- Tom Brezsny

Signs of the Times

May 30, 2025Continuing the conversation…. as the market heads rather haltingly towards the midpoint of 2025. We’re not quite there yet but we’re close enough to say with some certainty that this year is “different.” In fact, I’ll make it official now by saying: This is the year when everything we thought we knew about the real estate market and how it is supposed to work, will change. Change for the better? Or worse? The answer depends on which direction you approach the market from in the...

- Tom Brezsny

Scrambling To Adjust On The Fly

May 23, 2025Continuing the conversation.... talking about the changing market and how real estate agents and sellers are scrambling to adjust on the fly. As the evidence mounts (more listings, more price reductions, fewer overall sales) it’s starting to feel like less of a seasonal lull and more like a larger shift in the balance between buyers and sellers.  If that’s true, it’s a shift that’s at least five years overdue. This has been the longest uninterrupted seller’s market anyone can remember. A wild ride. But no...

- Tom Brezsny

About Aspirational Pricing

May 16, 2025Let’s return to something we talked about a few years ago…When the frenzy of the market was fraying people’s nerves and draining their reserves of rational-thought. I was noticing a widening gap between the public’s popular imagination about how real estate works and how it actually plays out in real life. There were two parts to the disconnect: First, every single Santa Cruz seller fantasizes about wealthy buyers swarming over-the-hill to pay lots of money for their house. Second, not all Santa Cruz sellers are...

- Tom Brezsny

Reverse Mortgages

May 9, 2025Part three, talking about something we’re not supposed to talk about in polite real estate company - Reverse Mortgages. Why do so many people hate reverse mortgages even though they don’t always know very much about them? Last week we covered the common litany of complaints. The ones you’re mostly likely to read when you google up a reverse mortgage chat room. We also noted that reverse mortgages may play a bigger role in the near-term future. The world is getting older and more people...

- Tom Brezsny

Are Reverse Mortgages A Bad Thing?

May 2, 2025Continuing the discussion...  about a tricky subject known to have a somewhat dubious reputation out there in real estate land, namely reverse mortgages.    Rest assured, I’m not trying to hawk them here.  Since they’re actually designed to provide options that allow older homeowners to stay in their homes longer,  rather than selling them, there’s no selfish reason why any Realtor would be promoting them. That’s a job for the long list of celebrity spokespeople that the reverse mortgage industry keeps trotting out! Over the years,...