All Forum Posts by: Michael Stole

Thanks, Greg.

I got a promotion card (similar to a gift card) from a big department store half year ago when they had a promotion (spending $5000 and get $600 back in a promotion card). The promotion card has a expiration date, and I used it right before the expiration date. However, they cancelled the order, and now refuse to return or reissue a new card.

I talked to their manager, and they just refused it. I seems that I can not get a satisfying answer from the store, and I need to get help from a third party. I am thinking of BBB. What else can I do? Any suggestions are highly appreciated.

There is a research comparing MLS and FSBO in Madison, Wisconsin. The conclusion is (1) listing on the MLS does NOT helps sellers obtain a higher sale price, however (2) listing on the MLS does shorten the time it takes to sell a house.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/business/20070608RealEstateMarketingStudy.pdf

There is another research comparing the sale price and time-on-market in two cases: (1) when agents sell their clients' houses and (2) when they sell their own houses. The conclusion is that agents sell their clients' houses cheaper and faster than their own houses. However, this conclusion only applied to institutional clients (banks, HUD, etc) but not individual house sellers, like us.

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1872525

I would like to know the answer also.

Now, I know how banks choose their listing agent/office/broker, they look (by maps, google, all means..) for offices within a certain distance from the property, and ask for a broker's price oppinion (BPO) from each of them, and choose the one gives the highest BPO. And if they are satisfied with that office, they will stick with it.

But how does HUD choose its listing agent or office? the same procedure?

According to my experience, it is the horn that a train makes when approaching a cross that intolerable.

Thanks for the replies.

I plan to flip the house, sell for a profit. And I don't want to break the nice marble tiles to show the pipes underneath just for inspection. The half bath looks pretty new.

I will check with my local code enforcement department, but I heard they are hard to deal with. If they require anything like breaking the ground, and if there is fine, I will just keep quite, and sell "as is", but I know that's gonna hurt the price...

Thanks, Robert, I will try to fix it myself first. If I can not fix it, I will try to get some help from the expert...

I am interested in a property where the half bathroom is not recorded anywhere. It seems to be an un-permitted work done by the previous owner, but everything in that half bathroom works fine. What to do with this unrecorded renovation? Any suggestions? Is there any potential risk?

Thanks Mitch, It is not the stone cracking, but the poly finish on top of the table. I will try the epoxy thing you recommended, someone else also suggested it..