I don’t watch reality TV and I am not a follower of any kind of it.  Yet, I stumbled upon a real estate related “reality show” recently and watched for only a few minutes.  I soon determined there was little reality associated with it.  I was surprised at the vocabulary of the “prospective home buyers”.  Their vocabulary captured my attention, and I heard the same words repeated over again:  “I love the (amenity or feature)”... [read more]

"What Is a Barndominium?" By Mark Phoenix posted June 6, 2023   Here are two questions I pose to you:  If you felt that you were leading a hectic, frenzied life, would you consider moving to a place that offered a less frantic lifestyle?  Would you move into a barn - or - a converted barn? The barndominium (a contraction of the words “Barn” and “Condominium”) is the latest fashionable concept for residential... [read more]

      Real Estate Fraud By Mark Phoenix posted March 29, 2023   The United States Secret Service is commonly known for protecting the personal safety of the President of the United States and other high ranking Federal officials.  What you may not realize is the Secret Service was originally created shortly after the Civil War as a bureau of the Department of Treasury to eradicate counterfeiting to stabilize the United States financial... [read more]

Whatever Happened to the Aluminum Christmas Tree? By Mark Phoenix posted November 23, 2022 Depending upon your age, you may or may not be aware that, at one time, there were aluminum Christmas trees available.  No, I’m not describing what most people think when they envision a simple artificial Christmas tree.  These Christmas trees are made of aluminum.  Before you read further, you may be thinking “Why were there aluminum Christmas trees to begin... [read more]

  Why Do We Eat Turkey on Thanksgiving? By Mark Phoenix posted November 9, 2022 It had to be indescribably difficult to give thanks when the first 38 settlers arrived on December 4th 1619 in what is now called Virginia.  My research reveals that food was scarce, illness and death among the first settlers was widespread.  There was very little cause to give thanks or have hope for a prosperous future.  It wasn’t until more English settlers arrived in... [read more]