Humor

Real Estate Humor: Charlotte Church as a Real Estate Agent

April 21, 2007

Here’s a spoof on real estate agents from the Charlotte Church Show. Remind you of any real estate agents you’ve met at an open house? Click to continue...

Real Estate Humor: California Dreaming®

April 1, 2007

In honor of April Fool’s Day and my never-ending quest to bring you the best in real estate humor, I give you California Dreaming, a genuinely funny video about a Beverly Hills real estate agent! Visit YouTube.Com for more information on the video by MyCaliforniaDreaming. Happy April Fools Day! Click to continue...

A Mouse in the House

January 18, 2007

This morning I was at the final walkthrough for one of my listings in the Hermosa area of Chicago. A photographer for the Chicago Tribune was also there. Mary Umberger, the Tribune’s real estate columnist interviewed me the other day about this blog. Mary asked for a photo of the seller and I since the Click to continue...

I’ve Been Tagged

December 28, 2006

There’s a game going on in the blogosphere the equivalent of “Tag, You’re It!” Mortgage blogger, Dan Green, tagged me the other day and now I must tell you 5 things you may not know about me and tag others. If they made a movie about my parents, Bridget Bardot would play my mother and Click to continue...

“Closing Escrow” Coming to a Theater Near You

November 1, 2006

Here’s the theatrical trailer for “Closing Escrow” a comedy about couples and their real estate agents who collide when trying to buy the same home. I haven’t seen a release date yet. I’ll let you know when I do. Double-click the play button. Enjoy! Click to continue...

Mr. & Mrs. Too Much Home Buyer Video

October 17, 2006

With Google’s acquistion of YouTube.Com last week, I decided it was time to add some video to this blog. Enjoy! Click to continue...

6 Bedrooms & 4+ Baths???

July 14, 2006

I just had to stop and take pictures while driving to meet a client in the Barrington Area a couple of days ago. The humble abode shown is certainly not your typical Barrington property. However, I was especially struck by the for sale by owner sign in front of it. 6 bedrooms & 4+ baths??? Click to continue...

Homes with Fairy Doors

July 3, 2006

There’s a fun post on the NY Times Blog (The Walk-Through) titled, “Fairyland Real Estate“. It will take you to pictures and stories about homes with “…tiny doorways that tinier fantasy creatures can use to enter their world or exit ours.” How these affect resale value, I have yet to determine! Click to continue...

Extreme Home Staging

June 29, 2006

Home staging was invented in California and a public relations firm there has now made it truly a staged production. According to the NY Times article, “Model Homes and Model ‘Families’“, the model home in a real estate development in Santa Clarita features a family living in the home. Well, they aren’t actually a family. Click to continue...

What if your Buyer isn’t a Cubs Fan?

June 23, 2006

The Walk-Through, the New York Times Real Estate Blog reports in a post by Joyce Cohen titled, “Paint Your House to Match the Mets” that Home Depot is marketing new interior and exterior paint colors representing over 170 sports teams. According to the post, “A Home Depot survey points to the potential of this new Click to continue...

Downtown Dwellers Need Not Be Overwhelmed by the Suburbs

June 4, 2006

This morning’s Chicago Tribune has an article titled, “Helping cities lure more ‘ruppies’” about urban planner, Kyle Ezell, who offers lessons on how to live downtown. According to Ezell, “…more Americans would live downtown if they only knew how. It’s an acquired skill, he says, like ballroom dancing or trigonometry.” That got me to thinking. Click to continue...

The Ugliest Door in America

May 10, 2006

I always tell my sellers that their home’s front door is a critical area for home staging. It’s part of the first impression buyers have of the home. It also gets closely examined by the buyers while their buyer’s agent is getting the key out of the key box and opening the door. To drive Click to continue...

Oak Park Home of Mr. Twinkie!

April 14, 2006

Today’s Chicago Tribune has a great story on what a couple discovered when they bought an ordinary-looking Oak Park bungalow last year. “Delicious discovery: Mr. Twinkie slept here” details how the owners, Nelson Taruc and Cara Hanson, discovered that the inventor of Twinkies, James Dewar, was a former owner and resident of the house. At Click to continue...

“REALTOR® Revenge” Prompts Open House Burglaries!

January 22, 2006

The Chicago Tribune’s Mary Umberger wrote in her real estate column today about an Australian woman who robbed 25 Melbourne-area residences during open houses. The woman claimed to have “built-up an intense hatred of real estate agents.” Ouch! For more details on the story visit WorldNetDaily. The story is a good reminder that whether you Click to continue...

Do You Have This House in a Larger Size?

January 10, 2006

50 years ago the average house size in the U.S. was 1,100 square feet. Now it’s over 2,100 square feet according Linda Baker writing on Salon.Com. Families haven’t gotten bigger, but we have. Is there a link? A chart on the alchemic spot blog shows the correlation between median house size and the obesity rate. Click to continue...