The Quora real estate section can lead to many interesting topics from real estate investments to a first home purchase, but this question about buying property on the moon really takes the cake. Continue reading
Category Archives: Funny Stories
The LaLaurie Mansion’s Haunted and Foreclosed Past
New Orleans is home to many frightening real estate stories, but none are quite as scary as the history of the LaLaurie Mansion in the famed French Quarter. The LaLaurie Mansion has a very gruesome past, and has spooked owners out of their wits and money.
Lessons For Your First Home Purchase
The NerdWallet site focuses on personal finance tips and advice, and part of personal finance is real estate. The NerdWallet team recently polled staff members about their first home purchase lessons. Read on to see highlights of what they learned, and what you can learn from their mistakes and frustrations. Continue reading
Houston Realtor Sells $389,000 House for $150
Aside
Houston real estate agent Michael Wachs has a trick up his sleeve. He is selling his nearly $400,000 Houston home to one lucky winner for only $150!
But if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. In this case, your $150 enters you into a pool, and Wachs will only sell if the home draws enough sales to reach the market rate. At $150 each, it will take about 3,000 entries to reach the level he wants to sell. If he does not reach his target, he will refund all applicant entry fees and sell the property with a standard listing. Continue reading
Criminal Gangs Make Good Landlords
Dealing with a bad tenant is one of the worst parts of real estate investing. Bad attitudes, late rent, and damages can cause plenty of stress to give even the most level headed landlords a string of bad headaches.
One thoughtful writer had a clever idea on how to transfer skills used for illegal activities into something a bit more productive. It made me wonder, would gang members make good real estate investors? Continue reading
A Room with a View…and a Stripper Pole
A Toyko-based real estate company has created apartments that aim to increase intimacy, along with the census. Developer Rintaro Kikuchi designed konkatsu or “marriage hunting” apartments which feature spacious and airy rooms, balconies with a view of the city, and stripper poles in the living room. Do I have your attention now? Continue reading
George Lucas to Build Low Income Housing
After plans to build a state of the art production studio fell through, filmmaker George Lucas has come up with an alternate plan for his Grady Ranch property. Lucas’ new plan for the sprawling estate is to build low income housing on it. Lucas plans to sell the property to the Marin Community Foundation, a non-profit that has already funded more than 2,500 units of affordable housing, and will explore options for developing Grady Ranch. Continue reading
Sex Sells Real Estate
They say that sex sells, but that logic is usually applied to industries such as fashion, adult beverages, and tourism. Real estate has always been a more conservative industry in terms of advertising. Well, until now. Continue reading
Bank Gets Foreclosed On
In a rare twist, a Florida couple turned the tables on Bank of America by foreclosing on them! Warren and Maureen Nyergers paid cash for a home in Naples Florida in 2009. At the time of purchase the home was in foreclosure, and the Nyergers bought the home directly from Bank of America. Continue reading
Free Uber Rides For Buying A Condo
A condo for sale in San Francisco, California comes with a very unique amenity. The one bedroom condo on the corner of Van Ness Avenue and Lombard Street comes with a year of free transportation via Uber car service. Continue reading
Homeowners Change Their Address to Attract Buyers
Can Homeowners change their address to attract buyers? An interesting tactic in marketing your home is emerging in Vancouver. An increasing number of homeowners are changing their street address to attract Chinese house hunters who place value in specific numbers.
The numbers six and eight have a positive association because in Cantonese the number eight sounds similar to the word for fortune, and the number six means smooth and easy. The number four, however, is not as appealing to buyers because in some cultures the word four sounds too similar to the word for death. According to Vancouver realtor Alec Zhang, a home address that includes the number four could even reduce a home’s value by up to five percent. He advises a property address ending in four should be avoided. But how? Continue reading
A Historic Medieval Village Is Now For Sale in Italy
Have you ever fantasized about owning a piece of the Italian countryside? Well, today is your lucky day! Valle Piola, a historic medieval village is now for sale in Italy, in its entirety. The price of the sprawling village, which is nestled in the Gran Sasso national park is £485,000 (approximately $736,000 US dollars). Continue reading
My Neighbor is an A**hole
If you hate your neighbor, you are not alone in the world. We all hope that we can become friendly with our neighbors just like the women of Desperate Housewives, but in reality some neighbors are wonderful and others leave something to be desired. In the worst case, you end up living next to someone who is, well, an a**hole. Continue reading
Topless Granny Featured in Real Estate Photo Taken by Drone
Drones are fast becoming more popular as a way to take photos and videos of properties, but it is important to look at the photos before posting them publicly on a billboard. One Australian woman got more than she bargained for when her topless photo went public for the world to see. Continue reading
What A Roller Coaster Of An Open House
Dutch real estate promotion company, Huizen Promoter, is putting an innovative spin, or shall we say thrill in real estate marketing. After a listing in Ermelo, Netherlands sat stale for several months, the company came up with a creative approach to promote the home to prospective buyers. A wooden roller coaster was constructed inside the home as a way take potential buyers on a home tour of a lifetime. Continue reading