MERIDIAN, Ida. - Don Wixom, broker/owner of RE/MAX Advantage in Nampa, Idaho, says that Meridian market continues to maintain the lowest vacancy rates for pre-existing homes in the Treasure Valley. He says this is a testament to Meridian's strength as a place to buy, and is due to a number of factors affecting the Idaho real estate market.

Wixom says that some of the more popular subdivisions in many price ranges are in Meridian, making Meridian more attractive to a wider set of buyers.

"Meridian subdivisions tend to be newer than those in other parts of the Treasure Valley. Schools are great, and amenities like shopping and freeway access are great as well."

He says that the benefits Meridian has going for it mean buyers will pay a little more to live there, but property values have also been much more stable in Meridian than elsewhere.

"Meridian real estate offers a level of safety for home buyers that other areas don't always have, simply because it's more in demand."

Wixom said he's helped many out-of-state buyers purchase homes in Meridian, whether it's someone who is relocating due to a job transfer in the Boise area, or someone fleeing a bigger state like California for a better quality of life.

"Meridian's proximity to Boise real estate, along with its small town feel, are two of the biggest things going for the city. It definitely attracts local and out of town buyers to the area."

"With the current market conditions, it's not hard to find good deals, including Meridian short sales, foreclosures, and traditional home sales."

Vacant Treasure Valley Pre-Existing Home Inventory

Nampa: 37%
Caldwell: 32%
Meridian: 21%
Boise: 34%
Kuna: 32%

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About Don Wixom

Don Wixom specializes in representing his clients in the purchase and sale of Idaho real estate, including residential, commercial and investment properties, covering Boise real estate as well as Nampa, Meridian, Eagle, Caldwell, Star, and Kuna. Since becoming licensed in 1996, he has averaged selling 70 homes each year.

Don’s clients have come to rely in his experience to get their homes sold and to give the best guidance in purchasing a home. Though Don has hundreds of hours in education in all aspects of real estate, he specializes in residential properties. Whether it is single-family homes or multi-family investment properties, this is where his expertise and negotiation skills are most often put to use.

Don Wixom
RE/MAX Advantage
5680 E Franklin Rd, Suite 100
Nampa ID 83687
http://www.sellidaho.com
(208) 880-5039

KEY WEST, Fla. - Florida real estate agent Sean Farrer says that tourism to Key West brings a steady source of home buyers as vacationers are enticed by great home prices to consider calling the island their home. Farrer says that his clients frequently got the idea to buy Key West real estate while vacationing in its year-round warm climate.

"The northern states and Canada get some pretty cold winters, and folks come here to warm up. In the process, they discover that Key West is a really nice place to live."

He says that before their holiday is over, vacationers are often asking him to look at Key West real estate listings.

"Prices are incredible right now--better than they have been in a decade or more because of all the bank owned homes on the market."

Farrer says that not only are there a high number of Key West foreclosures that translate to real estate discounts for buyers, but tourists can get all kinds of discounts from local businesses.

"One of the popular programs for tourists to get Key West hotels cheap as well as discounts on activities like parasailing, snorkeling, and Key West scuba diving, is Gold Card Key West."

About Sean Farrer

Originally from South Africa, Sean Farrer moved to the Florida Keys over 13 years ago. He enjoys helping folks looking for a dream home and an island lifestyle find both in the beautiful Key West area. With previous careers in management and IT services, Sean is very organized with a dedication to customer service that shows in his work with Key West real estate buyers and sellers.

Your time spent with Sean looking for your dream home will be fun and productive, and he’ll provide a wealth of insight for you on the best neighborhoods to match your lifestyle, no matter your age or income bracket.

About Gold Card Key West

The Gold Card Key West program has been offering steep discounts to Key West visitors on activities like scuba diving, snorkeling, Dry Tortugas tours, kayak rentals, parasailing, and many other Key West things to do. The card has numerous participating businesses, including many restaurants for discounted dining while on the island.

Sean Farrer
1201 #101 White St
Key West, FL 33040
305-924-0700
http://key-west-real-estate.net
http://www.goldcardkeywest.com

Amherst, NH - Praxius Technology, a leading real estate marketing technology company based in New Hampshire, is launching extensive real estate social media marketing training for agents and loan officers who collaborate using the company's Lender Agent Collaborative platform.

Fred Doleac, President of Praxius Technology and Virtual Homes Real Estate, says the free training resources are designed to coach agents and lenders alike on how to build their social media profile, an increasingly important focus of online marketing in the relationship-driven real estate industry.

"Our extensive video training modules cover everything from mortgage marketing and SEO to social media marketing on Twitter and Facebook. They are offered for free as part of our Lender Agent Collaborative real estate website platform, which allows lenders to build long term, profitable relationships with real estate agents."

Doleac says that in the past, lenders could focus almost exclusively on the refinance market to grow and maintain their business. With persistently low interest rates, refinancing has slowed significantly, forcing lenders to widen their network of real estate agents to get more referral business.

"The Lender Agent Collaborative platform essentially gives lenders a RESPA compliant way to help local agents get more buyer real estate leads, and in the process, build their own referral business."

He says an essential key to building real estate buyer referrals for lenders is widening both the lenders' and agents' social networks.

"The power of social media is that it's all about relationships. We are teaching our clients how to leverage social media to build profitable relationships."

About Praxius

Praxius Technology is a leading real estate technology company with core competency in real estate website development, lead generation, and RESPA compliant lender/agent collaboration. Praxius is a division of Virtual Homes Real Estate, an independent New England real estate company with agents in 4 states.

Schedule a Webinar

Contact Praxius

Fred Doleac
Praxius Technology
55 Ponemah Road
Amherst, NH 03031
603-732-1800 or 800-856-2479
603-732-1817 Direct
Fax toll free - 888-884-0543

http://praxiustech.com/
http://praxiustechnology.com
http://virtualhomes.com

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Jerry Garrity of First Statewide Realty, who was recently interviewed for a Wall Street Journal article for his expertise in San Jose Property Management, is offering executive relocation tips to companies relocating employees to the Silicon Valley.

Garrity says the experience of two decades in real estate spanning five recessions gives him some measure of wisdom he shares with clients, whether individual investors or companies using his services for executive relocation.

"Often, companies who are relocating an employee think they are saving money by managing the details of the move internally, such as scouting for rental properties, arranging rental contracts, coordinating moving companies, etc. Inevitably, they end up wasting valuable time and money in the process."

He says that one of his first pieces of advice is that time is money, and having employees try to learn the ins and outs of real estate management consumes a lot of both.

"I highly recommend hiring an experienced property management company like First Statewide Realty to take care of the details of an employee relocation. We do this every day. There's no learning curve, we took care of that 20 years ago."

Garrity also says advises companies to view executive relocation services as an investment in their employee's productivity.

"When an employee arrives in a new home amidst the chaos of a move that wasn't well planned, it's our experience that work productivity suffers dramatically. Employees are a valuable human resource, and wasting their time and energy by imposing unnecessary stress on their home life just doesn't make sense."

Garrity says he's available to provide a full range of expert advice on taking the hassles out of employee relocation to companies.

"When an employee is being transferred to a new city, they are already dealing with enough upheaval in their life without adding extra burdens by having them deal with relocation details. We'll take the burden of dealing with their move off of their hands and give them a much easier transition."

About First Statewide Realty

Jerry Garrity is a seasoned expert in property management whose expertise has been featured in the Wall Street Journal and other publications. His professional Property Management San Jose company First Statewide Realty specializes in managing single family homes, condominiums, townhouses and other investment property in the greater San Jose metropolitan area. His Cupertino property management firm has been in business for over 21 years, and is a member of the Santa Clara County Association of Realtors, Silicon Valley Association of Realtors, National Association of Realtors, California Association of Realtors, Tri-County Apartment Association and National Association of Residential Property Managers.

Jerry Garrity
First Statewide Realty
20045 Stevens Creek Blvd.
Suite 2-D
Cupertino, CA 95014
Tel: 408-253-1000
Lic#: 01036982
Email: investments@firststatewiderealty.com
http://www.firststatewiderealty.com

PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland REALTOR® David Somerville says recent housing stats released by S&P and Case/Shiller indicate that continued lower real estate prices in most markets nationwide along with sub-4% interest rates may mean buyers are getting more unprecedented opportunities to buy low. The nationwide study showed housing prices eased slightly in September on a year over year basis, meaning buyers are able to get more home now for less money.

Somerville says the benefit for Portland real estate buyers is compounded by the fact that interest rates on the 30 year fixed mortgage remain below 4%.

"This is truly an amazing time in the market for buyers who can get past the doom and gloom headlines. I believe many homeowners won't see prices this low again in their lifetime."

He says the market may not be good for everyone, though.

"Speculative money has left the market in a big way, but that's mostly a good thing for those who intend to own their home for years. House flippers and other short term speculators could get hurt, but if you want to buy a home and live in it for a long time, this market is a godsend."

Somerville says that in no other time in history have first time home buyers been able to get such low prices combined with low mortgage payments.

"Because of the speculative housing excesses that led to a peak in Portland home prices around 2006 and 2007, the banks still have a notable amount of foreclosures on their books. While the media like to see the negatives in this, it's actually a good thing for the right kind of buyer, especially on luxury Portland real estate and waterfront properties."

Asked what kind of buyer is the right kind of buyer, Somerville says "motivated ones."

"There are a lot of potential buyers held back by doom and gloom headlines. Those who can see the silver lining beyond the headlines are a step ahead, in my opinion."

About David Somerville

As resident of Portland for two decades, an owner of several Portland area investment properties, and 10 years a REALTOR®, Dave Somerville understands Portland real estate from the inside out. He has the ability to see a property’s potential, beyond its current condition and gives the buyer a vision of how a house could fit into their dreams through minor cosmetic changes or remodels. Dave covers all Portland area towns and suburbs, including Beaverton real estate, Hillsboro real estate, Lake Oswego real estate, West Linn real estate, and The Pearl District.

David Somerville
5 Centerpointe Dr. Suite 150
Lake Oswego, OR 97035
503-789-7633
http://www.maxwellsinclair.com