For Sale By Owner

     When is the real estate market going to improve?  I feel bad for those who are trying to sell a house right now, but there must be a solution.  At this point, sellers are questioning whether or not it is worth it to hire a real estate agent.  An article in CBS news suggests that people should sell there homes on their own.  The commission that goes to a real estate agent could dip into the seller's personal savings according to http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/11/business/realestate/main4438443.shtml.  This sounds like advice worth listening to considering it is currently one of the few truths in the real estate business.  It will not be detrimental if a seller sells without a real estate agent by his side.  Just about everything else in the business is unknown.

     I can speak from personal experience.  My family has had a house for sale for more than two years now, and it is impossible to get a buyer interested in buying the home.  It is rare that one will visit the home.  Even considering that it is a quality house in a great neighborhood, there has not been interest.  It does not help that there are around twenty houses for sale in the same price range in the same neighborhood!  I feel as if no one has the answer in the real estate business right now and that it will stay that way for a while.  

     Anyone who can positively impact the real estate market will help a myriad of sellers.  All I want is for my parents' house to sell.  But it's nice to know that the CBS News article can give such great advice as to "think like a buyer" and "set the right price."  This advice is so comforting considering everyone knows that already!  That information is common sense, isn't it? 

A Depressing Advancement in Technology

     In the past few years, I have finally understood why some people are against advances in technology.  This includes the grandparent who does not dare touch an ipod, let alone a cell phone.  I see why many enjoy using the first technology they encountered growing up.  The one advancement in technology that I feel this way about is the transition from VHSs to DVDs.  I grew up playing movies through a VCR.  In fact, every movie I ever watched at home as a child was VHS playing in a VCR. 

     When the advanced DVD player came out, I was not sure how to react.  I thought it would blow over quickly and the VCR would remain king of playing movies.  All my friends started to buy DVDs and receive them for Christmas and other occasions, but I never would request a DVD or DVD player.  My family continued to purchase VHS tapes, and we played them in a VCR.  Even when my dad got his first big screen, we made sure there was a VCR that could link to the TV.  

     Unfortunately, the DVD craze never ended like I had hoped and predicted.  My father ended up purchasing a DVD player and starting his DVD collection!  How could he do this to me?  Although he gave in, my mom and I stayed strong until we had no other option.  With the advances in television technology, VCRs became practically obsolete.  VHS tapes were rare to find in stores, and it had become a reality: DVDs had taken over.  There was nothing I could do about this, and if I wanted to watch movies, they had to be DVDs.  At least when I am elderly, I can tell my grandchildren about how great the VCR was.