Feature: 2009 Annual List Issue

Our annual List Issue is packed with timely tips, inspirational words, and valuable resources to help you succeed during a challenging market. It’s a business resource to last the year. 

Sales & Marketing 

• 4 Questions You Need to Answer Today
• 5 Innovative Ways to Market Yourself
• 6 Questions Foreclosure Buyers Should Ask
• 5 Ideas to Get It Sold Now
• 9 Ways to Beat Negativity

Technology 

• 5 Ways to Master Social Networking
• 7 Questions to Ask When Shopping for a Digital Camera
• 10 Free Web Tools to Make Life Easier
• Real Estate Apps for Your iPhone
• 13 Texting Terms You Should Know

Home & Design 

• Staging on a Budget: Dozens of Tips!
• 6 Landscaping Tricks That Wow Buyers
• 10 Things Every Remodeling Contract Should Include
• 4 Interior Painting Tips
• 7 Steps for Removing Mold from Listings
• Appraiser Checklist: What They Look For

Law & Ethics 

• Short Sales: 7 Legal Pitfalls
• 6 Ways to Avoid Illegal Steering
• 10 Essential Disclosure Rules
• RESPA: Changes at the Closing Table
• Dangers of Broker Price Opinions

Commercial 

• This Year's Promising Property Sectors
• Web Sites for Your Commercial Toolbox
• 6 Signs of a Market Rebound
• 3 Tax Breaks to Take in 2009
• Business Basics: Property Management Primer
• Where to Buy Now
• 5 Things You Need to Know to Manage
• Repurpose Your Skills: 5 Commercial Niches in Demand
• 5 Tips to Get Your Lender to Renegotiate

For Brokers

• Smart Ad Strategies for a Tough Market
• 5 Signs of Depression and How to Help
• Time to Shutter an Office? 6 Issues to Consider
• Working With Gen X and Y: 5 Ways to Recruit and Retain
• 4 Ways to Get Buyers Talking
• 4 Steps to a Successful Brokerage Blog
• 7 Ways to Rein in Costs Now
• The Longest Day: Time Management Tips
• How to Approach a Business Plan Makeover
• 6 Questions to Ask Before Swallowing a Competitor

Real Life

A Stimulus for Sales

The federal government comes through with buyer incentives.

Your NAR: Association News

• Big value in little REALTOR® pin
• Lowe’s offers savings for foreclosure fix-ups
• Tune your radio to NAR

Economy

The proposed U.S. budget limits the mortgage-interest deduction rate for households earning more than $250,000.

Market Pulse

Indexes of recent sales activity and projections for the next six months.

Cool Tools

• Beach-ball publicity
• Shoe-cover dispenser
• Free mobile Web browser

Commentary

April is Fair Housing Month. What are you doing to promote equal opportunity in your community? 

Last Word

Harvard Business School professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter says your confidence can turn around a losing streak. 

Voices

NAR President

Letters from Readers

Editor's Note

At the Web Site: REALTOR.org/realtormag

Open Houses: Capture Clients on the Spot

Here’s your chance to start landing more business from your open houses. Learn the biggest buyer turnoffs and get tips on what it takes to pull off a successful event for you and the seller.

Your Best Low-Cost Staging Tips

Dozens of real estate practitioners sent in budget-friendly ideas for adding pizzazz to listings. Read a sampling of these tips on page 30, and then go online for even more ideas on sprucing up the kitchen, living room, bathroom, and more.

Are You a Good Neighbor?

If you’re committed to improving your community through volunteer work, this is your chance to shine. Download an application for REALTOR® magazine’s Good Neighbor Awards. Five winners receive $10,000 grants for their cause. Deadline: May 22. 

Buyer's Guide: Digital Cameras

Improve your property photos with the latest digital camera models. Peruse this month’s guide for shopping tips and a photo gallery.

Words of Wisdom: Surviving the Downturn

Meet REALTOR® Emeritus Phyllis Waters, a 96-year-old practitioner in Michigan City, Ind., who refuses to let the poor economy drag her down. She tells how she’s kept business humming through the decades—and how you can too.

Architecture Coach: Money Grows on Trees

Healthy trees improve property values, impress buyers, and save energy. In light of Arbor Day on April 24, we’re looking at how trees affect real estate. Also: tips on hiring an arborist.

Daily News Updates: Are You a Subscriber?  

Daily Real Estate News e-mails include information on housing trends, economic data, and links to online extras, such as slide shows and Webinars.

Plus, learn about your association’s new Right Tools, Right Now campaign, offering you hundreds of free and at-cost products, services, and programs to help you through these tough times.