The Ten Best in RE.net This Week: April 24, 2010 Edition

1 ) Bob Hale is sticking his neck out – who’s got his back? – The Houston Association of Realtors will soon launch a Web application that allows consumers to see which Realtors within their chosen search area are transacting business – and which are not. Will this move get support?

2 ) Your Self-Directed IRA is Possibly the Worst Mistake You Made?! – If you do not know anything about a self-directed IRA before getting one, get educated or you could pay the consequences.

3 ) Just Bought a Home; Did You Plan For Expenses? – This is a great post because most people do not really understand the true cost of home ownership. If you are first time home buyer or even a first time investor, make sure you really understand the true costs of home ownership before you buy.

4 ) NAR: 1994 Called, and it Wants its Photo Policy Back! – I thought NAR was supposed to look out for consumers, not lazy agents? If 90+% of home buyers shop online, why would you not require photos? How does a listing online without pictures help either the buyer or the seller?

5 ) #RTB | Real Estate Liposuction – This was posted when? 2005? Amazing how something so relevant five years ago still is today.

6) What Your Realtor Can’t Tell You – Realtors help you find a nice house in a safe neighborhood right? Clients never seem to be happy when you cannot tell them whether the neighborhood is safe or not. Some things just cannot be said if we want to keep our license.

7 ) Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives (HAFA) – 100% Disaster Guarantee – I have been begging on Twitter and my blog for HAFA stories, and not getting much in response. Here is the first post I have seen on an actual HAFA case. Not good.

8 )The Price of one home – $270k, $199k, $195k, $65k, how much is the house worth? Depends who you ask.

9 ) No Job, No Mortgage Payment – I have been one of the biggest critics of Bank of America. I have done countless videos about how they are not helping themselves. Recently though I have to give them credit, as their short sales department is getting better to work with. They are doing a small amount of principle reductions (but still more than others) and now this. At least they are trying.

10 ) Seven Things Your Agent Should Know About Your Mortgage Approval – These are all good points for agents to make sure they know, in case their clients find it and ask questions.

Note By BiggerPockets: These are opinions written by the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of BiggerPockets.