Since we've never met, I'm only assuming that you are in fact the beefy, masculine, NASCAR-watching, beer-can-on-the-forehead crushing, studly stud that you say you are in your profile. But if your email alias is any indication, I would SO beat you in an arm wrestling match.
Whenever I get pulled over, which is rare, I immediately have an asthma attack. The anxiety triggers is before the adrenaline has a chance to stop it. So I explain that I really need to get back home to get my inhaler, and that I'll be fine. No, no, I don't need an escort but thanks (whhheeeze) for being so thoughtful.
I don't see any mention of these supposedly generous listing agents providing any data of comparable sales for the buyer to base his or her price from.
Well, I didn't mention it my account because it seemed really superfluous to talk about all the things that the agent did for us when I bought my house. For one thing, I did actually view houses similar to mine that were selling mere blocks away for similar prices. Our agent gave us comparison sheets to see places that were selling around the city. I went on Zillow and did some investigating on homes that had sold or were selling in my area, and I'm convinced that I got a good deal. I didn't see anyone here say "Well, the guy in the shiny suit with the alligator shoes said we could trust him, so we did!".
I can see why you would want an agent on your side, but you have to be sure that they are really gunning for you, not just along for a chunk of change. I'm sure that a lot of buyer's agents are very dedicated, loyal to their customers, and trustworthy. I just managed to not come across one, so I'm happy with the way things turned out.
"Will look forward to new design and hope it touches your RSS as well as this is my primary way of reading your blog."
We are also looking into the possibility of segregating our RSS feeds so our readers can have more choices. Thanks for your continuing encouragement and advice. We really appreciate it!
"Wisebread bloggers, myself included, are here to keep you all informed and entertained daily."
I agree the writers are doing a great job! It takes a bit of time for a blog to find it's voice. Luckily we have terrific writers and readers to help make that process as smooth as possible. =)
I enjoy sites like the Probargainhunter and the Bargainist. I know I can go to them and get very specific and useful information. But I also enjoy sites that have a wider focus, like BoingBoing and Consumerist, which sometimes break out of their usual topic areas to cover things that are just, well, darn interesting.
We hope our continuing efforts to redesign and tweak the blog will help satisfy both the topic-focused readers and the general interest readers.
While the theory seems sound, I'm a tiny bit hesitant to try this on a new (newish) laptop. But I do have a 10-year-old Dell laptop that is still running ok that I can try this on. Yes folks, I never throw anything away. That's why I run a frugal living website!
I think something that separates Wisebread from a site like, for instance, The Bargainist, is that you don't just get cheap deals here. You get advice on 'living large' and that topic can be quite expansive. I think it's important to have a range of reading material on a good blog. I intend to post the 2nd in my Dirty Secrets series soon. It's all about the food processing industry. Will it help you save money? Not really. But will it help you make a more informed decision about what to spend your small budget on? Absolutely. Wisebread bloggers, myself included, are here to keep you all informed and entertained daily, and I think so far we're doing a rather good job. And I thought the article was a great read Andrea.
You have done a great job so far, aside of a few misses. WiseBread is in the "best of" category of my RSS reader and I want it to stay there (or I wouldn't leave comments like this). Keep up the good (focused) material coming. Will look forward to new design and hope it touches your RSS as well as this is my primary way of reading your blog.
Thank you for your comment Yan. I think you are right to point out that not every article here is focused on "living large on a small budget."
I think many of our readers would prefer it if we stick to that focus. On the other hand, we also don't want to stifle the creativity of our bloggers.
That is one of the biggest challenges we are trying to address with the redesign of our website (which is going on behind the scenes as we speak).
The solution we came up with is to have stronger focus on our various categories (personal finance, frugal living, making money, off topic, etc), so when you only feel like reading one type of article, you can just go to those categories and ignore off-topic posts. We will make a space for off-topic posts as well, so readers who enjoy those posts can also be satisfied.
I hope you will continue to read Wise Bread and share your insights with us during this transitioning period.
In reading all these glowing accounts, I don't see any mention of these supposedly generous listing agents providing any data of comparable sales for the buyer to base his or her price from. Having the listing agent say "psst, if you just raise $2000 I think I can get you a deal" sounds more akin to a shady used car agent than a reputable real estate agent. Dual agency is legal in California but in my opinion neither side gets properly represented. I'm an agent and never, ever represent a buyer for one of my listings: the seller's confidentiality and trust is diminished, and the buyer establishes a price not based on market value but on what works to make the deal close, which may be thousands of dollars higher than fair market value (despite what the agent may tell the unsuspecting buyer). Not to mention the tremendous increase in liability - there is a reason most real estate lawsuits involve dual agency deals. I'd be wary of a listing agent offering to cut a "special" deal to an unsuspecting, unrepresented buyer... in the trade we call these types of agents "walking lawsuits." Would you really want to do business with one of these characters?
I know for a fact that all internet connections have been streaming through steadily, because not only employees have access to it, but also the customers. However, that's shady how the internet in store, and at home, is set-up. There are so many different persusation and marketing techniques out there, that we're fooled daily. It's pretty sad that Best Buy has to succomn to that level, when they are one of the highest leading retailers. That makes me sad, and I work there :(
KIDDING, just KIDDING.
Thought some levity was warranted given some of the taking-it-way-too-seriously comments above. Good grief, fellow Canucks, what's happened to our (british ancestor) sense of humOUr??
and on a more serious note - my two daschunds are the delights of my life, and for anyone who's pets were affected, my heart goes out.
On a lark I bought some tea-tree oil at Whole Foods last week while suffering from the world's largest pimple. The World's Largest Pimple needed ample amounts of many products, but when it dissepeared a fresh zit appeared on my forehead. I put a drop on it and it was definitely smaller over night.
I had a gastric test one day, and was headed back home which was in the next county when "it" hit me. I had hit that area of the highway where to exits are 10 miles apart and the service stations are another mile after you exit. I floored it, the cop caught me. I was honest about the situation and said "if you want to give me a ticket, can you do it at the nest bathroom?" He said "sure" and followed me there. He wrote out the ticket while I was in the bathroom. Sigh.
I think it's because my email address is i-have-small-arms@wisebread.com.
see
Since we've never met, I'm only assuming that you are in fact the beefy, masculine, NASCAR-watching, beer-can-on-the-forehead crushing, studly stud that you say you are in your profile. But if your email alias is any indication, I would SO beat you in an arm wrestling match.
You'd have to give it to the friend who came up with the diea.
But yeah, you're right. We don't count. Like McDonald's employees winning those peel-off-the-little-sticker contests.
A recent issue of Martha Stewart Living had a great how-to on indoor vermicomposting. If it's good enough for Martha...
You lost me at inside!
Stories like these do make me feel a little bit weak willed.
"they'd probably call me a sissy if I broke out a Razor scooter and started scooting around Seattle."
If they don't, I will. Pointing and laughing. Yup.
BTW, is the Walden tag a nod to Doonesbury. =)
I don't think fellow writers and editors are allowed to enter the contest. What do you think, these cars don't grow on trees you know!
Whenever I get pulled over, which is rare, I immediately have an asthma attack. The anxiety triggers is before the adrenaline has a chance to stop it. So I explain that I really need to get back home to get my inhaler, and that I'll be fine. No, no, I don't need an escort but thanks (whhheeeze) for being so thoughtful.
That's not off-the-wall, though. It's honest.
I think that Will is going to win.
I don't see any mention of these supposedly generous listing agents providing any data of comparable sales for the buyer to base his or her price from.
Well, I didn't mention it my account because it seemed really superfluous to talk about all the things that the agent did for us when I bought my house. For one thing, I did actually view houses similar to mine that were selling mere blocks away for similar prices. Our agent gave us comparison sheets to see places that were selling around the city. I went on Zillow and did some investigating on homes that had sold or were selling in my area, and I'm convinced that I got a good deal. I didn't see anyone here say "Well, the guy in the shiny suit with the alligator shoes said we could trust him, so we did!".
I can see why you would want an agent on your side, but you have to be sure that they are really gunning for you, not just along for a chunk of change. I'm sure that a lot of buyer's agents are very dedicated, loyal to their customers, and trustworthy. I just managed to not come across one, so I'm happy with the way things turned out.
Thanks, Nancy. My Canadian family doesn't take ribbing too well, either, so I kind of expected a few angry people. :) God Save The Queen!
"Will look forward to new design and hope it touches your RSS as well as this is my primary way of reading your blog."
We are also looking into the possibility of segregating our RSS feeds so our readers can have more choices. Thanks for your continuing encouragement and advice. We really appreciate it!
"Wisebread bloggers, myself included, are here to keep you all informed and entertained daily."
I agree the writers are doing a great job! It takes a bit of time for a blog to find it's voice. Luckily we have terrific writers and readers to help make that process as smooth as possible. =)
I enjoy sites like the Probargainhunter and the Bargainist. I know I can go to them and get very specific and useful information. But I also enjoy sites that have a wider focus, like BoingBoing and Consumerist, which sometimes break out of their usual topic areas to cover things that are just, well, darn interesting.
We hope our continuing efforts to redesign and tweak the blog will help satisfy both the topic-focused readers and the general interest readers.
While the theory seems sound, I'm a tiny bit hesitant to try this on a new (newish) laptop. But I do have a 10-year-old Dell laptop that is still running ok that I can try this on. Yes folks, I never throw anything away. That's why I run a frugal living website!
I think something that separates Wisebread from a site like, for instance, The Bargainist, is that you don't just get cheap deals here. You get advice on 'living large' and that topic can be quite expansive. I think it's important to have a range of reading material on a good blog. I intend to post the 2nd in my Dirty Secrets series soon. It's all about the food processing industry. Will it help you save money? Not really. But will it help you make a more informed decision about what to spend your small budget on? Absolutely. Wisebread bloggers, myself included, are here to keep you all informed and entertained daily, and I think so far we're doing a rather good job. And I thought the article was a great read Andrea.
You have done a great job so far, aside of a few misses. WiseBread is in the "best of" category of my RSS reader and I want it to stay there (or I wouldn't leave comments like this). Keep up the good (focused) material coming. Will look forward to new design and hope it touches your RSS as well as this is my primary way of reading your blog.
I had forgotten about Crate and Barrel Outlet, I used to visit regularly.
Now I have $300.00 in items I just couldn't live with out.
Great Article!
Thank you for your comment Yan. I think you are right to point out that not every article here is focused on "living large on a small budget."
I think many of our readers would prefer it if we stick to that focus. On the other hand, we also don't want to stifle the creativity of our bloggers.
That is one of the biggest challenges we are trying to address with the redesign of our website (which is going on behind the scenes as we speak).
The solution we came up with is to have stronger focus on our various categories (personal finance, frugal living, making money, off topic, etc), so when you only feel like reading one type of article, you can just go to those categories and ignore off-topic posts. We will make a space for off-topic posts as well, so readers who enjoy those posts can also be satisfied.
I hope you will continue to read Wise Bread and share your insights with us during this transitioning period.
In reading all these glowing accounts, I don't see any mention of these supposedly generous listing agents providing any data of comparable sales for the buyer to base his or her price from. Having the listing agent say "psst, if you just raise $2000 I think I can get you a deal" sounds more akin to a shady used car agent than a reputable real estate agent. Dual agency is legal in California but in my opinion neither side gets properly represented. I'm an agent and never, ever represent a buyer for one of my listings: the seller's confidentiality and trust is diminished, and the buyer establishes a price not based on market value but on what works to make the deal close, which may be thousands of dollars higher than fair market value (despite what the agent may tell the unsuspecting buyer). Not to mention the tremendous increase in liability - there is a reason most real estate lawsuits involve dual agency deals. I'd be wary of a listing agent offering to cut a "special" deal to an unsuspecting, unrepresented buyer... in the trade we call these types of agents "walking lawsuits." Would you really want to do business with one of these characters?
I know for a fact that all internet connections have been streaming through steadily, because not only employees have access to it, but also the customers. However, that's shady how the internet in store, and at home, is set-up. There are so many different persusation and marketing techniques out there, that we're fooled daily. It's pretty sad that Best Buy has to succomn to that level, when they are one of the highest leading retailers. That makes me sad, and I work there :(
KIDDING, just KIDDING.
Thought some levity was warranted given some of the taking-it-way-too-seriously comments above. Good grief, fellow Canucks, what's happened to our (british ancestor) sense of humOUr??
and on a more serious note - my two daschunds are the delights of my life, and for anyone who's pets were affected, my heart goes out.
You seem to be spreading thin. How does that relate to the "Living large on a small budget" moto?
On a lark I bought some tea-tree oil at Whole Foods last week while suffering from the world's largest pimple. The World's Largest Pimple needed ample amounts of many products, but when it dissepeared a fresh zit appeared on my forehead. I put a drop on it and it was definitely smaller over night.
Officer: Do you know why I pulled you over?
Me: Why yes [pause] These are bugle boy jeans I'm wearing.
Kinda dated I know.
If there is such a thing as Karma, I hope it bites him in the butt.
The coupon expired 3/17, apparently, so no more deals!
I had a gastric test one day, and was headed back home which was in the next county when "it" hit me. I had hit that area of the highway where to exits are 10 miles apart and the service stations are another mile after you exit. I floored it, the cop caught me. I was honest about the situation and said "if you want to give me a ticket, can you do it at the nest bathroom?" He said "sure" and followed me there. He wrote out the ticket while I was in the bathroom. Sigh.