It is with great pleasure, and some queasiness, that I write my second blog post. The pleasure lies in my eagerness to keep writing for you guys. The queasiness, however, comes from the absolute chaos associated with first-time buyer experiences. As I’ve said, I’m new to the world of buying and selling homes, so I … Read more
Once again, it is time for the world famous (in my own mind at least) annual tradition of making predictions for the coming year that are Guaranteed to be Wrong, or Your Money Back! This year, I thought I would pay tribute to the greatest musical act still working today: Alison Krauss and Union … Read more
So the Democratic Party’s 2012 Platform is somewhat in the news these days. But that whole kerfuffle reminded me that I hadn’t looked through either party’s platform to see what they said about real estate, the industry in which I work and cover and opine. Since it’s highly unlikely that anyone with a sense of … Read more
So the Democratic Party’s 2012 Platform is somewhat in the news these days. But that whole kerfuffle reminded me that I hadn’t looked through either party’s platform to see what they said about real estate, the industry in which I work and cover and opine. Since it’s highly unlikely that anyone with a sense of … Read more
Coming off of an awesome, Hall-of-Fame type of year in which I batted .600 in predictions (or, alternatively, a year in which I only got 6 out of 10 predictions even remotely close to right, and hence am a big #FAIL), I thought I would don the Nostradamus hat once again and make foolish predictions … Read more
NAR has finally gone to the mattresses over Federal policy. Some time ago, I wrote that the mortgage interest deduction may be phased out or limited as part of Obama Administration’s new “sustainable housing” policy. At the time, I’ve heard quite a few people say, “It’ll never happen”. The thought was that the public loves … Read more
My friend Matt Dollinger recently commented on a post by the longtime real estate expert Steve Harney. Both were commenting on the doom & gloom article from Time Magazine on how homeownership is overrated. Steve Harney rightfully takes Time to task: Again, they are simply arguing a miniscule point of an extensive research paper that … Read more
My friend Matt Dollinger recently commented on a post by the longtime real estate expert Steve Harney. Both were commenting on the doom & gloom article from Time Magazine on how homeownership is overrated. Steve Harney rightfully takes Time to task: Again, they are simply arguing a miniscule point of an extensive research paper that … Read more
A while back, I wrote on Inman (subscription required) that the single greatest asset of realtors was political power, and got mixed comments about that position. Well, the time to find out is upon us: The popular tax break for mortgage interest, once considered untouchable, is falling under the scrutiny of policymakers and economic experts … Read more