by Roberta Murphy Talk about tiny phones! This petite model might even fit in a jeweled Judith Leiber evening bag or in form-fitting European pockets. The amazing C3 camera flip phone from Pantech (see photo on left with phone on keyboard) measures just 1.69. by 2.72 inches and weighs in at just 2.5 ounces. Its no fatty, either, measuring just 0.8 inches thick. Billed as the worlds smallest camera flip…
by Roberta Murphy The Acorn loan isnt exactly a financing program for luxury homes (particularly in San Diego, San Francisco and Manhattan), but how about for friends, kids and relatives who may need some help in purchasing or refinancing their homes? I have already spread the news among certain clients, nieces and nephews throughout the country, and am the new heroine of real estate. The Acorn Loan is probably one…
by Roberta Murphy While going through a luxury home in Del Mar recently, our client was surprised to discover a snoring room off the opulent master suite. It measured perhaps 8 by 10 feet, and was furnished with a simple twin bed, a lamp and an easy chair. The room bore no resemblance to the larger bedroom, and at first glance might have been perceived as the proverbial dog house…
by Roberta Murphy In an emerging trend, more and more upscale spas are offering a self service option. Perhaps they are hoping to appeal to the spa-shy or those who might see the spa visit as a social opportunity, where friends or significant others can apply treatments to each other. Wrap your pampered brain around this scenario reported by The Wall Street Journal: At Manhattans Townhouse Spa, you can receive…
by Roberta Murphy Hallmark, you’ve done it again. All right. You must have known that I suffer from occasional bouts of bumbling wordlessness when: Someone confesses to being diagnosed with cancer. When infertile friends share they are considering adoption after years of infertility. A family friend shares his Alzheimers diagnosis. Our neighbors announce their divorce. My brother-in-law loses his job. Life surprises. It appears Hallmark Cards is going to allow…
by Roberta Murphy I attended a San Diego real estate luncheon today and was handed a booklet with identical questions posed to agents along with their printed answers. The questions were solid and most of the answers made sense. But I nearly choked on a piece of broccoli when I read this statement from a well-known agent in our area: œBuyers are still and always will be liars. Dont talk…
We didnt win dinner out, but a dozen roses were awarded for our recent real estate Home Pricing Dangers article. The Real Estate Carnival was hosted by the Pittsburgh Homes Daily and offers up some juicy real estate reading. A deep thanks from us all to PHD editor Robert Melton, who spent hours during a raging snow storm going through the competing real estate articles. If such things were possible,…
by Roberta Murphy I have had enough of this nonsense comparing the traditional realestate industry to the travel industry and its ultimate demise.The comparison is both absurd and ill-conceived. A travel agent sits behind a desk, makes travel arrangements and collects a commission that is likely split in several directions. Itwas a task easily assumed by consumers with a computer. They could sit behind a desk, make travel arrangements online…
by Roberta Murphy Thompson Home invasions of the wealthy are rare, says Mark Bauer, staff writer for the San Diego Union Tribune. His article in this morning’s San Diego Union Tribune reminds us of: 1. The highly-publicized 1974 Patty Hearst kidnapping by the Simbionese Army She was granddaughter of publishing mogul William Randolph Hearst. 2. The $2.7 million ransom paid in 1973 for the release of an oil billionaire’s grandson and namesake, John Paul Getty II–-which…
The following article, written by Roberta Murphy, originally appeared on The Real Estate Tomato, and has been republished here for our readers enjoyment. If Move.com Wants to Murder HouseValues.com Here’s How I Think It Should Happen. Plotted by: Roberta Murphy I don’t think Move.com has a homicidal eye on HouseValues, but perhaps it should. If Move.com wants to meet its impressive goals, it must. HouseValues with its drip system is/was…
