CoRE #100!

Wow, the Carnival of Real Estate turns 100 today! The CoRE was something the Zillow Blog team dreamed up back in the summer of 2006. We didn’t have very high expectations, but we threw it out there to see if the idea of a blog carnival in the real estate space would stick; it did. The CoRE has certainly been blessed with some fantastic hosts; from Jay Thompson’s poker theme to Athol Kay’s Top Ten Says of the Week to Active Rain’s “Top Ten Rides” to Maureen Francis’ Motor City Edition. I can’t write the 100th edition of the CoRE without thanking those who made it possible — thank you to all the bloggers who have supported the CoRE over the past two years; the wonderful hosts, those who submitted posts regularly (or irregularly), and anyone who has read one or more of the 100 carnivals. For the regular carnival followers, you’ll probably notice that the CoRE blog has a new look and feel — just in time to celebrate the 100th edition!

Without further ado, let’s move on to the selections for the 100th edition. I decided to focus on the top 10.

Pick of the week: With many local real estate markets in decline, it’s not the time for home buyers to overextend themselves. John Lockwood gives some fantastic and very relevant advice with his Buying A Home? Be Conservative! post at Sacramento Real Estate Blog.

And in no particular order, here are the rest of this week’s top 10:

Few bloggers utilize graphics to their fullest effect in blog posts (I’m guilty of that as well). Joe Manausa submitted a fantastic post including compelling and clear graphs demonstrating a modest decline in home values.  Housing Prices Decline Slightly - A Clear Picture Is Forming is posted on Tallahassee Real Estate Blog.

Karen Goodman submitted Ask Your Agent About Sign Callers Before You Sign a Listing Agreement which is posted at St. Louis Real Estate Insights. Karen is writing from the heart and makes a clear case for why it’s smart business to not demand a pre-approval letter prior to showing a home. Congratulations to Karen for making the top 10 with her first submission to the CoRE!

Silicon Valley Blogger wrote Increase the Value of Your Home With a Few Simple, Affordable Changes posted at The Digerati Life. Anything that can be done to increase the perceived value of a home and differentiate it is critical to selling a home in a buyer’s market.

Dan Melson has been a CoRE participant and supporter since the get-go (he actually won the very 1st carnival). If you’ve read Dan Melson’s writing before, it’s no surprise Dan’s article at Searchlight Crusade made the short list — Customer Disservice and Alienation - Why Nobody Talks to My Clients Except Me.

Since I think voice is extremely important to successful blogging, posts that include a strong voice resonate well with me. I loved the spider analogy that Lauren Mitchell included in her submission Caught!! How Toronto Real Estate Agents Spin The Overpriced Listing Web which is posted at Living In The Neighbourhood Toronto Real Estate Blog. The main point: don’t fall into the trap of an overpriced listing.

Dan Green constantly writes fantastic advice for borrowers and this week was no different. Check out Dan’s post at the The Mortgage Reports focused on helping homeowners digest the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac news — Homeowners And Home Buyers : What The Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Story Means To You

Talk about a deep dive into credit scores! Raymond explained the ins and outs at Money Blue Book in How Credit Scores Work And How Scores Are Calculated.

Here’s one for the the social media guru’s out there; Twitter came to the rescue for David Blockhus — Read all about it in How Twitter Saved The Day! posted at Silicon Valley Real Estate Blog.

And to round out our top 10 and the 100th CoRE; Tisha Kulak explained how to prepare yourself to face the financing application process with Tips for Qualifying for a Mortgage posted at American Consumer News.

Again, thank you to all those who have made the 100th edition of the CoRE possible! Be sure to tune in next week for the 101st edition at Alpharetta Real Estate Blog.

Hope to see you here again for the 200th edition sometime in 2010!!