Browsing Category Thoughts, etc.

London

From the OpinionJournal – It is very unlikely that Londoners will behave in the same, frankly craven, way that the Spanish electorate did. A more bloody-minded, visceral, indeed atavistic reaction is the right one to expect from us, and it would be deeply out of character for Londoners to want to appease their tormentors in any way…. If the elderly lady I overheard in a small crowd watching the events on TV through the windows of an electrical goods store in the King’s Road, Chelsea, is anything to go by, the general attitude is: “It’s ridiculous not being able to take trains home.

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Bubble Links

here are a couple of good bubble links …RealestatejournalNYTimes – thanks to Curbed for the heads-up (registration required) – go here for a password.”So far, the mortgage-backed market has generated cash and profits galore…. That said, the industry should still be regulated somehow, someway.Volokh – The concern, as I understand it, is that people who have interest-only loans (for instance) are going to be hurt if home prices fall (although it is not clear why they would, if everyone is adopting the new mortgages–but I digress). The idea is that if housing prices fall, and if they have to sell their house, they will be forced to come up with a big wad of cash to make up for the shortfall.

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Charlottesville is the best new place to drink wine

Life Magazine has named Charlottesville as The Best New Place to Drink Wine. Twenty-one wineries on the Monticello Wine Trail make this the perfect weekend get away for wine lovers.1. Charlottesville, VA: Best New Place to Drink Wine; Twenty-one wineries on the Monticello Wine Trail combined with the lack of snooty angst makes this town the perfect weekend tour.Not a bad category in which to place first, in my opinion.

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Loyalty

Several times this year, I have experienced or heard first-hand stories about Buyers who will initiate a relationship with a Realtor to search for a home, and ultimately not worth with that (or any) Realtor for representation. I have seen it written that Realtors give away much of their expertise for free in the hopes that some business will be generated…. Having grown up in the business, I knew that this was a cutthroat career; I was prepared more for the competition from fellow Realtors more than anything else.Perhaps I am a bit of an ideologist and expect a modicum of candor and openness from those with whom I work.

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