Category Archives: Unrest

Yeah, but will it really change?

From CNN: The 6% commission on buying or selling a home is gone after Realtors association agrees to seismic settlement The 6% commission, a standard in home purchase transactions, is no more. In a sweeping move expected to dramatically reduce the cost … Continue reading

Posted in National Real Estate, Politics, Unrest | 24 Comments

Florida’s new “property tax”

From the NY Post: Florida home prices fall as surging insurance costs scare buyers Home prices along Florida’s southwest coast have plummeted as excess inventory soars due to the ongoing insurance crisis that has gripped the Sunshine State. Realtors said that … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, National Real Estate, Unrest | 43 Comments

Flooding kicks off new wave of Blue Acres buyouts

From ABC News: Flood-stricken New Jersey residents look into government-funded home buyout program The flooding in parts of New Jersey over the past few months left mounts of headaches for residents. Countless residents from those affected areas came out to … Continue reading

Posted in Crisis, New Jersey Real Estate, Politics, Unrest | 77 Comments

Best geopolitical news in a decade

Has nothing to do with real estate, but our neighbors on this side of the world really should be our strongest trade partners. From Quartz: The US imported more from Mexico than China for the first time in decades For … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, Politics, Unrest | 106 Comments

End of the Realtors?

From CNN: After a $1.8 billion verdict, the clock is ticking on the 6% real estate commission Using a travel agent to buy a plane ticket or a stockbroker to trade equities seem like relics of the past. And yet, every … Continue reading

Posted in National Real Estate, Unrest | 93 Comments

Stick it to ’em

From the New York Post: Broker commission system that charges up to 6% could face antitrust probe The moneymaking real estate-commission system where brokers pocket as much as 6% of a sale — and critics charge inflates home prices — … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, National Real Estate, Unrest | 66 Comments

GenX poised to take the lead

From the NYT: The Greatest Wealth Transfer in History Is Here, With Familiar (Rich) Winners Trillions of dollars in family wealth are set to be passed down in the next few years — and the transfer will largely reinforce U.S. … Continue reading

Posted in Demographics, Economics, National Real Estate, Unrest | 112 Comments

Peak Shore?

From the Philly Inquirer: Did Shore house owners push their luck with high rents? Prices are dropping and weeks are open. Last summer, her Shore house in Avalon fully booked, Katie Leighton took the family on a vacation to Europe. … Continue reading

Posted in New Jersey Real Estate, Shore Real Estate, Unrest | 23 Comments

Inflation hits NJ colleges

From the Star Ledger: 6% tuition increase approved for Rutgers, more than twice last year’s hike Tuition and fees at Rutgers will increase by 6% in the next academic year under a budget the state university’s board of governors passed … Continue reading

Posted in New Jersey Real Estate, Unrest | 32 Comments

NJ last state in the nation to outlaw pumping gas

From Jalopnik: Drivers In Oregon Will Finally Be Allowed To Pump Their Own Gas For most of the country, the idea of pulling into a gas station and then waiting for someone to come over and pump your gas for … Continue reading

Posted in Crisis, New Jersey Real Estate, Unrest | 51 Comments

Good thing we don’t need to commute anymore

From the Star Ledger: Canceled trains were due to an ‘illegal job action’ by engineers, NJ Transit says NJ Transit officials said an “illegal job action” triggered a rash of canceled trains throughout the day on Friday after locomotive engineers failed to … Continue reading

Posted in New Jersey Real Estate, Unrest | 90 Comments

Worth breaking something

From Bloomberg: Fed Mulls ‘Game Changer’ to Jolt Inflation: Decision Day Guide Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, who’s carefully telegraphed interest rate hikes over four years, looks likely to abandon gradualism and move more forcefully to stamp out inflation along … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, Politics, Unrest | 156 Comments

Step away for a minute and the world goes to shit

Seems I picked a fine time to stop blogging. Markets in turmoil, global pandemic, potential real estate catastrophe looming. Couple of folks reached out to me over the past few days about opening the blog back up again. Totally get … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, New Jersey Real Estate, Politics, Unrest | 227 Comments

Idiots in Trenton

From the Star Ledger: High-cost, high-tax New Jersey is no place for old men – or old women You might have seen that Fairleigh Dickinson poll released last week in which a sample of New Jersey residents were asked, “Are you considering … Continue reading

Posted in Demographics, Economics, New Jersey Real Estate, Unrest | 191 Comments

Democrats lose NJ

From the Star Ledger: How Gov. Murphy helped Republicans win Assemblyman Jon Bramnick, the Republican leader, says he is grateful that Gov. Phil Murphy engaged so heavily in this week’s election because it helped Republicans like him win close races. “Did Murphy … Continue reading

Posted in New Jersey Real Estate, Politics, Property Taxes, Unrest | 145 Comments