Don’t believe everything you see in the media. You probably hear that all the time, but surprisingly, most people still do- especially when there are numbers- statistics to back up the claims. But there are many ways to look at data. People mine it, disect it, twist it up, slice it into pieces and then put it back together again to make whatever point they are trying to make. But different people can make the same data look entirely different by the way the present it and by choosing the pieces of that information that will best suit their needs. So what does this mean? Well, if nothing else, it at least should tell us to be careful not to simply take stats for the way they are presented.

Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re looking for impassioned differences of opinion in the field of real estate, look no further than selling a home by yourself, which is typically referred to as FSBO (for sale by owner). I’ve written before about the advantages of going FSBO and about the advantages of using a real estate agent. And I’ve received numerous emails from readers sharing additional thoughts. Permit me to share a few of them with you:
Read the rest of this entry »