Shaving the Bologna Ever-Thinner First, Starbucks tried to make me learn Italian. Always bad at languages, I ignored their preferred “venti” and “grande,” and continued to order my (very occasional) “16 oz. skim latte,” same as always. Next, I had to decipher the rental car companies’ vernacular. Let me save you 20 minutes on hold: a...Read More
The “You Know it When You See it” Test While it’s true that every Mid-Century Modern home was built in the 1950’s (or thereabouts), it’s decidedly NOT the case that every home built in the 1950’s is a “Mid-Century Modern.” In fact, in real life, very few are. On MLS, for every home that I...Read More
Dow Jones Drops 414 Points to Close at 22,445 Say what you will about the housing market’s up’s and down’s. But, I don’t know anyone who bought a home in early October for $270,000, that’s suddenly worth only $225,000 scarcely 10 weeks later. Yet, that’s almost exactly what’s just happened in the stock market. Just subtract...Read More
“Hey! What Do You Think You’re Doing?!?” At first glance, I thought I was witnessing an especially brazen tagger (graffiti artist) in action, in broad daylight no less. I was about to alert the owner of the establishment, a restaurant in Minneapolis’ Wedge neighborhood. Then, I realized: the person wielding the can of black spray...Read More
“Location, Location, Location” “Context, Context, Context” What can you confidently say about a “For Sale” home whose price was just reduced, days before Christmas? A. The home is now a bargain. B. The Seller is motivated. C. The Seller’s Realtor (listing agent) is motivated. D. The home is better-priced** than it was before. Correct answer:...Read More
“The Lady Gentleman Doth Protest Too Much, Methinks“ What kind of denial is most persuasive? A. a “strong” denial. B. a “vehement” denial. C. a “forceful” denial. D. a “vigorous” denial. E. a “strenuous” denial. F. none of the above. Answer: “F.” (none of the above). Did I miss any? 🙂 “Your Adjective [Here]” Emphatic denials don’t work...Read More
