“Commission Impossible” From this week’s episode: “Commission impossible.” –What Realtors say about a particularly trying Buyer. “Commission accomplished.” –When such a Buyer actually buys. At least, that’s what Phil Dunphy, of TV’s “Modern Family” sitcom, claims Realtors say. Must be a Southern California — or Phil Dunphy — thing (personally, I’ve never heard either term). How Many Showings? Unlike...Read More
Stealth Inflation & Rising (Dog) Food Costs There are lots of indices that purport to measure inflation: “the Producer Price Index,” “the Wholesale Price Index,” “the Consumer Price Index,” etc. But the only yardstick that really matters to me is “the Kaplan Family Price Index.” By that measure, inflation is galloping right now. Overt and...Read More
Will Scathing Feedback Lower the Seller’s Price? I’ve certainly taken my swipes at the seemingly ubiquitous showing feedback forms that Buyers’ agents receive after they show a home. The main knocks: they ask for information no good Buyer’s agent is going to provide — e.g., “what is the home worth?” — especially if they have a client...Read More
Consider This a Little Big Sign With the usual number of homes temporarily taken off the market over the holidays, plus “For Sale” homes that simply expire without selling (something like one-third of all listed homes), a home’s status this time of year can be a question mark. So, here’s a BIG hint: if there’s a large post...Read More
My Picks (vs. Most Popular) When you post — on average — twice a day for a couple years, they can’t all be zingers. But after some 3,000 or so posts and drafts (yes, I’ve got another couple hundred posts teed up), at least a few have been spot-on, as they say: well-written, insightful, and...Read More
“Go Northwest, Young Man” I’ve written recently how, 500 miles to the southeast, the Twin Cities labor market and economy generally are starting to feel ripples from North Dakota’s booming oil fields. See, $16 an Hour at McDonald’s; “Hanging Sheet Rock for $90k a Year.” When the conference organizers get in on the act (see above)...Read More
