the wasserblawg

Chicago Tribune business section reporter Barbara Rose recently filed a story about a growing trend: businesses sending thanksgiving cards to customers in lieu of Christmas greetings. Not that I am any sort of trend setter, but I adopted this practice several years ago. Saying thank you to clients is only right, and it just makes the most sense to me to do it around a holiday specifically created for that purpose. Getting my cards out before the onslaught from my colleagues and vendors? So much the better. Ms Rose's article, quoting yours truly , available here. A for the record, no, I am pretty sure that I am not the "holiday creep" she references.

Lest anyone think i am mad for proposing a bike ride to take up ones idle time, waiting for the phone to ring with a new real estate matter,.... here's a video by bike winter commuter Steven Lane. i'm not (yet) this hard core, but here's to those Hart soles who are. more info? bikewinter!

Washington, D.C. real estate attorney Pamela Rothenberg hit the nail on the head in today's Legal Times . Real Estate is a cyclical market. There are booms and busts. Anyone who has practiced in this field long enough knows that the pendulum swings back and forth. Rothenberg describes the angst of the real estate attorney watching yet another tilt in the "wrong" direction. My job is to help my clients buy and sell. When they are frustrated in their pursuits, I am too. So, its pretty horrific having to watch owners who (sometimes desperately) want to sell, unable to find buyers willing or able to buy. Its sad to witness sellers pay money at a closing to make up the difference between what is gained at sale and what is owed to mortgage and lien holders. It is annoying to try to negotiate short sales with lenders (themselves desperate not to lose money in behalf of sellers who cannot sell for enough money to repay their loans in full, and it is no easier watching a willing ...

So, either hell has frozen, or I ran out of productive things to do and decided to experiment with the blogosphere. The premise here, frankly, is absurd: Lawyers with opinions? Who will share them, unsolicited, with the world at large? For free? Go figure. Professionaly, my universe is fairly well limited these days to helping buyers and sellers survive the bizzare ritual practice commonly known as the residential real estate transaction . At first blush, what could possibly be simpler - buyer and seller agree on a price; buyer gives seller money, seller gives buyer keys, fini! Sadly, the process has become much much more complicated. A sad, sad combination of lawyers, institutional investors; red tape; governmental regulation. Arrgh!!! Factor in the emotional and psychological overlays that crop up for many of us when we make these large dollar transactions (when else do most of us deal in these numbers except when we buy and sell our homes?) Its enough to scream, and all too often ...