Radioactive Granite, Formaldehyde in the Cabinets – Are We Sacrificing Our Health for Our Vanity?
What’s Lurking in Your Countertop? – NYTimes.com The granite, it turned out, contained high levels of uranium, which is not only radioactive but releases radon gas as it decays. But with increasing regularity in recent months, the Environmental Protection Agency has been receiving calls from radon inspectors as well as from concerned homeowners about granite [...]
Have Campbell Home Prices Hit Bottom?
Time to Get In The Game? Over the weekend someone asked me if we’ve hit bottom – and I paused. The challenge of playing the real estate market, like the stock market, is that it’s only after the price goes back up that we can look back and ogle at “the bottom”. My listings are [...]
16 Groups of People Kept Me Busy at My Campbell Open House
It’s been a long time since I was busy at an open house. The last open house I did, I watched “the last lecture” on YouTube on my laptop! [Great inspirational stuff, and a great speaker! Watch Randy here, but not the reason to hold an open house!] Yesterday I was busy the whole time! [...]
4 Investment Lessons Learned The Hard Way
Just got off the phone with clients – a term I am using very loosely for these folks. They bought an investment property about 30 months ago, with someone else, because their friend-of-a-friend salesperson told them it would break even. They apologetically called me a few months later. They were sorry they hadn’t used me, [...]
More Loan Modifications!!
Before 2007, I had never done a loan modification. Now it is 28% of my business revenue and takes up about three hours/day of my time – so, 37.5% of my time. Of course, if I had gotten into real estate for the money, I would have put my MBA to better use years ago! [...]
It May Be Time to Sell that Income Property
…if you are looking to pull your $500K worth of 121 exemptions from it, that is. Yes, I am talking about the IRS code again. Section 121: Section 121, as amended, provides that a taxpayer may exclude from gross income up to $250,000 of gain on the sale or exchange of a principal residence if [...]
First Time Buyers Win – Second Home Conversions Lose
I’ve been in real estate for 20 years and I am still confused when new legislation comes out. The bills are so convoluted, I often wonder what it’s got to do with me. If you’re like me, you’ll like the simplicity of this article on Kiplinger.com. New Law Adds Tax Breaks for Real Estate – [...]
Barbarism Lives
Greece: Beheading suspect in critical condition – CNN.com The barbarism exhibited by this 31 year old man – including parading around his village carrying his lover’s head – makes me question how many years of “civilization” we really have. Have we had any?