“Sauce, Geese, Ganders** . . . & Democrats” Peggy Noonan’s singular rhetorical gift is projecting a sense of what I’ll call, “unassailable, high-minded even-handedness.” Here’s an example: “Republicans should understand that President Obama wants a deal . . . He needs to show he can roll with history’s punches. And there’s a sense he actually yearns for...Read More
Losing Books (& Deals) For each child you have . . . you lose a book.” –Anonymous writer, “Pops: Fatherhood in Pieces” by Michael Chabon. That’s if you’re a novelist. Ahh, but if instead you’re a Realtor . . . the equivalent isn’t losing books, but deals, and the ratio isn’t 1:1, it’s more like...Read More
Two-Tiered Pricing, or, “The ‘Annual Membership’ Business Model” To the long list of consumer goods offered at a discount to Amazon Prime members, add one more: Thanksgiving turkey at newly-acquired Whole Foods. Sound familiar? It should. Training shoppers to pay an annuity-like annual (membership) fee is the business model of competitor Costco. See also, “Conversion...Read More
“Costco to Pay Special Dividend of $7” Costco shareholders (I’m one) got the welcome news last week that the company is paying a special $7 dividend per share next month. That’s enough to buy two (very) large slices of pizza, soft drinks, and a salad at the in-store snack bar (pictured above). In other words, lunch...Read More
New on the Market! Where: Just west of Highway 100 between Vernon and Highway 62 (Crosstown). What: 3 BR/3 Bath Split Entry with over 2,400 finished square feet on a .29 acre corner lot. When: on the market . . . today! How much: $450,000. Who: listed by Ross Kaplan, Edina Realty — City Lakes....Read More
How to Tell if a Seller (or at Least Their Agent) is Around in Late December Just because a house isn’t officially “TNAS” (“Temporarily Not Available for Showing”) doesn’t mean that the owner is around — and available to do a deal, if the Buyer likes the house and wants to make an offer. In...Read More
