Month

October 2009

"The Biggest Loser"

Revisionist History As historians know full well, Presidential reputations sometimes take decades to settle out, experiencing ups and downs in the meantime. For example, Harry Truman left office in 1953 quite unpopular. Over time, though, his stock gradually rose as society came to appreciate — after the fact — his straight-talking populism, common sense, and...
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Real Estate’s Most Overused Word

“[Fill in the Blank] Opportunity!” To overuse something is to devalue it. So, what is arguably the most overused word in real estate today? “Opportunity” (followed by the obligatory exclamation mark). As in . . . –Rare opportunity! –Wonderful opportunity! –Great opportunity! –Investment opportunity! –Don’t miss your opportunity! –What an opportunity! –Opportunity knocks! –Seize the...
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Updated vs . . . Not

Fixer Uppers On Sale Fixer-uppers are not the darlings of the New York City real estate market right now. With so many well-groomed apartments for sale to choose from, why bother? But when there is a lot of inventory on the market, the price gap between the renovated and unrenovated often grows. —For the Right...
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Growing . . in Stature

“Did You Get Taller??” I seem to see a lot more of my parents’ friends in the Fall than the rest of the year. That’s especially true if their grandkids go to the same school as my kids do (there a lot of school-year programs for both parents and grandparents). Invariably, the first thing they...
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Aerial Shots

Photography Trends It’s still rare, but I’m seeing more instances of home photographs including aerial shots. They’re especially useful in a couple situations: –the home is elevated and/or obscured by landscaping, so there are no good exterior shots available from street level; –the home’s spectacular physical setting and views are accentuated by an aerial shot...
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Not Selling? Raise the Price

When is a Price Increase Really a Drop? Normally, you don’t raise your price when your home doesn’t sell. However, every rule has its exceptions. The best example of a legitimate price increase is when the homeowner has invested substantial money to correct a defect — for example, putting up a two-car garage where there...
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