Welcome to the 127th edition of Carnival of Real Estate, coming to you from Central America. We are thrilled to be hosting the Carnival and enjoyed reading all the submissions.

We found 5 winners and allocated each an award named after a tourist attraction in Central America. (We hope no one was expecting a Super Bowl theme.) The awards were given for posts on real estate that demonstrated clarity of style, mastery of the subject and power to influence.

In first place, receiving the The Barrier Reef Award (Belize) is Mike Price with Gary Vaynerchuck - “It’s Over….” posted at Mike’s Corner - Web 2.0 For Real Estate Pros. This is a lively edition of Mike’s Mic with Gary Vaynerchuck expanding on some of the themes he covered at his recent Inman keynote. Some great probing from Mike to reveal Gary’s insight into what it will take for real estate professionals to succeed in the future.

Coming in second, receiving the Panama Canal Award (Panama) is Ken Brand’s Arousal ~ Foreplay ~ Fun posted at Real Estate Magazine - Real Estate Opinion Column - AgentGenius. Yes, this post is about real estate and leaves you with the notion that “You can if you think you can. Be ready.”

Third place, receiving the Arenal Volcano Award (Costa Rica) is Rod Herman asking Did Benicia Act Too Soon When It Closed Mills Elementary School? posted at HomeSection.com. An engaging analysis of the changing demographics in the Benicia real estate market and the impact this has on school enrollment patterns. The post weaves in some personal reflections on the changing market.

Fourth place with the Tikal Award (Guatemala) is Dan Melson presenting Jumbo Loans and The Current Market (January 2009) posted at Searchlight Crusade. A technical post reflecting on the fact that in the current loan market few are offering “jumbo” loans at anything like a “par” rate. The post looks at the broader mortgage market and points to likely future trends.

And, finishing fifth with the San Francisco Church Award (Nicaragua) is Bruce Lemieux presenting The Grand Canyon can separate buyer and seller expectations posted at MoCo Real Estate. The post calls for the need to help both buyers and sellers set realistic expectations. Bruce makes some good suggestions on how to work with both sides to bridge the expectation gap and find the middle ground.

We’d also like to mention some of the other posts that we enjoyed reading. Some almost made it into the top 5 and each will give you something to mull over.

Dave Peniuk presents 8 Ways to Know if You Should Hire a Property Manager posted at Rev N You with Real Estate. Readers will find some practical lessons learned from a personal property management experience.

Patrick Duffy presents Builders increasingly taking on remodeling work posted at Housing Chronicles. The size of the market may surprise you.

Doug Willis presents Are Banks Negotiable? Buying Short Sales and Foreclosed Real Estate posted at Up2Date and covers some things you should know if you are to negotiate effectively with lenders.

Joshua Dorkin presents How High Is Up? A Look at Real Numbers Defined by the Real Estate Collapse posted at Real Estate Investing For Real. A demonstration that real estate math is a two way street and opportunity is in the eye of the beholder.

Diane Tuman presents Diary of a Refi: Things You Need for an FHA Refinance - Part I posted at Zillow Blog. A practical post - the first in a series of planned posts on refinancing.

Bob Schwartz presents U.S. Economy ? Case for Optimism posted at San Diego real estate. A short, punchy post reminding us that America is still standing.

Riley Smith | Coconut Grove Realtor presents No wonder Lehman Brothers failed…. posted at The Real Estate Coconut A good example of the carelessness of Lehman Brothers.

Raymond presents Bearish Stock Market Net Worth Update posted at Money Blue Book. A personal analysis of the current economic news and financial markets with some real estate thoughts mixed in.

C Richey presents Las Vegas remains Attractive for Foreign Investors posted at Las Vegas Homes - Henderson Real Estate.

Joe Spake presents Memphis Real Estate Sales Report for December, 2008 posted at JoeSpakeBlog.com.

Karen Goodman presents PMI Report - St. Louis Market Update posted at Arch City Homes

That concludes this edition. Thank you to everyone who participated, congratulations to the winners and best wishes from Central America

If you are interested in being considered for the next Carnival of Real Estate, please submit your blog article using the carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found at The Carnival of Real Estate.

What do you think of this week’s Carnival? Please feel free to comment below.

 

This entry was posted on Monday, February 2nd, 2009 at 3:22 pm and is filed under Property news. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.