“The More Things Change” Department Once upon a time, when I started selling real estate in 2002, the worksheet that Buyers and Sellers signed at closing was simply known as . . . the settlement statement (or just the closing worksheet, to avoid any jargon). Then it became the “HUD-1” (HUD stands for “Housing and Urban Development,” the federal...Read More
A Rose Penthouse by Any Other Name “Who are you going to believe, me or your own lying eyes?” — Caption, New Yorker cartoon. Quick! Guess how tall the hotel pictured above is (located in Cancun, my wife and I recently celebrated our 21st(!) anniversary there). According to the resort’s owner and its marketing literature...Read More
“Ball & Chain” vs. Source of Stability/Emotional Support A “contronym” is word that is its own antonym. Examples include the word “left” (“the gentlemen have left and the ladies are left”); “off” (“to turn off,” but also “activate,” as in “the alarm went off”); and “sanction” (both “approve” and “punish”). So, what do you call...Read More
Did the Appraiser Goof? A client trying to refinance his mortgage recently ran into an infrequent but not unheard of problem: a low appraisal. My client was convinced that the appraiser goofed because ” amongst other things ” the appraiser listed the home as only having one Bathroom, not two. Unfortunately, the second Bathroom is...Read More
Guilt By Association When agents see a listing ” in mid-January, in Minnesota ” with leafy trees and a bright, green lawn, their knee-jerk response isn’t to say to themselves, “My, what gorgeous landscaping.” It’s to click on “History” on MLS to see how long the home’s been on the market ” and find out how many...Read More
Seasoned vs. Green Buyers; The Role of Pre-List Networking “The first Buyer is (often) the best Buyer.” –Popular Realtor saying. It’s accepted wisdom amongst veteran Realtors (which I happen to agree with): “the first Buyer is (often) the best Buyer.” Why’s that? The explanation has to do with the nature of the pool of home...Read More
