons USA was prompted by the sale of Foxtons UK to BC Partners, a private equity firm, for around £370m ($751m). This transaction specifically excluded the non-profitable U.S. based operations and thus triggered its subsequent closing.
9. CBS’ 60 Minutes Debates Real Estate
The segment on 60 Minutes by Lesley Stahl titled Chipping Away at Realtors' Six Percent became one of the most controversial TV shows about real estate in recent times. She tagged Realtors® 6% commission as “sacrosanct” and gave new business model Redfin a huge amount of free publicity. It was surprising that after pursuing the story for so many months and even discussing the show with the National Association of Realtors® that CBS ended up with such an unbalanced program - even featuring an outdated clip on long-ago-defunct eRealty. However, further research uncovered that numerous hours of recorded interviews with NAR ended up on the editing floor.
8. Guthy-Renker Buys RealtyTrac
Established in 1988 Guthy-Renker, one of the world's largest direct response television companies with sales of more than $1.5 billion per year, surprised the real estate industry in early 2007 with the acquisition of RealtyTrac.com, the leading For Sale by Owner (FSBO) and foreclosure website. Since that date no significant major announcement or strategy has been made. Meanwhile RealtyTrac, already a very large website, continues to enjoy the spoils of the growing foreclosure and FSBO market and is often listed as one of the five largest real estate websites in the U.S.
7. Fidelity Reboots Cyberhomes
With Fidelity National Real Estate Solutions (FNRES) allocating $50 million to the establishment of a consumer portal through previously acquired Cyberhomes.com, it has become the first title company to reach out directly to serve home buyers and sellers. FNRES also announced in 2007 that it would replace Realtor.com in its longstanding relationship with AOL to become the exclusive listings content provider in AOL’s revamped home-valuation and real estate center.
6. MLS Consolidation Heats Up
Consolidation isn’t new but with the strong pressure toward larger and larger MLSs, the DOJ breathing heavily and the growing pressure and ability to create single seat sign-on access, consolidation discussions have multiplied exponentially as MLS talks about mergers and consolidations picked up momentum and statewide MLS systems became the flavor of the year.
5. DOJ Releases Study on Real Estate Brokerage
The industry is taking note as a report by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) stated that they have decided to participate in the transformation of the industry by deciding that certain existing laws, rules and regulations need to be repealed. Their feeling is that as commission fees “do not vary in proportion to changing home prices,” they are considered to be “relatively inflexible” and therefore have in real terms become too high. The FTC is recommending that state legislators and industry regulators should consider repealing existing laws, rules and regulations like minimum-service and anti-rebate provisions that limit choice and reduce the ability of new brokerage models to compete.
4. Google and WEB 2.0
The Web isn’t new to real estate, but after the crash of 2000 some wondered when it would return. Well, 2007 saw its reintroduction as it roared back with vengeance, renewed vigor, new VC funding, new ideas as well as retooled and rebranded pre-2000 companies. And the leader of the pack, Google, is the epitome of the quintessential personification of WEB 2.0. It has become the nexus of all information. With each Google search more data is refined and with each website more information is being stored. This time around the Web is more knowledge, more information and much more power and Google has its hand on the steering wheel. Some have labeled it an average garden variety monopoly while its vast network of servers, now an integral part of the Internet itself, is rapidly becoming a national security infrastructure. Being a techie or nerd is cool again as we are seduced with iPods, iPhones, online digital communities and wikis.
3. Revival of Better Homes & Gardens
Once a popular real estate franchise, this well established brand disappeared off the industry’s radar after being sold by former owner Meredith Corporation to GMAC in the 1997 and the subsequent required phasing out of the BH&G brand. In 2007 Realogy announced the re-introduction of the brand by signing a 50-year licensing agreement with Meredith, which apparently has reconsidered the use of its brand in real estate again; by a company it doesn’t own
2. The Break Up of Cendant and the Creation of Realogy
Now we know what the ballpark price tag could be should someone aspire to buy themselves a major chunk of the real estate brokerage industry. In a transaction valued at $7.75 billion, Realogy was created (as a spin off from Cendant) and sold to an affiliate of Apollo Management, L.P., a leading private equity and capital markets investor. If anyone is still in doubt, rest assured that real estate brokerage is officially on its way to become corporatized and is no longer the last remaining bastion of small entrepreneurship.
1. The Collapse of the Sub Prime Market
If anything dominated 2007 it was the velocity with which the mortgage market came to a grinding halt, pulling down everyone heavily involved with subprime lending. Few were spared with even the 10th largest mortgage lender, American Home Mortgage, filing bankruptcy. When the largest mortgage lender in the U.S., Countrywide, experienced severe cash flow problems it had to be bailed out by Bank of America to the tune of $2 billion. In addition, the company further agreed to refinance or modify up to $16 billion of its loans. The ripples continued throughout the year with companies like Bank of America themselves writing off $3 billion, Merrill Lynch & Co. writing down nearly $5.5 billion and Citibank posting losses of $11 billion.
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
DJ Swanepoel (Real Estate Wiki)
Posted by ![[Focus blur] Long way to the top 2](http://www.sxc.hu/pic/m/r/ro/rore_d/955981_focus_blur_long_way_to_the_top_2.jpg "Top 10 Real Estate Search Sites of 2008 - Photo Courtesy of ror_d")
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