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ยป IN THE NEWS Zillow Offers Free Websites for Rental Professionals As Zillow continues to grow its rental offerings, the company announced it's providing a free service to help rental professionals grow their business. Seattle-based Zillow added Property Management Websites to Zillow Rentals, a free marketplace and suite of tools for rental professionals, such as property managers and rental agents. The new tool is specifically for rental professionals who don't have a website, wish to improve their current website, or want a free custom web solution. Zillow Property Management Websites do not require web expertise and can be created in a timely fashion. The website is integrated with Zillow Rentals listings, so when rental professionals update information regarding their properties within their Zillow Rentals account, their website will reflect those changes. Other features include a personalized domain name, a variety of templates, search engine optimization, special rent calculators, and more. "At Zillow, we're focused on giving rental professionals the tools they need to attract and collaborate with prospective tenants," said David Vivero, VP of Zillow Rentals. "Giving every property manager a beautiful search engine-optimized website is yet another way Zillow Rentals will help rental professionals get more exposure for their listings and fill their vacancies faster and more easily." The company also recently acquired HotPads, a map-based rental and real estate search site. Survey: Experts Predict 3.1% Price Increase in 2013 Home prices will increase by 3.1 percent this year after topping off 2012 with a 4.6 percent gain, according to the results of the Home Price Expectations Survey released by Seattle-based Zillow last month. Through 2017, the panelists surveyed expect prices to increase by more than 3 percent annually. The survey, which was conducted by Pulsenomics LLC, amasses responses from 105 economists and industry experts from such firms as Dun & Bradstreet, ING, Alliance Bernstein, and Local Market Monitor, as well as academia and all of the top U.S. mortgage lenders. Among the experts surveyed, Zillow reported the most optimistic quartile averaged a 6.3 percent increase for 2012 and the most pessimistic experts averaged a 3 percent increase. "An organic recovery in the housing market really took hold in the latter half of 2012, and this improvement is echoed in some of the most optimistic price projections we've seen in years from this group," said Dr. Stan Humphries, Zillow's chief economist. Zillow found predictions for prices in 2013 averaged as high as 4.9 percent among the optimistic panelists and as low as 0.8 percent at the other end of the spectrum. "Record levels of affordability and an improving overall economic picture have really helped buoy the market and have us well positioned for continued growth, albeit slightly slower, in 2013 and beyond," Humphries said. Forecasts presented by the economists and industry representatives surveyed by Zillow are based on the projected path of the S&P/Case-Shiller Index over the next five years. The most recent S&P home price report revealed a monthly decrease in October for both the 10-city and 20-city indices. VISIT US ONLINE @ DSNEWS.COM West Virginia rank: 34 90+ Day Delinquency Rate Foreclosure Rate november 2012 2.40% Unemployment Rate 1.70% 7.3% year ago 2.46% 2.37% 7.8% percent point change -2.1% -28.4% -6.4% Top County Brooke CounTy 90+ Day Delinquency Rate Foreclosure Rate november 2012 2.45% 3.17% year ago 2.67% 3.95% percent point change -8.5% -19.7% Top Core-Based Statistical Area Wheeling, WV-oh 90+ Day Delinquency Rate november 2012 2.59% Foreclosure Rate 2.97% year ago 2.36% 2.72% percent point change 10.0% 9.2% note: The 90+ Day delinquecy rate is the percentage of outstanding mortgage loans that are 90plus days delinquent. The foreclosure rate is the percentage of outstanding mortgage loans currently in foreclosure. State rank is based on the November 2012 foreclosure rate. All figures are rounded to the nearest decimal. The unemployment rate reflects preliminary November 2012 figures released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. All other data courtesy of Lender Processing Services. Wisconsin rank: 21 STAT INSIGHT 123 Number of days it took a home to foreclose at the end of last year in Washington. Source: ForeclosureRadar 90+ Day Delinquency Rate Foreclosure Rate november 2012 2.75% Unemployment Rate 2.86% 6.7% year ago 2.69% 3.76% 7.1% percent point change 2.0% -23.8% -5.6% Top County JaCkson CounTy 90+ Day Delinquency Rate november 2012 4.77% Foreclosure Rate 7.17% year ago 4.49% 5.67% percent point change 6.2% 26.5% Top Core-Based statistical area MenoMonie, Wi 90+ Day Delinquency Rate Foreclosure Rate november 2012 2.50% 3.87% year ago 1.83% 6.43% percent point change 36.7% -39.9% note: The 90+ Day delinquecy rate is the percentage of outstanding mortgage loans that are 90plus days delinquent. The foreclosure rate is the percentage of outstanding mortgage loans currently in foreclosure. State rank is based on the November 2012 foreclosure rate. All figures are rounded to the nearest decimal. The unemployment rate reflects preliminary November 2012 figures released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. All other data courtesy of Lender Processing Services. 125