Archive for the 'Industry' Category
Posted by Annalisa Burgos | January 14, 2011
HGTV “Design Star” judge, “Urban Oasis” host and celebrity designer Vern Yip spoke at the Inman Real Estate Connect conference in New York City this week.
We at HGTV’s FrontDoor.com want to give Vern our heartfelt thanks for braving the snowstorm to fly from Atlanta to NYC to meet with real estate professionals from across the country.
During his presentation, Vern shares his tips for using smart design to sell houses, especially in a tough market.
The Kleiers of HGTV’s “Selling New York” also spoke at Inman. Watch the behind the scenes video.
Watch more videos from Inman >>
Posted by Annalisa Burgos | January 10, 2011
HGTV and HGTV’s FrontDoor.com will join hundreds of real estate professionals from across the country at Inman News’ Agent Reboot and Real Estate Connect conference at the Marriott Marquis hotel in Times Square on Jan. 11-14.
On Jan. 11, Samantha Kleier-Forbes and Sabrina Kleier-Morgenstern, stars of HGTV’s hit show “Selling New York” and executive vice presidents at high-profile Manhattan brokerage Gumley Haft Kleier, will talk about their experiences in the most competitive real estate market in the country.
On Jan. 12, HGTV “Design Star” judge and celebrity designer Vern Yip will explain why design matters more than ever, especially in a tough market.
If you’re a real estate agent attending the Inman conference, be sure to stop by HGTV FrontDoor’s kiosk and sign up for an agent profile — it’s FREE!
Posted by Annalisa Burgos | April 16, 2010
As a first timer at the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show, I was caught off guard by all the toilet talk.
Sure I expected discussions of countertops and sinks, faucets and bathtubs. But somehow talking about toilets just seems gross.
But not when it comes to the fancy toilets you see at KBIS.
I watched as master plumber and HGTVPro.com host Ed Del Grande showed off the water efficiency features of Kohler’s toilets. I’ve never seen someone so enthusiastic about flushing technology.
There’s so much power in this toilet waiting to be unloaded, Ed said about one model. He didn’t intend the pun and quickly corrected his word choice to unleashed.
Ed also explained the features of a dual-flush toilet. “You press 1 after what? No. 1. You press 2 for no. 2.”
Toto also had some impressive, sleek high efficiency toilets that don’t compensate on flushing power.
Over at Coway, I checked out bidets with his and hers personal cleansers. (By the way, who owns a bidet? I’ve never actually seen one in someone’s home.)
His and hers closets. His and hers sinks. His and hers cleansers. Fascinating.
Posted by Annalisa Burgos | November 14, 2009
HGTV fans attending the NAR convention have to check out the “Test Out Your On-Camera Presence” session on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. or Sunday at 1:30 p.m. in Room 28A on the upper level of the San Diego Convention Center.
The host of HGTV’s Real Estate Intervention, Sabrina Soto, and Channing Dawson, one of the members of the founding executive team of HGTV, will show you:
* how to use video to enhance your brand and business
* the top 10 tips for boosting your on-camera appeal
Attendees will be part of a “studio audience” and a few lucky REALTORS® will be selected to work with Sabrina in an interactive home walk-through.
Posted by Annalisa Burgos | November 14, 2009
HGTV’s FrontDoor.com is at the NAR conference in San Diego through Monday interviewing dozens of Realtors in search of a few good real estate experts. On Friday night, more than 50 people did a screen test for a chance to be on an HGTV show.
If you think you have what it takes to be a real estate expert on TV, get your two minutes of fame at HGTV’s FrontDoor booth #1916. It’s fun!
See what it’s like in this video:
Posted by Annalisa Burgos | March 27, 2009
I’m about halfway through my 75-hour New York state real estate licensing course, and each class gets more and more amusing. It’s like any other classroom setting — you’ve got the students who ask random questions (“why do we need to learn about property insurance?”), students who act like they know everything (“I’m a property manager so I already knew that”), and students who just observe and take it all in (that’s me).
Literally anyone can get a real estate license. All you need is to be at least 18 years old, pay about 500 bucks for 75 hours of training, and pass a school exam and a state exam. No high school or college education required. No hundreds of thousands of dollars in tuition fees. No experience necessary. All you need is the dedication to get deals closed.
The housing boom may be over, but you can’t tell with how many people are clamoring to be real estate agents. And from talking to some of these people, many are looking to capitalize on one of the hottest buying markets in history. Obviously, this is the best time to be an industry insider.
When I lived in Knoxville, my husband and I wanted to buy a house and went house hunting several times a week. Being investors, we were often surprised to find that many of the homes on the market were owned by real estate agents. It seemed like the agents were buying properties from sellers, making superficial fixes and then putting them on the market at a higher price to make a profit, in one word — flipping.
In a recent class, the teacher said flat out, “This business is not about showing houses. It’s about investing in properties and building your wealth. That’s where the real money is.” And true enough, many of the students agreed that that’s why they’re getting their licenses – to get first dibs on bargains and position them for personal gain.
As we continued to talk about things like ethics and good business practices, I’m concerned about the ethical implications. Personally, I think there’s nothing wrong with agents who are in the biz to flip houses. Heck, if I find a bargain, I may do it as well. But where it gets murky is when an agent’s true intentions are hidden behind promises to be true consumer advocates. Like when a seller says he wants X amount for the house but the agent knows it’s worth more and buys it so he can flip it himself. Or when a buyer is looking at a house and the agent tells him it’s a great buy, though he knows it’s a flipped property. Agents who don’t make their intentions clear are at risk when the public gets wise.
The best way for consumers to protect themselves is to arm themselves with their own research and information. That way, they can tell the difference between a true agent and someone who’s just in for the flip. Ask friends and family for referrals and interview at least three agents before choosing one. Get to know the buying process with FrontDoor’s First Time Home Buyer’s Guide, which gives easy-to-follow, step-by-step information from evaluating your finances to closing escrow. We also offer tools to research homes for sale, cities and neighborhoods, recent sales prices, how much mortgage you can afford and more. It’s all incredibly empowering!
With all this information, today’s smart consumer wants a trustworthy, dedicated real estate agent. Even if an agent has his/her own investments on the side, quality customer service is still the benchmark of this profession.
Posted by Rich Lacy | August 3, 2008
![The FrontDoor core team shows off their \](http://blog.frontdoor.com/files/2008/08/img_3253.jpg "The FrontDoor Team shows off their \")
Recently, the FrontDoor team closed out the Inman Connect SF conference with a big win by being named “the most innovative media site” by Inman News. See the announcement We took the win as a huge honor because innovation is something we strive for in everything we do.
But what made us stand out? We think it has to do with something that Vikki Neil touched on in her panel discussion at the Inman Conference. See the video; remarks begin at 12:50
It’s actually pretty simple. Listings are only a part of the experience. A big part, to be sure. But, what about the consumer that’s buying their first home and has no idea where to start? What about the person that’s wondering why they might choose a victorian over a mid-century modern? There’s a massive universe of content and experiences surrounding the real estate space that FrontDoor embraces.
We’ve only just begun to leverage the massive library of content from our HGTV siblings. Even in our own organization, we’ve been dreaming up ways to use existing content. Examples such as our Designed To Sell series take entertainment-based videos and put some real utility behind them. And, we’re creating great new FrontDoor-exclusive series of our own.
We’re just getting started. All-in-all, the win was a big affirmation for our entire team and it just serves to point out how the view from our FrontDoor is more complete and appealing than ever before.
Posted by Vikki Neil | July 20, 2008
This past week, we reached a big milestone by hitting 3 million listings on FrontDoor! It’s an exciting time for our team, because we’ve reached this goal in about 6 months, way ahead of our goal.
No rest for the weary though, we’re pushing towards 4 million now and focused on delivering the best consumer website possible for real estate. Listings are starting to become ubiquitous, so I believe those websites that create something beyond just a listings search will be here to stay.
We’ll create that compelling experience in many ways, but video and written content that helps consumers learn from expert advice on real estate decisions is one of our first commitments.
Check out one of my favorite content packages: Savvy Woman’s Guide to Buying a Home
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