Real Estate Typo’s “Perfect for owner-occupant nor investors” (sic) –Excerpt from MLS-listed duplex It’s common for a duplex or other multi-family property listing to tout its appeal to either owner-occupants or investors. It’s much less common to see one that says it’s appropriate for . . . neither. P.S.: And this from today’s Star Tribune,...Read More
My Own “Emily Litella” Moment “First Rock From the Sun” –that’s what the tiny headline, at the bottom of The New York Times science section, read the other day. “Holy $#%@!,” I thought. I didn’t know we had a space probe studying the Sun. And if we did, and it brought something back, why is...Read More
As Flummoxed as Everyone Else What we are seeing now is a tussle between the 50% sustained speculation branch and the branch where two or three things go wrong and crack confidence. This struggle is an unusual one, and has created market effects I have never seen before, and you have not either. –Jeremy Grantham,...Read More
“No News is Good News” In an initial public offering (“IPO”), the interval between when a company files its paperwork with the SEC and the SEC approves it, is known as a “quiet period.” What’s the equivalent in residential real estate? The interval between when the lender’s appraiser submits their report, and the lender completes...Read More
More Than Just a Coincidence? The resemblance between Buyers and Sellers first struck me a few years ago at an Inspection. I arrived near the end to get the wrap-up, and walked up to my client and his Inspector chatting on the front lawn. Except that when my client turned around, it turned out to...Read More
“You Crack Me Up” (& Other White Lies) I’ve already addressed Realtor euphemisms in a post titled, “Homes with Great Personalities” — & Other White Lies (ranked fourth in the world by Google, incidentally — type in “real estate euphemisms” and see for yourself). In the spirit of inclusiveness, I thought I’d do a follow-up...Read More
