Mike Carlier's blog

It's been around ten years since I made a penny in real estate commission, so there is no financial interest in my opinion. The court decision on real estate commission and the fantasized characterization of the industry as a cartel is just plain stupid. The prosecuting attorney says that the sel...

In 1984, I briefly glanced at the partial solar eclipse as it passed through Minnesota. It wasn't for more than a few seconds, and it is still there.  Whenever I close my eyes, there is a partial eclipse that is a permanently scarred after-image for my reference. Today, the image is slightly less...

After reading and commenting on a featured post, Have we reached the REALTOR® Tipping Point? , I got to thinking about how things get sold.  Some would argue that there is a fundamental difference between product and salesperson inherent in the three categories, but there are also similarities.Ca...

Most of us have heard, and many of us have made statements to the effect of, "Real estate is not brain surgery (or rocket science)."  There is at least one real estate professional who would likely dispute that, as President-elect Trump has tagged retired brain surgeon Ben Carson to run HUD. No, ...

There seems to be a consensus among real estate salespersons and their professional association that mortgage interest tax deductions play an integral role in facilitating home ownership.  There are numerous solicitations based on, at least in part, the advantage of a tax deduction for "owning" o...

I just read an excellent post by Dianne Goode, titled Remodeling Isn't As Easy As It Looks On TV.  The writer makes the point that reality shows are largely staged fantasies.  How many times do we have to watch somebody "almost" get devoured by a gater, or get fired, or remodel their home in an h...

As an industry observer since my retirement from real estate last year, I have transitioned from real estate as career to real estate as a source of entertainment.  Never lacking in its entertainment value, it comes as little surprise that the two best known real estate personalities in America a...

We have been of the mindset that taking the stance that all the others are no good is counter productive to our success.  Tear down all the other real estate professionals, and it will just damage the entire industry, including you.  It's hard to take the other side of this argument, but perhaps ...

As an industry observer and previous real estate professional, my perspective has changed somewhat.  In the last week, a couple folks contacted me after being referred by previous clients, and I had a hard time giving suggestions about where to find a good representative. Finding the right agent/...

Over the years of representing clients in the purchase or sale of real estate, I have been asked a few questions that I have had difficulty answering.  It isn't that I couldn't come up with a seemingly credible answer, just that I'm not sure I was 100% correct.Here's one big one, "Who pays the co...