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Archive for October, 2010

October 28, 2010 Do-It-Yourself Real Estate Appraisals Can Cost You Dearly

A frequent theme of this blog is the importance of hiring a licensed and experienced real estate appraiser. But that wouldn’t be a theme if there weren’t so many instances of people ignoring that advice and regretting it. The latest case in point is a building in Arroyo Grande, California. The Arroyo Grande City Council [...]

October 26, 2010 Small Business Owners Find it Difficult to Sell

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal, “Businesses Put Up for Sale Smack into Harsh Reality,” demonstrates just how difficult the market is for small business owners who are looking to sell their businesses. The article hammers home the fact that the small business market is stagnating due to tight credit markets and the [...]

October 21, 2010 Liquidation 101

There are many reasons why a small business owner might choose to liquidate his or her business assets – and not all of them are because of a failing business. An owner might simply need to get out of the business for personal or financial reasons. And if a buyer for the business isn’t on [...]

October 19, 2010 Expert Testimony in Home Foreclosure Freeze

This past year has been a long, strange journey for the real estate market. And just when it seemed it couldn’t get any longer or stranger, out of left field comes a national freeze on home foreclosures out of concerns about irregular paperwork. The thought that thousands and possibly millions of people have erroneously lost [...]

October 14, 2010 Small Business Owners and Planning for Retirement

In today’s New York Times online blog, You’re the Boss, there is a thought-provoking post “Are You Sure You Don’t Want to Retire?” that discusses the plight of older small business owners who are being forced to consider whether or not retirement will be in their future. The author, Barbara Taylor, discusses a recent Gallup [...]

October 12, 2010 Stop and Smell the … Truffles?

Fans of our blog, or anyone who has recently sold a home, can probably pretty easily name a few things that can affect a home appraisal – comparable property values, a water heater in need of replacement, or termite damage would probably make your list. But what about a smell? On Monday, The New York [...]

October 7, 2010 Appraisals of the Rich and Famous

When we think about real estate appraisals, we tend to think of average, working-class homeowners – our friends and neighbors – getting property valuations. But appraisals are done for people from all walks of life and from every profession imaginable. Including celebrities. Doing an appraisal for a celebrity is no different than meeting them in [...]

October 5, 2010 What’s Your Business Really Worth?

A recent article on Inc.com, “How to Find Out What Your Business Is Really Worth,” provides advice from a professional who has owned multiple businesses to small business owners, who might be wondering how much their businesses are worth. He discusses his own experiences as a business owner and wondering what his business was worth; [...]