I last wrote after our dog passed away, which was end of August (post has since been removed). I write less and less now. Especially about houses. If you miss those posts, I’m sorry. While this blog was supposed to help me organize all my real estate-related musings, and if I’m honest, help me land […]
Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve written anything long-form. I think this has been my longest gap? I’ve gone through my old posts and even though I’d said I was going to leave them alone, I didn’t. I’ve deleted the ones that I was most unhappy with. And the ones I thought I’d feel
I probably won’t usually do this… but I wanted to sorta self-bookmark what’s happening with me right now, so I thought I’d turn my ‘now’ update into a post. And since I don’t save my ‘now’ page… here I am. What I’m Doing: Designing, researching, producing, and self-publishing a children’s boardgame for ages 4+ I’m
Ah, home-ownership: The American Dream, right? A man named James Truslow Adams first coined the term “American Dream” in 1931 with the release of his book, The Epic of America. He had originally titled the tome, The American Dream, where he defined it as a “dream of a better, richer and happier life for all
So it’s late at night. Late enough that I probably shouldn’t be responding to a prompt to write about the importance of friction (prompt by V.H. Belvadi, IndieWeb Carnival host). But here I am. I imagine the IndieWeb community to be fairly tech-focused so perhaps I misread the prompt. If so, I’m sorry. How important
I’ve been re-reading my old posts and some of them have me feeling really sheepish. Like- I’m actually putting my hands over my face and shaking my head. I have the urge to delete some of them and edit others. But I’m going to try to resist the urge. Because isn’t it a good thing
There’s a raging battle happening over pocket listings again. You know when you drive by a house and suddenly there’s a sold sign in the yard, but you never even knew it was on the market? That’s a pocket listing. Pocket listings (also sometimes called quiet, off-market, or exclusive listings), are when a home seller
Pretend you’re a bank owner who was just served a stack of 400+ mortgage compliance guidelines, rules, and regulations. Now, remember, you make money based on how big the loan is. Forget interest- the bigger the loan, the more profitable you will be. And for the loan officer working at your bank, the higher the
Banking, Profit, and the Housing Affordability Crisis Read More »
UPDATE 10/18/2024: Since I wrote this post, Realtor.com has reinstated the “contingent” option. Thank you, Realtor.com, for bringing it back! I popped on to realtor.com earlier to check in on the status of a house only to realize that none of the houses were contingent anymore. None. The option has seemingly been removed. What in
Realtor.com removed “contingent” as a status option. Read More »
For fun, I’m fooling around with the idea of posting the cool, weird, interesting, or inspiring things that I stumbled upon during the past week. Some weeks might be more dense than others. Will I always do this? Will I keep them posted or delete them every week? Right now, I’m not sure. Let’s just
According to the rich pros, I’m supposed to hang onto my income property for the long haul. I’m not rich and I’m probably doing everything wrong. Because in the past, I’ve always sold. I’ve been a house-hopper, a whole-saler, and a flipper. Because that’s what I’m good at! I have an incredible knack for picking
Here’s a fact about the final purchase price of any home. Home pricing is all about finding the sweet spot. Simple. Right? Yet sellers will want to sell for the largest amount possible and buyers want to pay the least amount possible. This is where both buyers and sellers sometimes make their biggest mistake. Trying
How to Buy and Sell a House without Looking Like a Greedy Asshole Read More »
I’m working on a longer post about the purchase and management of the 5-plex we bought last summer but since it isn’t ready, I thought I’d write something totally different- -A public letter to myself. Truthfully, I’m ready to focus on something new anyway. Cheers to the next chapter! What will it bring, what do
I recently stumbled upon this awesome little handmade home, coined The Copper Fox Treehouse. According to what I’ve read at both Dwell and Marist, this new-build started its journey with a pair of salvaged windows Heidi Richards found on Craigslist. In a dream, the windows appeared as fox ears. She quickly took that inspiration and
I’ve never photographed or shared any of our home renovation projects before. Looking back through some of my old photos on Dropbox, I wished that I had. Luckily, it isn’t too late to start now. This is the journey of our first house which had been purchased in 2010. At the time it was a
If you like geodes, gemstones, fossils, and other cool rocks, you’ve gotta check out this rock wall. I was driving in Decorah last weekend when I saw “a really cool rock fence” surrounding a house. It was about 4 feet tall and went around the entire property. To my delight, while I was walking around
Why blog anonymously? Kev (from the blog KevQuirk) posed this question to those of us who do… For me, the answer is multifaceted. First, I don’t want to hurt or embarrass my family. Many of the posts I write are like my own little brainstorms or rants about housing or real estate and how to
Last week I ordered Handmade Houses by Richard Olsen. I got it used; I don’t think it’s still in print. It finally came in the mail and I’m totally floored. Guys- this one has it all. It has the element of story, biography, fantastic photography, and it’s chuck-full of information. I appreciate a good coffee-table
I just read a story here about a woman who had purchased her first home. When doing the initial math on her purchase, she used the seller’s property tax rate- $2700/year (or $225/month). Woohoo, affordable! Until about a year later, her taxes went up to $4700/year (or $392/month). Sadly, this increase, along with a steep
I saw this inspiring new-build in two places: Domino and Emily Henderson’s Blog. As a huge fan of the eyebrow dormer and quanset huts, I love the unique shape these designers, Anne and Richard De Wolf, used to create their new-build on a Washington bay. Anne and Richard own Arciform, a “well-respected design-build firm primarily
Can we talk about cars for a second? I am going to have to get a different car soon, and I’m very sad about it. And it isn’t because I love my car. In fact, nothing about my car is “me”. I didn’t even pick it really. I drive a 2000 Lexus RX with 181,000
Photo by Ashford Associates – Discover exterior home design inspiration The not-so-secret secret is out. Business Insider reports that realtors are in fact guilty of steering. Their article is mostly talking about steering buyers away from homes that offer low buyer commissions. But this isn’t the only way realtors steer buyers! Unfortunately, as long as
I slowly opened the door hollering, “Helen, we are coming in!” As I pushed the door open further, I saw her on the floor. She was strangely peaceful; lying on her back with a hand on her stomach. Did she lay down for a nap and just peacefully pass? I wasn’t sure. Those thoughts came
More and more I hear of people who regret buying their house (like here or here). I’ve been there and it sucks. I want everyone to be as happy as they can with their choice. So I thought I’d share some tips and reminders so you can increase your chances of finding a house you
I don’t like super large refrigerators. I had one once; it came with the house. People would wonder why it was always so empty. But it wasn’t really empty, it was half full! Filling it all the way would be have been a waste. Why? Because my plans might change. Maybe I’ll get invited to
Buying a house is the American Dream- everyone should own a home! But the truth is, this isn’t always true. Some people should buy a home and some people should not. Before you decide you must buy a house (because society or someone told you it was the thing to do), use these questions to
How to Know if You Should Or Shouldn’t Buy a House Read More »
Thinking back to 2012 through 2018, I was on Houzz quite a bit. It was very different in the beginning; a much smaller website than it is now. Better. I hardly visit Houzz anymore but when I do, it’s fun to look back on my old ideabooks. I saved so many home tours and photos,
This morning I listened to Tim Ferriss and Matt Mullenweg (co-founder of WordPress) on The Tim Ferriss Show, Episode 713. This led me to Matt’s blog, Ma.tt. Matt turns 40 on January 11th and for his birthday, he wants everybody to write a blog post. So Matt, this one is for you. Happy 40th birthday!
Happy New Year and Happy Birthday Matt Mullenweg Read More »
Kitchens sell houses; right? Well… A home with a fresh and drool-worthy kitchen or bathroom renovation is going to sell. That’s common sense. Living rooms, bedrooms, offices, heck, even laundry rooms- they’re basically just floors, lights, and walls. Kitchens and bathrooms are where you find all the expensive crap. So yeah- if kitchens and baths
How You Can Benefit from the Magic of Curb Appeal Read More »
Corporate homeowners are making it harder to buy homes. Especially little cheap homes. The same ones first-time homebuyers are vying for. My first house was a cheap and shitty one. Some repairs were made, some love put in, and eventually I sold it for a small but nice profit. That profit allowed me to (eventually)
The current housing narrative being pushed onto us goes something like this, “We have a housing shortage! We need to build more houses,” along with, “let’s blame the Nimbys for blocking more construction” and so on. Let me be clear; I’m not saying that urban metropolises don’t have issues with construction, zoning, and Nimbyism. But
The Great Housing Lollapalooza: Why It’s So Hard and Expensive to Buy a House Now Read More »
(Please note: Sometimes, I am personally guilty of being idiotic. And you should know, I (or my loved ones) have made many of the mistakes listed. Don’t let our misery become yours.) This piece was loosely inspired by Charlie Munger’s speech on how to guarantee a life of misery.1 Here goes; how to buy a
The way we go about facilitating real estate transactions sucks.1 It’s riddled with conflicts of interest, inefficiencies, and hidden gatekeeping. On top of that, there’s this weird part requiring home sellers to pay the buyer’s commission costs. That weird part is being contested in a major lawsuit against the NAR. Jason Oppenheim (the broker from
Ramblings on Real Estate Disruption and Re-framing the Agent Read More »
Are you a house hunter looking for a great deal? Unless you know your market, sorry; you’re shit out of luck. So let’s fix it. My biggest house hunting tip is to know your market. And you Can’t know your market without learning all about comps. When you’re buying or selling a home, comps are
I love Marmoleum flooring; it’s amazing. And no, this post is not a partnership, sponsorship, or affiliate. I do not get paid for saying any of this. I just like their floors. (This is a new website nobody even knows about. Partnerships/affiliates? Ha.) Let me save you some time by immediately telling you why I
I know homes are getting razed, here, there, and everywhere. As if that weren’t sad and wasteful enough, the replacements are usually big, boring boxes built with the cheapest materials. There’s a great article in The New York Times by Emily Badger. In it, she explains the economics behind replacing starter homes with big expensive
Over the years, I’ve read many stories about others’ home-buying experiences. One thing that I always found myself wondering was- what’s the big deal about title insurance? I’ve never had title insurance before; does that make me an idiot? Not only have I never bought title insurance, I’ve actually never even had the words “title
I wish I could go back in time and save all you folks who waved your contingencies during the Pandemic housing craze. Alas, that would be impossible. If you waved your inspection and ended up with a golden turd; I’m sorry. Since it’s too late to help you, I hope this article sheds light for
All About Home Contingencies: When to Use ’em, when to ditch ’em Read More »
Are you house hunting? Have you visited your local assessor site? This post might be more dry than entertaining, but folks, it’s crazy important! If you don’t already know about assessor sites, listen up! Back in the old days, before wide internet adoption, you had to go to your local courthouse for any public records
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