Press Release: Kurt von Wasmuth Named President and CEO of RMLS™

Press Release: Kurt von Wasmuth Named President and CEO of RMLS™

Kurt von Wasmuth

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 8, 2010

Kurt von Wasmuth Named President and CEO of RMLS™

RMLS Board of Directors promotes company’s Senior Vice President

PORTLAND, Ore. – RMLS (Regional Multiple Listing Service), the largest Realtor®-owned multiple listing service in the Northwest, announced the promotion of Kurt von Wasmuth to President and CEO today.

Von Wasmuth joined RMLS in 1998 as a Help Desk Technician and most recently served as Senior Vice President. He has also held management positions in training, communications and information services within the company. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Washington.

“With more than a decade of leadership in the industry and a strong focus on subscriber priorities, our Board of Directors is confident in Kurt’s ability to lead RMLSin this challenging market,” said Gary Whiting,  a principal broker with John L. Scott and the 2010 Chairman of the RMLS Board.

“I’m excited to step into this role and look forward to helping RMLS grow its services and solutions for real estate professionals in the Northwest,” said von Wasmuth.

Former-president and CEO Beth Murphy retired in December after 11 years in the position and 15 years with RMLS.  After initial plans to move into a consulting role with RMLS, she has instead elected to embrace full retirement.

About RMLS

RMLS produces and provides multiple listing and related services to facilitate cooperation between its more than 12,000 REALTOR® subscribers. It is the primary source for real estate information and the premier Multiple Listing Service in the Pacific Northwest. For more information, visit www.rmlsbenefits.com.

###

Press Release: Kurt von Wasmuth Named President and CEO of RMLS™

Press Release: Kurt von Wasmuth Named President and CEO of RMLS™

Kurt von Wasmuth

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 8, 2010

Kurt von Wasmuth Named President and CEO of RMLS™

RMLS Board of Directors promotes company’s Senior Vice President

PORTLAND, Ore. – RMLS (Regional Multiple Listing Service), the largest Realtor®-owned multiple listing service in the Northwest, announced the promotion of Kurt von Wasmuth to President and CEO today.

Von Wasmuth joined RMLS in 1998 as a Help Desk Technician and most recently served as Senior Vice President. He has also held management positions in training, communications and information services within the company. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Washington.

“With more than a decade of leadership in the industry and a strong focus on subscriber priorities, our Board of Directors is confident in Kurt’s ability to lead RMLSin this challenging market,” said Gary Whiting,  a principal broker with John L. Scott and the 2010 Chairman of the RMLS Board.

“I’m excited to step into this role and look forward to helping RMLS grow its services and solutions for real estate professionals in the Northwest,” said von Wasmuth.

Former-president and CEO Beth Murphy retired in December after 11 years in the position and 15 years with RMLS.  After initial plans to move into a consulting role with RMLS, she has instead elected to embrace full retirement.

About RMLS

RMLS produces and provides multiple listing and related services to facilitate cooperation between its more than 12,000 REALTOR® subscribers. It is the primary source for real estate information and the premier Multiple Listing Service in the Pacific Northwest. For more information, visit www.rmlsbenefits.com.

###

Press Release: Kurt von Wasmuth Named President and CEO of RMLS™

Press Release: Kurt von Wasmuth Named President and CEO of RMLS™

Kurt von Wasmuth

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 8, 2010

Kurt von Wasmuth Named President and CEO of RMLS™

RMLS Board of Directors promotes company’s Senior Vice President

PORTLAND, Ore. – RMLS (Regional Multiple Listing Service), the largest Realtor®-owned multiple listing service in the Northwest, announced the promotion of Kurt von Wasmuth to President and CEO today.

Von Wasmuth joined RMLS in 1998 as a Help Desk Technician and most recently served as Senior Vice President. He has also held management positions in training, communications and information services within the company. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Washington.

“With more than a decade of leadership in the industry and a strong focus on subscriber priorities, our Board of Directors is confident in Kurt’s ability to lead RMLSin this challenging market,” said Gary Whiting,  a principal broker with John L. Scott and the 2010 Chairman of the RMLS Board.

“I’m excited to step into this role and look forward to helping RMLS grow its services and solutions for real estate professionals in the Northwest,” said von Wasmuth.

Former-president and CEO Beth Murphy retired in December after 11 years in the position and 15 years with RMLS.  After initial plans to move into a consulting role with RMLS, she has instead elected to embrace full retirement.

About RMLS

RMLS produces and provides multiple listing and related services to facilitate cooperation between its more than 12,000 REALTOR® subscribers. It is the primary source for real estate information and the premier Multiple Listing Service in the Pacific Northwest. For more information, visit www.rmlsbenefits.com.

###

FHA Loans Make Up 28% of Sales in Portland Metro Area

FHA Loans Make Up 28% of Sales in Portland Metro Area

Will new restrictions slow the increase in FHA popularity?

We all know that FHA Loans have increased in the past few years with the changing market, but how much? I recently ran some numbers on financial terms, a required field in RMLSweb, that may shed some light. These numbers are for the Portland metro area (Clackamas, Columbia, Multnomah, Washington and Yamhill counties).

As you can see, sold listings with the financial terms “FHA” have increased in the RMLS Portland market area from just 1.2% in 2007 to 28.1% of sales through October 2009. These numbers are closely in line with national levels; a recent report stated that FHA loans are up to 30% this year from 3% in 2006.

Do you think we’ll continue to see FHA loans grow in popularity, or will it change if plans to make some FHA loans require a down payment higher than 3.5% go through? Realtors, let us know what you’re seeing out in the field – leave a comment below.

Distressed Property Update for Portland & Clark County

Distressed Property Update for Portland & Clark County

21.9% of listings distressed in PDX, 31.7% in Clark County

The latest report from the Mortgage Bankers Association indicated that the rate of foreclosure for people with fixed rate loans and good credit is on the rise.

The AP reports that homeowners’ inability to keep up with payments is now more due to unemployment, rather than the subprime loans that contributed to the initial increase in foreclosures.

A quick search on RMLSweb reveals that in the Portland Metro area, distressed properties currently make up 21.9% of active residential listings (this number takes into account listings that require third-party approval, as this typically indicates a short sale and those that are marked as bank-owned).

In Clark County, 31.7% of residential listings are  distressed.

HOWNW.com Adds Section on Avoiding Foreclosure and Fraud

HOWNW.com Adds Section on Avoiding Foreclosure and Fraud

PMAR’s public service website, HOWNW.com (Home Ownership Opportunities Northwest) has a new section that offers consumers information from reliable sources such as the National Association of Realtors®, the Federal Trade Commission, Fannie Mae and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency about how to avoid foreclosure and fraud.

To explore these useful new resources, visit: http://hownw.com/consumer/avoidingforeclosure.asp