<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
<rss version="2.0">
    <channel>
        <title>Discount Realty Works Blog</title>
        <link>http://www.discountrealtyworks.com/blog/author/michael-paul/</link>
        <item>
            <guid>http://www.discountrealtyworks.com/blog/new-gadgets-coming-soon.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.discountrealtyworks.com/blog/new-gadgets-coming-soon.html</link>
            <author>mike@discountrealtyworks.com (Michael Paul)</author>
            <title>New Gadgets Coming Soon!</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Happy November! Today I'm excited for a few reasons:




New camera equipment on order! Thanks to Jeff Thompson for letting me pick your brain on how to improve my photography skills. New super-wide angle lens and external flash are on the way! If you thought my pictures were good now, just wait!


I have a graphic designer working on a project for the homepage that will blow people away by its intuitiveness and simplicity. It will make searching homes by neighborhood fun!


I have two offers waiting to close yet this month, and three more that should close by the end of the year.


 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Sat, 12 Nov 2011 08:37:49 -0600</pubDate>
                    </item>
        <item>
            <guid>http://www.discountrealtyworks.com/blog/mortgage-rates-hit-all-time-low.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.discountrealtyworks.com/blog/mortgage-rates-hit-all-time-low.html</link>
            <author>mike@discountrealtyworks.com (Michael Paul)</author>
            <title>Mortgage Rates Hit All-Time Low!</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
It's never been a better time to buy a home around Eau Claire if you qualify for a mortgage. The interest rate on a 30-year fixed-rate loan fell to 3.94% this week, the lowest rate since mortgage giant Freddie Mac began tracking it. Meanwhile, the average for a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage also hit a record, falling to 3.26%. 


Also, keep an eye out for price drops over the next several weeks as sellers look to make a deal before winter comes. 
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Thu, 06 Oct 2011 11:12:37 -0500</pubDate>
                    </item>
        <item>
            <guid>http://www.discountrealtyworks.com/blog/eau-claire-is-top-ranked-wi-city-in-forbes-list.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.discountrealtyworks.com/blog/eau-claire-is-top-ranked-wi-city-in-forbes-list.html</link>
            <author>mike@discountrealtyworks.com (Michael Paul)</author>
            <title>Eau Claire is Top-Ranked WI City in Forbes List</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
A list of the 200 best small cities for businesses and careers was just compiled by Forbes magazine. Eau Claire ranked 38th on the list, and was the top-rated Wisconsin city in the list. See the entire list here.
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Wed, 07 Sep 2011 12:05:44 -0500</pubDate>
                    </item>
        <item>
            <guid>http://www.discountrealtyworks.com/blog/inman-news-releases-survey-a-peek-behind-the-curtain-at-real-estate-practices.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.discountrealtyworks.com/blog/inman-news-releases-survey-a-peek-behind-the-curtain-at-real-estate-practices.html</link>
            <author>mike@discountrealtyworks.com (Michael Paul)</author>
            <title>Inman News Releases Survey -- A peek 'Behind the Curtain' at real estate practices</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Inman real estate news service has just released results of their online survey of agents and brokers -- "Real Estate: Behind the 
Curtain." Inman asked real estate professionals about not only the frequency
 of more than three dozen customs and practices, but whether they 
thought such behavior was acceptable or not.


More than 500 respondents rated the acceptability of those practices. Interesting nuggets:




Nearly 58 percent of those surveyed said it was common for
 major listing brokers in their market to charge the same rate or 
roughly the same rate for services. This can be taken as a sign that consumers have little 
power to negotiate commissions, and that there's a lack of competition based on pricing structure. 


56.2% of respondents said that the fact that major listing brokers in their market charged the same rate or 
roughly the same commission rate was either acceptable or desirable!!




 


Discount Realty Works helps consumers by offering sorely needed pricing options!


 


Here is a chart listing all responses:


http://www.inman.com/news/2011/08/10/a-peek-behind-curtain-real-estate-practices?page=0%2C5
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Sat, 13 Aug 2011 17:00:50 -0500</pubDate>
                    </item>
        <item>
            <guid>http://www.discountrealtyworks.com/blog/view-michael-pauls-real-estate-resume.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.discountrealtyworks.com/blog/view-michael-pauls-real-estate-resume.html</link>
            <author>mike@discountrealtyworks.com (Michael Paul)</author>
            <title>View Michael Paul's Real Estate Resume</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
I decided to start using a resume in my marketing materials...If people will be hiring me to sell their home, it just makes sense to give a detailed background of who I am and how I got here. Take a look here if you wish!
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Fri, 12 Aug 2011 14:40:17 -0500</pubDate>
                    </item>
        <item>
            <guid>http://www.discountrealtyworks.com/blog/summer-buying-season-is-here.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.discountrealtyworks.com/blog/summer-buying-season-is-here.html</link>
            <author>mike@discountrealtyworks.com (Michael Paul)</author>
            <title>Summer Buying Season is Here!</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Ok, folks...the last two homes we have listed both now have accepted offers in less than two weeks. We had a few closings last week, and several more scheduled for the next week or so. I think it's safe to say that the summer buying season is here! 


We listed 409 Summit Avenue on June 4th and the sellers had accepted an offer from one of our relocating buyers on June 13.


Then we listed 2504 Avery Lane on June 9...seller just accepted an offer today, June 17.


The point is that houses are moving! If you are on the fence about either buying or selling, give us a call -- this is the time!
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Fri, 17 Jun 2011 13:44:53 -0500</pubDate>
                    </item>
        <item>
            <guid>http://www.discountrealtyworks.com/blog/discount-realty-works-qr-codes-featured-on-weau-13-news.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.discountrealtyworks.com/blog/discount-realty-works-qr-codes-featured-on-weau-13-news.html</link>
            <author>mike@discountrealtyworks.com (Michael Paul)</author>
            <title>Discount Realty Works' QR Codes Featured on WEAU 13 News</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Last night's first story on WEAU 13 10pm news was on QR codes (must have been a slow news day!). I was interviewed regarding my innovative use of QR codes on real estate yard signs. Here is a link to the story with video on WEAU's website:


http://www.weau.com/home/headlines/Scanning_for_a_deal_122375074.html
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Sat, 21 May 2011 07:20:45 -0500</pubDate>
                    </item>
        <item>
            <guid>http://www.discountrealtyworks.com/blog/please-welcome-ben-galecki.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.discountrealtyworks.com/blog/please-welcome-ben-galecki.html</link>
            <author>mike@discountrealtyworks.com (Michael Paul)</author>
            <title>Please Welcome Ben Galecki!</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
This week I am proud to announce the addition of a new agent to Discount Realty Works LLC -- Ben Galecki! Ben has years of real estate experience right here in the Chippewa Valley. He is a hard-working, detail-oriented person and a welcome addition! Call him at 715-379-1978 to discuss the advantages of buying or selling with Discount Realty Works!
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Wed, 27 Apr 2011 20:57:52 -0500</pubDate>
                    </item>
        <item>
            <guid>http://www.discountrealtyworks.com/blog/two-new-search-fields-added.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.discountrealtyworks.com/blog/two-new-search-fields-added.html</link>
            <author>mike@discountrealtyworks.com (Michael Paul)</author>
            <title>Two New Search Fields Added</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
In our never-ending quest for creating the best real estate search engine in the Eau Claire area, we have added the ability to search listings by two additional criteria: Condo and Minimum # of Garage Stalls.


 


Condo Checkbox


If you are trying to narrow down hundreds of listings by condos, it can be a tedious task. Fear no more, weary-eyed condo seekers, for the condo checkbox is here! Check the box and only condos meeting your other criteria will be returned.


 


Minimum # of Garage Stalls


Men, let's face it: Most of us could live just about anywhere if the garage is up to snuff. For buyers seeking the perfect man-cave to call home, we now have the ability to specify the minimum number of acceptable garage stalls. Just another tool to help you find the perfect property!


 


Happy house hunting!
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Thu, 17 Mar 2011 21:23:21 -0500</pubDate>
                    </item>
        <item>
            <guid>http://www.discountrealtyworks.com/blog/eau-claire-county-foreclosure-numbers.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.discountrealtyworks.com/blog/eau-claire-county-foreclosure-numbers.html</link>
            <author>mike@discountrealtyworks.com (Michael Paul)</author>
            <title>Eau Claire County Foreclosure Numbers</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
People often ask me how the foreclosure market is affecting our local housing scene. It seemed like whenever I ran some numbers in the MLS database, foreclosure sales ended up being about 10% of the total sales volume in Eau Claire County.


I heard on the news this morning that about 14% of all homes sold in Wisconsin in 2010 were foreclosures. This data came from RealtyTrac, and was reported by WQOW. So I decided it was time to run the numbers for Eau Claire county again.


According to Northwestern Wisconsin MLS data (which is aggregated from 3rd parties, assumed accurate, but is not guaranteed), there were 949 residential home sales in Eau Claire County in 2010. Of those, 116 were REO sales...more commonly known as foreclosures. This calculates out to be 12.2%...pretty much in line with the statewide number reported by RealtyTrac.


Numbers are not all in yet for the first two months of 2011, but it seems so far the bargain hunters are having their way. As of this writing, Eau Claire County has had 61 residential sales so far in 2011, and 14 of those (23%) have been foreclosures. Let's hope this is just a seasonal thing and not a trend that continues! Or, this 23% figure may be a result of people snapping up good deals when they otherwise might not have, which will have the effect of reducing the backlog of homes for sale. This piece in the Wall Street Journal predicts that 2011 may be the end of the real estate market crash...I hope so!
 ]]> </description>
            <pubDate>Mon, 28 Feb 2011 20:31:28 -0600</pubDate>
                    </item>
    </channel>
</rss>
