Trulia releases new Premium Listings

Trulia rolls out a new premium listings program for brokers. With the new product, brokers and agents will receive top placement and added exposure for being a Trulia customer. The new Premium Listings package makes it much easier for consumers to connect with leading brokers and agents.

Premium Listings includes:

• Featuring of listings at the top of the results
• Optimized and company branded home buyer contact form
• Detailed listing and lead reporting
• More brand exposure
• Dedicated customer support

This, along with our new ranking of property listings, will be a winner for both consumers and real estate professionals. Premium Listings is intended for entire companies, as opposed to just one agent. If you are an agent, Trulia Pro is still for you.

So what is different about Premium Listings? Premium Listings is based on delivering the best listings that match the consumer search criteria, at the top of the page – just like Trulia Pro. We also make it very easy for consumers to inquire about the home with a company branded contact form, one of the new features. So unlike other sites, consumers are presented with properties that exactly match their needs with multiple ways for them to contact your company. This change resulted in consumer inquiries increasing 3X during our testing this past quarter.

Here is a screenshot of the new listing details page for Ebby Halliday in Dallas, TX.

We are flexible: Unlike other websites, we don’t lock anyone into a contract that is not a winner. With formal notice, as per our agreements, we will gladly let you adjust, pause, or cancel your investment.

We keep it simple: One price, no fluctuation, includes all of the following:

• Dedicated Customer Service Representative with one business day response time
• Unlimited Featuring for your inventory with company logo on search result pages
• Optimized and company branded home buyer contact form
• 30 day billing cycle, or pay by CC
• Daily and hourly lead reporting
• Quarterly reviews to ensure your campaign is successful
• 25% increase in listing inventory without charge for up to 90 days

and much more…contact us to learn more.

Pricing is reasonable: Pricing is based on two things, the number of listings you carry in a month and the average list price of the market you serve. That’s it. We take care of the rest.

For the consumer: Our latest release also included a change to the way we rank properties. The new ranking ensures that the most complete listings, with quality information, rise to the top. We just released a whitepaper that explains how and why we changed our rankings, and what you can do to increase your exposure, please download it here.

For the agent: You can still be a Trulia Pro if your broker has Premium Listings. Together, Premium Listings and Trulia Pro deliver maximum exposure for the company, down to the individual agent. Participating Trulia Pro’s can still manage their listings and receive direct inquiries.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to e-mail me directly pierre (at) trulia.com or fill out this form.

Kirk Hammett & Curt Schilling – celebs looking to sell

No strangers to the real estate market, Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett and retired Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling have lowered their asking prices in hopes of finding a buyer sooner than later.

Kirk Hammett has once again re-listed his property located at 2505 Divisadero Street, San Francisco, CA 94115 in San Francisco’s Pac Heights district where he lives with his wife and two young sons. Billed as the “historic Georgian mansion,” the four-story mansion looks like it got a huge green blanket of leaves draped all over it with a few holes for sunshine. The 9,000 sqft architecturally savvy mansion includes a library, billiard room, family room, hobby room AND last but not least, music room. I mean, what would a musician’s home be without a music room?

BTW – did you know in 2003 he was ranked 11th in Rolling Stone’s list – The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time? Makes up for all the strumming you put your hand through.

Recently reducing the asking price of his property by $400,000, Curt Schilling is making another attempt to find a buyer for his estate located at 7 Woodridge Road, Medfield, MA 02052. The three-story home spans 11,000 sqft and rests among 25 acres of land. This leaves plenty of room to include a heated swimming pool, tennis court, basketball court, a seasonal ice skating rink and a professional batting cage. He’s practically got every sport available in his home!

Trulia on CNBC – Price Reductions, Bernie Madoff and Toll Brothers

CNBC’S Diana Olick talks about Trulia’s price reductions, Bernie Madoff’s price reduction of $1,000,000 from $9,900,000 to $8,900,000 located at 133 East 64th St New York NY 10065 as seen on Trulia and Toll Brothers news of Q4 orders jumping 42% from a year ago.

Trulia’s November Price Reduction Report – Home Sellers Cut $28.1 Billion off Asking Prices

photo credit: lepiaf.geo

Our November home price reduction report shows 25.6% of U.S. homes as of November 1, 2009 have experienced at least 1 price cut of their original asking price during the last 12 months. The total amount slashed off of active for sale listings by home sellers is $28.1billion. The average national price reduction remains 10%. Over 40% of the top 50 metros around the U.S. have price reduction levels above 30%, much higher than the national average.

November Price Reduction Highlights

• 25.6% of U.S. homes as of November 1, 2009 have experienced at least 1 price cut of their original asking price
• $28.1 Billion in price reductions
• Average national price reduction remains 10%
• Minneapolis, Minnesota leads the nation in price reductions for the 1st time with 39%
• Luxury homes priced $2 million plus seeing an average of 14% cut vs. the national average of 10%
• Luxury homes over $2,000,000 on Trulia = 2% but = 25% of the $28.1 billion in home price reductions

Northeast Continues With Most Homes Reduced

The Northeast continues to see the highest level of price reductions, with 29 percent of current listings experiencing at least one price cut—Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire are all seeing over 30 percent of listings with price reductions. (Regions according to the U.S. Census Bureau)

• Northeast- 29% of listings with price reductions
• Midwest- 28% of listings with price reductions
• West- 25% of listings with price reductions
• South- 24% of listings with price reductions

“With mortgage rates still low and the expansion of the tax credit to trade-up buyers, we could see significant inventory—both new and “shadow inventory”—hit the market during the next four-to-six months,” said Pete Flint, Trulia co-founder and CEO.  “Inventory levels this quarter are poised to be atypical of a normal real estate market, which could create tremendous pressure on sellers to price their homes competitively and move their property before the tax credit expires on April 30^th.”

Cities experiencing significant increases in percentage of listings with price reductions from June 2009 to November 2009 include:

• Kansas City, MO – 59% increase in price reductions
• Colorado Springs, CO – 43% increase in price reductions
• Omaha, NE – 39% increase in price reductions
• Louisville, KY – 37% increase in price reductions
• Milwaukee, WI – 30% increase in price reductions

Cities showing signs the highest percentage of declines for listings with price reductions from June 2009 to November 2009 include:

• Las Vegas, NV– 34% decrease in price reductions
• San Jose, CA – 25% decrease in price reductions
• San Antonio, TX – 18% decrease in price reductions
• Los Angeles, CA – 16% decrease in price reductions
• Oakland, CA – 16% decrease in price reductions

Luxury Market Still Hardest Hit

Luxury homes (those listed at two million dollars and above) continue to bear the brunt of discounts being offered with an average of 14 percent being slashed from the original asking price compared to the national average of ten percent. Additionally, luxury homes represent less than two percent of all current listings on Trulia, but are responsible for 25 percent of the $28.1 billion in home price reductions.

November Price Reductions – Top 50 U.S. Cities

For more info on Trulia’s national home price reduction report, please visit our press release in the Trulia News Room

Trulia’s November Price Reduction Report – Home Sellers Cut $28.1 Billion off Asking Prices

photo credit: lepiaf.geo

Our November home price reduction report shows 25.6% of U.S. homes as of November 1, 2009 have experienced at least 1 price cut of their original asking price during the last 12 months. The total amount slashed off of active for sale listings by home sellers is $28.1billion. The average national price reduction remains 10%. Over 40% of the top 50 metros around the U.S. have price reduction levels above 30%, much higher than the national average.

November Price Reduction Highlights

• 25.6% of U.S. homes as of November 1, 2009 have experienced at least 1 price cut of their original asking price
• $28.1 Billion in price reductions
• Average national price reduction remains 10%
• Minneapolis, Minnesota leads the nation in price reductions for the 1st time with 39%
• Luxury homes priced $2 million plus seeing an average of 14% cut vs. the national average of 10%
• Luxury homes over $2,000,000 on Trulia = 2% but = 25% of the $28.1 billion in home price reductions

Northeast Continues With Most Homes Reduced

The Northeast continues to see the highest level of price reductions, with 29 percent of current listings experiencing at least one price cut—Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire are all seeing over 30 percent of listings with price reductions. (Regions according to the U.S. Census Bureau)

• Northeast- 29% of listings with price reductions
• Midwest- 28% of listings with price reductions
• West- 25% of listings with price reductions
• South- 24% of listings with price reductions

“With mortgage rates still low and the expansion of the tax credit to trade-up buyers, we could see significant inventory—both new and “shadow inventory”—hit the market during the next four-to-six months,” said Pete Flint, Trulia co-founder and CEO.  “Inventory levels this quarter are poised to be atypical of a normal real estate market, which could create tremendous pressure on sellers to price their homes competitively and move their property before the tax credit expires on April 30^th.”

Cities experiencing significant increases in percentage of listings with price reductions from June 2009 to November 2009 include:

• Kansas City, MO – 59% increase in price reductions
• Colorado Springs, CO – 43% increase in price reductions
• Omaha, NE – 39% increase in price reductions
• Louisville, KY – 37% increase in price reductions
• Milwaukee, WI – 30% increase in price reductions

Cities showing signs the highest percentage of declines for listings with price reductions from June 2009 to November 2009 include:

• Las Vegas, NV– 34% decrease in price reductions
• San Jose, CA – 25% decrease in price reductions
• San Antonio, TX – 18% decrease in price reductions
• Los Angeles, CA – 16% decrease in price reductions
• Oakland, CA – 16% decrease in price reductions

Luxury Market Still Hardest Hit

Luxury homes (those listed at two million dollars and above) continue to bear the brunt of discounts being offered with an average of 14 percent being slashed from the original asking price compared to the national average of ten percent. Additionally, luxury homes represent less than two percent of all current listings on Trulia, but are responsible for 25 percent of the $28.1 billion in home price reductions.

November Price Reductions – Top 50 U.S. Cities

For more info on Trulia’s national home price reduction report, please visit our press release in the Trulia News Room

What city data is most important to your home search?

That’s exactly what San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom wanted to find out to support the launch of DataSF.org. The new site publishes data from the City & County of San Francisco and provides access to everything from police records to restaurant inspection reports. With DataSF the city aims to increase the transparency of government data and to foster innovation in the bay area.

And so when Mayor Newsom wanted to find out which data should be included on the site, he turned to the Trulia Voices community with his inquiry:

The Mayor’s question received answers from almost 100 members of the Trulia Voices community. 58% of the responses came from California residents and 31% from those who reside in San Francisco. Though the answers were wide-ranging, there were definitely some commonalities among the requests for information.

Crime data, proximity to points of interest and school information topped the list on a national level. These features were important to San Francisco residents as well, however those in SF differentiated themselves from the group at large with numerous requests for information about access to transportation and street parking, indicating a clear need to navigate the city with ease. San Francisco dwellers were also more likely than others to request information about parks, verifying the outdoorsy culture that is prevalent in the city.

“Since the launch of DataSF.org a couple weeks ago, we’ve had nearly 10,000 visitors from 104 countries and every state in the nation,” said the Mayor, “Thank you for taking the time to suggest ways to improve San Francisco and what additional data you want to see on the site.”

From the looks of it, the Mayor has taken these suggestions seriously. DataSF.org already boasts crime statistics, transportation data as well as information about recreation and park lands. They’ve also already tackled another common request from San Francisco residents:

“We are working city departments to make as much non-confidential government data available on DataSF as possible,” he said. “With that in mind, I am pleased to announce that we have just released the most requested dataset on DataSF – our street sweeping schedule. We look forward to seeing how this and other data is used in ways to make government work better for all of us.”

Senate and House Approve Tax Credit Extension

Here are the details of the tax credit extension/expansion that the House and Senate have passed (HR 3548)

• First-timers: Extend the $8,000 homebuyer tax credit to contracts signed by April 30 and closed by June 30. Previously was set to expire after Nov. 30. First-time homebuyer is defined as someone who has not owned a residence within the past three years.

• Existing owners: $6,500 credit for those who buy a home after living in their current house at least five of the last eight years.

• Extension: Contracts signed by April 30 and closed by June 30.

• Home requirement: principal residences priced at $800,000 or less.

• Income limits: Single $75K –>$125,000, Joint $150K–>$225,000 for joint filers.

• Cost: $10.8 billion over 10 years, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation.

The final step is el Presidente’s John Hancock on the bill, which the White House says will come tomorrow.  Stay tuned…

Reggie Bush and DJ AM Party Pads For Sale

The homes of Reggie Bush & DJ AM are on the market

Reggie Bush, running back for the New Orleans Saints AND currently ON again with Kim Kardashian, lists his 4 bedroom, 5.5 bath urban oasis located at 1501 Viewsite Terrace, Los Angeles, CA 90069 with explosive 360 degree jet liner views spanning the city and beyond. Set along the sunset strip, the pad includes a personal elevator, outdoor plasma tv’s (if watching indoors isn’t good enough), glass pocket doors (so you can have a view at all times) and a master suite on its own floor (for maximum privacy). Reggie, are you moving in with Kim?

And the home of DJ AM, who passed away of a tragic accidental drug overdose, located at 9918 Anthony Place, Beverly Hills, CA 90210, is listed on the market as well. It may be situated in a more private area of LA, but it’s definitely not lacking any pizazz. The 4bd, 4.5ba boasts rich mahogany floors, custom built-in theater, two-sided fireplace and a lush landscaped backyard with pool and spa. Can you imagine how many pool parties he must have hosted? We’ll miss you dearly DJ AM – RIP.