Will Buyers Foot the Bill?
If you’ve sold a home in the past you know that sellers typically pay a 5%-6% real estate commission, with about half (2.5%-3%) paid to the agent who represents the buyer. This “sellers pay the buyer’s agent” commission structure goes back as far as I can remember, even before my dad (Chubby) built his Cincinnati real […]
“Well, maybe.”
An old Chinese farmer is tending to his field when he sees his only horse galloping off into the distance because his son accidentally left the gate to the corral unlatched. Later that day the old man’s neighbor stops by to visit, notices the horse is gone, and says, “You lost your only horse? That’s […]
Why Interest Rate Increases Will Backfire
The Federal Reserve (“Fed”) is about to derail our economy, make homes more costly to buy, and discourage homeowners with a reason to sell from wanting to sell. Why is the Fed headed down the wrong path? We all know the Fed is trying to curb inflation, which includes fast escalating home prices. The weapon […]
The $1 Watermelon
A young boy is buying food for his family from street vendors in his village. As he approaches a watermelon stand with an elderly man attending to it, the boy notices a sign that says: 1 Watermelon – $3 3 Watermelons – $10 He quickly does the math and realizes the old man must have made a mistake. […]
The Imbalance Ratio
A few weeks ago the Fed announced it would raise interest rates seven times this year to temper inflation. The Fed could be in for a big disappointment. Here’s why… The real estate market is experiencing unprecedented conditions. Historically low mortgage rates, a good economy, and massive in-migration to Arizona have resulted in a ton of buyers […]
Never Turn Down a Breath Mint
Last week my son, Brian, and I were talking about the wisdom I learned from Chubby (my dad). Brian told me he’d recently seen an article called “Rules For Sons” with an array of excellent (but not obvious) life lessons parents should teach their sons. I checked them out and thought it would be a fun topic […]
How To Apologize
He comes from a wealthy family, is attending Harvard, and plays ice hockey. Her family is working class but she attends Radcliffe and studies classical music. Despite their differences, they fall in love. He proposes. She says yes. He takes her to meet his parents. They are judgmental and unimpressed. His father threatens to cut him off financially. They get […]
Good Advice and a Fact of Life
Tom is a six year old boy who is struggling in math so his parents hire a private tutor for him after school. On the first day, the tutor is helping Tom with his basic addition and subtraction. She notices a large bowl of oranges and bananas in the kitchen so she decides to use them as […]
Real Friends Are Useless
It’s 3 AM when Kate is awakened by a loud knock at her door. She quickly throws on a robe and stumbles downstairs. With dreary eyes she peers through the peephole and sees her best friend, Jane, with tears streaming down her face. When Kate opens the door, Jane gasps a sigh of relief and hugs her tightly. Alarmed […]
Hidden Strings Attached
Morning talk show hosts Jim Sharpe and Jayme West had some fun with me on the radio last week joking “Greg broke the Internet with his 72 Free House Payments commercials during the Super Bowl.” Well, I didn’t break the Internet, but when three commercials ran and over 150,000 homeowners tried to sign up, our […]