Warning: Use of “May” May be Problematic For the uninitiated, let me decode “possible short sale”: The odds of it not being a short sale are about as high as the following bad things not having occurred (which is to say, infinitesimal): “I may have scratched the car.” (wife to husband — or vice versa)...Read More
$50,000 Price Reduction What’s the big deal about a $50,000 price reduction? They’re practically run-of-the mill these days, especially in the upper price brackets. What you don’t often see is a $50,000 price reduction off of a home listed for $250,000, like the one shown above. For the math impaired, that’s a whopping 20% (vs....Read More
Mom, Apple Pie — and No Banks Probably the most popular term on MLS at the moment — right after “mint,” “move-in condition,” and “experienced short sale agent” — is “traditional seller.” No, that doesn’t mean the owners believe in “Mom and apple pie,” dress conservatively (no face jewelry or tattoos), or otherwise have an...Read More
Progeny of “Trickle Down Economics” Want today’s housing market — at least in many locales — in a (sober) nutshell? Here it is: Home Sellers now divide into two groups: those with equity, who can afford to sell; and those who are underwater, and can’t. The ones who can afford to sell, are — but...Read More
Lockbox Combo as Marketing Tool After doing a couple thousand showings (and opening that many lockboxes), it’s rare that I run into something unusual — at least that doesn’t involve a foreclosure. But up until today, I can’t say that I’ve ever opened a lockbox where the three letter combination was part of the listing...Read More
Houses on the Verge (of Foreclosure) As sales pitches go, it’s not quite as lame as the infamous National Lampoon cover at right (“If You Don’t Buy This Magazine, We’ll Kill This Dog”). Still, you wouldn’t exactly label as “enticing” a house that sought to attract Buyers with this hook: “Hurry! Act now before the...Read More
