Oklahoma City among Forbes' top places to do business

Sparked by top grades in income growth, Oklahoma City was highly regarded in Forbes magazine's list of Best Places for Business.
Overall, Oklahoma City ranked No. 13 and Tulsa was listed at No. 43 in the magazine feature.
Both cities performed particularly well in the income growth and cost of doing business categories.
Oklahoma City ranked No. 1 in income growth and Tulsa was right behind at No. 2.
Oklahoma City was No. 4 and Tulsa No. 5 in the cost of doing business category, which is an index based on the costs of labor, energy, taxes and office space.

A Positive Outlook on Real Estate

There is one word to describe the current housing market: optimistic. Despite months of hearing about a housing bubble and rising mortgage rates, the outlook for real estate is good. The worries of a bursting real estate bubble actually seem to be low among homeowners. In a national survey conducted by ING Direct, most individuals experienced some growth in their home value in the past 12 months. The average increase was approximately 6%, with owners in New England and Pacific states having the largest growth. The values of homes in south central states remained about the same. Most homeowners do not seem concerned about a downturn in the real estate housing market. Almost 74% of the individuals surveyed, who have owned their homes for more than three years, remained optimistic about the value of their home. The 30-year fixed rate mortgage is at its highest point in four years. However, as it hovers at 6 percent, it is still a relatively low rate compared to the exceedingly high rates of the late 1980s when mortgage rates increased to over 10%. According to Freddie Mac, there are indications of a strong economy, which is why mortgage rates have increased lately. Consumer confidence is on the rise and existing home sales is also on the upswing. This can be attributed to a positive labor market. As most people know, healthy employment leads to greater consumer spending. Consumer perception is everything. With the continued view that real estate is a good investment, people will continue to buy and sell houses. This will bode well for home buyers, home sellers, real estate salespeople, mortgage lenders and just about anyone related to the real estate industry.

Keller Williams Launches Luxury Home Division

Keller Williams Realty announced today that it will be launching a new division of the company dedicated to serving the high-end home market. The new venture, introduced at the company’s recent annual Mega Camp event, is the product of more than a year of researching and Masterminding by a group of Keller Williams leadership and associates. “We know that when we listen to what our agents need, we develop the right product for them,” says Mary Tennant, president and COO of Keller Williams Realty Inc. “This program was built by our agents, for our agents. As an agent-centric company, we wouldn’t do it any other way.” Luxury Homes by Keller Williams is a members-only program that gives eligible associates a designation as experts in serving luxury home buyers and sellers. The training component of the program will be provided by industry heavyweight, The Institute for Luxury Home Marketing (http://www.kwluxuryhomes.com), as part of a new partnership between the Institute and Keller Williams Realty. Institute founder Laurie Moore-Moore says, “The luxury home market is out-performing the real estate market nationally, so the timing of the Keller Williams Luxury Homes program is absolutely perfect.” The new program is spearheaded by Dee Shultz, a long time leader in the luxury homes market in Austin, Texas, and she says the new program will allow more KW associates to capitalize on the luxury homes market across North America. “When you look at the luxury homes market – it’s been more stable than the real estate market as a whole, so we want to arm our agents to capitalize on that opportunity,” says Shultz. “We know that this program will provide both a strong support system for our agents currently servicing affluent clients, and a firm foundation for growth to our associates who are looking to key into the market,” she adds.
When the program makes its official debut October 1, KW Luxury Home Consultants will be able to take advantage of new branding and marketing materials, an International Web presence (www.kwluxuryhomes.com) and agent-to-agent referral opportunities, as well as discounted pricing for advertising in targeted print publications including the Robb Report, DuPont Registry, Unique Homes, The Wall Street Journal, L.A. Times and The New York Times.

www.WyattPoindexter.com

The Keller Williams Philosophy

Our Mission:
To build careers worth having, businesses worth owning and lives worth living.

Our Vision:
To be the real estate company of choice for a new generation of sales associates and real estate owners.

Our Values:
God, Family, then Business

Cost of Doing Business in Oklahoma

Oklahoma's cost of doing business is among the lowest in the nation, as reported in the annual Milken Institute Cost of Doing Business Index, released this week. Oklahoma was ranked No. 40, with a cost of doing business 85.4 percent of the national average.
Hawaii holds the distinction of having the highest cost of doing business at 51.5 percent above the U.S. average. New York and Alaska also were ranked high.
The ranking is example of Oklahoma's competitive advantage in attracting businesses to the state. Oklahoma is 8 percent below Colorado, 9 percent below Louisiana, and 12 percent below New Mexico.
Oklahoma performed best in industrial rental rates at 68.9 percent of the national average. Other factors below the U.S. norm were wage costs, 80.7 percent; office rental prices, 81.6 percent; and electricity costs, 89.2 percent.
Source: Oklahoma Department of Commerce

Quarterly Industry Update

Mortgage Fraud Bill Advances - A bill defining residential mortgage fraud passed in the North Carolina Senate in June 2007. Experts say it is likely that prospective home buyers with weak or no credit history will find it
more difficult to secure mortgages if the bill becomes law. Prosecutors
could charge mortgage sellers who lie or intentionally leave out information even if the buyers don't lose money. The bill moves to the House of Representatives for a final vote.
Subprime Issues Impact Market Psychology - Problems in the US housing market are mostly contained within the subprime mortgage sector, according to mortgage financer Freddie Mac. Rising default rates in the subprime sector are confined to a few geographic regions, a company vice president says. The biggest threat, according to Freddie Mac, is the fear that problems will spread to the larger real estate and other financial markets.
New Home Sales Continue Falling - New US home sales fell 21.1 percent in
the first five months of 2007 compared to the same period in 2006.
Residential real estate brokers are negatively impacted by declining home sales. Sales declined 30.9 percent in the West, 21.4 percent in the Midwest, 21.1 percent in the Northeast, and 20.6 percent in the South.

First Research, Inc.
866-788-9389 voice
http://www.firstresearch.com/

Why Use a Realtor?

All real estate licensees are not the same. Only real estate licensees who are members of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® are properly called REALTORS®. They proudly display the REALTOR "®" logo on the business card or other marketing and sales literature. REALTORS® are committed to treat all parties to a transaction honestly. REALTORS® subscribe to a strict code of ethics and are expected to maintain a higher level of knowledge of the process of buying and selling real estate. An independent survey reports that 84% of home buyers would use the same REALTOR® again.
Real estate transactions involve one of the biggest financial investments most people experience in their lifetime. Transactions today usually exceed $100,000. If you had a $100,000 income tax problem, would you attempt to deal with it without the help of a CPA? If you had a $100,000 legal question, would you deal with it without the help of an attorney? Considering the small upside cost and the large downside risk, it would be foolish to consider a deal in real estate without the professional assistance of a REALTOR®.
But if you're still not convinced of the value of a REALTOR®, here are a dozen more reasons to use one:
1. Your REALTOR® can help you determine your buying power -- that is, your financial reserves plus your borrowing capacity. If you give a REALTOR® some basic information about your available savings, income and current debt, he or she can refer you to lenders best qualified to help you. Most lenders -- banks and mortgage companies -- offer limited choices.
2. Your REALTOR® has many resources to assist you in your home search. Sometimes the property you are seeking is available but not actively advertised in the market, and it will take some investigation by your agent to find all available properties.
3. Your REALTOR® can assist you in the selection process by providing objective information about each property. Agents who are REALTORS® have access to a variety of informational resources. REALTORS® can provide local community information on utilities, zoning. schools, etc. There are two things you'll want to know. First, will the property provide the environment I want for a home or investment? Second, will the property have resale value when I am ready to sell?
4. Your REALTOR® can help you negotiate. There are myriad negotiating factors, including but not limited to price, financing, terms, date of possession and often the inclusion or exclusion of repairs and furnishings or equipment. The purchase agreement should provide a period of time for you to complete appropriate inspections and investigations of the property before you are bound to complete the purchase. Your agent can advise you as to which investigations and inspections are recommended or required.
5. Your REALTOR® provides due diligence during the evaluation of the property. Depending on the area and property, this could include inspections for termites, dry rot, asbestos, faulty structure, roof condition, septic tank and well tests, just to name a few. Your REALTOR® can assist you in finding qualified responsible professionals to do most of these investigations and provide you with written reports. You will also want to see a preliminary report on the title of the property. Title indicates ownership of property and can be mired in confusing status of past owners or rights of access. The title to most properties will have some limitations; for example, easements (access rights) for utilities. Your REALTOR®, title company or attorney can help you resolve issues that might cause problems at a later date.
6. Your REALTOR® can help you in understanding different financing options and in identifying qualified lenders.
7. Your REALTOR® can guide you through the closing process and make sure everything flows together smoothly.
8. When selling your home, your REALTOR® can give you up-to-date information on what is happening in the marketplace and the price, financing, terms and condition of competing properties. These are key factors in getting your property sold at the best price, quickly and with minimum hassle.
9. Your REALTOR® markets your property to other real estate agents and the public. Often, your REALTOR® can recommend repairs or cosmetic work that will significantly enhance the salability of your property. Your REALTOR® markets your property to other real estate agents and the public. In many markets across the country, over 50% of real estate sales are cooperative sales; that is, a real estate agent other than yours brings in the buyer. Your REALTOR® acts as the marketing coordinator, disbursing information about your property to other real estate agents through a Multiple Listing Service or other cooperative marketing networks, open houses for agents, etc. The REALTOR® Code of Ethics requires REALTORS® to utilize these cooperative relationships when they benefit their clients.
10. Your REALTOR® will know when, where and how to advertise your property. There is a misconception that advertising sells real estate. The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® studies show that 82% of real estate sales are the result of agent contacts through previous clients, referrals, friends, family and personal contacts. When a property is marketed with the help of your REALTOR®, you do not have to allow strangers into your home. Your REALTOR® will generally prescreen and accompany qualified prospects through your property.
11. Your REALTOR® can help you objectively evaluate every buyer's proposal without compromising your marketing position. This initial agreement is only the beginning of a process of appraisals, inspections and financing -- a lot of possible pitfalls. Your REALTOR® can help you write a legally binding, win-win agreement that will be more likely to make it through the process.
12. Your REALTOR® can help close the sale of your home. Between the initial sales agreement and closing (or settlement), questions may arise. For example, unexpected repairs are required to obtain financing or a cloud in the title is discovered. The required paperwork alone is overwhelming for most sellers. Your REALTOR® is the best person to objectively help you resolve these issues and move the transaction to closing (or settlement).

Courtesy of http://www.realtor.com/