Agent Benefits of Using CSS

Provided By: Showings.com

 

Agent Benefits of Using CSS

• More showings on your listings because CSS listings are easier to show
• Increased feedback for showings on your listings
• Enhanced communication with your sellers
• CSS is open 33% longer than standard real estate offices
• Increased exposure for your listings
• Get more listings using CSS as a listing tool
• Instant notifications of showings on your listings via email and/or text messages
• CSS ‘Listing Announcement’ notifies showing agents of changes to the property
• Using CSS is like having your own personal assistant to set showing appointments
• Customized “branding” of your reports with your logo and picture
• Call one number to schedule multiple appointments
• Easily reschedule and cancel appointments
• Professional and courteous customer service representatives dedicated to your call
• Sellers can approve or decline showings via text message using ‘Text2Approve‘ feature

Q&A Centralized Showings

Provided By: showings.com

 

What is CSS?

Centralized Showing Service (CSS) is the nation’s premiere residential real estate showing service. CSS provides a single phone number in each market we serve for all real estate agents to schedule showings for their buyers.  Having one phone number to call is far more convenient for all REALTORS® in the area.  CSS is also open 33% longer than traditional real estate offices.  Our hours are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.  Additional hours, better efficiency and more convenience may mean more showings and additional prospective buyers which can then turn into faster sales!

 

What are your hours of operations?

Call Center operations are Monday through Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Sundays from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

 

How does CSS get my listing information?

In most CSS markets, CSS obtains your listings directly from your local MLS.

 

What is a Listing Announcement and/or Email Announcement?

This Showings.com feature provides the ability to notify all REALTORS who have previously shown a CSS listing of any changes to the property.  If the seller improves the property (e.g., repainted interior walls, replaced carpet, installed new fence, etc.) listing agents using the Listing Announcement feature easily notify and request that all showing agents give the listing further consideration via a group email through Showings.com.  This is an additional opportunity to make a good impression. 

 

What is Text2Approve?

This Showings.com feature provides sellers added convenience by allowing them to receive text messages on their mobile phone when their CSS listed property has a showing request. Upon receiving the text message, sellers can respond back with YES or NO to setup or decline the showing. That is a simple, convenient and time saving courtesy that sellers appreciate.

 

How can I get the CSS App?

The CSS Mobile App is available for Apple, Android and BlackBerry mobile devices.  CSS members can download it for FREE by visiting their mobile app store on their mobile device.  Manage your showings wherever you are.  Create appointments, give and get feedback, manage listings and showings from your smart phone or tablet.

 

I forgot my CSS Login and/or Password. What do I do?

On the home page of Showings.com, click on the "LOGIN" link in the upper right corner.  The "Forgot Password" link is located under the user name and password fields.  For security reasons, you will be required to provide your name and/or other information.

Did You Know! Centralized Showing Service

Provided By: showings.com

Established in 1996, Centralized Showing Service, Inc. (CSS) was the first company to address the issue of home showing inefficiencies in the residential real estate community. Since our inception, CSS has become the largest and most successful company of its kind. CSS currently schedules over 15 million showings per year and has over 130,000 REALTOR® members in over 70 markets across the U.S. Our membership includes everything from, independent agents to large companies to entire REALTOR® Associations and MLS board-wide services.  CSS has operations in Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, Kansas City, Raleigh,NC and Charlotte,NC. 

The success of CSS has grown out of our commitment to provide REALTORS® a quick, courteous and professional way to schedule their showing appointments. Our state-of-the-art website reporting and feedback collection systems augment our high-quality, personalized service.  In each market, our goal is to provide a single number for all REALTORS® to call  when scheduling their showing appointments. CSS provides agents the ability to schedule 10 to 12 showings in less than 5 minutes through our convenient call centers or even easier through the newShowings.com website and mobile app.  This ease of scheduling appointments through CSS makes our members' listings more attractive for co-op agents to show!

This Week In Credit Card News: Data Risks For Travelers, Growth At Small Banks

Provided By: forbes.com


A weekly summary of the top credit card stories that appeared in major publications across the country.


Data Security Begins with the Traveler
Criminal hackers gravitate to some hotels because, like retail stores and restaurants, hotels do many credit card transactions at a local level, where centralized and highly sophisticated data security safeguards may be lacking. Most hotels are locally owned, though managed by big hotel chain companies. For hotel owners, it is expensive to come into full compliance with the tough global data security criteria set by the credit card companies. Cybersecurity threats are increasing as quickly as businesses can implement measures against them. The threat is constant. The best protection is vigilance, and that takes work,” he said. That includes using complex passwords, being wary of public Wi-Fi, updating antivirus software and checking credit card statements carefully. [New York Times]

Smaller Banks’ Loans Growing Faster Than Larger Rivals
There has been a sharp surge in loan growth at little banks. The move has opened up a wide gap in loan growth between smaller banks and large ones. Small banks saw annualized loan growth of more than 6% in the second quarter, compared with less than 2% at the 25 largest banks, according to research by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Inc. As long as regulatory uncertainty remains, big banks will continue to be at a disadvantage, according to bank analysts and executives. [Wall Street Journal]

Credit Card Confusion: How Do I Earn Those Rewards?
It’s a strange contradiction. Credit cards that offer rewards are more popular than ever. And yet, many people who have these cards don’t really know how they work. They aren’t sure how to maximize the points, miles or cash rebates they can get by using them. A recent study found that just 59% of the customers with a rewards credit card feel they “completely understand” how to earn rewards, down from 66% in 2012. Even more surprising, 33% of these cardholders say they are unaware of the benefits associated with their rewards card. [NBC News]

Huntington Bank to Launch Consumer Credit Card
After a long hiatus, Huntington Bank is getting back into the credit card business. It will launch a consumer credit card that allows customers to choose among rewards in 13 categories or low interest rates on their revolving balances. The move reflects the trend of banks setting up one-stop shopping experiences for their customers by offering a wide assortment of financial products. By not having its own card, Huntington essentially has been allowing its customers to form relationships with other card-issuing banks. The new card marks the first time Huntington will issue and service credit card accounts since 1999, when it outsourced those functions for its $585 million portfolio to Chase Manhattan Bank. [Wall Street Journal]

Bank of America to Discontinue Cruise, Merchandise Rewards on Power Rewards Card
Bank of America will soon stop offering cruises and retail merchandise as redemption options for Power Rewards account holders. The bank notified cardholders of the changes in a letter and a notice on its website. Cruises, activities, tours and retail merchandise will no longer be eligible for point redemption. The changes are effective in October. Cardholders can still redeem points for the discontinued items this month. A bank spokeswoman says cruises and retail merchandise were the least popular items for cardholders to redeem points for. BofA surveyed customers and determined exchanging those options for more hotel choices and gift cards would be preferred. [Charlotte Business Journal]

CFPB Warns Companies to Investigate Credit Report Errors
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is cracking down on companies that supply information to consumer reporting companies. This should make it easier for consumers to get reporting errors resolved. The CFPB issued a notice today that says these companies–called “furnishers”–are responsible for investigating consumer disputes forwarded by the consumer reporting companies. Furnishers must review all relevant information provided with the disputes, including documents submitted by consumers. [LowCards.com]

How to Stop an American from Charging
The only people in Britain who still have or try to use mag-stripe cards with a signature are foreigners. In theory, this is not a problem. Credit card companies insist that businesses that take their cards accept “any valid card.” So mag stripe, chip-and-PIN, chip-and-signature–it shouldn’t matter to the merchant. The trouble for American travelers arises in large part because many merchants have had it drummed into their heads that if they don’t verify a PIN at the terminal, they could be liable for a chargeback if the customer disputes the charge. This is mostly false. Under their agreements with their banks, merchants commit to using the best available security–so if a chip-and-PIN is available, but not used, they could be held liable. But if it isn’t, then accepting a signature card—with or without a chip–is no riskier for the merchant than accepting a chip-and-PIN. [Wall Street Journal]
LowCards.com Weekly Credit Card Rate Report

Based on the 1,000+ cards in the LowCards.com Complete Credit Card Index, the average advertised APR for credit cards is 14.39%, slightly higher than the 14.38% from last week. Six months ago, the average was 14.32%. One year ago, the average was 14.36%. [LowCards.com]

Best places to live: Where homes are affordable The Colony TX

Provided By: CNNMoney.com

Median home price: $135,863

Median family income: $89,308

Set on the shores of Lewisville Lake, The Colony is ideal for outdoor types. There's bass fishing, boating and swimming on the lake, as well as hiking, biking, picnicking and golf in the parklands around it. The town is so fitness-oriented that it's been designated as an SI Sportstown by Sports Illustrated, in recognition of its athletic programs.
The Colony also enjoys a wealth of housing options, from one-bedroom apartments to lakeside mansions. Whatever the choice, it's bound to be reasonably priced. Cute two-bedroom starter homes are available for less than $100,000 and nice four-bedrooms can cost as little as $135,000.

BlockAvenue relaunches as CO Everywhere

 Provided By: inman.com

BlockAvenue, which started as a real estate-focused neighborhood information site last year, has relaunched as CO Everywhere with an iPhone app that surfaces location-based info from Facebook, Twitter and hundreds of other apps.

 

Users draw a circle on a map in the app and then it surfaces all the recent Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Yelp, Groupon posts — and many others — from the app’s 1,400 sources, and displays them in a feed.

 

As part of constantly iterating on BlockAvenue “we were pulling apart (application programing interfaces) and the quantities of social data and social conversations that we were able to harness by location was astounding,” CO Everywhere co-founder and CEO Anthony Longo told Inman News.

 

“The big rock that we uncovered was social data,” Longo said.

 

For example, Longo said, he was able to participate in the recent Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake concert at Fenway Park in Boston even though he wasn’t there thanks to the near-live video, real-time tweets, Instagram posts and others he surfaced through the beta version of CO Everywhere.

 

“It gives a deep connection to a location,” he said, and “the ability to see a place through everyone’s eyes.”

5 Mistakes Buyers Make in a Hot Market

Provided By: trulia.com


 While home prices are nowhere near their peak of 6 or 7 years ago, the nationwide data is clear: the housing market this summer has been hotter than at any time since the recession:

• The Census Bureau just revealed that new home starts rose 6.9% in June to their highest level in four years - up 23.6% from a year earlier.
• In April, home prices rose for the first time in seven months, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller home price index.
• The number of home sales pending rose 9.5 percent year-over-year from June 2011 to June 2012, as reported by the National Association of Realtors.

Given this rapid turn of the market, what’s a buyer to do? Maybe take a new approach to prepping for the hot market house hunt. To that effect, I submit that savvy buyers will find more pitfall-preventing power in learning what not to do. Inspired by the last time we had a market heated up by short times on market, low inventory and multiple offers, here are five hot market mistakes home buyers should avoid making:

1.  Acting out of desperation.  Deep inhale - aaaaaand exhale. It’s extremely easy to get caught up in the lightning-fast pace at which the great homes come on and off your local market, growing panicked and even desperate - especially when you see ‘just-right’ homes go from 'New' to 'Pending' status before you can even get an appointment to see them!

But know this: desperation has no place in a home buying transaction. Panic does nothing but cause people to make impulsive and otherwise unwise decisions, ranging from talking themselves into a home that isn’t quite what they really want, to paying way more than they can truly afford to spend (see #s 4 and 5, below).
If you’re in the market for a home, and your local market is so hot it’s causing you to feel freaked-out, panicked or overwhelmed, remind yourself that:

• There are probably hundreds of homes in your neck of the woods that will meet your needs. When one goes off the market, another is on it's way on.
• There is no ‘perfect’ home.  If you didn’t get that one that seems like ‘the one,’ then, by definition, it’s not ‘the one.’
• Every home you see or make an offer on, and don’t get, equips you with a better understanding of the market, putting you in a better position to get the home that will eventually be yours. In life generally, I believe every experience is either a stunning success, or a successful education. Look at the homes you miss out on as an opportunity to get a successful education about the market.

Desperate is bad.  Urgent, however, is good. If you know, for example, that single family, 3+ bedroom homes, near downtown under $400,000 move very, very quickly, then act on that knowledge:

• Ask your agent to notify you as soon as they hear of homes coming on the market that meet your needs - even before they are on the MLS, if possible.
• Give your contact information to the listing agents at Open Houses similar to what you’re looking for and ask them to drop you a note if they get similar listings.
• As soon as you see a new listing that seems like it might work for you, go see it - don’t wait for the weekend. And if you see a home and really like it, make an offer without further ado.  

2.  Hesitating. What’s worse than seeing great properties come and go before you can get out to see them?  Seeing them go into contract after you view them, but before you make your own offer. When the market is hot, often buyers who have been sitting on the fence or simply window-shopping for ages will stumble into a great Open House and decide that it’s time to make an offer, only to realize that their loan approval has expired and it will take a day or two to get a new one. At the other end of the spectrum, buyers who have just started house hunting can come across a home they love, but drag their feet in making an offer because (a) they’re used to a slower-paced market, so don't recognize the urgency and (b) they aren’t 100 percent sure something better won’t be coming right along.

On a hot real estate market, hesitation can be costly.  You can end up in a multiple offer situation where you would have been the only offer a few days prior, or can even end up losing out on a property entirely because another, more decisive buyer swoops the place right out from under your nose.

Morals of the story: Make sure you maintain a current loan approval in place at all times - in fact, I say you shouldn’t be out house hunting if you don’t have a current loan approval.  And, for those new to the house hunt, go Open House hunting even when you aren’t completely in love with the listings you’re seeing online. Once you’ve seen a good number of homes, you’ll have more material against which to compare every other home you see, making you less likely to dither before making an offer when you do find a good one.

3.  Ignoring the market entirely.  I’m not an advocate of making your decisions about whether and when to buy or sell based on what’s happening in the market. Rather, I recommend making your real estate decisions based on what’s happening (and what you forecast and envision will be happening in the next 5-10 years) in your family, your career and your life.  

That said, when it comes time to execute your decision to buy, it’s foolhardy not to take market dynamics into account.  I’ve seen many a buyer over the years decide to stick their heads in the sand and their ears in their fingers, tuning out all of the market ‘noise’ as though it doesn't apply to them.  Unfortunately, in a hot market, this usually results in them getting beat out for 5 or 10 different houses, then having the emotional kneejerk reaction of throwing every single dollar they have at the next house they fall in love with - whether it’s the right house or not, and whether they can truly afford it or not.

You don’t want to fall under the panic-inducing spell of the market, but neither do you want to ignore it. Rather, ask your local agent to help you pay attention to neighborhood-specific information, like:

• which types of properties move quickly,
• how many days they generally stay on the market,
• whether multiple offers are a reality you need to face, and
• how much over-asking homes like the one you want are selling for.

Then, use this information to make strategic decisions about your home buying process, covering everything from which properties and areas you’ll focus on, how quickly you’ll need to get out to see listings and - most importantly - what price range you should focus your search on.  If you know homes are selling for over-asking, engineer your search price range to be low enough that you can be successful, rather than exclusively looking at properties priced at the top of the range you can afford.

4.  Financial fogginess.  Don’t run the numbers in your head.  Don’t ballpark your income, the big bills and such on a notepad, stick your finger in the wind, and decide you can afford X number of thousands of dollars a month for a home. Home buying is the big leagues, financially speaking, so you need to be sparkling, crystal clear on precisely what you can afford. This universal truth of home buying is especially critical in a hot market, where you may be faced with the need to make decisions about whether to increase your price range or your offer price on relatively short notice.

Either keep an income/expense journal, use an online money app like Mint or Manilla or sit down and do a deep dive into your last few months’ checking and other account statements to get a complete picture of what you can afford and to get conscious about what sacrifices might want or need to make.
It is not overkill to bring your tax advisor or financial planner into this conversation, so they can help you understand how your tax situation as a home owner may change, freeing up some extra monthly budget room for your mortgage, property taxes, insurance and HOA Dues or Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI), if applicable. Also, make sure you include line items for your savings, retirement investing, gifts, school tuition, travel and recreation - the sorts of things that lenders will not account for when they tell you what their guidelines say you can afford.

5.  Overpaying.  There are several ways to overpay for a home.  You could pay more than the place is worth, which is difficult to do if you are buying the place with a mortgage loan which requires an appraisal. You could pay more than you need to in order to get the property, which sometimes happens to buyers in multiple offer situations, and buyers who have experienced the trauma of losing out on home after home, and who just decide to make a high offer to get closure and secure a place they like. Whether any price meets this second definition of ‘overpaying’ is difficult to ascertain, as it would require us to know what would have happened in the hypothetical world in which they didn’t offer such a high price and so, might not actually have been the successful buyer.

The antidote to both these forms of overpaying is simple: pulling the comparables before you decide what to offer.  It only takes a minute, your agent will help you, and it’s just not prudent, in 2012, to decide on an offer price without a fresh pull of the sales data on the similar, nearby homes that have recently sold.  If your agent includes active and pending sales in their pull of the comparable data set, you may also find out useful information like whether several other competitive properties have just hit the market, or that all of the competition is now pending - things that might also inform your motivation levels or price strategy.

And there is a third, more insidious form of overpaying that haunts hot market buyers as well: paying more than you can truly afford for a home. It’s fine, even expected, that if you thought you were buying into a depressed market and instead end up buying in a hot one, you might have experienced some upward ‘creep’ in what you’re willing to spend for a home. But that doesn’t excuse letting that creep go beyond what you can truly afford, overextending yourself.  

This form of overspending is also more difficult to do now than it was before the housing market recession began, as lender guidelines a much tighter now than then. But it’s still possible - especially as lenders don’t account for what you should be putting aside for savings, for retirement, for your children’s education and other essential monthly budget items that impact what you can truly afford to pay for a home.  

The only cure for this form of overspending is for you to both know (see #4, above) and to set in stone what your actual, top-line maximum home purchase price is - even if you are the only one who knows this number, in your own head. Your mortgage professional can help you work backwards from the amount of cash you have to invest in the transaction and the maximum amount you can devote to your housing costs on a monthly basis, to arrive at your maximum home purchase price.

Long story short - if you’ve been pondering the prospect of buying a home for long, you might feel like you’ve been sitting in the economy section of an emotional rollercoaster. Prices fell so fast you might have doubted whether buying makes sense at all. Now, with barely a plateau, they’re on the upswing - and every other buyer in town seems to be dropping offers on the choice homes before you can even get out to see them.  Use these tools to avoid repeating the mistakes of the last generation of homeowners.