The real estate business model, some experts claim, is being demolished by the settlement effectively accepted by the National Association of Realtors. The model, in which the seller pays the commissions for both seller and buyer, could drive home prices down considerably, according to some Realtors quoted by national news media. Some of the wealth now contained in housing prices might disappear. Census data indicates the median price of a home in the US is about $417,000. That figure may include roughly $25,000 in brokerage fees which, if the NAR settlement is approved, could be reduced considerably. For many buyers and sellers, the reduction could have an enormous impact; the seller could lose money and the buyer could save—or something like that. For the moment, it’s a matter of waiting to see what actually happens. But both buyers and sellers (and, of course Real Estate agents) stand to experience a significant change in the costs of buying and selling homes. At this moment in time—just after 8:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning in late March—I am in the mood to test the market. A new home in New Mexico might be just the ticket. Or a little spread on the prairies of Nebraska or Kansas. Or, what the hell, maybe a cabin near the edge of a petrified forest.
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Helium-filled balloons filled the sky over the Texas panhandle. Longhorn cattle gazed up at the spectacle, wondering what had caused the sight to appear on that cold, late Spring morning. Bryson Mortimastic, a 32-year-old longhorn who had infiltrated the herd during the February stampede, cast a sideways glance at Gazy Mica, a much younger cow who was anxious to carry Bryson’s progeny. And thus ended the tail.
Mick, the story behind Gazy and her bull is too complex to be told without balloons.
1. Why were there helium-filled balloon over the panhandle? (Not environmentally conscious)
2. Was young Gazy really all that anxious to service that randy 32-year old methane factory?