2010 Sales to Rise 15 Percent

Home sales will increase 15 percent to about 5.7 million units and REALTOR® income will be up 20 percent in 2010, NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun told a packed room of REALTORS® today in a residential economic update at the 2009 NAR Conference & Expo.

Yun credited the home buyer tax credit with unleashing sales on the lower-end of the housing market this year, bringing up to 400,000 first-time buyers into the market who wouldn't have bought otherwise. That influx tightened inventories of starter homes, shored up prices, and helped reduce households' fear over continuing price drops.

This virtuous cycle will continue now that the federal government has extended the credit to mid-2010 and expanded it to make a smaller credit available to repeat buyers and to households with higher incomes. “The key is stabilizing prices and preserving household wealth,” he says.

Yun predicts the supply of homes to stabilize at the historic norm of six to seven months. Homes above $500,000 will remain elevated in the near-term, but that weakness will be offset by a hefty drop in starter-home inventories, which are running at about a five months supply.

The tightening inventory at all price points will help improve market performance by bringing supply into better balance with demand, but the added sales, particularly on the higher end, will also increase the number and quality of the market comparables used by appraisers to assign valuations. Once appraisals improve, foreclosures will ease, blunting their drag on the market and making it less likely that Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and even FHA will need help from the taxpayer.

“Then we’ll be set for a durable economic expansion,” he said.

New-home sales, which comprise about 10 percent of the market, will continue at suppressed levels--about 550,000 units, down from more than a million during the boom--mainly because builders have scaled projects way back, in part because financing isn't available.

"Weakness in new-home sales shouldn’t be viewed as tepid demand," he said.

Even under the most positive economic scenario, unemployment will remain elevated through 2010. Yun is predicting unemployment to stay near double-digits going into 2011, qualifying this recession, as some economists have, as the "Great Recession.”

For the longer term, the huge deficit run up by the federal government to shore up the economy remains the big question mark. Although the deficit is expected to improve each of the next three years, it will remain at historic highs. Unless the federal government releases a credible plan for shrinking it, investors will start to balk and interest rates will need to rise to bring them back. Should inflation be the result, the housing recovery will be set back.

Source: Robert Freedman, REALTOR® magazine

Best fix for a cracked patio

Don't paint it, layer it
By Paul Bianchina, Inman News

Q: I enjoy your column and have a question for you. We built a=2 0home last year and have a concrete patio at the rear. It already has a crack in it (not very large) and it's starting to stain. I would like to improve the appearance. What would be the best choice? Paint it, carpet it (I do not like the look of the turf like outdoor carpeting), lay down a stone covering over it, or something else? It is fully exposed, and we live where the winters are not very cold but the summers can get very hot. There are few trees around it so leaf stains are not really an issue. We keep our grill, a few chairs and a patio table on it. It gets direct sun about half the day. Suggestions?

A: If the patio is low enough in relation to any doors so that adding a layer on top won't cause any height issues, my recommendation would be to add a new decorative layer of masonry on top of the concrete. This will add resale value, and also be easy to maintain. Depending on your preferences and what would go well with the house, you might consider bricks, tile (look for exterior floor tiles, also called paver tiles), flagstones or other materials. Lighter colors will reflect the sun to some degree, but be aware that any masonry surface will absorb heat, about to the same degree as the original concrete patio.
Again depending on the height in relation to doors, another thing to consider would be a layer of stamped, colored concrete on top of the old patio. A good concrete-stamping contractor can offer an amazing selection of col ors and patterns that look great and hold up very well.

BUY NEW OR IMPROVE?
Q: With so much inventory in the housing market for sale, is it better to build new, or buy and improve?

A: When you have a down market like this one, in my opinion it's the best time to buy and improve. You have a better chance of finding a good bargain on a fixer-upper, perhaps even a foreclosure, and with sweat equity you have a good chance of making a nice profit when it comes time to resell the house when the market picks up again.
If you decide to go this route, concentrate your remodeling efforts on rooms such as the kitchen and bathrooms, stay neutral with your color choices, and also look at the curb appeal aspects of the landscaping and exterior. I like to use a philosophy of quality over quantity: do good work; use good materials; always get the necessary building permits; and don't cut corners like you see on too many television "house flipping" programs.

Spring Events in NYC

Here are a few things you can enjoy while visiting New York City in the coming weeks.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden
900 Washington Avenue
718-230-2100
www.bbg.org
Tues-Fri: 8am-6pm
Sat & Sun: 10am-6pm
Admission is free
This fifty-two acre natural wonder in the midst of New York City offers a nature escape from the bustling streets and busy life found throughout most other parts of the City. Especially resplendent in spring and early summer, the Brook lyn Botanic Gardens bask in the beauty of cherry blossoms, dogwoods, magnolias, azaleas and more. Come summer, the color palette changes to blankets of lilies, hollyhocks, asters, sumptuous roses and lush greenery.


Each year the gardens celebrate the right of spring known as Sakura Matsuri. This year the festivities, which include music, dance, bonsai pruning demonstrations, kimono shows, Taiko drums, workshops and more, will take place on May 2 and 3. Admission on these dates is $12.00. These promise to be busy days at the garden with crowds reaching maximum capacity. Those wanting to take in the peaceful beauty of the gardens should actually avoid those dates. From mid April to mid May is the best time to see the 200 cherry trees in bloom. Long stretches of cherry trees, when in full bloom, form a feathery light canopy of pink blossoms that is a must see. For a list of the over thirty types of cherry blossoms found at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens visit their web site, www.bbg.org.
Museums


The Guggenheim Museum
1071 Fifth Avenue at 89th Street
www.guggenheim.org
Sat-Wed 10:00am-5:45pm
Fri 10:00am-7:45pm



NOTE: The Guggenheim is open on Mondays but closed on Thursdays.

Frank Lloyd Wright: From Within Outward
May 15–August 23, 2009

No architect is better known or better appreciated in the history of American architecture than Frank Lloyd Wright.



Frank Lloyd Wright
Despite that his personal life and relationships remained very shrouded, his works are known in most households due not only for their beauty and genius, but for their clean simple lines that appeal to a broad audience.
Born in 1867 in rural Wisconsin, Wright attended the University of Wisconsin and later, at the age of 20, moved to Chicago where he was offered a position as an apprentice at an architectural firm. This was the start of a career that would span seventy years and include the design of residential homes, churches, synagogues, hotels, skyscrapers, furnishings and more. Among the greatest projects completed by Wright near the end of his career is the Guggenheim Museum (NY). Although Wright was commissioned to design the museum in the early 1940s, the finished museum was not unveiled until 1959 shortly after his death.


Falling Waters - Residence
To mark its 50th anniversary, The Guggenheim Museum (NY) in conjunction with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, is mounting Frank Lloyd Wright: From Within Outward. The installation brings together, in varying media, information on sixty-four of the architect’s works; includ ing more than 200 original Frank Lloyd Wright drawings. Newly created three-dimensional models examine the relationship between functional space and exterior in several of Wright’s projects. This will be a rare opportunity to experience the designs of a famed architect displayed within one of his own most renowned projects.

The Brooklyn Museum of Art
200 Eastern Parkway
718-638-5000
www.brooklynmuseum.org
Tues-Fri 8am-6pm
Sat & Sun 10am-6pm
Gustave Caillebotte: Impressionist Paintings from Paris to the Sea
March 27 through July 5, 2009

A highly regarded impressionist painter whose works are rarely exhibited is taking center stage at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. Forty paintings ranging in subject from city scenes to the outdoors depict the artist’s fascination with water, light and reflection. The contents of this exhibit, much of which is on loan from private collections, offers the first opportunity in more than thirty years to enjoy a glimpse of the artist’s body of work.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art
1000 Fifth Avenue @ 82 Street
212-570-535-7710
www.metmuseum.org
Tues-Thurs 9:30am-5:45pm, Fri & Sat 9:30am-9:00pm, Sun 9:30am-5:30pm
Closed Mondays
The Metropolitan Museum of Art offers a constant rotation of special exhibits and an extensive permanent collection that rivals the finest museums in the world. This spring we are treated to a diverse variety of special exhibits that includes:


Frances Bacon: A Centenary Retrospect
May 20 - Aug 16, 2009
Compiled from private and public collections, this retrospect of works by famed twentieth century Irish born painter Frances Bacon marks the 100th anniversary of the artist’s birth in 1909. The exhibit features 160 works, half of which are paintings and touches upon every period in Bacon’s prolific career. Bacon’s style is bold and severe; some m ay refer to it as nightmarish. Although an accomplished painter in his own right, Bacon's style is not for the weak of heart.

Napoleon II and Paris
June 2 - Sept 7, 2009
This collection of photographs drawn entirely from the museum’s collection depicts the architectural transformation of the city of Paris during the second empire, 1852-1870. During this era, under the rule of Napoleon II, France witnessed the development of wide boulevards and majestic structures that, to this day, define this glamorous city.


The New American Wing
Part II The Charles Englehard Court and Period Rooms
For years, the Museum’s American Wing has suffered an embarrassment of riches. Collections that fill interconnecting rooms that display glass, sculpture and period furniture almost beyond capacity have been repurposed. The rearrangement of the American Wing, an undertaking that began in 2005, was partially completed in 2007 with the reintroduction of the Classical Galleries. This spring the reopening of the Charles Englehart court marks the completion of phase II. Phase III, the final phase in the renovation of the American Wing is scheduled for completion in 2011.


The Morgan Library and Museum
225 Madison Avenue @ 36th Street
212-685-0008
www.themorgan.org
Tues-Thurs 10:30am-5:00pm, Fri 10:30am-9:00pm
Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 11am-6pm

On the Money: Cartoons for The New Yorker From the Melvin R. Seiden Collection
Through May 24, 2009

New Yorker magazine has for years been one of the greatest outlets for America’s political and social cartoonists to showcase their talent and wit. In this exhibit viewers can enjoy 80 works from one of the largest privately held collections of New Yorker cartoons - that of Melvin R. Seiden. The cartoons are representative of more than thirty artists whose drawings appeared in the magazine at some point between 1925 when the magazine was first introduced and the present. The New Yorker’s cartoons have consistently reflected political and social views primarily those that touch upon the effects of money and the economy. The true test of gen ius when determining the value and importance of these cartoons is the relevance they manage to maintain despite the passing of time.
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Theater


Alice Tully Hall
Lincoln Center
1941 Broadway @ 64th Street
Over the past few years many of New York City’s visual and performing art venues have undergone makeovers the have improved patrons’ experiences and enhanced the city’s overall architectural beauty. Among the institutions that have reinvented themselves are: MoMA,=2 0the Morgan, Museum of Art and Design, Museum of Folk Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art. Now add to the list Alice Tully Hall. This February, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts unveiled a newly renovated Alice Tully Hall. Gone is the austere concrete box from the 1960s. After a two-year process, the renowned chamber music auditorium now boasts a complete reincarnation that features a beautifully wood paneled interior with a design and lighting that melds the audience and stage into one continuous flowing space for a more intimate feel, and a modern glass exterior that seems to float out onto Broadway inviting you to enter. Much needed practice rooms and dance studios have been added on the upper floors. Lincoln Center, which plans to make additional changes to its other venues, hopes that the new modernized look will appeal to the younger population. For a complete list of events to take place this season at Alice Tully Hall, visit www.lincolncenter.org

Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
Belasco Theater
111 West 44th Street
www.lct.org
Now through June 14, 2009
The second in Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winner August Wilson’s series of plays that chronicle the lives of African Americans in Pittsburgh’s Hill District throughout the twentieth century opened recently on Broadway. Set in 1911, the play focuses on the character of Harold Loomis, a man who upon release from years of hard labor in the south arrives in Pittsburgh on the doorstep of a boarding house. Once there, each of the other boarders assist in exorcising the demons of his past in an attempt to help him find inner freedom.



Guys & Dolls
Nederlander Theatre
208 West 41st Street
212-307-4100
Open ended run
The show is minus Sinatra, minus Brando, and minus Stubby Kaye yet the talented cast of the current revival of this quintessential musical is wowing audiences on Broadway. Set in 1930s New York during prohibition, the play’s storyline brings together what would seem to be unlikely couples to show that opposites attract and love can change a person. Show stopping performances of popular hits such as "Luck Be a Lady" and "Sit Down You’re Rockin’ The Boat" will have you humming all the way home.


West Side Story
Palace Theatre
1564 Broadway @ 46th Street
Open ended run

Get two tickets for the price of one
when you participate in our Broadway Offer
This is the first Broadway revival of Leonard Bernstein’s monumental musical West Side Story in almost thirty years. First mounted in 1957, the action is set in the gangland streets of 1950s. This New York City style Romeo and Juliet follows Maria, sister of the Puerto Rican gang leader, and Tony, a member of the Sharks, who are torn between their love for each other and their affiliation with opposing gangs. In an attempt to infuse more reality into the play, some of the dialogue and songs are performed in Spanish. The score includes such timeless favorites as "Maria", "Tonight", "I Feel Pretty" and "Somewhere". The production combines lyrics by Sondheim, music by Leonard Bernstein and the choreography of Jerome Robbins.


Desire Under the Elms
St James Theater
246 West 44th Street
212-239-6200
Now through July 5, 2009
Brian Dennehy, one of stage and screen’s most beloved actors takes the lead role of Eugene O’Neil’s classic love triangle, “Desire Under the Elms.” In this drama a mature farmer enters into a May December marriage and is forced to deal with hi s son’s disapproval. His son’s disapproval of the young wife quickly turns to lust.




Cirque du Soleil Kooza
Randall's Island Park
1-800-678-5440
April 26-May24, 2009
This Quebec based circus troupe of hair raising acrobats returns to New York City this spring with its latest production, Kooza. Although best known in recent years for its theatrical spectaculars filled with techno staging, flamboyant costumes and special effects, for this production the show's founders have decided to tone down the dependency on excessive glitz and focus on the basic elements of circus. This year's show will emphasize high wire acts, stunts and clowns that keep the child in us entertained and in awe. Tickets run from $60-$125. Premium seats are available at higher prices. Visit www.cirquedusoleil.com for full pricing details and performance schedule.

Stimulus helps stimulate real estate

By Matt Shaw | Daily Times Staff Writer


Thinking about buying a house this year?

No? Would an $8,000 tax break change your mind?

A new federal tax credit is luring people back into open houses around Wilson, real estate agents say.

"Everyone in my office is seeing more activity," said Angela Lane of Our Town Properties Inc.

Some agents are optimistic that they will sell as many properties by June as they sold in all of 2008, Lane said.

Ann Brice, a realtor with First Wilson Properties, recently showed houses to two clients who qualify for the tax credit. She believes the surge in interest will eventually lead to sales.

The tax credit for first-time homebuyers was created last month as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the federal economic stimulus package fashioned by President Barack Obama and Congress.

The full effects of the ARRA, including a tax cut for most working people, won't be felt until later this year.

But the tax credit is bringing potential buyers out now because it can be claimed on this year's returns.

Here's how it works, according to the Internal Revenue Service:

* People who buy a home before Dec. 1, 2009, can claim 10 percent of the purchase price up to $8,000, or $4,000 for married individuals filing separately, as a credit on either their 2008 or 2009 tax returns.

* To qualify, individuals must make less than $95,000 a year, couples less than $170,000.

* A first-time homebuyer is defined as anyone who has not owned any other home in the past three years before the purchase of the new home.

* You cannot acquire your home from any relative.

* The tax credit does not need to be repaid if the taxpayer keeps it as a primary residence for at least three years.

People who bought their first homes between April 8-Dec. 31, 2008 can also qualify for a tax credit -- 10 percent of the purchase price, up to $7,500 -- but it must be repaid in 15 equal installments over 15 years, beginning with the 2010 tax year.

"For first-time homebuyers this year, this special feature can put money in their pockets right now rather than waiting another year to claim the tax credit," IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman said last month. "This important change gives qualifying homebuyers cash they do not have to pay back."

Unfortunately, the federal incentive can't help people come up with a down payment, Brice noted. Generally, perspective buyers need to be able to come up with at least 3 percent of the purchase price.

But for those who can qualify and buy a house, the tax credit can replenish savings, pay for renovations or buy furniture.

"I have never gotten a deal that good in my life," Brice said.

More information is available in IRS Form 5405, First-Time Homebuyer Credit. See www.irs.gov or call 1-800-829-1040 for more information.

More Tips for Picking a Domain Name for Your Real Estate Website

By Kurt D. Lynn

RISMEDIA, July 16, 2008-On the Web, your name is everything; your domain is your brand.

Sure, it sounds easy-just pick a name and get your real estate website going-but it’s just not that simple. Choosing a domain name for your real estate website is one of the most important dynamics in your real estate business. Your domain name choice will be the foundation of all that you do over the Internet in the future. And in the future, the Internet will be very important in the real estate industry.

Before you sit down in front of your PC and start checking out names, here’s a few things to consider:

1) A brand is more than words. Your real estate brand is an image of who you are and what you offer-represented by words. Like any communication task, pick the wrong words and you may establish the wrong image. Often, it is more important that your brand be clear than it is that your brand be clever. A domain name choice of “chicagoproperty.com” might not be more clever than “landboutique.com” but it’s very clear what the name represents. Generally, your domain name-your brand on the Internet-should also address a “benefit” that is provided. In this vein, a domain name choice of “qualitychicagoproperty.com” might be much better than “susiesrealty.com.”

2) The idea of your real estate brand is to be memorable-to get the “mindshare” of your prospective visitor. To that end, it makes no real difference whether your name is long or short-both can be memorable. But it probably suggests that you do not add articles such as “the” or “a” to the name and that you do not include hyphens in the name unless that is accepted common usage for the terms you choose. If in doubt, take a poll of prospective customers and ask them about the memory “stickiness” of your proposed name.

3) Lastly, everybody wants the “.com” extension, but finding the right one can be difficult. Don’t discount extensions such as “.net”, “.info”, “.biz” and “.us”-they may make just as good sense also. Just make sure that when you include the extension as part of your “brand” that it all works together.

4) Getting multiple names-think forward to the future. You may want more than one domain name. Today you might just want to register “cosmoclevelandrealty.com” but tomorrow you might want “cosmocondos.com” and “cosmoindustrialproperty.com” as well. If you anticipate such a need, register the names now, while you still can. Tomorrow they may be gone.

Just remember that your domain name choice is your brand choice. You may be eager to get your presence established on the web, but take your time and find the name that will truly add-value to your real estate marketing presence rather than confuse it.

Kurt Lynn directs the marketing and communications activities at www.RealtySoft.com.

For more information, visit www.RealtySoft.com.

RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com.

The Ruby Hills Story: How to Attract Buyers to Homes in High Demand Areas

By Craig Proctor

RISMEDIA, July 16, 2008-An agent approached me the other day with a problem. He wanted to work with buyers who were looking for homes in a highly desirable area of his marketplace. Most of us have such an area where the homes are worth more, and thus the commission earned is higher. In my marketplace, the areas are called Glenway, Stonehaven and College Manor. In this particular agent’s marketplace, the high demand area was called Ruby Hills.

Sensibly, this agent reasoned that his cut of the commission on a home sold in Ruby Hills would be worth 1-1/2 to 2 times what he was earning on homes in other areas. The problem was that he had no listings in Ruby Hills, and thus didn’t know how to attract buyers who were interested in this area.

You Don’t Need Listings to Attract Buyers

I explained to this agent that you don’t need listings to attract buyers for a certain area. In a mere couple of minutes on the phone together, we wrote the ad below. It hits the hot buttons that will attract buyers who want to purchase a home in Ruby Hills, and offers them an easy, free, non-threatening way of getting information on several homes for sale in that area.

RUBY HILLS - Luxury homes on huge lots, professionally landscaped, backing onto golf course, trees. Free computerized list of homes for sale in this prestigious area. Call 1-800-000-0000 ID#0000. <>

When you run an ad like the one above, a couple of important things happen:

1. You’ll get calls from buyers who are interested in purchasing a home in Ruby Hills.

When they call into your hotline to get the computerized list, your script will say something like: “Thank you for calling about the homes for sale in the prestigious Ruby Hills neighborhood. We know of several homes for sale in Ruby Hills that range in price from $500,000 to $600,000. All of these luxury homes sit on huge, professionally landscaped treed lots, and many back right onto the golf course. The homes in this exclusive area offer many elegant upgrades, such as gourmet kitchen, cathedral ceilings and stunning decor. To receive a free computerized list of current homes for sale in Ruby Hills, please leave your name . . .”

2. You WILL generate leads with this ad, and it will be easy enough for you to find and show them homes in Ruby Hills.

With these buyers in your database, you can now advertise to sellers that you have a large database of buyers who are interested in purchasing homes in their area (i.e. Ruby Hills). With this important leverage, you should be able to gain some listings in this area and build this momentum over time into good business activity in this area.

Importantly, because you’re not marketing a specific listing (at least initially), it’s impossible for the listing to sell. As a result, the relevance of this ad will never change and you can (and should) keep re-running it forever.

“Classified ads have the unique position to call out directly to the targeted person and have that prospect uniformly respond when and if you identify their dilemma and offer a solution. This process has a built-in qualifier because only the prospects meeting your criteria call,” said Lynn Horner-Baker, an agent in Marietta, Georgia. “And, as the ad writer, you do not need to be an expert or an area specialist. You simply need to provide what your targeted prospect wants and needs.”

She continued: “Selecting a target market is most successful when the statistics and the odds demonstrate a high percentage of need and activity. The level of return for each ad increases incrementally when there is a rush of demand and a supply equal to or slightly below the need. Target the emotional benefits of this specific area and offer exclusive and proprietary notification that no one else has. Then limit the number of prospects who can have access to your program either by number or by time of response. Prospects always want something of value more emphatically when they might not be able to have it.”

To find out more about how to write targeted classified ads that will compel the prospects you’re looking for to seek you out, you can visit http://www.hypertracker.com/go/cp/a22a080716/ where you can learn about my 3-day SuperConference where I train agents on inexpensive direct response marketing systems with proven results.

Billion Dollar AgentTM Craig Proctor has been in the top 10 for RE/MAX Worldwide for 15 years. To receive free training from Craig with no obligation, visit: http://www.hypertracker.com/go/cp/a22b080716/. These seminars are held year round in cities across the country.

Covering All Bases - The Importance of Dependability for Buyers, Sellers and Agents

By Paige Tepping

RISMEDIA, July 16, 2008-”A home warranty is only as good as the backing company’s commitment to stand up to its claims,” says John Kersten, broker/owner of Century 21 Town and Country in Michigan. What began as a recommendation has grown into a working relationship, and Kersten and his agents feel confident in being able to offer every prospective home seller that walks through the door a home warranty backed by The Warranty Group.

“The Warranty Group was recommended to me by Realogy, and we have been building our relationship with them over the past two-and-a-half years,” says Kersten. “We spent a lot of time discussing what we were looking for from The Warranty Group when we first asked them to represent us. Our history of working with home warranties allowed us to know what we wanted, so it was easy to get started with The Warranty Group.”

Over the years, Kersten has seen the advantages of offering home warranties to his clients. Not only do home warranties make the property more marketable in the eyes of the consumer, they also reassure the consumer that if something goes wrong, they just might have coverage for the items that failed.

“The home buyer is making a huge investment,” he says. “Even with home inspections, there may be appliances in the home that are at the end of their life when the new buyer moves in, and these appliances may fail shortly after their arrival. A home warranty gives the buyer peace of mind in knowing that they won’t have to buy new appliances as soon as they move in.”

The home warranties that Century 21 Town and Country and The Warranty Group offer are beneficial to sellers and buyers and can be seen as an added advantage for Century 21 Town and Country as well.

“Knowing that The Warranty Group stands behind the home warranties that our agents are offering our clients is crucial in this industry,” says Kersten. “When our agents offer a prospective seller a home warranty, they know that there is a viable home warranty company behind the offer that can be depended on. The Warranty Group has always been there for us, and our relationship with them assures the buyer that their claims will be honored.”

Not only are home warranties important to prospective home buyers, but the agent is an important part of the process as well.

“The agent is the person who is selling the home warranty and establishing the relationship with the home seller, so it is important that we assure our agents that the home warranties they are offering our buyers are backed by a reliable company,” says Kersten. “Our marketing materials have proven beneficial in this aspect; they were produced to be easy for both the consumer and the agent to understand. If the agent doesn’t understand what they are selling the consumer, the information doesn’t get presented correctly, so the agent plays a crucial role in the warranty process as well.

“We don’t require that all of our home sellers purchase a home warranty, but we do require that it is presented to every home seller,” adds Kersten. “As a company, our main focus is to offer a service to the home seller, and the home warranties that we present in conjunction with The Warranty Group are offered as an added value.”