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 Mindset of Buyers, Sellers, and Their Agents . . . in Three Words Want a 3-word summary of the current state of the housing market and people’s mindset? Here’s mine by category: Buyers: “Wary.” Not all but many Buyers now are nervous about what they perceive to be elevated housing prices — and what comes next....Read More
Brexit’s Aftermath: Referendum Contagion? It’s bigger than Trump. That’s the instant, inescapable, and more than a little harrowing takeaway from Britain’s vote Thursday to leave the European Union (“Brexit”). What’s less clear: 1) how far will the pendulum swing towards protectionism?; 2) who will be the leaders of this nascent movement?; and 3) whose agenda(s)...Read More
Buy/Sell Now or Wait? With the November election finally(!) on the horizon, at least some Buyers and Sellers are trying to decide whether market conditions — and by market conditions, most observers mean interest rates — will be more or less favorable once U.S. voters have spoken. The dilemma: whether to act now or wait....Read More
Is Apprehension About Rising Rates Misplaced? Conventional wisdom is that higher interest rates would be disastrous for a still-recovering economy. Is that mindset right? Maybe not. Whither Interest Rates? If rates are rising because the economy is stronger, that’s a positive, not a negative. As one loan officer I work with said, “If you’re hoping for dirt-cheap...Read More
“Unemployed?” “Jobless?” How About “Surplus Labor?” Taking the Stigma Out of Unemployment So unemployment remains stubbornly high at 7.3%. And the only reason it’s officially 7.3% vs. somewhere between 10% and 15% is because millions have stopped looking for work altogether. While people try to figure out how to improve the labor market — a...Read More
