How Many Showings? Determining the right number of showings before making a purchase decision is a bit like asking, “how many dates before you get engaged?” In both cases, the right answer is: ‘until you know it’s the right one’ (house or person). Some lucky Buyers know from the first instant they walk through the door...Read More
“Real Estate Terminology 101” One of the confusing things about real estate is that, once a deal closes, the Buyer’s Agent is called the “Selling Agent.” Isn’t the Listing Agent, representing the Seller, the “Selling Agent?” Well, no. Think of it this way: the Buyer’s agent is selling something — actually, two things: One. The...Read More
From Flailing to Flourishing, With No Pain or Sacrifice “GE Capital Chief to Retire After Pivoting GE’s Finance Arm” –headline, The Wall Street Journal (8/30/2016) Once upon a time, corporations, sports teams, and election campaigns(!) that were flailing underperforming got restructured, overhauled, or otherwise remade (presumably, into something more focused, efficient, and — hopefully —...Read More
Using a Lowball Offer . . . to Get One That Isn’t “A crisis is a terrible thing to waste.” –Paul Romer (repeated by Rahm Emanuel and many, many others) “A lowball offer is a terrible thing to waste.” –Ross Kaplan [Editor’s Note: a least in the Twin Cities, lowball offers on well-priced, well-marketed homes...Read More
“YIMBY” sounds like it’s an updated version of “Yippie,” the ’60’s counter-cultural movement. In fact, it’s the (inevitable?) backlash to NIMBY, short for “Not in My Backyard” (replace the “N” with a “Y” for “Yes”). YIMBY’s proponents argue that stratospheric Bay Area housing prices are ultimately explained by too little supply, thanks to politics. Ergo,...Read More
Ten Mile Traffic Jam in the Desert, or, Trump Holds Rally in Fountain Hills, AZ [Editor’s Note: does writing about Donald Trump boost traffic? We’ll see . . . 🙂 ] Finishing a brief trip to AZ (feel better, Mom!), I headed from my parents’ place in Scottsdale to Fountain Hills yesterday morning for...Read More
