RECENT BLOG POSTS
  Ok, I got a tricky question about the new home buyer tax credit. I was always told the tax credit was based on a contract price of $800,000. However some accountant seems to think the $800,000 has to be AFTER all costs. How can that be? Even including taxes? That means a home has to sell for un...
02/13/2010
Ok, this is kinda tricky to explain, so bear with me. I feel strongly that ultimately the seller should pay for all (actually "most") closing costs. But not in the way that you might be thinking. And this type of post will lead to the 101 hyper technical "but what if" scenarios and counterargumen...
02/11/2010
I hate the new appraisal system and non-local appraisers. (see video below) Let me explain. The government came up with a brilliant idea to curb another housing meltdown! Assuming (you know what they say: It makes an "Ass out of you and Ming") most lenders and appraisers were fraudulent, they de...
01/30/2010
I'm really excited about this new feature for FranklyMLS.com . Normally I leave all the feature upgrades to franklymls.blogspot.com, but this one graduated to the main blog. I've written a lot about Virginia short sales (don't miss the older "SS 101" post) and a year and a half ago came up with ...
12/19/2009
I lost again. Congratulations to the elected winners to the 2010 NVAR Board of Directors. Merlin Smith- Remax Scott MacDonald- Remax Robyn Burdett- Remax Trudy Severa- Long and Foster Tammy Bagnato- Coldwell Banker   And "maybe next year" to the 4 that didn't get elected (listed in no particular ...
10/13/2009
Dell Mini 10v refurbished for as low as $170 shipped. I absolutely LOVE my Dell Mini 10v. I can't tell you how many I have bought for gifts, or for friends etc. So finally I'm going to just write out the steps to get one, so I don't need to be the one buying it for everyone. Why do I love it? It...
09/30/2009
 Too frequently, I get an email from somebody that has been following my blog and tweets for months and is now ready to buy! I get the details of this person’s dream home, including number of bedrooms, lot size and location (don’t get me wrong, most buyers still do their own searching). But then ...
09/28/2009
You've seen them, and maybe you have used them. The "Home Inspection for Information Purposes Only." (coupled with no home inspection contingency, ie, no back and forth, no walkingg after the inspection) What the hell is that? It is a trick, is what it is. In my first year, I let one agent do thi...
09/28/2009
 He's #1, She's #1, Everyone is top 1%! Heck, even I was #1, once.  How is that possible? How can everyone be #1?  Well here is how it works.  1) Consolidation with Teams  This is where a Realtor becomes a "Team." or skips the "team" title but has others working under them.  The agents within thi...
09/26/2009
This is a MUST HAVE. So Don't think "Will I" instead think "How do I sign up?" (This is not a paid advertisement, though I should get paid.) YouMail.com Rocks. It is like the ShamWOW of the world of voicemail. (This is not a paid advertisement, though I should get paid.) YouMail.com does two mai...
09/18/2009