Real estate is a dismal business these days. There isn't a lot of very good news to go around. It isn't all bad reports on that front though. It turns out that United States of America home values are rising, if only marginally, for the last few consecutive months. The Case Shiller Price Index monitors home prices across 20 U.S. cities. Homes sold from the end of May to the end of June 2010 had an increase in rates, and also the two months before did too. Great news is hard to come by in real estate. It is one of one of the most negatively affected markets during the economic recession.

Small climb in house rates

Standard and Poor's Case Shiller price index, which tracks real estate activity in 20 cities, has showed a gain in home prices within the second quarter of 2010. Home prices increased by 4.4 percent, according to the New York Times, over second quarter of 2010. The first quarter didn't go so well. Prices fell 2.8 percent. Also, home prices for second quarter of 2010 are 3.6 percent higher than for second quarter of 2009. Rates rose 1 percent during July.

The fine print

Along with the rise in home prices, sales are trending downward. The homebuyer tax credit helped to keep sales going. However, sales began to fall off once the credit lapsed. Home prices are likely to fall soon, also. Nevertheless, not all is lost. Karl Case, the economist who the index is named for, as outlined by Bloomberg, thinks you will find some positives within the new data. Case believes that the market is going to take an additional year or so before it stabilizes and begins to improve.

Much better than bad media

The homebuyer tax credit was only a finger in the dam. It provided an artificial and only momentary boost to house sales and home prices. True activity in real estate can't resume until there isn't anything keeping activity moving upward or down. There is some consolation in that things are better than last year.

Further reading

Bloomberg

bloomberg.com/news/2010-08-31/karl-case-sees-a-lot-of-positive-stuff-in-housing-price-data-tom-keene.html

NY Times

nytimes.com/2010/09/01/business/economy/01econ.html?partner=rss and emc=rss

The housing market peaked and is now in a decline with fewer people interested in buying a home. For those who own a house and want to sell it for whatever reason, they are finding it very difficult to do so. Despite using realtors, having open houses, and putting the property on the market for a long time at a reduced rate, some homes are just not selling. This is where a house swap comes in. Rather than trying to sell your home, you could put it up as a swap and move into someone else's house, eliminating the need to coordinate the purchase of a new home in addition to selling your current one.

A house swap is not necessarily a quick solution, though. This is a big step and it hasn't been done by a high number of people so the lack of statistical information may put some people off. The hardest part is really about being able to find a home that you really want, which has an owner who also really wants your property. Matching up those two different and unique needs takes quite a bit of luck. The successful home swaps tend to be two opposites. A homeowner in a big city who wants more land may more easily find someone who owns a place in the country but is looking for a life in an urban environment.

When endeavoring to permanently swap your house, it is advised that you take precautions. All experts recommend closing transactions on the same day, usually through simultaneous transactions. This prevents situations where one person gets stuck with two properties. It is also advised that you and the other person consult with real estate agents so that any property issues can be identified and dealt with by professionals. A home inspection is also recommended, as is a financial check to ensure that you are able to afford purchasing the new home.

A house swap is a possible solution to your selling and buying woes, though it's not an easy one. It does provide you with an alternative approach to dealing with the real estate market in its current state, and if you're comfortable using the internet for sizeable transactions then you shouldn't have any issues looking for a trade partner. Regardless of how comfortable you are, make sure that you involve a legal professional to avoid any problems that could occur.

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Due to the current financial crisis, the housing market has been in turmoil for well over a year and, as a consequence, there has been an enormous growth in home repossession - many of these end up at auction. Repossessed houses sold at auction typically go for anything between 20% -50% less than their market price, meaning they pose extremely good value for private buyers and investors as well.

Although there are some horror stories concerning repossessed houses being inhabitable or having no kitchen and bathroom, most repossessions are in a good state of repair - they are simply houses taken back by the bank after their owners could no longer maintain reimbursement on their mortgage.

If you are planning to buy a repossessed house at auction, look out for the property section of your local paper: estate agents sometimes advertise such houses and call interested parties to bid. Also, you can subscribe to a property auction mailing list; the company in question will then send you details of following auctions, either by post or via e-mail.

Below are some tips on how to successfully buy repossessed property at auction:

* Be prepared by doing your research beforehand: if you are unfamiliar with property auctions, visit a couple to get well acquainted with them. The auction catalogue will feature all properties in the auction, with {detailed description|description} and guide price, and conditions of sale: these are legally binding, so make sure you read thoroughly

* Always visit a house you are interested in before the auction takes place - do not rely on the catalogue description. You will need to see the building with your own eyes to make sure it is in good state
. It is necessary that you get an inspection done on any house you are interested in, in sequence to identify structural problems if there are any.

Primelocation.com can provide you an idea of how much similar properties sell for in a particular area, so you can bid accordingly, and upmystreet.com can provide you general information about an area, such as crime levels, socioeconomic background and amenities.

* Be sure of your budget prior to the auction and do not exceed this. You can get easily carried away with bidding in the auction room, but it is important to stick within your budget for affordability reasons. If you are not sure that you do so, consider taking somebody with you to the auction or get an auctioneer to bid on your behalf.

* Bidding at auction: you will be able to get access to a selling pack regarding any properties you are interested in, and this will hold details of local authority and environmental searches, leases, title deeds, and fixtures and fittings form (outlining all fixtures included in the sale).

If you are purchasing a house for rent, it is important to know a little bit about the area you will be purchasing into. First of all, it is important to choose an area where the rental market is particularly strong, e.g. towns or cities with hospitals and major universities usually have a considerable number of tenants.

* Arrange finance or a mortgage prior to the auction: If you bid on a property and win the auction, then you are legally required to pay a 10% deposit on the day and complete within 20-28 days. If you cannot complete within this time you will lose your deposit, so make sure you have the required money in place.

It is important to also take into account the cost of any renovation works needed, as well as any other associated costs, such as solicitor’s fees, insurance, and stamp duty. For properties costing over £175,000, stamp duty is 1%, 3% on properties in the £250,000-£500,000 bracket, and 4% on property worth in excess of £500,000.

Michael O’Flynn, head of content for FindaProperty.com, states:

‘In recent years auctions have become an increasingly popular way to buy and sell property; so much so that the number of flats sold at auction annually has increased by 40% since 2000. Over the same period, the number of houses sold has increased by 30%.

Provided you know what you are doing, auctions can be a great way to make a quick sale and the perfect place to pick up a bargain.

The lack of mortgage finance and a rise in the number of repossessed properties means that this trend will probably continue in the coming year.

However, buyers with little experience should approach the auction room with caution. Seek professional advice, set a limit beyond which you will not bid, and be sure to do the due diligence before you enter the auction room. Once the hammer comes down you have only 28 days to complete - so be sure you have the finance in place and know exactly what you’re bidding on’.

Agents and brokers need more effective real estate marketing strategies in view of the sluggish housing market and the economic crisis.  The situation is even made more difficult because of the presence of other real estate agents and brokers.  Therefore, marketing strategies that are more effective that those being applied by the competition are crucial and this could be attained through an organized  real estate marketing system.

Being a professional in your relationships with potential buyers is one of the most important real estate marketing tactics.  They have to be convinced first that you are credible right from the beginning and you can do this by ensuring that you are presentable and that you are on time during appointments.  You also have to make sure that you follow through on your promises.  Your email messages, flyers and mailings have to appear professional and offer the various information that are often required by prospective buyers.

Knowing the effective use of social networking sites in the Internet is another important real estate marketing technique.  These networking sites allow you to develop relationships with a huge number of people.  However, you cannot simply join these sites and then start selling to them.  You need to become known in the online communities first and prove your reliability as a resource person when it comes to the real estate market.  You can explain to your friends in these social networks about your kind of work and how you could assist people in finding the properties that they want.  It is important to ensure that your discussions will focus on them and not yourself.  It is acceptable to inform them about a deal that you have just completed but tell them how your client had benefited.

You may also apply pay-per-click (PPC) advertising as one of your real estate marketing strategies.  While this requires a much bigger expense, its results can become evident more quickly when compared to the social networking tactic.  It is the search engines that offer PPC advertising services and you can bid for those keywords that you have determined to be appropriate for your niche.  The idea is that when the keywords that you are focusing on are used by a Web surfer, the search engine will also display your ads alongside the unpaid search engine results.

Of course, a vital real estate marketing strategy is the use of a website.  This will need a much larger budget but it is necessary for those who really want their businesses to grow because you can present your listings through the Internet, particularly through an automated system like the IDX if you want to get the best results.