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The 48th Year
Championing the Human Parts of Real Estate Since 1979™
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Math, Money, and the Frozen Market
When the cost of money goes up, listing prices for sellers who need to sell must come down. As motivated sellers yield to lost purchasing power, those closed sales become the new appraisal baseline. Market pricing happens one closed sale at a time.


Did the Rise of Teams Lead to the Commoditization of Real Estate?
Is the mega-team model eroding the value of real estate representation? Explore how the shift from solo practice to team assembly lines helped drive real estate's perception crisis.


Hooked on the Real Estate Industry Soap Opera?
Courtroom thrillers, media doom, and endless market panic. Somewhere along the way, real estate became a juiced-up spectator sport. Are you building a business, or have you just become addicted to the drama? Here are four unshakeable truths from 47 years in the business.


Oregon Condo Governance: Part 4 – How to Request HOA Documents
When an owner wants to inspect HOA records, the process requires more than a casual verbal request over the phone. Learn how to make a valid request by knowing your rights.


Oregon Condo Governance: Part 3 -Recalling the Directors
Governance isn't a lifetime appointment, and a board seat isn't a throne; when leadership turns into negligence, the Oregon Condominium Act gives owners the ballot to restore sanity.


Oregon Condo Governance: Part 2 - The Gamble of Low HOA Dues
Artificially low HOA dues aren't a badge of honor—they're a ticking time bomb. Freezing dues is a silent shell game that starves reserves, guts home equity, and triggers 2026 mortgage blacklists.


Oregon Condo Governance Part 1: It's Not About Control
Oregon condo boards are administrative bodies, not personal kingdoms. Discover how governance overreach, selective enforcement, and board ego violate ORS 100.


The Home Inspection Bait and Switch
Over the years, I've watched the home inspection slowly transform. What was intended as a fair and honest protection for buyers has, far too often, turned into a tactical weapon used to hold sellers hostage. Here is how to spot "The Bait and Switch" before your seller gets played, and six concrete ways to keep the leverage on your side of the table.


My Old School Rolodex vs. Today's CRM "Leaky Bucket"
We’ve become experts at collecting names and novices at building relationships. Today, I’m reflecting on the 'Rolodex Spirit'—why the highest ROI in a digital world still comes from the personal touch, and why a database is just a digital shoebox without it.


A Nice Voice with a Dangerous Motive
Providing detailed showing feedback isn't a "professional courtesy"—it’s a dangerous trap. While the customer service crowd uses feedback to get competing brokers to do their difficult pricing work for them, savvy listing agents are using those follow-up calls for a completely different reason. I didn't call to find out what you thought about the house; I called to see how quickly you’d hand over your client’s negotiation leverage for free. Here is why true mastery means keep


More States Move to Restrict Private Real Estate Listings
The high-stakes battle over private pocket listings is officially moving out of local MLS boardrooms and straight into state license law. Lawmakers are finally stepping in to tear down corporate walled gardens.


The Golden Wall: Boomer Equity Loop Keeps First-Time Buyers Sidelined
Everyone is talking about an "inventory shortage," but 47 years in this business has taught me a grittier truth. We aren't in a shortage; we’re in a closed equity loop. While first-time buyers sweat every basis point at 7%, my generation is moving $34 Trillion in wealth with single wire transfers. It’s time to talk about the "Brick Wall" that’s locking the next generation out of the American Dream.


Sunday Reflection: Don't Flinch at the Coyote
A coyote's eyes caught mine as it was leaving the yard. Neither of us flinched. Respect.


Walls That Shouldn't Talk: Staging and Fair Housing
Most brokers tell sellers to "depersonalize" so buyers can imagine their own furniture in the room. But there is another reason to clear out a seller's belongings: The Fair Housing Act doesn't just apply to your words; it applies to your walls. From religious icons to physical accessibility barriers, the "message" your staging sends can turn a private residence into a legal liability the moment it becomes a public offering. Learn how to navigate the fine line between ahomeown


Dangerous Question (No. 3): "Do you think your seller would entertain a low offer?"
I have seen more deals die from loose lips than from bad inspections. When a buyer’s broker asks, "Do you think your seller would entertain a low offer?", they aren't just making conversation - they are going fishing. Most agents jump at the chance to be "helpful," but this question is a siren song designed to make you blink. Find out how to answer Question No. 3 in my Most Dangerous Questions in Real Estate series.


A Stalled Deal Doesn’t Have a Shelf Life, It Has an Expiration Date
A stalled deal doesn't have a shelf life; it has an expiration date. Silence is a vacuum filled by a client’s anxiety. Here is why 'No News' is never acceptable, and how my 48-Hour Rule keeps the momentum alive.


The Shiny New Object Distraction
The loudest voice in the room is seldom the wisest. Stop chasing "shiny objects" and start forging a career that survives the noise of the 21st century.


Hidden Listings, the New Gatekeepers, and the Fight for the Open Market and Consumer Transparency
You might think the battle over 'who gets to see the house first' started with the internet, but it's nothing new. From the 'Runners' of 1885 to the digital gatekeepers of today, history is repeating itself. Are we innovating, or are we just rebuilding the exclusionary practices we spent decades dismantling?


How to Make AI Say Your Name
When a client asks an AI 'Who should I use?', does your name come up? Discover the shift from SEO to GEO and how to make sure your years of expertise is visible to the machines.


They Promised an Execution. We Showed Up for a Closing.
Reports of our death were greatly exaggerated. In a world of ChatGPT listings, 88% of buyers still want a human real estate broker. Why is the "New School" failing first-time buyers? It’s an Old School problem of supply and leverage.
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