General

Yes, it is true real estate commissions are negotiable.

Agents are independent contractors who set their own rates. Some agents will not negotiate. Even though commissions are negotiable agents do not have to negotiate.

There are many real estate agents to choose from. In fact, there are more agents than there are houses to sell. If one agent charges too much and won’t come down in price find an agent who will.

Real estate agents are salespeople taught how to sell themselves and negotiate fees and commissions. Real estate agents do not get paid until after a sale closes and most work on a 100% commission basis. There are no paid vacations and there is no group health insurance.

Real estate commissions and fees are spelled out in the contracts home buyers and sellers sign.  It is a good idea to read the contract before signing it.

It is true that real estate agents can make a lot of money but most do not.

 

Fall is my favorite time of year. On average the first frost happens between October 11th and the 20th.  If the forecast for the next 10 days is accurate the temperatures will stay above freezing through the end of the month in the Twin Cities Metro area.

I just finished reading: “The Climate Book: The Facts and the Solutions” By Greta Thunberg. It is worth reading. I may read it again because it is the best book about global warming I have read.

The book acknowledges that we are experiencing a planetary crisis and offers some solutions. Global warming is already responsible for the loss of a lot of real estate.

 

The summer of 2023 was the hottest on record. The planet is warming due to human activity.

It is all over the news it always sounds like holiday shopping is mandatory. If there is one thing we all learned during the pandemic there are many ways to celebrate holidays.

Consider not shopping this holiday season. You will be doing the planet a favor and at the same time helping to curb inflation. Just say no to the unsustainability of buying stuff. Glide into 2024 with no holiday debt.

Consume less all year long.

If you need gifts make them by hand or buy a gift from your local thrift shop. Bake cookies, knit scarves, refurbish a piece of furniture, or upcycle clothing or linens.  There are so many possibilities.

Doing things differently this year may take more time and planning than ordering stuff online. Start soon and make not shopping part of your holiday strategy.

Holiday shopping is totally optional. If it causes stress don’t do it. Life is stressful enough.

Huge savings today and every day for those who buy nothing.

Hoarding is a serious problem. Hoarding disorder is a mental health condition in which you have a strong need to save a large number of items and experience distress when attempting to get rid of them. Hoarding disorder is treatable with cognitive behavioral therapy.

Having too much stuff isn’t a mental illness. Hoarding goes way beyond too much stiff and alters the way people live. It destroys houses and ruins lives.

People who hoard can not easily stop or get rid of enough of their belongings so that they can safely live in their houses. A hoarding disorder is classified classified as an obsessive-compulsive disorder. (OCD)

Sometimes a hoarder will gather so many items that they are stacked up to the ceilings in every room. The weight of all of these items can cause structural damage. Stuff gets piled up against doors and windows until there is only one way in or out of the house.

If the pile of items gets wet as can easily happen with a small leak in the plumbing they become even heavier and provide an excellent place for mold to grow. As the house deteriorates it can rot from the inside out.  Mice and rats can easily get in.

Hoarding disorder is more likely to affect people over 60 years old and people with other mental health conditions, especially anxiety and depression.

We live in a society and in a world that is aging. I fear that we will see more houses destroyed by hoarding. The city of St. Paul has an approach that in some cases takes decades and by the time action is taken the house isn’t salvageable. Giving the owner fines for huge amounts of money isn’t helping at all. In fact, it is likely that our tax dollars in St. Paul are being used to pay city inspectors to supervise the slow disintegration of the houses of hoarders.

 

This photo was taken on private property with the property owner’s permission. The yard has been cleaned up since the photo was taken. Dead animals were found in the debris. Some of the storage bins were filled with water as they sat in the rain. The double doors were and probably still are blocked inside and outside.