Palos Verdes Real Estate

Myths and Misconceptions Category

Zillow and the Like

If you haven’t kept up on fast-moving real estate technology, Zillow may be an unfamiliar name to you.  If so, in the last few years, internet websites have sprung up for everything you can imagine, among which are those which purport to give you the value of your house or, perhaps more tantilizing, that of your neighbor.  Zillow is the most prominent of these, with such as Truila and Redfin also in the game. While the subject matter may not be...Continue Reading!

Global Warming (thru the ages)

I originally wrote this in early 2009 but, sad to say, it still applies: I hate to waste time on this, but since it's currently fashionable to believe that man is causing global warming, I just can't help putting it to the "historical perspective" test. I am no scientist, and I'm not even going to get into the vested interests of a whole bunch of people who are riding the government gravy train "studying" this.  All that aside, it fails the...Continue Reading!

These Are Perilous Times

Originally written in May, 2009: Please.  No, they are not.    Every generation thinks they live in unprecedentedly "perilous times". Remember the bucolic 1950's? Ozzie & Harriet, Mickey Mouse, Howdy Doody, Elvis, and all that innocence? That's not what people thought at the time! It was "head for the bomb shelter and duck and cover" 'cuz them Ruskies could be sending a nuclear bomb over any minute. Not to mention polio and a bunch of other disesases since eradicated. We now know that...Continue Reading!

Termites (and other exciting stuff)

There seem to be a lot of misconceptions about termites as it relates to real estate sales, so here's the straight scoop: First of all, there is no law that says that a seller must provide a termite clearance at close of escrow, so let's get that out of the way now.  There is, however, a strong custom that the seller do that. In the real estate context, a "Termite Report" deals not only with termites but with dry rot, fungus, etc,...Continue Reading!