This is the other wonderful thing about real estate. Unlike how it works on people, a face lift for real estate can really change its life. Sometimes it's just a matter of upgrading appliances or changing a counter top to something more trendy. And unlike with plastic surgery as in the cases of Heidi Montague, Joan Rivers and Cher, the more “nip tuck” on a property, the better it will look. Deal #1 was originally built in 1985, and now it's all prettied up, like it ......more
src: 1rectorpark.com
I'm not an economist, but a person would have to have been living under a rock in the past decade to not have noticed that all of the “must have” cool gadgets hitting the streets drop in price within six months of their release on the market. The problem is that by the time these things come down to a price that a smart consumer would settle on, no self respecting poser in the alphabetized generations would be caught dead using them. What I love the most about real ......more
src: bidkw.com
Last night, I accidentally over tipped a waitress by ten dollars. Though I noticed my error a few minutes later, I didn't have the heart to ask for the money back from the girl who was probably happy to have the tiny windfall. It's these small amounts that make a difference in the lives of us wee-ordinary people. In the mean time, a hair dresser in Hollywood was just arrested for robbing her customers of hundreds and thousands of dollars through credit card fraud. Among......more
src: colonypalmsatdelraybeach.com
One of the best things about my job is that I get to hang out in places where I have no business being. Sometimes I'm the only single person on an island for honeymooners. I don‘t let being an outsider bother me when the food and drinks are free. Park City Utah and home of Deal #4 is also home (or second home) to some of the wealthiest people I've ever met. Many of the properties in this deal have bathroom faucets that are worth more than my car. One of them has a......more
src: auctionparkcityestates.com
As you may have surmised by now, my readers, I am Canadian. My parents had a lot of kids, as they were practicing Catholics, doing what it takes to stay warm on those frosty winter nights. Often when I mention that I have a “Green Card“, my beloved and somewhat uninformed friends will say “You have to have a Green Card?” Yes. Even Blonde haired blue-eyed immigrants must have Green Cards, and/or Visas. I love my birth country and love my country of legal residenc......more
src: realtor.com
OK. Here's one for you folks who simply refuse to participate in the recession. Though he may not be driven by financial need to scale back on things, even former NFL football stars have the good sense to rid themselves of things they just don't need any more. His kids have grown, and it's time for a smaller nest. Deal #6 is the Napa Valley home of former 49'er Joe Montana. It's listed at 49 million. How did he come up with that figure? It might not be the place where......more
src: housingwatch.com
You may or may not be thinking about retirement right now. In fact, it's hard enough to keep a job these days let alone thinking about living off of what you saved from having had one. Since the hard working Mexicans want to come to America to work, it should only be fitting that the retired Americans should go down to Mexico to have a siesta. Deal #7 can make that a lot more possible. Casa Ina Kaanab has beach- front properties that were once priced at over 1.6M now ......more
src: topmexicorealestate.com
I'm fascinated by the fear factor in sales of all kinds. Right now it's back to school shopping time. Or if we were too late for that, the stuff they didn't unload in that panic fest of cash strapped mothers and must-have teenagers will have to go on clearance so they can make room for the Christmas sweaters and have them on the shelf two days after Labor Day. I'm also intrigued by the way individual sellers sometimes show their hand by advertising a price and adding “......more
src: albertburney.com
Remember the summer before last when gas prices were at an astronomical high and all of the radio advertising for any product from diamond rings to furniture, jumped on our anxiety by saying silly things like “Don't waste any gas looking around for better prices”. Then the economy tanked even further and the auto industry promised to let you take your car back if you lost your job. Well, as we have been told by the media lately, the housing market might just take ......more
src: sothebysjacksonhole.wordpress.com
When I was a kid, my parents built this great big place in Northern Ontario to house me and my eight siblings . Yes eight, but that's not the story. What I remember the most is that my mother had picked out every detail herself and she was very proud of it. When we moved in, each of us kids had to keep our rooms absolutely spotless because there were nightly tours to show off the velvet wall paper and the shag carpets. Imagine if you got in on this, our Deal #10. Though......more
src: davidoffer.com
