Castles in the Sand
October 21, 2025
For sale: Haunted house
Every year I try and write a light column at the end of October about disclosure of what I’ll call “stigmatized properties.” Last year, I skipped this topic for about three weeks since most of us we…
October 14, 2025
Mortgage rates: How did we get here?
On Sept. 17, when the Feds lowered the benchmark rate, I thought, about time. Although the ¼ point reduction wasn’t enough to bring buyers out of the closet, it was the Feds’ promise of two more rate…
October 6, 2025
What are capital gains?
I’m always surprised when I talk to people who have owned a home for maybe decades but have no clue what their tax responsibility will be if they sell that property. No one wants to think about givin…
September 16, 2025
Signs of a real estate turnaround
Did you hear it? Did you hear buyers and sellers, and, of course, real estate professionals slightly exhaling the breath they have been holding for over a year now?
There are definite signs that…
September 1, 2025
Are we stuck in place?
I wrote a column that came out on Aug. 20 talking about moving trends around the country focusing on Florida and Manatee County. This week I’m going to talk about how mobility around the country is s…
August 25, 2025
Homeownership in the golden years
Back in June, I wrote a column asking, “Are you tired of homeownership?” focusing on renting versus owning. Well, it now appears that plenty of people are tired of homeownership, primarily in the go…
August 19, 2025
Americans on the move
Americans have always moved around. Going back to the original settlers who first landed on the eastern coast of the country, everyone was looking for adventure and opportunity. Not much has changed;…
August 12, 2025
What investors are eyeing now
The old expression “follow the money” can be applied to several different aspects of life. Sometimes it’s as simple as tracking trades in the stock market and sometimes following the money can discl…
August 4, 2025
The property closing dance
There are all kinds of issues that can arise between signing a contract for sale and the actual closing. Realtors always say don’t spend your commission ‘til the check is in your hand, and that is g…
July 29, 2025
Why aren’t we a boomtown?
Looking for a boomtown? Then look in the South. Eight of the top 10 U.S. metro areas ranking as boomtowns are in the South; five are in Florida. But there’s not one in Manatee or Sarasota counties or…
