10 Friendliest #Dad Cities for #Father’sDay
Beware of #RealEstate #Agents Who Will “Buy” Your #Home Listing
It’s one of those hush-hush practices that homeowners rarely hear about but real estate agents know only too well: It’s called “buying the listing.”
What it means is that some agents want the listing to sell your house so badly that they’ll go along with whatever price you ask, even if it’s outlandishly above what comparable houses are commanding.
They know that there’s only a minuscule chance the house will sell at the inflated price you’re proposing but they take the listing anyway. They fully expect that after a few weeks with no takers, you’ll sober up and agree to what may have to be a series of price reductions.
Buying the listing works for some agents because they get cut into a commission payout that they would have missed had they lost the listing to competitors who counseled lower prices. Plus they reap immediate benefits: They’ve got their name plastered on a sign in front of your house, and they can hold open houses that could bring them new clients and other houses to sell.
But there are potentially big drawbacks for you as the seller. Overpricing a house can doom it to months of sitting unsold, even with price reductions. Serious buyers get turned off by new listings with inflated prices and they may not come back when the price inevitably gets reduced. At the end of the process, you could be left with a final price well below what you would have gotten had you priced it realistically earlier.
Buying the listing is a controversial issue in the real estate field. Most agents insist they don’t condone it or engage in it themselves. It’s also potentially an ethical violation for members of the National Association of Realtors, who are prohibited from “attempting to secure a listing” by “deliberately mislead[ing]” the owner as to the market value. Not advising overly optimistic sellers about the true value of their property — solely to obtain the listing — can be construed as misleading them.
How common is this? It depends on location and market segment. Some agents report that it rarely occurs in their areas. Others, such as Tony Marriott, an agent with Keller Williams Arizona Realty in Phoenix and Scottsdale, say it’s so commonplace that “better than 50 percent of the listings” start out notably overpriced.
read more: https://therealdeal.com/2016/06/10/beware-of-agents-who-will-buy-your-listing/
In Silicon Valley Suburbs, Calls to Limit Soaring Rents
After years of punishing rent increases, activists across Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area are pushing a spate of rent control proposals, driven by outrage over soaring housing prices and fears that the growing income gap is turning middle-class families into an endangered species. Those campaigns, if successful, would lead to the largest expansion of tenant laws since the 1970s.
“In the national picture, tenants’ rights and housing advocacy for the poor has been pretty sleepy for several decades,” said Michelle Wilde Anderson, a law professor at Stanford. “California is starting to wake up, and it may lead to national change.”
The Bay Area may be a special case, with the growth of technology industries driving housing costs into the stratosphere and a California initiative system that allows citizens to put proposed laws on the ballot. But the state has a long history of being at the forefront of populist uprisings that spread across the country, and rent control movements have already popped up in other higher-cost cities like Portland, Ore., and Seattle.
In 1978, Proposition 13 sharply reduced California’s property taxes, presaging a nationwide tax revolt. More recently, the state government adopted one of the nation’s most expansive minimum wage laws, to $15 statewide by 2022, reflecting a populist tide against income inequality that the rent control effort is also riding.
“This is happening so fast that we in the advocacy community can’t even keep track of it,” said Daniel Saver, a housing lawyer who is helping draft rent control proposals in several towns.
Instead of being based in big cities like San Francisco, today’s renters’ rights movement is centered in the collection of suburbs and bedroom communities that fill the peninsula south of the city. Here, the collision of tech riches with decades of slow-growth development measures has pushed rent prices up about 50 percent over the last five years, according to Zillow, the online real estate pricing service.
Costly Fallacy of NYC’s Micro-Apartments
Renters have started moving into Manhattan’s first legal micro units — but while the apartments are teeny, their prices are super-sized.
Apartments under 400 square feet are still illegal in New York, thanks to a victory housing activists achieved in the 1980s.
But this building — at 335 E. 27th St. — is an exception to that rule.
The floor plan for one of the micro-apartments at Carmel Place.Photo: Carmel Place
There are currently seven units still on the market at “Carmel Place,” ranging from a 360-square-foot studio for $2,920 a month to a 265-square-foot studio for $2,570.
That means that a tenant in a 360-square-foot space would pay $35,040 a year for the privilege of living in a Kip’s Bay prefabricated shoebox, where making your bed means shoving it in and out of a wall and over your apartment’s only coffee table.
The developer maximized his profits by squeezing 55 of the minuscule prefabricated units into the nine-story building.
In the case of a third-floor 360-square-foot unit still on the market for $2,920, that price works out to $97 a square foot per year.
And the shoebox units, on the site of a former NYC Housing Authority space, are in an out-of-the-way neighborhood between First and Second Avenues.
For example, an 808-square-foot one-bedroom, one-and-a-half bathroom apartment on Billionaire’s Row, in the ritzy, white-glove Metropolitan Tower building at 146 W. 57th St., is currently on the market for $3,700 a month — or $54 a square foot per year.
If two people rented the apartment, they’d each get a bathroom and 400 square feet of living space each — in a luxury building — for $1,850 a month each.
read more: https://nypost.com/2016/06/12/the-costly-fallacy-of-nycs-first-micro-apartments/
Hamilton Fans Make Pilgrimages to Historic Sites
Historic sites connected to Alexander Hamilton are getting a lot more visitors than they used to, thanks to a little Broadway show you might have heard about.
Fans of the musical Hamilton, which won 11 Tony Awards Sunday, are hunting down every Hamilton spot they can think of, from his home in Harlem, to his burial site in Lower Manhattan, to Hamilton Park in Weehawken, New Jersey, near the dueling grounds where he was shot by Aaron Burr.
Kerissa Bearce, 25, an instructional technology coach from Fort Worth, Texas, visited all those sites and many more when she came to New York to see the show with two friends.
"I pretty much don't remember anything about the founding of my country, but now I'm learning all of it," Bearce said.
Bearce is among thousands of Hamilton fans boosting visitor numbers at historic sites that in the past were barely on tourists' radars. Hamilton Grange, his Harlem home and a National Park site, had as many visitors in the first five months of this year as it did in all of 2015—more than 35,000 people. And that's a 75 percent increase over the 21,000 visitors who toured the Grange in 2014, the year before Hamilton opened. Artifacts at the site include a piano that Hamilton's daughter Angelica played. A replica of the instrument is featured in the show.
But fans are also finding their way to more obscure spots, like the Schuyler-Hamilton House in Morristown, New Jersey, where Hamilton courted his wife Eliza.
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When the media needs an EXPERT it turns to Giserman Group, Shouldn't Your Business?
#Trump/#Clinton #Housing Feud Heats Up
Donald Trump is continuing to get hammered by Hillary Clinton, Senator Elizabeth Warren and other Democrats for his controversial comments about making money off the housing bubble.
Clinton's campaign released an ad with audio that the presumptive Republican nominee recorded in 2006 for his now-defunct Trump University venture. Trump, a billionaire real estate developer, in remarks on a "bubble burst," said: "I sort of hope that happens because then people like me would go in and buy" property and "make a lot of money."
But the Collingwood Group Chairman Tim Rood,Giserman Group client, told Fox Business Network's Neil Cavuto it's much ado about nothing:
Watch it here: >>>>>https://youtu.be/ZI1gqro5iXc
DS News: Changing of the Guard
Conventional logic suggests that the mortgage industry is in real trouble because of its age.
The industry can, in fact “expect a ‘brain drain’ (if it is not already occurring) as experienced people retire, move on, and exit for various reasons, says James Hennessey, managing director of Strategic Vantage in Miami. “The industry needs to be proactive in identifying what ‘potential’ looks like in relation to its needs and must tap into that potential today, developing new talent at all levels.”
In other words, a pure brain drain is not quite what is going on. “It’s more of a changing of the guard,” says Eric Chader, senior vice president at The Collingwood Group and Giserman Group client.
The mortgage industry, Chader says, is in transition, mostly affected by compliance and the technology needed to stay up with the regulations. Fintech in particular, he says, seems to be the logical direction??which is good, because it plays right into the hands of the younger people, a.k.a. millennials, who are going to make up the vast bulk of the not-too-distant-future’s financial professionals and mortgage buyers.
read more: https://www.dsnews.com/daily-dose/05-30-2016/changing-of-the-guard
Collingwood Group Managing Director, Tom Booker, dissected April’s existing home sales with Fox Business Network's Neil Cavuto. Booker says despite the good number there may be big trouble ahead.
MReport: How Will the Presidential Election Affect Housing?
As the 58th presidential election draw closer, many in the mortgage industry are wondering who will win and how the new president will impact housing.
….Vice Chairman of The Collingwood Group, Brian Montgomery, sat down with MReport to provide his take on the how the presidency will affect housing, particularity if Republican nominee Donald J. Trump or Democratic candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) wins the election.
"I don't disagree with the report. However, I was taken aback by the extra negativity toward Trump, and I began to wonder how they came to that conclusion," Montgomery stated. "I think the problem with Trump is that it is still unknown what he would do for housing. I think that's where the hesitation comes in. There is uncertainty in the unknown. There is a little of the unknown among all the candidates."
read more: https://www.themreport.com/news/government/05-18-2016/will-presidential-election-affect-housing
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10 Friendliest #Dad Cities for #Father’sDay
1. Salt Lake City, UT
Dread those awkward silent stretches with your kids in lame tourist spots? Yeah, us too. But it’s simply not a problem in this supremely outdoorsy place, especially if your family is … outdoorsy. If so, you’ll never run out of things to do in the SLC: sailing on the Great Salt Lake, paragliding in Flight Park, camping on Antelope Island. And, of course, you’re within quick driving distance to four—count ’em, four—of the best ski mountains in the U.S.
Father’s Day gift: When you’re not on dad duty, pay a visit to the city’s 12 craft breweries—a remarkable number considering that Utah has the lowest per capita beer consumption in the nation. Places like Squatters Craft Beers, Uinta, and Epic Brewing are so good, you’ll almost forget about the state’s 3.2% alcohol restriction for tap beers. Almost.
2. St. Louis, MO
The St. Louis Cardinals are more than a sports team, they’re a way of life. For St. Louis dads, nothing says summer like sitting in unbearable humidity at Bush Stadium, cheering on the Cards with a frosty beer or three. Do it with the guys! Or drag the kids along on weekends. The population of St. Louis is just 318,000, but the Cardinals draw more than 3 million fans annually. This is the way baseball is supposed to be.
Father’s Day gift: Feeling hungry after the game? Hang out with your pals and scarf down some magnificently unhealthy regional food that you can’t get anyplace else: toasted ravioli, gooey butter cake, Ted Drewes frozen custard. And that’s just for starters.
3. Green Bay, WI
OK, you knew we were gonna bring up the Packers. It’s said that people here bleed green and gold, and while we’ve never felt pressed to verify this, you can’t miss how proud just about everyone in this city of just over 100,000 is of their team. They call their home “Titletown,” in honor of the Packers’ remarkable 13 league championships. And football here is a true generational affair: Home games are among the most family-dominated in the NFL, and tickets are handed down from parents to kids like precious bequeathments. Which they are.
Father’s Day gift: Are you one of those dads who geek out about railroads and big ships? Yeah, us too. Luckily for you, this place is home to the awesome National Railroad Museum and the annual Baylake Bank Tall Ship Festival, part of the Tall Ships Challenge of the Great Lakes.
4. Orlando, FL
Yeah, Disney. And Sea World. And Universal Park. What else? There’s actually a remarkable number of other adventures for dads and the little ones, whether it’s sitting in the front seat and actually flying a military aircraft, trying indoor skydiving (trust us on this one), or zip-lining over Florida’s forests and wetlands. Even if you’re not a tourist, you’ll probably never run out of things to do with the family.
Father’s Day gift: If you crave some high-quality alone time, some of Florida’ best bass lakes—like Lake Monroe and Lake Tohopekaliga—are only a short ride away. They’re worth the trip.
5. Cincinnati, OH
Cincinnati doesn’t go overboard to market itself as a golf destination, but serious elevation changes throughout the Ohio Valley make the city ideal for one of America’s most dynamic golf scenes. A total of 39 golf courses line the hilly perimeter of Cincinnati downtown on all sides. Perfect for man outings, or teaching your kids early how to shank the ball.
Father’s Day gift: This place gets hot in the summer. Luckily for the family units, it happens to be home to the Sunlite Pool at Coney Island (not to be confused with the Brooklyn one), the largest flat-surface swimming pool in North America. The kids still need cooling off? Let ’em run through the very cool fountains at Washington Park in Over-the-Rhine downtown.
6. Tampa, FL
Take your kids away from the honking horns and urban irritants—the Tampa Bay area is a camping enthusiast dad’s dream come true. Within an hour’s drive, there are a dozen campsites. Pick your view: crashing ocean waves and white sand beach in the E.G. Simmons Park, or swift-moving water in Hillsborough River State Park. And for a true family challenge, there’s Florida’s most exciting off-road bicycle trails in Alafia River State Park.
Father’s Day gift: Back in the city, places like Tampa Bay Brewing Co. and Ferg’s Sports Bar know exactly what dads want: big screens to watch games, big pitchers of ice-cold beer, and big and messy battered and fried cod sandwiches. Don’t worry (much) about the calories: Tampa has 163 gyms where you can burn them off.
7. Pittsburgh, PA
Calling all makers, inventors, tinkers, DIY enthusiast dads, and curious kids! The annual Pittsburgh Maker Faire might just be the ultimate form of 21st-century dad-child bonding. Playing with robots, conducting scientific experiments, trying out new types of 3-D printing, learning how to build toys—what’s not to love? Your future Zuckerberg will thank you one day.
Father’s Day gift: The Steel City has three world-class major league sports teams—Steelers, Pirates, and Penguins—and more than 50 hormone-filled, beer-drenched sports bars to celebrate the teams’ victories and salve the failures. The beer-drinking culture here even inspired research at the University of Pittsburgh that concluded that alcohol makes men more likely to smile. It’s true.
8. Atlanta, GA
There are an inordinate number of cool family attractions here that are unique and worthy of repeated visits. You can get in a tank and swim with whale sharks at the Georgia Aquarium. You can also walk the length of the Beltline, the former railway corridor around the city core, now a multiuse trail (much like New York’s High Line). Or you can do your part contributing to the nation’s obesity epidemic with a fun tour of the Coca-Cola headquarters.
Father’s Day gift: For thrill-seeking dads, fill your need for speed at Atlanta Motor Speedway’s NASCAR Sprint Cup.
9. San Francisco, CA
San Francisco is the trendsetter when it comes to dad-friendly work policy. Pinterest offers four months of fully paid parental leave and a fifth “transition” month for new dads, allowing reduced workload with full pay. Twitter runs “Dads on Leave” roundtables, which bring together employees who are going out on—or just returning from—the generous 10-week paternity leave to share their experiences. Parents at Airbnb receive a complimentary membership to a babysitting service provider.
Father’s Day gift: Still, the coolest part of being a San Francisco dad is that you can get to take your kids to Warriors games. If you can get tickets, that is. If not, head south and check out the area’s other championship team, the San Jose Sharks. Hey, fall will be here before you know it.
10. Portland, OR
Portland doesn’t just have the best coffee, it also has the best beer—but you knew that, right? The city boasts nearly 150 craft brewers and beer gardens. To get a thorough feel for its beer scene, go to the longtime beer crafter McMenamins for a glass of its iconic (and delicious!) Hammerhead, pedal over to Hopworks, where you can park your bike on frames conveniently hanging above the bar, or check out Loyal Legion, which claims to have the largest selection of Oregon beers on tap. Who are we to doubt them?
Happy Fathers Day!