Real Estate Twitter Tips

"Speed kills ... except for real estate." -- Anonymous

People are using Twitter to share their experiences. That's hardly a secret anymore. They are also using it for "crowdsourcing," posing questions and problems to a group of people.

They are hoping for a quick and useful reply. They tweet (post on Twitter) for advice. They tweet for referrals. They tweet for real estate advice. Yes, they tweet that they are looking for homes -- and for Realtors. No kidding.

So, how do you find these folks?

Here are some tools to help real estate professionals find them quickly and with little effort.

1. DemandSpot is a Twitter real estate search tool designed to help folks find buyers (and sellers). Simply enter a geographic area, a search radius of up to 200 miles, and select a real estate keyword from a list. DemandSpot will return tweets that contain those keywords, together with the link to the person who tweeted it.

Here is a result I found in the New York area, searching under the "condo" keyword: "Looking to buy a condo in NYC area (sic) anyone have any contacts or suggestions?"

Once you locate a person requesting help on Twitter you can engage that individual. Since that person reached out on Twitter, you have their permission to offer help.

A tip: Read the profile and Twitter stream of the person who is seeking help to get a sense of who they are. Then decide how to engage them. Add a link to your LinkedIn or Facebook profile so that person can, in turn, get a sense of you.

DemandSpot has certain limitations. You cannot choose your own keywords, and you cannot subscribe to updates. DemandSpot also wants you to contact the person through them. (To identify and contact the person directly, however, you can click "All Recent Updates.")

The following tools overcome these limitations:

2. Twitter search engines: Twitter Search; GeoChirp; Monitter.

Twitter Search: Simply enter search terms you think will locate people tweeting for real estate help. Some search-term suggestions include: "anyone know a Realtor?" "looking for real estate agent," or "house hunting" (very popular). Tweets will be returned in the results with the search terms highlighted.

This is my favorite Twitter search engine because it's fast. It has an advanced search feature that lets you tailor your searches and include locations. The best part is you can get a "Feed for this query" via RSS (really simple syndication) to receive future tweets that meet your search criteria.

Tip: Even if you don't get instant results on your search, subscribe to the search. Anytime a person tweets the search phrase in the future, it will be sent to your feed reader. As an example, a recent search of "anyone know Realtor in Arlington?" located a very similar Twitter post.

GeoChirp is a location-based Twitter search engine. Enter a location, a search radius up to 50 miles, and a keyword or keyword phrase. GeoChirp lets you "Subscribe to this search" to have future tweets delivered to you.

Monitter is also a location-based Twitter search tool that allows you to expand the search radius to 100 miles. I like Monitter because you can enter many search queries at one time. Monitter displays the tweets in separate columns and continues to update them in real time. The only negative is that the search results can be fuzzy.

Monitter, like GeoChirp, lets you subscribe to search updates via RSS feed.

Tweetlister lets you tweet your real estate listings to Twitter. You can schedule the listing tweet time and frequency. Each listing links to its own detail page with a broker/agent profile. The tweets go to your designated Twitter account. Tweetlister also provides the number of clicks on your listings.

I know what you're thinking (and put down that straightjacket) -- it's "unsocial" to tweet your listings. It may be. But I think there may be a way to do it without being regarded as a "Spamapotamus."

Set up a separate account on Twitter to use with Tweetlister. Pick a name with market keywords, such as "Newest Miami condos for sale." In the profile, tell folks you are using this dedicated account solely to tweet the newest listings in your market area. Link to your property-search page. Use hashtags to identify a neighborhood or building, such as: #southbeach or #trumptower.

Promote this "twitter alert for new listings" tool on your blog or Web site with a link to the account.

Some folks may choose to follow this Twitter feed for new listing because they will not have to disclose their e-mail address (as e-mail registration can scare away some from listings alerts).

Give these tools a "twy." Hopefully, they will make it easier for you to connect with clients on Twitter.

By: Joseph Ferrara, www.inman.com

WE BUY HOUSES

877-WE BUY 10

Meltdown Gives Consumers a New Money Mindset

If the Great Recession has taught people one thing, it's this: They need to take charge of their finances. It's a lesson plenty are heeding. People are saving more and spending less. The personal savings rate has risen to more than 4 percent after sinking to near zero in the months before last fall's meltdown. The number of people getting financial counseling is 3.2 million, double the amount two years ago.

In ways big and small -- from scrutinizing their bills and joining credit unions to scaling back weddings and college plans -- people are finding creative ways to deal with the worst recession in a generation. In short, there's a quiet revolution taking place in the way people save, borrow and spend that represents a retreat from old habits, and the first steps toward new ones.

Saving

For years, the traditional savings account has been a quaint relic of the past. There were just too many other things to do with our money -- and most involved spending it. Home improvements, and, for many, a second home; a second car and then a third; overseas vacations. The list went on. Saving meant putting money in a 401(k), and many didn't put as much into those as they could. Then the market plunged and the value of those accounts fell with it.

Now, many people are reassessing their approach to socking money away.

While personal income is down slightly since the recession officially began in late 2007, the personal savings rate is rising. In 2007 the savings rate stood at 1.7 percent of after-tax income. That climbed to 2.7 percent in 2008, and in July -- the most recent data available -- hit 4.2 percent. As people fear losing their jobs, they will save more: Economists expect the savings rate to top 6 percent in coming months if unemployment, which was 9.7 percent in August, continues to rise.

But people are still saving less than they did in the last major recession in 1982. Back then, the savings rate was 10.9 percent when certificates of deposit were earning more than 12 percent.

These days, it's difficult to earn much on savings. Most bank money-market accounts offer a return of less than 2 percent, and even long-term certificates of deposit offer little more than 2 percent.

Reducing credit card debt can be one of the quickest ways to save. With credit card companies charging more than 13 percent on average -- and up to 30 percent for people with poor credit -- reducing or eliminating that monthly payment will save money.

Financial planners used to advise consumers to save enough money to cover their expenses for three months. When the worst of the recession hit, Laurie Siebert of Valley National Advisers in Bethlehem, Pa., already was advising clients to boost their emergency savings to six months. Now, she's urging them to save enough to cover a full year of expenses because credit lines and job security aren't guaranteed.

One big reason to save more now: Homeowners can't depend on rising property values to refinance their mortgages to help cover household expenses.

People are flocking to bank and money management Web sites to compare interest rates and share advice. Traffic to personal financial management Web sites, where users can analyze their saving and spending, has soared. The largest site, Mint.com, saw traffic grow from 200,000 visitors a month in January of last year to more than 1 million a month this year.

Smart consumers treat their savings as an expense and set aside their savings before paying other bills. When the bills are paid off, they shift that money into a savings account.

And if you're not participating in your company's 401(k), start now. If you are and don't save as much as you can, increase your monthly contribution. Remember that you can borrow money to help send your kids to college, but there aren't any loans for retirees.

Borrowing

Credit isn't as easy to get anymore, so people are getting creative to find new sources of funds.

Bank loan balances declined by 4.6 percent for the year ending in June. But credit union loan balances rose by 4.5 percent, according to industry associations. Credit unions, which are nonprofits and weren't as tangled in subprime mortgages, are in better shape to make consumer loans.

Borrowers also have begun to explore less-traditional options. The credit crunch helped fuel the growth of what's called peer-to-peer lending, in which companies enable individuals to make loans to one another. One of these startups, The Lending Club, issued 446 loans worth $4.3 million in August alone. That's more than eight times the $488,600 in loans the company issued the same month two years earlier. Virgin Money, which facilitates loans between family members and friends, saw its loan volume more than double to $425 million in June from $200 million in October 2007.

Though new options have emerged, the subprime mortgage crisis laid bare the reality that easy credit can be dangerous. Over the past year, the government stepped in with tighter regulations and is now considering a new consumer agency to protect people from shady mortgage lenders, abusive credit card fees and other risky financial products.

Many cardholders, meanwhile, have been surprised to see their credit limits cut. Credit card companies slashed limits for 58 million cardholders, or about a third of consumers, in the 12 months ending in April, according to a report issued last month by FICO, the company that produces the most widely known credit scores. A majority of the cardholders had good credit scores when the cuts were made.

Gloria Womelduff says Chase recently lowered her limit to $7,500 from $10,000, even though she says she's never late on payments and always pays more than the minimum. "I'm as squeaky clean as you can get," says Womelduff, 56, a hospital research coordinator in Kansas City, Mo.

New credit card regulations should mean that fewer consumers are caught by surprise. In the months ahead, revamped billing statements will calculate the interest cost of making only minimum payments and show how long it would take to pay off the balance. For many, both numbers may be a shock.

The statements aren't required until February, but borrowing has already grown more prudent. The Federal Reserve says revolving credit -- made up primarily of credit cards -- declined by $6.1 billion, or 8.1 percent on an annualized basis, in July. That was part of a record $21.6 billion retreat in overall borrowing.

There are some things consumers can do to protect their credit: They can pay bills on time and review their credit report at least once a year. Plus, whenever they're using credit, they can factor the cost of the loan into the budget, weighing whether the money spent on interest could be better used elsewhere.

Spending

People are saving more and cutting their debts. But at some point, they'll start spending more. Businesses big and small hope so. What's emerging so far, though, is a more prudent consumer.

The use of coupons soared 19 percent in the first six months of this year vs the first half of 2008. People are reading bills more closely, looking for mistakes and to identify unused services that can be eliminated. Legions have sought help online. BillShrink.com allows users to compare the cost of cell phone plans and credit cards, based on actual usage. Visits to the site have grown more than tenfold since the start of the year and hit 650,000 in August.

The changing behavior can be seen in other ways:

” Two years ago, the average amount spent on a wedding was $28,000, according to the Wedding Report, a market research company in Tucson, Ariz. Last year's average: $21,800. The second quarter of this year: $16,550 -- 42 percent below the 2007 average.

While enrollment numbers aren't yet available, public colleges reported a 14 percent spike in applications last spring, suggesting some students and their families are shifting from private schools so they can spend less.

How to spend wisely hasn't changed because of the Great Recession. The rules were just ignored during the good times. They start with creating a budget to project income and expenses and guide spending. They examine the financial plan each month to find ways to cut back -- whether services that aren't needed or fees that can be avoided.

Smart consumers also take advantage of all employee benefits; use a flexible spending account, when available, to pay for child and health care costs; and they review insurance policies to make sure they're only paying for what they need.

By: Candice Choi and Eileen Aj Connelly, www.aps.com

WE BUY HOUSES

877-WE BUY 10

Timelines Do Improve Service

My long time friend Mary posted on her Facebook that she was holding her home open and was "hoping" for some traffic.

I know that my friend Mary is a hairdresser, not a real estate agent! I just had to call her and find out why she was holding an open house knowing that her home was listed with a licensed agent.

Mary told me that she was excited to find out that in her small town the houses on either side of her property were scheduled to be auctioned off on the upcoming Saturday from 10-12:00, and she had called her real estate agent to cash in on the free traffic by proposing the agent hold an open house on that designated Saturday.

The auction companies had blasted the media with the date, time and place and she really wanted to "take advantage" of the free traffic in hopes of snagging a prospect to look at her property while in the area. So Mary scrubbed, staged and manicured her home to be ready for this onslaught of buying prospects in time for the 10-12:00 appointed time for both auctions to occur.

She patiently waited for her agent to drop off the open house signs. The clock hit 10:00, 10:30, 11:00 and 12:00, and FINALLY the agent arrived -- after the auctions had occurred and any interested buyers were long gone! The agent had no timeline in her daily or listing schedule of activities to be appropriately on time to maximize this rare opportunity in a rural marketplace, nor did she seem to share Mary's desire to be visible during this rare event in their small town! The agent had completely missed the opportunity.

This lack of service is frustrating and downright rude, and it creates the question: Why should a seller pay you a fee when you aren't pro-active about marketing their property?

As a Realtor® professional and as a friend of the seller, it frankly disappointed me that Mary has employed an agent who doesn't understand the principles of service! Nor does this agent have a clue about what it takes to orchestrate today's marketing strategy that gets a property sold.

If you are interested in pumping up your service model to exceed the expectations of your seller and create true differentiation in your service model when compared to your competition, you might want to ask yourself these questions:

1. Have you developed a timeline of activities you follow when you take a property listing?

2. Do you share this timeline of marketing activities with your seller?

3. Have you discussed with your seller the average marketing time and number of showings a properly priced property historically can expect in your area before going under contract?

4. Do you ask your Sellers what communication medium they prefer for their updates and showing feedback information? Do they prefer phone? Fax? Email? Traditional printed mail? Too many agents simply use email and assume this will suffice when your seller may prefer to connect by phone at least once a week -- or they may prefer both. How will you know if you don't ask?

5. Do you follow that timeline and communicate with your sellers what will happen on a daily basis from the first week through the fourth week of the month so they are actually engaged in the marketing process and can see how you are working to effectively market their property?

6. Do you provide a communication to that seller on a consistent weekly basis of what has been orchestrated in the plan you discussed at your listing meeting, one that shows accountability for your marketing actions?

7. Do you have a proposed revised marketing strategy after the first 30-45 days that might include a price revision, changing or adding photos, revising MLS copy to reflect any changes on the premises?

8. Do you counsel your sellers in advance about overpricing a property and how it can damage the initial marketing debut in their marketplace?

9. What plan do you have in place to adjust the marketing price if the property shows more than "x" amount of times but gets no offers? Do you explain that having a ton of showings can simply mean the other agents are using your seller's overpriced property to sell other homes that have more to offer at a better price?

10. Do you also counsel your seller about offers that might occur in the first few days on the market so they don't feel they have "underpriced" the property?

Many of these questions and concerns can be addressed when you first take the listing when expectations are high and communication with your seller may not be totally clear. Having a timeline of activities not only provides a framework for the seller to follow, but provides a structure for your services that they can monitor and help you show accountability for your efforts. When you can show that your marketing efforts have been executed, it may be their pricing in the marketplace that is the real problem.

No one wants to pay for service they don't get! My friend Mary is already angry and disappointed at her agent's lack of service that she expected -- and the listing has just begun. Like any successful relationship, clear communication and expectations for services that we pay for makes for higher satisfaction from our consumer.

Consider using a timeline of marketing activities, get the sellers approval, suggestions and concerns, and then deliver what you promise on time -- every time. Bad reviews travel faster than ever before, so focus on making every transaction end by creating another raving fan!

WE BUY HOUSES

877-WE BUY 10

By: Terri Murphy, www.terrimurphy.com

Networking is a "Con" Game

Networking is nothing more than a "con" game. Have you ever been contacted by some swindler offering you money if you would help out a long, lost relative located in a remote country? We all know calls like these are scams. But, in sales, can we associate the necessary skill of networking with a "con"? I believe we can and should.

Now, I'm not suggesting that networking is a sleazy activity. Networking is a "con" game because the letters "c-o-n" are critical reminders of how to be successful in this endeavor. Instead of associating "con" with its negative connotation, I'd like to suggest that you link "con" with the words Continuity, Concern, and Confidence. I call them the "3 Cons of Networking." The need to display each of these is at the core of every networking opportunity whether we realize it or not.

To emphasize my point, stop for a moment and think about the people who you value knowing. Each one has communicated a sense of continuity, concern, and confidence towards you. In the same regard, people who have you in their network have come to see these same three "cons" in you. Many times, unfortunately, we don't realize this, so we are unable to leverage the "3 Cons" to increase the value of our network.

Let's break down each of the 3 Cons of Networking and examine some ways we can use them to our advantage:

The first "Con" is Continuity, and it serves as the foundation of networking. Do not assume continuity requires you to have face-to-face meetings on a regular basis with the person you're associating with. Rather, continuity means that you have contact with the other person at a frequency that can be counted on. Although this implies regularity, it just means the contact that takes place has to occur at a rate that is natural to both parties.

Besides getting together in person, it can be made by mail, e-mail, telephone, or even fax. The rate of recurrence will control the speed and depth of the networking relationship. If you want to be better connected with someone, identify the type of contact which best suits that person and seek to get in touch with them on an appropriate schedule.

The second "Con" is Concern. Do you show concern for the other person? Are you willing to go out of your way to assist them? Many people desire to network with others for nothing more than building a list of names, as if they were collecting baseballs cards or old coins. In reality, networking is about making a difference in the lives of others. It's about being willing to put their needs in front of your own. You do this by showing interest in them, by asking them questions, by helping them achieve their goals, by congratulating them for things they've accomplished, and by being willing to share their success with others. Although this "Con" is the most critical, it is also the most often neglected in society today.

The final "Con" is Confidence. Under no circumstance should this be associated with arrogance. It's not as much about your level of self-assurance as it is about the amount of confidence the other person has in you. Think about it. If you aren't confident in somebody, you won't confide in them, you won't support them, and you probably will not go out of your way for them. The person whom others have confidence in is respected.

How do you gain the confidence of those in your network? Demonstrate continuity and concern. (You might say confidence is the end result of doing the other two well.) Be knowledgeable and professional with the other person. Be willing to put yourself into situations where they can see how you respond to things in both good and bad times. Commit to be yourself regardless of who you're with or who you desire to meet. Turning these actions into habits will help you gain the respect and confidence you desire from your counterparts.

Networking is a "con" game, nothing more and nothing less. When you are willing to invest time into carrying out the "3 Cons," you will find your network growing not just in size, but, more importantly, in the value and benefits you and those you network with receive from it. Successful networking relationships have "con" written all over them!

By: Mark Hunter, www.salesopedia.com

WE BUY HOUSES

877-WE BUY 10

Find Your Selling Motivation

A lot of people have a lot to say about selling. And I'm sure you've heard much of it already.

They'll tell you their way is the best way to get more customers, the quickest way to get rich, or the only way to gain success. Deep down, however, we all know the truth -- that there is no one way to sell. The real secret of selling is to be true to yourself -- to sell with honesty and integrity (and a dash of humor) in the way that best fits your unique personality. No one else can do it quite the way you can.

The truth about selling is divided into two separate but equally important parts: your motive and your method.

Your motive is the reason you sell in the first place. What are you thinking when you get up in the morning to go to work? Are you thinking about the paycheck? Are you thinking about your customer's needs? Are you thinking about the ways your product or service can benefit the greatest number of people?

There's nothing wrong with thinking about the paycheck; it's certainly a measurement tool that motivates many people. But selling is difficult, and it seems to me that the only thing that makes it easier is a love for what you're doing and what you're selling.

What motivates me? It's the challenge of it all. Maybe it's proving someone wrong who tells me "no" or "it can't be done." Sometimes it's accomplishing something that's never been done before, or seeing a difficult project through to the end. Or it might be the opportunities you have to make other people happy through the value of your products or services.

For instance, I'm currently selling a product outside the normal distribution routes. My plan is to garner as much media attention as possible, get word-of-mouth going and then go back to the big distributors with a product that's already proven. What keeps me moving is the feedback I'm getting that tells me my product has value. My motivation -- and my challenge -- is to sell this value to as many people as possible via a non-typical, nontraditional route. That's what makes it exciting; that's the truth about selling for me.

The second part of the equation is the method you choose to sell your product or service.

The truth here is that no one can really tell you how to do it. I'm not saying to ignore everyone else's knowledge and experience; of course, there's a lot to be learned from those who've gone before. But the thing to remember is that there is no "right" way to sell; there's only the way that works best for you.

You've probably seen those infomercials from Ron Popeil (one of the world's greatest entrepreneurs) for his rotisserie cooker, the one with the motto, "Just set it, and forget it!" The same principle can be applied to selling. Learn as much as you can, let it "cook" in your mind -- and then don't stress too much about it. You'll still have all that knowledge tucked away in the back of your mind, and you can draw on it whenever you need it. You can also follow my motto: CDC, or collect, discard, create. Collect as much knowledge and information as possible, discard what is not useful to you, then create and refine your own style.

So the truth about selling is whatever you make it. For people like us, selling is our life and our livelihood. Sometimes, in the craziness of selling, when setbacks loom and things aren't going as well as we'd like, it helps to think about how and why we do what we do.

And that's the truth.

By: Barry Farber, www.entrepreneur.com

WE BUY HOUSES

800-WE BUY 10

3 Business Plan Blunders and How to Avoid Them

Let's be honest: Sometimes no matter how hard you plan, you just don't get the results you want.

A business plan can help you set a strategy for the coming year (it won't be long now) and outline the goals you want to achieve. But how often do so many business plans become merely a list of your unaccomplished objectives?

It often boils down to three main reasons: unnecessary complexity, lack of focus, and little to no motivation.

Realizing this, you can make adjustments in these three areas to avoid such common mistakes and formulate an intelligent business plan that gets you results.

Problem 1: Is your business plan too complex?

Most business plans designed for real estate professionals have too many moving parts. After all, most practitioners do not come from business backgrounds and have no training in even writing a business plan. Therefore, a common problem is to err on the side of providing way too much detail. But the more complex and detailed it is, the less likely you will be able see through all of the gobbledygook to realize your main objectives.

Solution: Keep it simple and in easy terms. Don't reduce the goals in your plan to mere activities. There are too many possible activities to choose from! It's too cumbersome to track each task, and there are too many to focus on at one time. Out of frustration or confusion, you'll simply stop the planning process or stop using the plan. Make sure your business plan includes only what you need to manage your business.

And remember: Don't think of it as a one-time thing. Your business plan should be a living document, so start thinking of it that way. Calling it a "plan" implies it's something you did 10 months ago and never use. Instead, use the more active phrase "business planning." Business planning is like steering and driving. It requires having a destination and making course corrections.

Problem 2: Are you focused enough?

It's easy to lack focus if you have so many details in your business plan that they're competing for your attention. A change to a simple, single focus allows you to be more creative and work smarter. In addition, a more concentrated approach significantly reduces stress on and off the job.

Solution: To improve your focus, reduce the measurable goals in your business plan to initial appointments with new clients, and stop there. Do not discriminate between listing and buyer appointments. Count them both.

Why just target initial appointments? After using this model with thousands of real estate professionals all over the country for more than a decade, I've found an accurate rule of thumb: Modestly competent professionals with at least one year of experience will execute a successful transaction with at least half of the new clients with whom they have an initial appointment. That means every two initial appointments lead to a sale, roughly. Forty new appointments for the year lead to 20 sales.

Here are some other benefits:

³As you make initial appointments each week, you'll naturally focus on the best ways to generate the appointments and your skill at turning those into sales.

³The initial appointments are a measure that makes it easy to identify which skills or systems are your greatest weaknesses or strengths.

³You'll make better decisions about what to do, what to buy, and what to learn next. This will save you time, money, and frustration and give you more confidence as you go forward.

Problem 3: Are You Motivated Enough to Achieve These Goals?

Your purpose is your reason for doing anything. "Why" you do something drives you to action. If you haven't identified the "why," then your business plan will likely fall flat.

Solution: Consider your business goals and your purpose behind those goals. This will create a deep and lasting motivation and prevent you from feeling powerless and mediocre.

Before you set your measurable goals, do the following:

Write down at least five answers to the question, "What do I want my business to do for my life? What do I want my business to accomplish for me and my loved ones?"

Then, ask yourself, "Why do I want that?" And keep writing those answers down and continually asking, "And why do I want that?"

Continue to ask yourself these questions until you have an emotional response to your answer and arrive at an answer that excites you. Sometimes this excitement occurs immediately; sometimes you have to live with that question on your mind for a few days to let your subconscious work on it.

Eventually, you'll have an answer that makes you say to yourself: "That's why I am willing to do whatever it takes." This adds tremendous power and purpose to your efforts, goals, overall plan, and everyday work.

Measure Your Results

These three easy changes are necessary to successful planning. But, don't forget: You have to hold yourself accountable too.

Every working weekday, before you open your e-mail or make a phone call, take about five minutes to think about the results you're getting. Use this time to think about your "what" and "why." Update your appointments, sales, and listings.

Then, once a week, instead of five minutes, schedule a half hour to consider these issues. After you update your results, ask: "What can I do for my business this upcoming week that would make it even more successful, even more enjoyable, and even more profitable?"

Such constant reflection will help you stay focused and motivated and ensure that your next business plan isn't just a wish list; soon it will become a list of what you've actually achieved.

By: Rich Levin, www.realtor.org

WE BUY HOUSES

877-WE BUY 10

Renters Facing Housing Problems on the Rise

A National Low Income Housing Coalition analysis of newly released data from the 2008 American Community Survey (ACS) shows that more families at every income level are facing housing cost burdens, while, not surprising, households with the lowest incomes continue to be disproportionately affected by the shortage of affordable rental housing across the country.

The data show that renters are paying an increasing percentage of their incomes toward rent. The number of renters with unaffordable housing cost burdens -- those spending more than 30% of their income on rent and utilities -- increased from 16.8 million to 17.4 million from 2006 to 2008. As expected, the lowest income renters are the hardest hit: 87.6% of renter families earning $20,000 or less are experiencing an unaffordable housing cost burden, compared to 15.3% of those earning $50,000 or more. In addition, median gross rents increased from $763 to $824 between 2006 and 2008.

The share of units renting for under $500 fell from 16.9% to 16.3%, as the share renting for $1500 or more rose from 10% to 11.2%.

The data also point out a shift from owning to renting since 2006, as households lost homes to foreclosure or put off the decision to buy in the declining for-sale home market. This shift has led to more crowded living conditions for renters, likely as a result of some families doubling up or taking in tenants and larger families moving into smaller, more affordable units. The average household size of renter-occupied units increased from 2.41 in 2006 to 2.44 in 2008. The percentage of occupied housing units with 1.51 or more occupants per room increased from 1.52% to 2.35%.

"The new ACS data validates the reports we are getting from across the country. More families are renting, rents are going up and the lowest income households are struggling to pay for the most basic necessities. These data were collected before the rapid rise in unemployment, which means the situation today is even worse. As Congress considers giving even more tax breaks to support homeownership, equal attention must go to the diminishing housing choices of low income renters," National Low Income Housing Coalition President Sheila Crowley said.

NLIHC is calling on Congress to respond to these new data by providing at least $1 billion in funding for the National Housing Trust Fund (NHTF). The NHTF, once funded, will provide communities with funds to build, rehabilitate and preserve rental homes for people with the lowest incomes. NLIHC has also called for at least 200,000 additional rental assistance vouchers in the next fiscal year, as well as adequate funding for all HUD programs.

ACS estimates were released on September 22^nd. by the U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates are based on an annual, nationwide sample of about 250,000 addresses per month. In addition, approximately 20,000 group quarters across the United States, comprising approximately 200,000 residents were sampled. Geographic areas for which data are available are based on total populations of 65,000 or more.

Established in 1974 by Cushing N. Dolbeare, the National Low Income Housing Coalition is dedicated solely to achieving socially just public policy that assures people with the lowest incomes in the United States have affordable and decent homes.

WE BUY HOUSES

HUSTLE HARD