Hi,
So I know this is a real estate blog but I just wanted to comment on the USA vs. Canada Hockey game last night.
Let's start by putting me in the category of "passive hockey fan." I really enjoy following my local San Jose Sharks. I catch a few of their regular season BIG games and I make sure to catch every minute of playoff hockey. I definitely have a few friends who enjoy hockey more than I do but I have a lot more who watch WAAAY less than I do.
Yesterday, once the game started I flicked it on. First off, I couldn't find it on NBC. The game got bumped to MSNBC. This made me a little annoyed that what I felt was a pretty big game, couldn't even make it to the big network. However, once I found out that the game would be commercial free because it was MSNBC, I was okay with this decision.
You know what, the game was exciting. There was a ton of passion and hard play. The fans were going crazy for their boys and I found myself really enjoying the game. I ended up watching up until the end of the 2nd period at which point I had to leave the TV and make a trip to the airport. This is the crazy thing, if it were any other big sporting event, there is NO WAY that I leave my spot in front of the TV. But here I was, watching Olympic Hockey and I really didn't have too much of a problem walking away from the game. Granted I was able to listen to it on the radio in the car, but still,I think I surprised even myself.
It got me thinking about the Canadians and how big this game was to them. Even though the USA won and I was pumped about it, I almost felt bad for beating them because we as USA Hockey fans didn't deserve this win as much as the Canadian fans did.
That's pretty much it. Nothing on houses today. My dad and I had a listing appointment. It went well.
Conor
Monday, February 22, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
How Banks Make Money
This is a pretty interesting video detailing the way banks MAKE money on short sales and foreclosures.
It's about 5 min long and can be a little dry for someone not completely interested in this kind of stuff, but I wanted to pass it along anyway.
Conor
http://www.thinkbigworksmall.com/mypage/player/tbws/23088/1129049
It's about 5 min long and can be a little dry for someone not completely interested in this kind of stuff, but I wanted to pass it along anyway.
Conor
http://www.thinkbigworksmall.com/mypage/player/tbws/23088/1129049
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Interest Rates
In response to a question about interest rates, I wanted to direct people to this article...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7148582/
Also, this guy below has a lot more to worry about than interest rates...I find this really funny for some reason...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7148582/
Also, this guy below has a lot more to worry about than interest rates...I find this really funny for some reason...
Monday, February 1, 2010
A Good Question
Hi,
In one of my recent posts, I got a question from anonymous. Here it is:
Anonymous said...
Question is: Where do you think the market is going? Is there still enough inventory to get a decent deal on a house in the "TheBayArea". Or should I continue to wait to buy? AMA
February 1, 2010 9:03 AM
I was about to reply within the comments section but I thought this would be a good opportunity to address a question that I am sure many are asking.
My response:
After speaking with others in and out of the office, it seems the market is holding pretty steady right now.
That being said, I don't foresee a huge upswing in the market but I definitely don't see a big drop off either. I think it will hold steady for the remainder of the year. Once we have a more accurate picture at that point we can of course make a whole new guess as to where it is going.
Real Estate agents are like Economists. We have lots of theories and we are always "supposing."
To answer your last question, yes there is still enough inventory to get a decent deal. The prices are remaining steady, which is good...it's just that there are multiple offers, which makes it a little tougher. The good thing though is that even if you do outbid someone in this market, you are still getting a way better deal than what you would have gotten a few years ago. Also, and most important, you have to pay close attention to the houses. You wait a day to make an offer and it could already be gone. That's the part that a lot of people have trouble with. They are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars and they don't want to be rushed.
If you are in it for the long haul (at least 5 years) it is still a good time to buy a house.
Conor
In one of my recent posts, I got a question from anonymous. Here it is:
Anonymous said...
Question is: Where do you think the market is going? Is there still enough inventory to get a decent deal on a house in the "TheBayArea". Or should I continue to wait to buy? AMA
February 1, 2010 9:03 AM
I was about to reply within the comments section but I thought this would be a good opportunity to address a question that I am sure many are asking.
My response:
After speaking with others in and out of the office, it seems the market is holding pretty steady right now.
That being said, I don't foresee a huge upswing in the market but I definitely don't see a big drop off either. I think it will hold steady for the remainder of the year. Once we have a more accurate picture at that point we can of course make a whole new guess as to where it is going.
Real Estate agents are like Economists. We have lots of theories and we are always "supposing."
To answer your last question, yes there is still enough inventory to get a decent deal. The prices are remaining steady, which is good...it's just that there are multiple offers, which makes it a little tougher. The good thing though is that even if you do outbid someone in this market, you are still getting a way better deal than what you would have gotten a few years ago. Also, and most important, you have to pay close attention to the houses. You wait a day to make an offer and it could already be gone. That's the part that a lot of people have trouble with. They are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars and they don't want to be rushed.
If you are in it for the long haul (at least 5 years) it is still a good time to buy a house.
Conor
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Recent Reviews
Hi,
I am happy to report that people are actually starting to read my writing. I swear it's like my fan base went from 1 person (Me) to almost 4!! At this pace, I might have a van full by the end of the month...if I am lucky maybe even one of those big airport vans full.
Some recent reviews:
"This blog is awesome!" -Mark Dunn
"Now I want to buy more houses!" -Conor Dunn
"You've got mail." -AOL
Seriously though, thanks for reading, I like when someone tells me that they heard I have a blog...but then they get distracted by something on TV and forget to read it.
Conor
Some recent reviews:
"This blog is awesome!" -Mark Dunn
"Now I want to buy more houses!" -Conor Dunn
"You've got mail." -AOL
Seriously though, thanks for reading, I like when someone tells me that they heard I have a blog...but then they get distracted by something on TV and forget to read it.
Conor
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Newspapers, Negative Nancy's
Hi,
So I've started to get into a routine every morning. I guess this has been going on for about 6 months...is that long enough to qualify as a "routine?" Not important. So as I was saying, I have a routine in the morning that involves me getting out of bed, turning on the pot of coffee and walking out to the driveway to get the newspaper while my coffee brews. I say walk, but the last few weeks has been more of a run or "sprint" if you will, because it's been raining buckets here in The Bay Area.
*Side note* I always capitalize "The Bay Area" because it seems equivalent to saying something like "New England"...which as we all know, is capitalized. Capitalizing it makes is sounds in important. The Bay Area is important.
So, back to the morning, I walk in the house with my paper sit down at my kitchen table and pull out the sections I want to read. At this point I kind of dawdle because I want to have hot coffee in my hand while I read. Is this weird? Probably. Once the coffee maker beeps (YES!) I grab my cup and start reading the paper. Sections that I read: (In order) Sports, Business, then Comics/Crossword. If I see something interesting on the front page I will usually scan that as well.
Today I was reading the Business section and noticed an article on home sales in the month of December 2009. Apparently homes sales in The Bay Area went down last month as compared to the month before. I actually knew that this was true but it wasn't for the reason you think. Home sales have gone down because there is no stinking inventory. When there are no homes to sell, it makes it hard for sales to go up. They go on to explain in the article that homes are indeed selling and in fact they have been getting multiple offers. I am glad that the columnist clarified that in the article but it still irked me that the title had such a negative connotation. There are many people reading the paper who will scan the section and see the headline, "Home sales in Bay Area decline in December." They will see that and likely assume the worst, and you can't really blame them. It was definitely something that gnawed on me but hey, not a ton I can do about it...except tell you about it in this awesome blog.
So, end of story, I read the comics to cheer me up (Pearls Before Swine you rock!) I finished my coffee and got ready for work. Pretty standard.
Moral of the story: My blog has factual information that can blow your mind...or give you something do when you have a free minute.
Conor
So I've started to get into a routine every morning. I guess this has been going on for about 6 months...is that long enough to qualify as a "routine?" Not important. So as I was saying, I have a routine in the morning that involves me getting out of bed, turning on the pot of coffee and walking out to the driveway to get the newspaper while my coffee brews. I say walk, but the last few weeks has been more of a run or "sprint" if you will, because it's been raining buckets here in The Bay Area.
*Side note* I always capitalize "The Bay Area" because it seems equivalent to saying something like "New England"...which as we all know, is capitalized. Capitalizing it makes is sounds in important. The Bay Area is important.
So, back to the morning, I walk in the house with my paper sit down at my kitchen table and pull out the sections I want to read. At this point I kind of dawdle because I want to have hot coffee in my hand while I read. Is this weird? Probably. Once the coffee maker beeps (YES!) I grab my cup and start reading the paper. Sections that I read: (In order) Sports, Business, then Comics/Crossword. If I see something interesting on the front page I will usually scan that as well.
Today I was reading the Business section and noticed an article on home sales in the month of December 2009. Apparently homes sales in The Bay Area went down last month as compared to the month before. I actually knew that this was true but it wasn't for the reason you think. Home sales have gone down because there is no stinking inventory. When there are no homes to sell, it makes it hard for sales to go up. They go on to explain in the article that homes are indeed selling and in fact they have been getting multiple offers. I am glad that the columnist clarified that in the article but it still irked me that the title had such a negative connotation. There are many people reading the paper who will scan the section and see the headline, "Home sales in Bay Area decline in December." They will see that and likely assume the worst, and you can't really blame them. It was definitely something that gnawed on me but hey, not a ton I can do about it...except tell you about it in this awesome blog.
So, end of story, I read the comics to cheer me up (Pearls Before Swine you rock!) I finished my coffee and got ready for work. Pretty standard.
Moral of the story: My blog has factual information that can blow your mind...or give you something do when you have a free minute.
Conor
Monday, January 11, 2010
Chuck
Hi,
So after holding an open house yesterday I came home looking forward to some time spent falling asleep on the couch to the TV. This dream quickly shattered as soon as I realized that I had some stuff to take care of around the house like cleaning, cooking, etc.
I was perfectly fine with this because the only thing in my mind was that I had to be in front of the TV at 9pm to watch one of my favorite shows "Chuck." Now there are a lot of people who waste a lot of time in front of a television. Maybe I shouldn't use the word "waste" as I am one of those people who definitely enjoys sitting in front of the tube. Like anything (except cupcakes, which are delicious,) I think TV is best experienced in moderation.
Back to the important stuff. "Chuck" was on at 9pm and by god I was going to sit there and watch it. For those of you who haven't seen the show, it's about a normal nerdy guy working at a store called "Buy More" (Best Buy) in the "Nerd Herd" department (Geek Squad.) His old college roommate is a rogue spy for the CIA and inadvertently sends him a whole bunch of government secrets which he sees and now has implanted in his head. Is the premise ridiculous? Absolutely! Could this ever happen in real life? No way! Does that matter to Conor? No sir. The show makes me laugh and has a little bit of action to boot.
At this point you might be asking yourself what this has to do with Real Estate...well not a lot, except this....
I've started to notice recently that when I am showing properties with buyers, there is usually one constant. We almost always walk into the Family Room, the buyer looks around and says something the affect of, "Hmm well I guess I could put the TV there, and the couches could go here..." or this one, "Oh the fireplace has plenty of room above it for a flat screen." It's amazing how consistent it is. Even if families don't watch a lot of TV, they still want to know where they will be putting the TV and how they are going to arrange the furniture to point at it. I would think this is weird, except for the fact that my rear end is planted on the couch for appointment television more than one time a week.
My name is Conor, and I watch Television. I read books too.
Conor
So after holding an open house yesterday I came home looking forward to some time spent falling asleep on the couch to the TV. This dream quickly shattered as soon as I realized that I had some stuff to take care of around the house like cleaning, cooking, etc.
I was perfectly fine with this because the only thing in my mind was that I had to be in front of the TV at 9pm to watch one of my favorite shows "Chuck." Now there are a lot of people who waste a lot of time in front of a television. Maybe I shouldn't use the word "waste" as I am one of those people who definitely enjoys sitting in front of the tube. Like anything (except cupcakes, which are delicious,) I think TV is best experienced in moderation.
Back to the important stuff. "Chuck" was on at 9pm and by god I was going to sit there and watch it. For those of you who haven't seen the show, it's about a normal nerdy guy working at a store called "Buy More" (Best Buy) in the "Nerd Herd" department (Geek Squad.) His old college roommate is a rogue spy for the CIA and inadvertently sends him a whole bunch of government secrets which he sees and now has implanted in his head. Is the premise ridiculous? Absolutely! Could this ever happen in real life? No way! Does that matter to Conor? No sir. The show makes me laugh and has a little bit of action to boot.
At this point you might be asking yourself what this has to do with Real Estate...well not a lot, except this....
I've started to notice recently that when I am showing properties with buyers, there is usually one constant. We almost always walk into the Family Room, the buyer looks around and says something the affect of, "Hmm well I guess I could put the TV there, and the couches could go here..." or this one, "Oh the fireplace has plenty of room above it for a flat screen." It's amazing how consistent it is. Even if families don't watch a lot of TV, they still want to know where they will be putting the TV and how they are going to arrange the furniture to point at it. I would think this is weird, except for the fact that my rear end is planted on the couch for appointment television more than one time a week.
My name is Conor, and I watch Television. I read books too.
Conor
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)