There’s a great article over at CNNMoney.com that talks about Obama’s real estate rescue plan. Unveiled last week, Obama’s real estate rescue plan is also known as the $75 billion Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan.

It includes two things, the first being that the government is “aiming to help more homeowners refinance to take advantage of low interest rates.” The second is that the plan will give lenders and servicers incentives to restructure mortgages at more affordable levels.

More information about Obama’s real estate rescue plan is coming early next month. But people are wondering how they can find out about whether they’ll be able to get in on what the plan offers.

CNN points out that there’s help for people looking to refinance — people who have kept current on their mortgages might not have been able to refinance because home prices have fallen. If you owe more than your home’s market value, you won’t qualify for refinancing — you much have at least 20% equity in your home unless you’re using an FHA loan. Homeowners that have a debt that exceeds their home value by 5% may even be eligible, says the article, but the loan has to be owned or backed by Fannie or Freddie.

If your property value has declined severely, as in put you underwater by more than 5%, you won’t be eligible. Also not eligible: homeowners with “jumbo” mortgages. You have to have a “conforming” mortgages, and  you’ll have to prove you have the income necessary to keep up with your payments.

Obama’s real estate rescue plan also brings up mortgage modification help for at-risk borrowers. The CNNMoney.com article notes that homeowners who are at risk of default or in default might qualify for a loan modification — that means it’d restructure the terms of the loan. If you wind up qualifying for this, your lender could reduce your monthly mortgage payments to 31% of your gross income, staying that way for five years before reverting back to the conforming loan rates. There are many people who are not eligible for this, like people who bought homes for investment or those who were irresponsible in their borrowing, for example.

Stay on top of the latest of what’s going on with Obama’s real estate rescue plan, also known as the Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan, by checking out CNNMoney.com. There should be much more information available about it on March 4.

A new “Real Estate 2.0″ website has been launched for the Austin Real Estate Market. Powered by Realzi, the new site featuring well known Austin Realtor Gary Dolch makes searching for real estate fast, easy and intuitive for the realtor. Features that visitors can take advantage of include saved searches, send to friend, send to realtor, ask a question, schedule a viewing, RSS feeds and email updates when a new property matches a saved search criteria.

Realzi benefits for the realtor include the ability to capture and convert more leads. Real estate agents running Realzi can take action on visitor events so they can cater to their customers better than ever before. Also, the internet marketing features built into Realzi are unmatched. Realzi has unique built in search marketing and search engine optimization features found nowhere else. Realzi also offers unsurpassed social media features such as RSS syndication, integration into Facebook, integration into Twitter, listings integrated into Wordpress blogs, auto-generated Craigslist property “posters” and many, many others.

Real Estate Brokers and agents interested in the Realzi search engine optimized IDX should visit the main site at http://www.realzi.com. House hunters looking for some great Austin Real Estate should visit Gary’s website at http://austin.realzi.com.

The stimulus package has been in the headlines quite a bit for the last week or so, and the Senate is expected to vote on it by the end of this week. An article at CNNMoney.com recently pointed out a provision in the proposed stimulus package: First time home buyers would get a $7,500 tax credit. This could possibly have a huge effect on the real estate industry.

Some believe this could do a lot to “jump start the moribund housing market,” says the article, with a 10% increase in home sales possible, as predicted by economists at the National Association of Realtors. This is great news for real estate, as the $7,500 tax credit may help home buyers who are on the fence decide to buy something. That 10% increase in home sales means a half million more sales.

However, not everyone would qualify for the $7,500 tax credit. There are some stipulations, such as the new home must be the primary residence of the buyer, the buyer can’t have owned  home for the past three years. There are some income limits to it as well, and the home can’t be sold for at least 36 months. To claim the credit is actually pretty simple: Buyers just have to claim in on their income tax return.

Of course, the effect this would have on the real estate industry won’t be known until it actually happens, and economists and those in the industry have opinions about whether it’ll help or do nothing.

Either way, this is a good reminder that real estate agents and brokers need to get competitive in their markets. If first time home buyers who are on the fence about buying have something like this tax credit that will convince them to act, real estate agents and brokers need more than just word-of-mouth to get those leads. And the best way to do that is by having a search engine optimized MLS website that will dominate their market.

Get competitive and get leads with an outstanding real estate website. Realzi provides IDX websites that seamlessly integrate with your existing real estate website, giving you a consistent stream of leads even when times are tough. Affordable, smart, and powerful lead-generating: That’s Realzi.

What is RETS?

RETS is Real Estate Transaction Standard created to facilitate data transfer real estate industry partners. RETS is created as a collaborative effort to make it easier to move real estate information between systems. Basically, RETS is a common language making it easier for a Realtor’s computer or website to access the MLS database.

Why RETS?

The RETS standard was created so that all computers dealing with real estate, or MLS data “speak” the same language. RETS means that providers of IDX services and software developers can write applications in a single, compatible language that will work with all MLS systems.

More information is available at the RETS website.

Realtors, Brokers, Agents: Who is RETS for?

RETS is for everyone! RETS simply is a standard language that developers like Realzi can use to provide software for you to easily access data through a RETS compliant MLS. Whether your an agent or a broker, RETS is the reason our MLS solution is compatible with all RETS compliant MLS systems.

Getting Started with SEO, MLS and RETS

Getting started with Realzi RETS SEO for MLS is easy. If already have a website and you have access to the MLS database, but want a better solution than the free IDX solution provided by the your local MLS, you might consider beginning with our plusRealzi SEO MLS software.

plusRealzi

Our RETS compliant software easily integrates into your existing site and allows you to immediately begin serving up Search Engine Optimized MLS listings to your clients.

easyRealzi

If you an agent using a “free” site provided by your Broker, you are probably not getting any leads, and you definitely aren’t showing up in search results. Our templated, turnkey real estate websites include Realzi SEO MLS software built in and ready to go. The sites are cost efficient, professional looking and quick to roll out. Most importantly, Realzi SEO MLS software is built in from the start. With easyRealzi SEO MLS software, you are just days away from instant Google traffic.

fullRealzi

If you are an agent looking for the ultimate increase in business, or if you’re a brokerage looking to grow your brand, fullRealzi is for you. We custom design a fully Search Engine Optimized website around our Realzi SEO MLS software. It’s the best of both worlds, and the ultimate traffic driving machine.

Realzi SEO MLS Software

Contact us today to discuss our RETS compliant MLS client, Realzi. We would love to discuss your needs and help you grow your business through our Search Engine Optimized MLS Software. Thanks!