Just to go out on a high note, here are a couple of the 2009 developments that I think are huge positives (some already remarked on, some not): –Improved racial comity in the U.S. (the biggest development of the year — if not decade);–Spread of Instant Run-off Voting (also known as “Ranked Choice Voting”). In...Read More
I’m a huge fan of Nobel laureate (economics) Joseph Stiglitz. This paragraph is an example of why: Financial engineering did not create products that would help ordinary citizens manage the simple risk of home ownership – with the consequence that millions have lost their homes, and millions more are likely to do so. Instead, innovation...Read More
Is Everyone in Wisconsin Fat? If we can reduce the number of people deferring medical care — or postponing it indefinitely — while at the same time managing to not go broke, this time next year we can look back at 2010 with pride. This post is from on the road, in the heart of...Read More
Housing “Ahab” Finally Finds Her Moby Dick Bay Area real estate has always demanded patience on the part of buyers. Many spend months scouring listings in hopes of finding “the one.” Then there is Lidia Pringle. Over two-and-a-half years, Ms. Pringle personally inspected 298 homes in Marin County. –“A Picky Home Buyer Pursues An Epic...Read More
Hurry Up and Wait If you’re a prospective home Buyer who initiates a deal just before Christmas — especially if it’s a bank-owned property — you’re likely to get everything wrapped up a week into the New Year (if you’re lucky — I’ve got one in progress now). If you’re a Buyer who initiates a...Read More
Christmas Vacation — for the Housing Market, Too It’s official: last Monday thru Sunday (Dec. 21 – 27) was the slowest week of the year. Just as it was last year, and the year before. My office — Edina Realty City Lakes — recorded 44 showings for that period. By contrast, the peak period in...Read More
