Here We Go Again, DC Empowering the Big Banks (YSP Wars) - 04/29/09 04:32 PM
The same banks that recently used Mortgage Brokers as agents to sell their products are now trying to set an unfair playing field that will ultimately eliminate brokers from the lanscape. 
If passed, H.R. 1728 would turn out to be an Epic FAIL that harmed the consumer and broker while lining the banks P&L...but thats just 'good business' I guess.
Via Novation Mortgage:
Say it isn't so! H.R. 1728 (did not get passed in the Senate the last time)
Let me explain this to you One More Time Brad Miller and Mel Watt. Side question: How does such an obviously beneficial to big … (5 comments)

Behold The Sponsored Post - 04/20/09 05:14 PM
Starting Monday, April 20th 2009 the top position on the ActiveRain Feature Board will be available for paid sponsorship.
Sponsored Posts will run for 24 hour periods, 12:00:00am to 11:59:59pm.
Sponsors are welcome to sell/advertise their products and services in most any fashion they see fit, so long as they coincide with ActiveRains Terms of Use...in other words...no pornography, unauthorized use of copyrighted material etc 
It will be interesting to see how sponsors use this valuable real estate to flex their creative marketing muscles...
Well, that's it!
Contact Chris Martin for pricing, availability and scheduling.
 
… (100 comments)

ActiveRain Launches Automated Network Advertising System - 04/16/09 12:03 PM
On 4/14/09 ActiveRain, under the dark of night, launched it's self-serve, automated network advertising system.  
Here's how it works:
Anyone interested in advertising/sponsoring a 125 x 125 tile ad that will run in rotation on all non-blog pages in the ActiveRain network i.e. Login, Search, Groups. Blogs, My Home...may automatically create a campaign using our self serve interface.  The ads run site wide, there is no ability to target to geographic region or by member type (for now). 
The cost is $299.00 per slot per month, you may cancel at anytime.  There are 95 total available slots, each slot will run … (71 comments)

Survey Says...Realtors Suck - 04/15/09 08:41 PM

The following post is simply one non-conformists opinion, albeit a relatively educated one...Its my hope that my words, cutting as they may come across, cause an epiphany for more than a few...
This entire post is based on The California Association of Realtors 2008 Home Seller Survey (released in July 2008, I just happened upon the PowerPoint presentation a few days ago) but the statistics are just as relevant today, if not more so...Granted this survey is but a snapshot of an industry, yet pictures are worth thousands of words...You can read the entire survey here.  (All statistical references in … (316 comments)