Dick Winefield's (dwinefield) Blog

While I feel the pain of those who have lost their homes to foreclosure, most of them have one thing in common; they either leveraged their home to the point of negative equity or took on a loan that adjusted to terms they knew they could not pay. Not all of them but most of them. They are not th...

While it is not the best for the economy in the short term it is the best for the long term recovery. Everytime a bank or Fannie/Freddie gets a federal bail out the band aid gets slowly pulled away instead of just ripped off.  By allowing the banks to go under will create a short term void in pro...

In NH Designated agency is the topic of discussion. We have only had Disclosed Dual agencyy, when the law goes into effect we will have the option to choose. In theory I like the idea of Designated Agency, but I would be interested to hear from those who are practicing it now and what challenges ...

Just got a home inspection response on one of my REO listings. The buyers are asking for 11k off the sales price for a host of issues, some valid some were visually obvious prior to submitting the offer. For example should a buyer be able to ask for money to repair a ceiling where it is obvious t...

  I am not a big fan of open houses. new Construction and some condo's ok, but that is about it. Out here in New England football is no longer just a game it is an event. men women and small children alike turn off their cell phones, lock the doors and pre-order the half time pizza and subs at 9 ...

  I was at a home inspection this past Friday and when we got to the heating system the pilot light was out, to be expected as it was a hot muggy summer and it hasnt gotten close to the time to put the heat on. We had the listing agent call the seller and get her permission to light the pilot lig...

  I usually do not like to get political on these boards, however this election at this time is critical for the growth of our industry. We NEED McCain and Palin. Several Key points 1) Even if you don't buy into the misnomer that they only care about big business. Republicans are better for busin...

With the rise in shortsales have come the rise in negotiators. Some are good, some are not so good. when interviewing a negotiator here are 7 things to ask How do you get paid. Do they get paid from the commission, do they take a retainer up front. You want a negotiator who gets a seperate fee an...

  While it is admirable that parents want to look out for their kids, they are nothing short of a train wreck when they are out looking at homes. My buyers are all excited to buy a home we looked at. We have negotiated to an acceptable price, a bit higher than they wanted but doable. Now they wan...

With all the shortpayoffs lately not a lot of shortsales that result in a full payoff. I have a buyer putting an offer in on a home where the proceeds will be less than the payoff but the sellers will be bringing money to closing. The agent has insited the seller will not do a shortsale (divorce ...