My 16-year-old is learning to drive, but not from me. That’s because I — at least according to my nauseatingly law-abiding wife — am something of a highway menace. And I can live with that (the not-teaching-to-drive part, not the menace part) because frankly, I’m also the nervous type, at least where 16-year-olds steering heavy, [...]

VAR VP of Outreach Lisa Noon has been named CEO of the 9,000-member Oklahoma Association of REALTORS®. She leaves VAR next week, and later this month will be relocating with her family to “where the wind comes sweeping down the plain.” Congrats and best wishes, Lisa!

REALTORS® know what it’s like trying to urge a reluctant client to make a real estate decision that’s clearly in that client’s best interest. They’re often not persuaded by the well-reasoned counsel of their REALTOR® adviser – maybe because they perceive that you have skin in the game. Who knows? Often, though, all it takes [...]

Came across these three blog posts in the past week, each of which resonates with me for different reasons. Maybe they will with you, too: On why ideas spread: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2010/10/ideas-spread-when.html On recent research about dealing with and overcoming objections: http://www.spring.org.uk/2010/10/dont-take-no-for-an-answer.php On the role of associations in transforming rather than merely informing: http://blogs.asaecenter.org/Acronym/2010/10/transformation_providers.html

This, from Seth Godin, is worth a read, regardless of your business or model. Seventy big thinkers, each sharing an idea for you to think about while the year is still young. Enjoy….

Way to go, Mr. Odio: AppMakr was originally a side service offered by PointAbout, a technology consulting company based out of Washington, D.C. In its beta form, AppMakr listed a $2,000 starting price for aspiring app makers to sign up, in addition to the price to build the actual app. But the company recently separated [...]

Strategic default: When homeowners make a “business decision” to walk away from their underwater mortgage (and home), not because they can’t afford it, but because it’s no longer in their financial interest to keep paying on it. At least two recent media pieces have focused on that practice, and are worth a read/listen. The first [...]

You have your New Year’s resolutions, here at VAR we have ours. They’re simple: For 2010 we’re focusing on six core projects we think will benefit our members most. They’re not all new, but they’re all important. Each project has a leader — a member of VAR’s management team assigned to see it through to [...]

Good article from today’s Washington Post on the heightened impact of appraisals on real estate transactions in this difficult housing economy.  It includes some well articulated comments from VAR members.  Here’s an excerpt: The housing market has shown signs of improvement, but home sales can still be challenging to complete. Deals can turn on whether [...]

Realtors and bankers are gearing up for a battle over Arizona legislation that would allow lenders to sue homeowners for losses incurred from a foreclosure. The change to the state’s so-called “deficiency judgment” law requires a borrower to live in the home for six months to be eligible for protection from lender-initiated lawsuits to recoup [...]