“Starter home“: a relatively small, economical house or condominium that meets the requirements of young people buying their first home. While there’s no precise definition, I have two associations with “starter home”: One. Price Point. Starter homes are (well) below the average price for homes in the local market — whatever that may be. So,...Read More
. . . And Isn’t Likely to Volunteer “Fake it till you make it.” —Career advice to newbie real estate agents. In a hyper-competitive field where sales bluster is an ever-present temptation, real estate agents aren’t exactly the type to betray ignorance or confess a lack of confidence. And even consummate Realtors with years of...Read More
“Not a Drive-By!” “Must See!” Yada, Yada, Yada One of my favorite Mad magazine cartoons (circa 1970) shows a vendor in front of a food stand with the following sign: “turkey burgers,” “chicken burgers,” “buffalo burgers,” “tuna burgers,” “veggie burgers,” etc. etc. The caption: “we have some with ham, too, but we don’t know what...Read More
Law of Diminishing Returns Show me a “For Sale” home that’s open Sunday after Sunday, rain or shine, and I’ll show you a house where: a) the home is likely overpriced and going nowhere in the market; b) a frustrated Realtor is trying to placate an impatient owner; or most likely c) both “a.” and...Read More
“Ball & Chain” vs. Source of Stability/Emotional Support A “contronym” is word that is its own antonym. Examples include the word “left” (“the gentlemen have left and the ladies are left”); “off” (“to turn off,” but also “activate,” as in “the alarm went off”); and “sanction” (both “approve” and “punish”). So, what do you call...Read More
Gutter Extension Camouflage People usually associate “staging” with the inside of a home. Before: conspicuously white. But, when it comes to selling a house, few things matter more than curb appeal, and a key ingredient of curb appeal is landscaping ” specifically, in front of the home. Ergo, the advice my stager gave to a...Read More
