Tag Archives: Economics

California’s Future

A couple of days ago, a client sent me an article with 5 opinions suggesting the housing market was poised to continue its downward slide.  I responded by saying the future is unclear but that locally at least, the numbers … Continue reading

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Why Sell Now?

If the economy is finally showing improvement, why would you ever want to sell now?  Why not wait a bit until things really pick up and property values start to rise?  Valid questions indeed, but before we can answer those … Continue reading

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Rents Are Rising, Time To Buy?

About 6 months ago I was challenged by a reader to prove it was cheaper to rent than to buy, something I stated right here in TheRealEstateConversation.com.  My point then was that you needed to factor the costs of home … Continue reading

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The Real Estate Perception Gap

Recently I wrote about the “Accidental Landlord” syndrome, where a seller ultimately concludes that it makes more sense to rent their property than to take an offer far below what they feel their property is worth.  In my earlier discussion … Continue reading

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Should I Stay or Should I Go (Part 1 of 2)

As a college kid in the eighties I loved the Clash.  Should I stay or should I go now… A lot can be learned from the poets and the artists of the world…  If I go there will be trouble, … Continue reading

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What Ventas Inc. Tells Us

Who?  I know that’s your first thought.  It was my first thought when I read about them last fall.  Ventas Inc. is a REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust).  Their singular focus has been the very rapid acquisition of housing for … Continue reading

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Diana Olick Get Your Stats!

Ok, so maybe I’d like to have Diana Olick’s job at CNBC and maybe I wouldn’t.  Diana, for those who don’t know, is the real estate reporter for financial news channel CNBC.  Diana’s role at CNBC has thrust her into … Continue reading

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All’s Quiet On The Western Front… Literally

I have been selling real estate for nearly 21 years.  In all those years there are certain truisms that play out year after year: August is the slowest month of the year for real estate; sellers typically command more money … Continue reading

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Proposition 13

My parents closed on their home in Walnut Creek, California in August of 1966.  For 13 years they saw their home reassessed every year as California property values steadily increased.  In 1978 Howard Jarvis led California in what was characterized … Continue reading

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Case-Shiller for October

Greetings from vacation!  I just couldn’t resist a comment on these numbers…  We knew going in, October was going to post a bad month in the S & P/Case-Shiller Index, and it was, yet not entirely, specifically for California.  There … Continue reading

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