Whether you’re a flipper of TV channels or a die-hard fan of one particular news source (television, radio, internet, or some weird thing called a newspaper), you can’t help but come across a story or twelve on a semi-regular basis about the housing market and whether we’re on a “bubble”.   There are thos e pundits who claim everything points toward the market being on a bubble and how close we are to it bursting, and there’s an equal number who blow off the idea like that’s the most ridiculous thing they’ve ever heard.   What you don’t hear, though, is actual data supporting their arguments concerning a “bubble” in the housing market because it makes for a better story to watch people wring their hands and make emotional pleas and/or flash artificially whitened and perfectly aligned teeth at the camera and say these end-of-days kooks have it all wrong.   Well, buckle up, kids!   THIS is about to become your favorite news source (at least for the next two or thre...

  Despite the fact we’ve seen the likes of Magnum P.I. and The Fonz as spokesmen for Reverse Mortgages, there’s still a degree of mistrust out there that needs to be addressed.   (Fortunately, when Tom Selleck and Henry Winkler are up there telling us about this loan product, they’re not dressed in a Hawaiian shirt or a leather jacket, respectively)   Let me say this from the outset: a Reverse Mortgage is NOT for everyone, but I believe everyone needs to understand what can be ACHIEVED with a Reverse Mortgage before making that final decision.   To that end, I’m going to give you three scenarios of how a Reverse Mortgage can be used to benefit you and your loved ones.  Scenario 1 – Significant Money Saver You’ve worked hard and own your home free and clear, but you’re on one side of the country and your grandkids are on the other.   You sell your house and have a very large pile of cash – enough (and a bit to spare) to purchase a home in cash ...

The following is a story as told by a guy in our office – I’ve changed some of the names, but there really aren’t any innocents to protect here, unless we’re talking about the guy in our office.   Mrs. Slaughter was both my Spanish teacher my freshman year in high school and my English teacher my senior year.   First day of school my freshman year, Mrs. S is calling roll in my Spanish class , and she gets to me.   I raise my hand and say, “Here,” and she pauses and just stares at me.   Not good.   She then asks, “Are you related to a SHAUN Greene?”   “ Yes, ma’am.   He’s my brother.” (Shaun had graduated the year before and had Slaughter for English – and Shaun was a bit of a . . . r apscallion, shall we say. )   She squinted her eyes a bit like Clint Eastwood did in his “Dirty Harry” movies before he delivered his killer line that was meant to put the fear of God (or more appropriately, the fear of Harry) into the criminal...

  For anyone who is squeamish, you might not want to read this week’s edition of our award-winning, cutting-edge newsletter that some have come to believe may be part of the cure for childhood obesity – I’m just putting it out there, so march on, intrepid reader! Recently, in one of the bathrooms in my home, we had a bit of a . . . t oilet blockage, which resulted in a less-than-pleasant odor emanating from that particular area.   We’ve had similar problems in the past – I’m not going to name names as I wish to protect the innocent – and they’ve always been solved fairly quickly with the use of a plunger.   When you use a plunger, you’re basically trying to use the water in the pipes to act as your hydraulic battering ram against whatever foul substance or demonic object that is keeping fluids from passing through the pipes.   In most instances, after about 10-12 hardy pumps with the plunger, the item is dislodged, and there’s much rejoicing.   Yea! ...

    By all accounts, 2018 should be very interesting with news that home values continue to rise with demand for homes showing absolutely no slowing.   So, w ith this new year upon us, I wanted to write something that would be useful – something that would act as a good jumpstart for what lies ahead of us – and the more I thought about what that could be, my mind kept going back to a very fundamental truth I had been taught when I was going through my licensing class.   It’s nothing earth shattering, and many of you are going to chime in with a collective “well, duh”, but I’ll soldier on for the sake of filling up some space (and reaching those who either didn’t know it or don’t mind a gentle reminder).    The question was floated out there: “Why doesn’t the seller of a property get to pick the escrow company?”   The obvious answer is, “Well, because that’s the law,” but the deeper answer is more interesting – and that answer is just one wo...