Housing News
Is There A Hole In Your Sidewalk?
There Is a Hole in My Sidewalk
Autobiography in Five Short Chapters
By Portia Nelson
Chapter One
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost…I am helpless.
It isn’t my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.
Chapter Two
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend that I don’t see it.
I fall in again.
I can’t believe I am in this same place.
But, it isn’t my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.
Chapter Three
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep whole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in…it’s a habit…but,
My eyes are open
I know where I am
It is my fault.
I get out immediately,
Chapter Four
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.
Chapter Five
I walk down another street.
Shape Shifting
Pretty much, everyone who reads this interprets this differently; romance, finance, business, health and attitude. I like to reread it every so often. I thought you might enjoy it too. It’s has impact for me. How about you?
Cheers. Thanks for reading.
Austin
Austin tops the list of best places to buy a home
When looking to buy a home, taking the long view is important before making such a huge investment – where are the best places to make that commitment?
Housing News
Average age of houses on the rise, so is it now better or worse to buy new?
With aging housing in America, are first-time buyers better off buying new or existing homes? The average age of a home is rising, as is the price of new housing, so a shift could be upon us.
The average home age is higher than ever
(REALUOSO.COM) – In a survey from the Department of Housing and Urban Development American Housing Survey (AHS), the median age of homes in the United States was 35 years old. In Texas, homes are a bit younger with the median age between 19 – 29 years. The northeast has the oldest homes, with the median age between 50 – 61 years. In 1985, the median age of a home was only 23 years.
With more houses around 40 years old, the National Association of Realtors asserts that homeowners will have to undertake remodeling and renovation projects before selling unless the home is sold as-is, in which case the buyer will be responsible to update their new residence. Even homeowners who aren’t selling will need to consider remodeling for structural and aesthetic reasons.
Prices of new homes on the rise
Newer homes cost more than they used to. The price differential between new homes and older homes has increased from 10 percent traditionally to around 37 percent in 2014. This is due to rising construction costs, scarcity of lots, and a low inventory of new homes that doesn’t meet the demand.
Click here to continue reading this story…
Housing News
Are Realtors the real loser in the fight between Zillow Group and Move, Inc.?
The last year has been one of dramatic and rapid change in the real estate tech sector, but Realtors are vulnerable, and we’re worried.
Why Realtors are vulnerable to these rapid changes
(REALUOSO.COM) – Corporate warfare demands headlines in every industry, but in the real estate tech sector, a storm has been brewing for years, which in the last year has come to a head. Zillow Group and Move, Inc. (which is owned by News Corp. and operates ListHub, Realtor.com, TopProducer, and other brands) have been competing for a decade now, and the race has appeared to be an aggressive yet polite boxing match. Last year, the gloves came off, and now, they’ve drawn swords and appear to want blood.
Note: We’ll let you decide which company plays which role in the image above.
So how then, does any of this make Realtors the victims of this sword fight? Let’s get everyone up to speed, and then we’ll discuss.
1. Zillow poaches top talent, Move/NAR sues
It all started last year when the gloves came off – Move’s Chief Strategy Officer (who was also Realtor.com’s President), Errol Samuelson jumped ship and joined Zillow on the same day he phoned in his resignation without notice. He left under questionable circumstances, which has led to a lengthy legal battle (wherein Move and NAR have sued Zillow and Samuelson over allegations of breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, and misappropriation of trade secrets), with the most recent motion being for contempt, which a judge granted to Move/NAR after the mysterious “Samuelson Memo” surfaced.
Salt was added to the wound when Move awarded Samuelson’s job to Move veteran, Curt Beardsley, who days after Samuelson left, also defected to Zillow. This too led to a lawsuit, with allegations including breach of contract, violation of corporations code, illegal dumping of stocks, and Move has sought restitution. These charges are extremely serious, but demanded slightly less attention than the ongoing lawsuit against Samuelson.
2. Two major media brands emerge
Last fall, the News Corp. acquisition of Move, Inc. was given the green light by the feds, and this month, Zillow finalized their acquisition of Trulia.
…Click here to continue reading this story…
-
Business Entrepreneur1 week agoEntrepreneurs face higher rates of mental illness [part one]
-
Business Entrepreneur1 week agoMany entrepreneurs facing mental health issues don’t get help [part two]
-
Business Marketing4 days agoThe use of offline marketing can still be advantageous in a digital world
-
Business News3 days agoHow to apply to be on a Board of Directors
-
Business Finance1 week agoFollow these 7 steps to get outstanding invoices paid to you ASAP
-
Opinion Editorials2 days ago3 reasons to motivate yourself to declutter your workspace (and mind)
-
Tech News2 weeks agoSometimes tech is a sight for sore eyes – others it’s the cause of them
-
Business Entrepreneur1 day agoHaving client difficulties? Protect yourself with an exit strategy clause
Joe Loomer
August 3, 2009 at 9:35 am
So true Ken – can apply in so many different areas of life. Reminds me of the old definition of insanity – repeating the same actions but expecting different results….
Navy Chief, Navy Pride
Ken Montville - MD Suburbs of DC
August 3, 2009 at 10:27 am
This is deep, Ken. Get it” Deep? Hole in the sidewalk you fell in? Ahh. Never mind.
Brandie Young
August 3, 2009 at 9:38 pm
Thanks, Ken. Yep, it resonates! Funny that we do that …
Erion Shehaj
August 4, 2009 at 2:13 am
Brass Balls are not just a requirement to sell real estate. I’ve come to find out that it takes them to assume responsibility for your own actions, habits and ultimately, destination. But once you do, the level of empowerment alone is enough to make you walk around the many holes en route to your eventual success.
Loved It!
Ken Brand
August 4, 2009 at 9:08 am
Joe, Ken, Erion & Brandie, = Thanks. Cheers.
Ian Greenleigh
August 4, 2009 at 2:19 pm
I was a victim of identity theft in 2006. I’m fairly convinced that the perps gleaned info from Facebook in order to impersonate me. They bilked my grandmother out of $5,000 and we have recovered exactly $0 thus far. I’m actually going to be interviewed about this tomorrow by a reporter from the NY Post. Interesting how I’ve been prompted to think about this event twice in two days.
Paula Henry
August 9, 2009 at 12:04 pm
Ken – This could be applied to so many areas of life. By it’s very nature, life requires we make mistakes in order to be a survivor. Whatever category of life you want to apply the principle, most will find they lost a few rounds before they learned to shift their feet quicker.