Opinion
These Profit Holes Can Sink Your Business
By Bernice Ross | Special To Commercial Record | March 20, 2026 | Reprints | Unlock LinkMost Realtors and investors focus primarily on profits. What typically gets put on the back burner is how expenses and what they’re choosing not to do can cost them way more.
Delisted Homes Are Coming Back, with a New Mindset
By Lew Sichelman | February 20, 2026 | Reprints | Unlock LinkThere’s been a jump in the number of houses hitting the market in recent weeks. A number are homes that had been listed without selling because they were overpriced.
How to Spot Moving Troubles
By Lew Sichelman | February 12, 2026 | Reprints | Unlock LinkAmerica used to be a nation of nomads. What hasn’t changed, however, is that people who do choose to move still need help with the heavy stuff.
The Latest Scam for Homeowners: Fake Utility Billing Websites
By Lew Sichelman | January 8, 2026 | Reprints | Unlock LinkIt’s the latest scam levied against unaware homeowners. And what makes it so dangerous is that criminals aren’t just blasting out random emails.
Late with Payments? Call Your Lender Now
By Lew Sichelman | December 11, 2025 | Reprints | Unlock LinkThe typical indicators of homeowner financial stress – mortgage delinquencies and foreclosure filings – are rising across the land.
Credit Scores Help Insurance Premiums, Not Just Mortgage Rates
By Lew Sichelman | December 5, 2025 | Reprints | Unlock LinkThe key to obtaining a lower mortgage rate is a good credit score. But new research has also found a direct link between credit scores and insurance premiums.
Few Changes in Real Estate Agent Fees
By Lew Sichelman | November 14, 2025 | Reprints | Unlock LinkThe supposedly “earthshaking” legal settlement that was supposed to drive down real estate commissions wasn’t so tumultuous after all.
An Untimely Death Changes Everything
By Lew Sichelman | November 6, 2025 | Reprints | Unlock LinkWhat happens when the person buying your house dies before the closing date? Or when your tenant passes away mid-lease?
How to Save on Selling Expenses
By Lew Sichelman | October 30, 2025 | Reprints | Unlock LinkIf you think it costs a bundle to buy a house – what with a down payment and all – wait till you learn what it costs to sell one: more than $67,000, on average.
When Should Buyers Demand Repairs, or Seek Credits?
By Lew Sichelman | October 9, 2025 | Reprints | Unlock LinkThere comes a time in most house sales when the buyer and seller have to decide who will pay for any necessary repairs. As with all real estate matters, it depends.
Price Cuts A-Plenty in New-Home Market
By Lew Sichelman | October 2, 2025 | Reprints | Unlock LinkHomebuilders are going to great lengths these days to move product. Many are still offering exceptional deals, especially on homes that are move-in ready.
Review Your Homeowners Insurance Yearly
By Lew Sichelman | August 21, 2025 | Reprints | Unlock LinkThe beginning of hurricane season should serve as a reminder to homeowners in affected areas to make sure their homeowners insurance is up to date.
Protection Against Condo Special Assessments
By Lew Sichelman | August 14, 2025 | Reprints | Unlock LinkTens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of condominium apartments are languishing on the market these days, and not just because of high interest rates and high prices.
Protect Your House from Break-Ins
By Lew Sichelman | August 7, 2025 | Reprints | Unlock LinkThefts from the houses of sports stars Ketel Marte, Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes and Rob Gronkowski should raise the hackles of every homeowner – celebrity or not.
The Property Insurance Conundrum
By Lew Sichelman | July 17, 2025 | Reprints | Unlock LinkRecent storms highlight just how few Americans go without homeowners’ insurance – 1 in 7 – and how nearly everyone does without flood insurance.
It’s Not All Bad for Buyers
By Lew Sichelman | July 3, 2025 | Reprints | Unlock LinkNow might not be the best time to buy a house. But if you are a member of the must-buy group, fear not: the inventory of houses for sale hasn’t been this large since 2019.
Why Marketing Your Listings to Other Agents Still Wins Deals
By Bernice Ross | Special To Commercial Record | May 29, 2025 | Reprints | Unlock LinkYou have just taken a new listing and plan to market it directly to consumers in print, on the web and on social media. Almost no one, however, has a game plan to market to other agents.
How Top Real Estate Teams Create Customers for Life
By Bernice Ross | Special To Commercial Record | May 22, 2025 | Reprints | Unlock LinkThere’s an all-out war for consumers between Zillow, Homes.com (owned by CoStar) and the Rocket Companies-Redfin team. But solo agents and agent teams have an ace up their sleeve that can compete against predictive AI and massive ad spending.
Unhappy Agents Voice Concerns
By Lew Sichelman | May 19, 2025 | Reprints | Unlock LinkAccording to the surprisingly candid results of a survey delving into agents’ psyche by the Redfin brokerage firm, half expect their fees to fall in the coming months.
The Green Mirage Sweeping America
By Lew Sichelman | May 8, 2025 | Reprints | Unlock LinkA deceptive calling campaign is sweeping the country, costing homeowners hundreds of thousands of dollars in mortgage fraud, according to a federal watchdog.





