AUGUST 2007

FEATURES

WHAT THEY LIKE ABOUT YOU
In survey after survey, more than 80 percent of buyers and sellers say they have a favorable impression of the real estate practitioner they worked with. But our interview with consumers shows how you can improve those favorable impressions by avoiding customer-service mistakes that can lead to lost business.

TECH IT AT YOUR OWN SPEED
Real estate practitioners with different technology comfort levels tell how they’re using two of the hottest technologies today: PDAs and blogs.

DEPARTMENTS

Front Lines

Federal Legislation Congress looks at climate-change legislation

Economy The pundits are wrong

Fast Takes Online brokerage forced to backtrack on home reviews

State Roundup Kansas town obliterated by tornado not forgotten

Washington Report NAR’s president takes safe-mortgage case to Senate

Selling

Video An interactive way to welcome people to your Web site

Sales Shorts Tailgating for sales, network in a box, VIP phone numbers

For Brokers

Risk Management Tighten your policies to protect your brokerage

Companies to Watch Brokerage initiates "Spanglish" outreach

Law

Earnest Money Don’t dissolve accounts without written OKs from all

Judgments Buyer’s agreement end doesn’t cancel commission

Buyer's Guide

Web-Based Software Manage transactions, build tours, and create spreadsheets without installing software

Cool Tools A watch with caller ID; listing business cards

Your NAR

REALTOR Benefits(sm) Earn money for Panama referrals

Column

Point of View Loan fraud hurts everyone

Ethics Buyer’s agents can present offers without crossing ethics rules

A Few Minutes With . . . Financial guru Suze Orman

Online Exclusives

Reasons to Visit Our Site in August

Current Links Check out supplemental information available online, referenced in August articles

In Every Issue

Contact NAR
From the President
Editor's Note
Letters