The real estate blog.

By Shelly K. Schwartz
Bankrate.com

You’re hankering for a break from the daily grind and are dreaming of a week away. Your heart says Tuscan wine tour, but your budget screams local resort.

With a little flexibility and a big leap of faith, you might just get in that trip to Chianti country.

Home swapping, a concept that originated in Europe, is catching on fast in the United States as the Internet makes it easier to find other families across the globe that are looking to trade houses for a short vacation. Such arrangements, of course, eliminate the biggest portion of your travel budget — accommodations — making virtually any destination affordable. On an average trip abroad, says Pauline Frommer, author of the “Pauline Frommer’s” travel guide series, home exchanges can save travelers several thousand dollars.
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We’ve entered that time of year where the last days wane away and we eagerly await the coming of a new year. If 2006 was good for you, then you hope 2007 will be the same, or even a bit better. If 2006 wasn’t so good, you hope 2007 will bring the opportunities you missed in 2006. Some people hope, while others plan.

Housing prices have declined, but for reasons that have nothing at all to do with bubbles. A quick outlook on 2007.____________________________________
Prices of residential real estate, both asking and selling prices, have declined steadily in many markets throughout the country these past few months, but for reasons that have nothing at all to do - not even remotely - with the dreaded real estate bubble so many ‘bubbleologists’ were so fond to predict. ‘Bubbleologist’, it will be recalled, is the term I have coined specifically to encompass those individuals - all of them of majority age - who specialize in the very fine art of wasting my time.
An economic bubble occurs when speculation causes prices to increase, thus producing more speculation and subsequent price increases. The
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There’s a game going on in the real estate bloggers group called the “5 things people don’t know about me” meme. I caught the virus a couple days ago from Kevin Boer at 3oceans real estate blog.

What is a meme?

This is something I’ve been trying to figure out for a while. It seems everyone who’s been tagged in this game has a different answer. Wikipedia defines meme as :

a unit of cultural information transferable from one mind to another. Dawkins said, Examples of memes are tunes, catch-phrases, clothes fashions, ways of making pots or of building arches.

Wikipedia also says it’s pronounced “meem” like dream or theme. I always thought it was pronounced “may-may.” So in the picture I chose for this post, the meme is facepainting. Even though the
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To all my readers… please have yourself a fine holiday season however you may celebrate at this time of year.

I’m heading out to enjoy Christmas with the granddaughter. Bought her a little Philadelphia Eagles jersey to wear (just like the one Grampa has) while we watch the Eagles play on Christmas day. I can wait to get a picture of that.

I know things were slow around here this week and they will likely be slow again next week. But great things are in store for 2007. Please come back and visit.

by M. Anthony Carr
Realty Times

One of the biggest mistakes sellers make in a buyers market is trying to price their houses with a “cushion” in the asking price for negotiation room. In the current market where most sellers find themselves, it’s all back to price, condition and location.

Pricing the house from the start is the first offensive strike the seller possesses in his arsenal.

This can be an emotional ordeal for sellers. The seller who approaches the sales price of a house like the asking price of a used car — where negotiation and give-and-take is expected — will also be calling the movers sooner and get through the transaction with the least amount of emotional turmoil.

Click here to read the entire story.

Merry Christmas everybody! Especially you housing bears and bubble bloggers. Though the Santa rally on Wall Street didn’t show itself today, signs of consumer spending remain strong.

People are shopping on the web more and more. This season set a new record! 33 million people haven’t even begun shopping yet. I know, I was one of them.

Stores are planning on some great deals on this final weekend before Christmas. Traditionally, the Saturday before Christmas is the biggest sales day and this year should prove no different.

If the economy is crashing, there are no signs at the stores this holiday season. Is it one last binge before a big pop? Or is it the real deal and everything is just running along smoothly with only a few hiccups along the way?

Judging
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I dedicate this short poem to all those willing to read it, Christians and non-Christians alike, in hopes they will remember that in this life everything is finite, temporary and ephemeral.___________________________________________
As Earth spins, so we spin through timewe are each, in the end, destined to turn pureno being is Being, yet by being we areopen those seams and you see only light.
Now here is a recipe that I think it’s just fineonly need to find a pot, wood for fire and some timeget a little parsley, sage, rosemary and thymethen gently dump in a big can of peas.
After which take a heap of child-like wonderso as to make us open up our eyesin front of the unexpected gifts in lifethat make each day for us a surprise.
Then mix in a dose of fond appreciationfor all the people whom we knowbecause just like festive Christmas candleseach one of them has a special glow.
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BY CHRISTOPHER O’DONNELL
Herald Tribune

ELLENTON — Almost every weekday evening, traffic going north across the Manatee River grinds to a halt in the right-hand lane of Interstate 75.

Just a few feet away, traffic whizzes by at 70 mph or faster.

“I’ve seen it backed all the way across the bridge,” said Rick Vaughn, a Parrish carpenter who commutes to south Venice.

With thousands more homes planned for North Manatee, the U.S. 301 exit in Ellenton is likely to become more dangerous and overburdened. That looming congestion is why county road planners are talking to the state Department of Transportation about a new I-75 interchange halfway between the U.S. 301 exit and Sunshine Skyway interchange.

Click here to read the entire story.
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Those guys at Flipper Nation are at it again! This is not Part 3 of their series, but rather a humorous take on a memorable Christmas song. I haven’t seen all of it so I can’t vouch for all of the content. Enjoy!

Carol of the Flippers

There’s more where this came from at: FlipperNation.com
If you cannot view this video, you can check it out at YouTube instead.