“She’s as sweet as two below honey She’s an angel of the first degree She’s as sweet as two below honey Just like honey from the bee.” –“Tupelo Honey” lyrics (kind of); Van Morrison What’s “two below honey?” I have no idea (for that matter, I have no idea what “Tupelo honey” is). But it...Read More
Learning to Love (OK, Like) Split-Level’s What’s so great about opening the front door of a home and finding yourself standing in the middle of the Living Room? Or maybe Kitchen? That’s been my experience in any number of newer, upper bracket homes — homes that supposedly boast the latest and greatest of everything, and...Read More
When Rigged Markets Become Unrigged “If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” –Abraham Maslow “When asset bubbles predominate, everything looks like a pin.” –Corollary; Ross Kaplan In over 40 years(!) watching the stock market, I’ve conservatively witnessed at least 100 dips of 5% or more (20% corrections are rarer, and...Read More
Tough Crowd (& Not Very Hungry*) At least in the Twin Cities, Realtors traditionally debut their new listings on Broker Tour, held each Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. To get their fellow agents to come, the listing (host) agent will often offer food, prizes or other goodies like gas cards or restaurant vouchers....Read More
Answer: Pretty Damn Good (If I Say So Myself) January: stocks soar. February: stocks dive. March: stocks soar April: stocks dive. I think you get the idea . . . –Ross Kaplan, “2015 Stock Market Prediction” (12/29/2015) I made that only somewhat whimsical prediction almost exactly a year ago today (367 days, to be precise)....Read More
The Last Refuge of a Scoundrel Desperate Listing Agent When you see a Realtor trumpeting a home’s price per square foot, you can surmise which of the following? A. The home’s a bargain; B. It lacks emotional appeal; C. It’s big; D. The agent is desperate, inexperienced — or both. Correct answer: “B.” (the others are...Read More
