Better Than Angie’s List The best thing about cultivating and maintaining relationships with lots of good, local contractors* is that it’s a benefit to my clients who need one (or three). Runner-up benefit? I can pick up the phone and get the “scoop” (off-the-record) from an especially knowledgeable source. That proved invaluable in a recent...Read More
When you see an overpriced home languishing on the market at the same price, seemingly forever, it’s tempting to think the home owner is greedy, stubborn — or both. The more sympathetic (and likely) explanation? The homeowner/would-be Seller is drowning in debt. Not Underwater . . . But Lapping at their Feet Specifically, the amount...Read More
Not Knowing What You Don’t Know Sellers who aren’t in a flood plain and disclose that to prospective Buyers have no problem. Meanwhile, Sellers who are in a flood plain and disclose that are also typically fine: Buyers might not like the added insurance expense, but they see it as a trade-off for a coveted lake or river...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
(Too) Great Expectations After the longest — and most severe — housing downturn in most people’s lives (those under 80, anyways), real estate is finally on the mend. In most markets nationally, prices are rising, short sales and foreclosures are down, and interest rates are still in the cellar. What’s not to like? For Realtors,...Read More
Dubious Logic According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, “some high-end sellers are taking a counterintuitive and risky step: raising the price.” Does such a strategy ever make sense? Before answering, let me trace the three-step logic implicit in such a move (at least most of the time): One. “Their home is like mine.”...Read More
