Dana Graham's Blog

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Real Estate Agent - Berkshire Hathaway
Check this space often for updates on the Palos Verdes market as well as interesting historical information on PV from a firsthand witness (me).
RECENT BLOG POSTS
Remember how I wrote the last couple of years that reports of drastic price declines were largely a product (at least in the South Bay) of a statistical anomaly whereby the lower end of the market was very hot due mostly to Fed-subsidized interest rates, while the upper end was ice cold.  Well, i...
05/18/2010
If you've ever interviewed realtors, you know that all of them leap tall buildings, walk on water, and heal the sick. The vast majority of realtors are competent which, for what you pay in commission, you have a right to expect.  I would suggest, however, that you ought to get more than "competen...
03/04/2010
This is more important with regard to real estate than ever, so listen up:  Understandably, I have seen more than the usual number of new listings lately come out at unrealistically high prices.  It's understandable because a) every seller wants to get the highest possible price for his house, b)...
01/03/2010
I'm talking about real estate.  The basic process of buying and selling a home is not rocket science, brain surgery, or astrophysics.  It doesn't even involve knowledge of Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion.  So why does the realtor you choose matter?  Heck, why not do it yourself?  See how tense ...
07/31/2009
If you've been paying attention, you know that one of the "solutions" to the sub-prime/credit "crisis" as it relates to real estate (everything these days is a "crisis" don'tchya know -- gonna have to come up with a new word for those that really are, a sort of Label Inflation, but I digress) is ...
05/09/2009
Much has been written about the causes of the current economic situation, from the unqualified buyer, the predatory lender, and right on thru to the ultimate trusting investor.  Some has even addressed appraisals, but there is a problem with appraisals I've not seen discussed anywhere: The purpos...
04/28/2009
Do you remember the old carnival ride where you climbed into a big 30 foot diameter cylinder and stood against the wall?  The thing began rotating, pressing you against the wall, and then some nutcase removed the floor from beneath your feet.  However, you were held in place by centrifugal force,...
04/18/2009
I'm sure anyone who has tried to get a real estate loan during the past 6 months knows this, but for the rest, it's a lot like going to see your proctologist and about as pleasant. All the old rules are out and the primary hiring criterion for underwriters appears to be that they must have been d...
03/05/2009
Apologies to Gilbert & Sullivan.  Real estate price declines have been all over the news during the past few months, with stomach-churning numbers up to 41% decline fairly common. There is no doubt that, overall, prices have declined from their 2007 peaks, but there is an interesting phenomenon a...
02/26/2009
When I got into this business 25 years ago, my office couldn't help but notice that my escrows almost never fell out.  They were so impressed that they had me give a series of classes on the subject to the newer agents.  500+ escrows laters, my escrows still almost never fall out.  What follows a...
02/17/2009
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Dana Graham

DRE #00877973
local_phone(310) 265-2141
smartphone(310) 613-1076
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Information about Palos Verdes from a 61-year resident, 25-year agent