Carnival 146 - the ride continues ...

Continuing on with last weeks roller coaster theme, the carnival ride continues this week with more sound advice for consumers and property professionals in these unstable times.

First off Zillow's Diane Tuman offered consumer insight into taking advantage of Federal Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency

Consumers who purchase and install specific products, such as energy-efficient windows, insulation, doors, roofs, and heating and cooling equipment in existing homes can receive a tax credit for 30% of the cost, up to $1,500, for improvements “placed in service” starting January 1, 2009, through December 31, 2010. So, if you were planning on doing these upgrades to your home anyway, make sure to follow the guidelines so you can get a tax credit!

Nickel submitted ideas on Paying Off Your Mortgage Early , including sound advice such as making overpayments, using the haphazard approach and of course refinancing. On the topic of refinancing, Handy Saputra at Home Loan Mortgage Resources offered tips on Finding the Lowest Refinance Mortgage Interest Rate before picking up the phone and calling your broker.

Finding the lowest mortgage refinance interest rate is going to require a bit of effort on your part. You may want to subscribe to an online service that alerts you of overnight rate changes. When the mortgage interest rate gets down to an acceptable low, then you will have to act fast to ensure it is locked in on your loan.

Meanwhile Jack Schmidt of SectorMatic Money Journal compared refinancing to someone having really big feet, urging us that if the shoe (and refinance) fits, by all means wear it!

With 'green shoots' supposedly appearing, many newly unemployed may be tempted to now get into the property industry. Sarah at the Higher Education and Career Blog suggests asking yourself a few questions before taking the plunge into current Real Estate Job Opportunities:

Can I work seven days a week if necessary? Can I work for a year with no income? Ask yourself questions like these, advises Barbara Lach, president of the Columbus, OH, Board of Realtors. “Real estate doesn’t work well as a hobby. You won’t be informed if you only work weekends. Your buyer won’t have the same advantages”.

Long ago, Jim Cronin recognized the importance of blogging in real estate, and now shows us The Easiest Way To Write 30 Real Estate Blog Articles Every 30 days. If you want to sell real estate in today's market then you better follow Jim's advice , and his example.

Recognizing fundamental changes are on the way in the real estate industry, Brian "Obi-Wan" Brady of Bloodhound thinks out the box, suggesting an open market NASDAQ type trading technology for real estate.

It’s so simple it’s silly; an open market, like the NASDAQ, for real estate. Watch offers for houses, in real-time, be accepted or declined. NASDAQ Level Two Quotes go beyond the bid and ask; they show the “size” of the market for those prices. The implementation of that transparency greatly reduced the previous NASDAQ market manipulation, that stymied the individual investor to favor institutions. It isn’t perfect but exposure to that data makes the market operate more efficiently. Apply that model to real estate and you will quickly determine what the “real” market is for a property.

And now for the really brave ...

Claiming that the San Diego market has gone 'white hot' Dan Melson of Searchlight Crusade suggests taking advantage of Segmented Markets , and provides examples of what's happening in his hometown of San Diego:

Market segmentation is what happens when certain things are much more in demand than others. Right now, the central area of San Diego is in high demand, simply because it's so close to everything. That's where the jobs are, all the cool nightclubs and restaurants, places to go and things to do ... the strip between Del Mar and Carlsbad has long been some of the most desired real estate in the world, and Rancho Santa Fe is the most expensive Zip Code in the country.

Lot's of great posts this week, keep 'em coming. Thanks to everybody who submitted and stay tuned to carnivalofrealestate.com for what's happening next week!