Crisis Makes RealtyTrac 'Go-To' Company

Crisis Makes RealtyTrac 'Go-To' Company
May 22, 2010, Salt Lake Tribune

In a partnership with The Salt Lake Tribune, RealtyTrac provided more than 44,000 address-level records on foreclosures in Utah from July 2008 through March 2010 on the condition that no personal information in the records be published.  The biggest real-estate downturn in recent U.S. history has catapulted the Irvine, Calif.-based company to national prominence as a data source on foreclosures.


New FL Rule Says Banks Must Prove Ownership Before Foreclosing
May 24, 2010, Wall Street Journal

Foreclosure filings have backed off this year compared to 2009, but it may not be a brightening economy causing the decline. A new Florida Supreme Court rule requires lenders to verify they are the actual owners of a home before making the initial case for foreclosure. Show me the ``note,'' in other words.


NYC Foreclosures Climb in First Quarter
May 21, 2010, Wall Street Journal

The foreclosure problem hit New York City homeowners later than most other cities, but the problems are growing. In the first quarter of this year, there were 4,226 foreclosures across the city, up 16.3% from 3,635 foreclosures in the same period a year ago, according to data compiled by the Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy at New York University.


New Brokerage Offers Ad Tracking, Charges Greater Commission
May 26, 2010, The Real Deal

New residential online brokerage hopes to unlock a new palette of analytics from which sellers can track how their advertisements perform among buyers, adding a new transparency to the home selling experience. RealDirect.com, which is being unveiled today, provides traditional brokerage services, plus it gives sellers a personal account through which they can check how often listing clicks result in appointments, a Google Analytics-type tool for real estate.


Recession Leaves Behind Ghost Towns, What Now?
May 24, 2010, Agent Genius Magazine

Curating site, Oobject.com, outlined a variety of ghost towns that have been left behind in the wake of the economic recession. These locations were built but never home to any residents but have left behind the equivalent of real estate gravestones of abandoned projects that have become ghost towns.