Categories: Selling

Short sales: why banks don't answer your phone calls

Posted by: Peter Coy on February 25

Frank Borges LLosa (pictured) has a great blog item on why banks drag their heels on approving short sales--that is, sales for less than the mortgage(s) on the property....

Southern Calif. Realtors Stop Disclosing Days on Market

Posted by: Peter Coy on July 11

Ask any real estate agent: When a house has been on the market for a long time, potential buyers figure they can drive a harder bargain. And, of course, homes...

Will employers take the hit on falling home values?

Posted by: Dean Foust on May 18

One question that's been rattling around the back of my brain is whether the housing bubble--and subsequent downturn--is going to make it harder for companies to convince valued employees to...

Zillow Keeps the Innovations Coming

Posted by: Peter Coy on April 13

Hand it to Rich Barton and company: Zillow.com is keeping the innovations flowing. The company is probably still best known for its Zestimates--estimated market values of most of the houses...

The new exit strategy: A short sale

Posted by: Dean Foust on March 05

For all the homeowners who are upside down and can no longer make their mortgage payment (because of either a job loss, divorce, or an option ARM that's resetting higher),...

'F' in Economics for Move Inc. Exec

Posted by: Peter Coy on January 11

I give Allan Dalton of Move Inc. an 'F' in economics for comments he made this week at Brad Inman's Real Estate Connect NYC conference. The 'F' is for Dalton's...

Zillow's New Feature: 'Make Me Move'

Posted by: Peter Coy on December 07

You've probably seen this bumper sticker: "If you're rich, I'm single." The fertile minds at online real estate startup Zillow.com have come up with its real estate equivalent: "Make me...

Flipping is flopping in Cali

Posted by: Dean Foust on August 29

Interesting article on Inman News (read it quick; articles are free for a day or so but then available only to paying subscribers) about how flipping has turned into a...

Are hidden "seller incentives" masking true price decline?

Posted by: Dean Foust on August 28

A poster on the Real Estate Cafe blog raises the question whether "seller incentives" are masking the true decline in housing values. I've read elsewhere about sellers offering a one-year...

Making Sense of Real Estate Ad Abbrvns.

Posted by: Peter Coy on July 24

I already knew that wic means walk-in closet and sf means square feet. But I was surprised to learn that aek is all-electric kitchen and fag is forced air gas....

Window-Shopping for Homes That Aren't For Sale

Posted by: Peter Coy on June 19

As we near the summer solstice, let's cast our eyes northward to the land of the midnight sun ... Finland! A Finnish company called Igglo has an extremely interesting...

Peter Coy, Reporter, Interviews Pete Coy, Real Estate Agent

Posted by: Peter Coy on June 01

Over the years I've been in touch with several other Peter Coys--a playwright, a broker in San Francisco, a software executive in Toronto, et al. Sharing a name with someone...

For Sale By Owner

Posted by: Peter Coy on May 05

Realtors will argue that only a professional can get you a good price and guide you through the intricacies of closing. But selling your house without an agent is getting...

Buying From 'Properly Seasoned' Sellers

Posted by: Peter Coy on March 30

GUEST BLOG FROM TIM MULLANEY BusinessWeek's Tim Mullaney writes: Like my story in this week’s magazine says, the one thing I do know is that if I’m a home buyer...

Who Wins: Discount Brokers or Six Percenters?

Posted by: Peter Coy on March 30

GUEST BLOG FROM TIM MULLANEY BusinessWeek's Tim Mullaney writes: For at least a year, real estate types have been arguing over who will win when the market gets tougher –...

Commissions are crumbling...

Posted by: Dean Foust on March 07

This article, published by Inman News, is further evidence that it's a matter of time before real estate commissions come down. It tells the story of an agent named Barbara...

Is it time to sell?

Posted by: Toddi Gutner on January 17

It’s already starting…the difference of opinion between family members about what the best move is concerning some real estate. As a personal finance writer, I know there are no easy...

Zillow.com: How Scared Should Brokers Be?

Posted by: Peter Coy on January 13

In the 1990s, Rich Barton founded Expedia, the hugely successful travel website that wiped out the jobs of untold thousands of travel agents. Now he's starting up a real estate...

In 2006, a Harsher Reality for Realty

Posted by: Peter Coy on December 27

One of the smartest and best-read publications on residential real estate is the monthly REAL Trends, edited by an industry veteran named Steve Murray out of Littleton, Colo. (Click here...

Finish That House on Schedule ... Or Else

Posted by: Peter Coy on November 22

What's one of the things that most angers buyers of new homes? When builders miss their deadlines. That's what emerged from a survey of customer satisfaction with homebuilders that was...

Legal battle over listings

Posted by: Amey Stone on September 12

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) is being sued by the Justice Department for anti-competitive practices. In a claim filed Sept. 8, Justice Dept. attorneys claim that the NAR has...

Do-it-yourself cities

Posted by: Amey Stone on August 05

The web site ForSaleByOwner.com has released a list of the cities where the most homes are sold without a broker (based on 40,000 listings on its site). It's not a...