Harford and Cecil County Homes

Social innovation in housing markets

4 Comments

Blogger Carlos Gasca Yanez has proposed an innovative solution to this nation’s looming social blight: housing markets in crises. The idea championed in a post titled Subprime Crises calling for Social Entrepreneurs is to partner nonprofit initiative with corporate enterprise. Carlos envisions ...

01/28/2008

Affiliated Business: What I should have said

17 Comments

Sometimes it's easier for me to write on my outside blog than on Active Rain. There are so many different personalities and diverse groups on this site now that I find myself holding back at times. While politeness is always a good thing, guarded restraint definitely is not. Hopefully, none of...

01/23/2008

Affiliated Business: The Nemesis of Reason

65 Comments

Normally, I have no problem sharing my thoughts about affiliated business, yet for some reason found it difficult to do in an Active Rain post. I have, in fact, relentlessly denounced affiliated business in the same manner as a preacher condemning sinful acts from the pulpit. The concept of affi...

01/21/2008

My other new favorite blog

14 Comments

Yesterday, I wrote that Presentation Zen is one of two blogs that I presently enjoy reading. The other is named Leading Blog - Building A Community of Leaders. Keep in mind that my taste in business blogs is constantly evolving. While Presentation Zen inspires the unleashed creativity within, L...

01/17/2008

My new favorite blog

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Actually, I have two new favorite blogs, but I'm sharing only one of them today. It could be said that I've learned more from a blog named Presentation Zen than any other site. I've probably learned more from the blog than I did while in business school. It's that good ... and informative ......

01/17/2008

Who's Watching the Watchers?

12 Comments

Last week, I suggested that real estate agents check up on title companies after closing to make sure that mortgages were paid off. Why? Title company executives have been known to "help themselves" to money held in escrow, particularly when business is bad. See: Is Your Title Company Misbehavi...

01/16/2008

When Deals Go Bad: Baltimore's Foreclosure Debacle

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Baltimore, sometimes called "Charm City," isn't all that charming beyond the inner harbor complex that's featured by media when the Ravens or Orioles are playing at home. Sheila Dixon, Baltimore's newly elected mayor, along with the city's council have filed suit against Wells Fargo Bank to reco...

01/13/2008

Closer to Home

25 Comments

I've been an avid reader my entire life. One of my resolutions for the new year is to devote at least an hour each day to reading as a recreational pursuit. Boring stuff I know, but humor me anyway. I've gone so far, this week, to put aside whatever I happened to be working on during the busin...

01/11/2008

Is Your Title Company Misbehaving?

54 Comments

Have you ever wondered about the integrity, or competency, of a title company after leaving the table? To say that an enormous amount of money is blindly entrusted for proper dispersement is a serious understatement. On a monthly basis, we could be talking about tens of millions of dollars gush...

01/09/2008

Scandal, Corruption, and a "Click-Through"

26 Comments

Those of you who follow my posts know that I've yet to employ the ill regarded "click-through" to lure trusting souls to a remote site. While this particular post is intended only to divert your attention elsewhere, I don't intend to duplicate the tactic anytime soon. Allow me to explain my m...

01/02/2008