RECENT BLOG POSTS
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For over a year now we have seen that the Trend in Residential Real Estate has been towards smaller homes. Parents have been downsizing because the “Empty Nest” is too much house after children move away, and others are opting to avoid high upkeep and maintenance costs by building houses that are...
09/28/2010
Jim Helsel, the Treasurer of the National Association of REALTORS® testified before a House Panel on July 29th. He stated that a strong commercial real estate sector is vital to millions of U.S. jobs and helps keep the national economy afloat. Perhaps the esteemed members will listen to testimo...
08/04/2010
Commissions - that is how we make our living and pay our bills and it is the first thing that goes on the "chopping block" when monies need to be "saved" in a transaction. Lawyers aren't asked to reduce their fees, and no one ever disputes any other fees it is the Broker who takes "the haircut" ...
07/13/2010
The U.S. Senate voted Wednesday to extend the home buyer tax credit closing deadline to Sept. 30, giving an estimated 180,000 buyers who met the contract deadline of April 30 extra time to close the transaction. The extension was added to a bill to pay for jobless benefits. The NATIONAL ASSOCIATI...
06/18/2010
That has been the story this week for too many Rhode Islanders. The Blackstone and the Pawtuxet Rivers have crested at nine feet over flood stage and could go higher. This is after previous rain storms had saturated the ground, swelling rivers and streams. Many are learning how much of their p...
04/01/2010
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The House of Representatives has passed historic legislation with the aim of providing medical coverage for virtually everyone in the United states. How is this going to impact us as Realtors? We are all essentially independent businesses; and as such we must make the decision to "buy" coverage o...
03/22/2010
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In all of the businesses I have listed over the years, it seems that there is one thing common among all "cash businesses" - there are "two sets of books". There are costs, benefits, and risks to having "two sets of books" and each owner/operator has to determine if it is worth the risk and poten...
03/16/2010
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That seems to be the question a lot of Commercial and Business Brokers, as well as the Residential Realtors with listings priced over $200,000, are asking themselves. Whether it is a commercial property buyer with a 720 FICO, restaurant experience, and a 25% downpayment who cannot get a restaur...
11/22/2009
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There is so much news coverage of famous people's lives - much of it none of our business, and none of it of any interest to me personally, that it is refreshing to read that someone who has made a substantial amount of money (hundreds of millions of dollars), doing something positive to help oth...
07/24/2009
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This past week I took one of the Continuing Education courses necessary to maintain one's Real Estate License in RI. The subject of one of the courses was Mortgage Finance for First Time Home Buyers. Being the type of guy who enjoys keeping up on current events, and most things political, I am ...
03/29/2009