DocuSign has announced the release of DocuSign REALTOR Edition, specifically tailored for and available to members of the National Association of Realtors® (NAR).

The announcement followed an earlier statement from NAR declaring DocuSign the official and exclusive ESIGN provider for their 1.1 million REALTOR Benefits® Program member, late last year.

DocuSign Realtor Edition's enhancements and features include special NAR member-only branded signature and templates, an online dashboard, mobile signing, workflow optimization, and integration with real estate tools.

Read more at RISMedia and sign up for a free trial at DocuSign.

Posted in National Association Of Realtors, Real Estate Industry Trends, Technology And YOU, Home Selling Services, National News

In this video from REALTOR® Magazine, we gain insight about how the National Association of Realtor's (NAR) new neighborhood stabilization project works.

The program is targeted at helping communities whose foreclosures could cause neighborhoods to become barren. The video shows two of the approximately two dozen neighborhoods at risk in Chicago, courtesy of Mabel Guzman, ABR, president-elect of the Chicago Association of REALTORS®.

Chicago's association has been aggressive in making sure it got its share of the money for the program and offers hope for all communities facing foreclosure issues. NAR also hopes others can find success through the program.

View the original blog post and commentary by Robert Freedman, senior editor of REALTOR® Magazine.

Posted in Real Estate Market Conditions, National Association Of Realtors, Foreclosure, Real Estate Industry, National News

There is a lot of talk, speculation and data concerning the future of the real estate market, so if you're watching it closely, where are the best places to keep your ear to the ground?

Kenneth Harney at Realty Times discusses the findings of the Federal Reserve Beige Book report. The report has found that 9 out of 12 regional member banks are showing positive economic signs, and these regional banks are showing signs of consumer spending and manufacturing output increasing despite the bad blizzardy weather as of late.

In addition to these positive-trending findings and more by the Feds, there is some bleak news for the housing market, as the weather has put a damper on buying. However, there is a silver lining to the cloud as National Association of Realtors' chief economist Lawrence Yun points to a 12 percent increase in pending home sales in January, compared to last year's.

Read more at Realty Times.

Posted in Real Estate Market Conditions, National Association Of Realtors, Real Estate Industry, National News

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) and REALTOR® Magazine are offering a "Distressed Sales and the Home Buyer Tax Credit" webinar on Thursday, March 25 at 3 p.m. EST (1 p.m. MST). The webinar is an hour in length with the final 15 minutes to answer participant questions sent via the chat function during the webinar.

Households in markets with high numbers of distressed sales face tough challenges using the home buyer tax credit before it expires. This webinar will look at ideas for addressing some of the most common hurdles to closing short sales and REO transactions in the remaining months before the tax credit expires.

Presenters:
Scott Thompson, vice president, ServiceLink
Julie Jalone, MagnumOne Realty, Roseville, Calif.

Hosts:
Stacey Moncrieff, editor in chief, REALTOR® Magazine
Robert Freedman, senior editor, REALTOR® Magazine

Click here for more information and to register.

Posted in Real Estate Market Conditions, National Association Of Realtors, Real Estate Industry, Real Estate Industry Events

The National Association of Realtors® (NAR) reports that existing-home sales fell in January but are above year-ago levels.

NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun said there is still some delay between shopping and closing that affected current sales. "Most of the completed deals in January were based on contracts in November and December. People who got into the market after the home buyer tax credit was extended in November have only recently started to offer contracts, so it will take a couple months to close those sales," he said. "Still, the latest monthly sales decline is not encouraging, and raises concern about the strength of a recovery."

Read more in the press release.

Posted in Real Estate Market Conditions, National Association Of Realtors, National News