SAN FRANCISCO, CA, Mar 11, 2013 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) –
Zephyr Real Estate recently announced that it has again received the
Website Quality Certification (WQC) from Leading Real Estate
Companies of the World(R), which presents the certification to member
real estate firms that demonstrate best practices in website design
and Internet communications.

Zephyr’s website, www.zephyrsf.com, earned the certification after
reaching high marks on a range of criteria, including usability,
design and content, interactivity, responsiveness, search engine
optimization and more. The WQC is an optional program available only
to firms affiliated with Leading Real Estate Companies of the
World(R) and requires re-certification every two years.

“We introduced the WQC in 2009 to recognize member websites that
combine high standards for design, technology and customer service,”
said Leading Real Estate Companies of the World(R) President/CEO Pam
O’Connor. “Each year, we revisit the criteria to ensure the standards
reflect the most current online trends, and we are especially proud
to recognize the firms whose sites earned the WQC this year.”

Zephyr’s website has also been nominated for the Best Interactivity
award. Winners will be announced at the LeadingRE annual conference
in Las Vegas later this month.

Zephyr’s website has been received enthusiastically across the board,
from agents to clients. The website offers a wealth of information
above and beyond typical listings, including neighborhood-level
market trends, a searchable public and private school database with
detailed school profiles, and in-depth neighborhood profiles complete
with descriptions, demographics, maps, and narrated videos.

“In today’s competitive marketplace, we understand the need to keep
our website robust and user-friendly,” commented Melody Foster,
Zephyr’s Director of Marketing and Web Development. “We are honored
to be recognized for our diligence and effort to provide a positive
web experience.”

About Zephyr Real Estate
Founded in 1978, Zephyr Real Estate is San
Francisco’s largest independent real estate firm with $1.5 billion in
annual gross sales in 2012 and a current roster of more than 200
full-time agents. In 2010, Zephyr launched its new website, which has
earned two web design awards, including the prestigious Interactive
Media Award. Zephyr Real Estate is a member of the international
relocation network, Leading Real Estate Companies of the World; the
luxury real estate network, Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate; and the
local luxury marketing association, the Luxury Marketing Council of
San Francisco. Zephyr has six strategically located offices in San
Francisco, a business center in Marin County, and serves a large
customer base throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. For more
information, visit www.zephyrsf.com.

        Contact:
        Melody Foster
        Zephyr Real Estate
        San Francisco, CA
        415.348.1212 ext. 107
        Email Contact

SOURCE: Zephyr Real Estate

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Article source: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/zephyr-real-estate-earns-leadingre-website-quality-certification-2013-03-11

Foreclosure activity in both the East Bay and the Bay Area fell in February as lenders made changes to foreclosure procedures in response to the robo-signing scandal.

February’s numbers were a reversal of what happened in January, when the number of Bay Area homeowners who received a notice of foreclosure spiked almost 40 percent from a year ago, according to a report released Thursday by RealtyTrac.com.

“We expected (the January increase) because we thought there was an artificial low in October, November and December that was caused by the lenders slowing down because of the robo-signing controversy,” said Daren Blomquist, director of marketing and communications for RealtyTrac.com.

“We honestly expected (January’s) increases to continue into February. They did not, which indicates to us that what started out maybe as a paperwork issue (in states requiring lenders to use the courts to foreclose on homeowners) seems to be rippling out and becoming a much bigger issue that’s just miring down the lenders and keeping them from foreclosing.”

California is a nonjudicial foreclosure state, which means that lenders do not have to use the courts to foreclose. The robo-signing scandal surfaced in September in judicial foreclosure states.

The upshot is that lenders are “limited in the number of properties they can process each month,” Blomquist said. “It’s affecting

all stages of the process, and not just the final stage.”

In Alameda County, 559 notices of default — the first stage in the foreclosure process — were filed in February. That’s down 38.4 percent from January, and a drop of 42.2 percent from a year ago. Another 378 homes became bank-owned properties, the last stage in the process. That’s a 22.7 decrease from January, but a 4.4 percent increase from a year ago.

In Contra Costa County, 684 notices of defaults were filed, a 39.9 percent drop from January, and a 42 percent decline from year ago. Another 526 homes became bank-owned, a 17.4 percent drop from January and a 15.7 percent decline from a year ago.

In the Bay Area, which RealtyTrac.com. defines as Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Mateo and San Francisco counties, 1,769 notices of defaults went out in February, a 32.4 percent drop from January and a 39.9 percent drop from a year ago. Another 1,150 homes became bank-owned, a 15.7 percent drop from January and a 4.2 percent decline from a year ago.

The slowdown is part of the “ongoing saga” of the foreclosure story that has nothing to do with fewer homeowners falling behind on their mortgage, said David Schubb, a real estate broker and president of The Schubb Group, a Pleasant Hill-based real estate brokerage.

“It’s not because the loan delinquency issues have disappeared or are getting better,” he said.

In addition to lenders reworking procedures to take back homes in response to the robo-signing scandal, foreclosures also have slowed in response to loan modification programs and short sales. Banks also are holding off on foreclosures to limit the number of homes that are put on the market at one time. Observers expect the slowdown will have to end sometime this year.

Nationwide, a total of 63,165 homes received a notice of default, a 16 percent drop from January and a 41 percent decrease from a year ago. Another 64,643 homes were taken back by banks, down 17 percent from January, and an 18 percent decrease from a year ago.

Contact Eve Mitchell at 925-952-2690.

FORECLOSURE ACTIVITY, MARCH 2011

HEADERS
Notice of defaults yr/yr Mar. % change
Notice of trustee sale yr/yr Mar.% change
Bank-owned properties yr/yr Mar. % change
All foreclosure activity yr/yr Mar.% change

CONTENT
Alameda
559 -42.2%
765 -8.7
378 +4.4
1,702 -21.5

Contra Costa
684 -42.0%
739 -18.1
526 -15.7
1,949 -28.0

San Joaquin
562 -31.3%
563 -18.9
493 +13.6
1,618 -16.9

Solano
356 -33.8%
402 -8.4
266 +17.2
1,024 -15.0

Source: www.realtytrac.com

Article source: http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_17575692