Enhanced Web Services For Realtors

iHOUSE Web Solutions has been providing real estate professionals with technology and Internet tools to build their businesses since 1986. In addition to building custom realtor websites, iHOUSE Web Solutions offers MLS search features for any real estate agent's website. iHOUSE recently increased it's offering by adding seven additional Realtor Association's MLS's.

The MLS-IDX data feeds that were recently added include the Buffalo Niagara Association of Realtors in New York, the Coastal Mendocino Association of Realtors in California, and the Cullman Association of Realtors in Alabama. Also included are the Valley Board of Realtors in the Anchorage, Alaska region, the Teton Board of Realtors covering Teton and four surrounding counties in Wyoming, the Lebanon County Association of Realtors/Keystone MLS in Pennsylvania, and the Grand County Board of Realtors in Colorado.

The increasing MLS data is beneficial to realtors across the U.S. who want to provide the most complete information to their clients. iHOUSE currently maintains information on nearly 300 MLS’s nationwide, representing nearly two-thirds of all listings in the U.S. To find out if MLS data is available for your area, go to the iHOUSE Web Solutions website and click on “Have my MLS?” to quickly find out if your MLS is included among those offered with the IDXPro service.

Find Haute Properties on Haute Portfolio.com

Haute Living, the magazine for thoses seeking luxury real estate and design has introduced a premier property search engine, Haute Portfolio. Haute Portfolio.com provides up to-date information on agents, brokers and luxury properties throughout the country.

"Our objective with Haute Portfolio was to showcase luxury properties and full service brokers, as I feel many current real estate sites are trying to eliminate this market," comments co-publisher Seth Semilof "Most sites want to eliminate the broker, and sell homes for a nominal fee. We are against this business model, as we feel luxury brokers are essential in the higher end real estate purchase."

A user-friendly online property search, Haute Portfolio.com objective is to educate, inform and arm consumers, agents and brokers on all aspects luxury real estate that is intelligent, informative aesthetically appealing and easy to navigate. The site utilizes Google Satellite mapping technology that provides home seekers with a "Birds Eye View" so that they can see the exact location of the property.

If you are in the market for the average family home, Haute Property.com is not for you. Haute Property.com features only "true luxury" properties in excess of $1 Million including over $4 billion in property listings within its first week of launching. Initially the site was only showcasing properties within Florida and New York, and recently added properties and brokers within Arizona, California, Colorado, Texas, Hawaii, and Nevada with their sights on additional markets.

Stricter Rules For Loan Officers

On June 28, the National Association of Responsible Loan Officers (NARLO), the trade association of mortgage loan originators, visited with lawmakers in Washington, D.C., to discuss loan officer issues.

"The members of the National Association of Responsible Loan Officers are fed up with mortgage loan fraud and the low barriers to entry into the mortgage industry," said Robert Skrob, NARLO Executive Director. "For NARLO members, minimum licensing standards are not acceptable. We must clean up our industry, and to do that we must require all entrants into our industry to undergo a minimum of 40 hours of training, testing and background checks."

The National Association of Responsible Loan Officers represents the 400,000 mortgage loan originators throughout the country that are employed by mortgage brokers. NARLO fights mortgage fraud by advocating stricter standards for loan officers and through public education.