“Nice Try” Department Dummy: Can’t we skip the rental car line like at Hertz? Ventriloquist: Not exactly. Dummy: Is there a covered canopy like at Hertz? Ventriloquist: Not exactly. Dummy (getting soaked in the rain): So, you still think I’m the dummy? Ventriloquist: Uhhh . . . not exactly. –Hertz commercial (1996) The dialogue (above) from...Read More
Edina Realty Pulls the Plug on Trulia.com, Other “Third Party Aggregators” In a post earlier this Fall (“Selling Realtors’ Listings Back to Them“), I discussed the dubious practice of Trulia.com and other so-called “Third Party Aggregators” of vacuuming up all the listings in a market, then charging the listing agents (representing Sellers) a fee if...Read More
Note the (Very) Fine Print One of the sleazier come-on’s I’ve seen the last few years is a very official looking document — complete with a “Case Number” and Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”) seal (right) — that begins like this (all italics theirs): Dear [Home owner]: Your home loan has gone under review for the...Read More
