Opinion

Mar

31
2008

Letter to Editor

Realtors can defend against 'greedy sellers'

Re: 'Top questions to ask sellers at listing appointment' (March 21)

Dear Editor:

I can't begin to tell you how many times I have been helpful and worked with buyers or even sellers, without any compensation whatsoever, to feel totally unappreciated.  more...

Mar

27
2008

Letter to Editor

Down on scam artists

Re: 'Feds indict 20 in foreclosure rescue schemes' (March 25)

Dear Editor:

Glad to see it. How much is enough for these scam artists? Doing things legally can be very lucrative, not to mention the rewards one can receive by helping out fellow human beings already down on their luck.

My blood boils every time I see where some scum sucker took advantage of someone else for their own greediness. But I do hope to see a lot more of them get what they deserve!  more...

New mortgage form a grand idea

It's easy to complain about government paperwork, but sometimes something as seemingly simple as a new form can be worth much more than the paper it's printed on. Such is the new standardized and borrower-friendly Good Faith Estimate that has been proposed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.  more...

Mar

26
2008

Letter to Editor

Sellers, buyers may pay more in 'truly free market'

Re: 'Companies that burn bright can burn out' (March 24)

Dear Editor:

Greed and easy times invade all segments of the market. The discount broker is taking advantage of this, and that is what the markets demand at the time.

The wise man keeps on learning, which the discount broker can't afford. When things get a little rough they fade away from lack of capital in knowledge and "good old green."  more...

Looking for 'Jericho' and finding Mayberry

The explosion assaults your otherwise quiet, habit-filled day. In the distance, a massive mushroom cloud heaves toward the heavens. Seconds later, you buckle from the shockwave. An electromagnetic jolt shocks you back to the Stone Age.

When you regain consciousness you realize the dust shower now settling on your town was once a nearby metropolitan city. Days pass. Amid the chaos, you learn that this Armageddon was released on several dozen major metropolitan cities by the very hands of the newly formed, self-appointed government now taking over the country.  more...

Mar

25
2008

Letter to Editor

Inspector won't pay for failed items

Re: 'You break it, you buy it' (March 25)

Dear Editor:

A major part of being a home inspector, or working in any aspect of real estate, is managing the expectations of one's clients. To that end, my whole purpose as a home inspector is to make things fail while the property belongs to someone else and not my Client. Carrying on Barry's analogy a little further:  more...

Mar

24
2008

Letter to Editor

Companies that burn bright can burn out

Re: 'Help-U-Sell management restructures' (March 19)

Dear Editor:

I've been in the real estate industry since the 1970s. Every "bull real estate market" creates a fertile ground for "a new concept" of discount brokerage. In reality it's the same business model in a different outfit.

Their intention is honorable, I am certain, but these companies initially burn bright, and unfortunately burn out just as quick.  more...

Mar

21
2008

Letter to Editor

'No smoking' says it all

Re: 'Medical marijuana use draws mixed reaction' (March 20)

Dear Editor:

One thing that was left out regarding the tenant smoking regardless of the substance: If the tenancy called for non-smoking premises than that would be reason enough! When premises have been smoked in it causes damage to the property and is reason to evict if not allowed by the lease.

Barton Hyde

Hyde & Associates

Boulder City, Nev.  more...

Mar

20
2008

Letter to Editor

Buyers, sellers have cause to distrust agents

Re: 'Real estate: the least trusted profession' (March 19)

Dear Editor:

Thanks to Marc Davison for finally telling it like it is and admitting that for the most part, there are valid reasons why real estate agents are among the most distrusted professions.  more...

Mar

19
2008

Real estate: the least trusted profession

In 2006, Harris Interactive published a poll listing the most (and least) trusted professions. Doctors topped the list, and were "completely trusted" by only 50 percent of respondents. Real estate agents neared the bottom of list, again, barely beating out stockbrokers and lagging auto mechanics, lawyers and insurance agents.

Musings, press clippings and polls taken in the United Kingdom show estate agents are viewed in a similar light there.  more...