Flight to Safety Drives Down Interest Rates “U.S. Markets Tumble as Fear Spreads” —headline, Wall Street Journal (1/24/14) It’s not great news for people who own stocks, but for prospective home Buyers about to lock on a mortgage, it’s terrific news. Namely, the sudden aversion to stocks and all-things-risky has prompted a stampede into bonds,...Read More
A Partial List (Half, to be Exact) What does your Realtor do to earn their commission? As a Buyer’s agent, the list includes: –Making you aware of a house you wouldn’t have otherwise found. Or, certainly not as fast. –Positioning you to buy that house, possibly navigating multiple offers from competing buyers. –Putting an...Read More
An Umbrella for Any Legal Rain Clouds Ok, so as blog post headlines go, the above may not be so sexy (maybe if I added “Kardashian”?!?). But, it’s one of the last hurdles before closing confronting Buyers. The decision: whether to fork over $400 – $800 (or more) for a Homeowner’s title insurance policy, to supplement...Read More
Bottle Openers & Grand Pianos If fixtures were a function of size, the grand piano would stay with the home while the wall-mounted bottle opener would go. But they’re not (a function of size). Rather, whether or not something’s a fixture depends on whether it’s permanently attached to the home. Even then, Buyers’ and Sellers’...Read More
Targeting First-Time Buyers “Hit ’em where they ain’t.” –Hall of Fame Outfielder Willie Keeler’s advice to hitters “To establish a toehold in a market, target business that others aren’t focused on.” –Corollary, Ross Kaplan Sort of like Keeler, my advice to new Realtors is to go after clients — and business — that other Realtors...Read More
