Blog Archives

Puffing the housing market: Time to pause or go proactive?

Posted on June 2, 2017 by Bill Wendel — No Comments ↓

The headline above is distressing enough without using bloated list or asking prices — a stat that is meaningless so rarely quoted — to throw gas on overheated markets nationwide. Without more precise local information or insight into the economy,…

Posted in Bidding wars, Bubble Hour, Buyer agent, Defensive Homebuying, Housing bubble, Intention Inventory, Proactive househunting, Real Estate Bubble, Savings & Rebates, Timing the market

InventoryGate: Fact checking “tight inventory” & “the rest of the story”

Posted on April 13, 2014 by Bill Wendel — No Comments ↓

The headline, “Home buyers face tight inventories, rising prices this spring” followed a predictable script for the past two years, but the level of sensationalized reporting in the Boston Globe’s recent story may have crossed a line. First a cash bidding…

Posted in Bubble Hour, Buyer agent, Counterintelligence, Crowdsourcing, Defensive Homebuying, DIY Homebuyers, In the News, Intention Inventory, Proactive househunting, Tipping Policy

Millennials: Getting killed by housing costs, or killing homeownership?

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Bill Wendel — No Comments ↓

Remember the scene in Dead Poet’s Society where Robin Williams stands on his desk, and challenges his students to change their perspective? His message: the way you see a problem or opportunity depends on where you stand. So the…

Posted in Affordable housing, Buyer agent, Defensive Homebuying, DIY Homebuyers, FSBO: For Sale By Owner, Intention Inventory, Mlllennials, reVRM, Timing the market, VRM

Will runaway bidding wars create real estate refugees in Cambridge? What would MLK do?

Posted on January 18, 2014 by Bill Wendel — No Comments ↓

It’s MLKing weekend, and that always challenges me to think about economic and social justice. As a consumer advocate / buyer agent, our analysis of recent bidding wars in Cambridge leads me to ask whether the city might become a…

Posted in Bidding wars, Consumer protection, Defensive Homebuying, Dual Agency Detective, Intention Inventory, Market trends, Pocket Listings, Real Estate Consumer Bill of Rights, RECALL: Real Estate Consumer Alliance, reVRM, VRM

DIY Homebuyers: Go PROACTIVE to identify “Intention Inventory,” avoid costs

Posted on December 11, 2013 by Bill Wendel — No Comments ↓

Kudos to the Boston Globe for writing / blogging about a proactive house hunting strategy homebuyers used to create a win-win scenario with grateful if unintentional home sellers. Targeting homeowners who may sell in the future isn’t just “a new…

Posted in "We" companies, Bidding wars, DIY Homebuyers, Extreme Househunting, IntentCasting, Intention Inventory, Proactive househunting, reVRM