RECENT BLOG POSTS
A friend of mine went out and bought a new I-Phone. Loves it. Nearly $800. "Did you get the insurance?", I asked rhetorically because I was sure he did. "No. Phone insurance is not the best insurance for your I-Phone. It usually doesn't have 100% replacement coverage and has a deductible. ...
02/16/2011
We've all heard it. Those darn buyers, leaving the lenders out there holding the bag on these distressed properties, causing the national economic meltdown. They promised to pay their loans back and now the lenders are taking these horrendous losses! Wait a minute. Didn't the lenders protect ...
12/13/2010
I marketed the home for 6 months, two low offers, limited showings. The client elects to do a short sale. I contact their attorney. He approves the move. I get an all-cash offer, $5,000 over asking price. I submit the package to the first and second lienholders. The second reduces their $160...
06/15/2010
At first blush, the Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives (HAFA) Program Supplemental Directive 09-09 appears to be a game-changer in the hotly-contested battle raging between distressed homesellers, their real estate representatives and mortgage servicing entities. As part of the Home Afforda...
12/03/2009
It was me. It's time to stop blaming the lenders, the consumers, the Realtors, the Wall Street gurus, Hank Paulson, George Bush, Barney Frank, Chris Dodd, all of them, innocent. Pure as the driven snow. Blameless. I did it. I woke up early one morning and, as I embarked on my quest for total ...
11/23/2009
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Okay, let's just say it. No one is innocent. The subprime meltdown was inevitable. Those of us who lived through the Savings and Loan debacle knew it and we were telling everyone we could, but no one cared. Bottom line: Did you cash a paycheck resulting from involvement in a transaction that ...
10/13/2009
Sometimes when the real estate business has really broken a board over my head, I try to think positive thoughts to pull myself up by my bootstraps and get back to work. One of the best ways for me to do this is to remind myself of past jobs I've had that I might have ended up with had I not cho...
06/16/2009
I've listed 12,200 square feet of warehouse/retail space near Bozeman Montana, asking price is $1,120,000.00 USD. The owner will lease back the entire property for two years at a cap rate of 7.3% making this a low-risk and attractive offering for a 1031 exchanger or cash laden investor. Hint: a...
03/07/2009
Life is crystal clear when viewed through the rear view mirror. Trends, predictions and changes of all kinds are more understandable in the light of yesterday and the real estate market is no exception. The January 27th edition of the Wall Street Journal carried a story under the headline "Price...
02/18/2009
I'm thinking of getting a baseball bat for my office. The new proposed $15,000 tax credit for home buyers is working already! I met with a client today who came in to start looking at houses PROMPTED PRIMARILY BY THE PROPOSED $15,000 TAX CREDIT BEING CONSIDERED AS PART OF THE LATEST BAIL-OUT PA...
02/07/2009