Free Republic

Getting The Brush-Off You’re searching for a home, scanning listings, barely able to contain your excitement; but your realtor seems to brush off every inquiry you make about a For Sale By Owner (FSBO) property. He keeps insisting that they’re “not worth the time,” but you somehow can’t shake the feeling he’s protecting his commission, not your interests. Here’s how FSBOs actually work and what options you have when an agent ignores them. What FSBO Listings Really Are FSBO homes are properties sold directly by the homeowners without the involvement of a listing agent. Sellers skip the listing commission but...

Teresa Heinz Kerry, through a network of investments in blue-chip corporations, venture capital funds and municipal bonds, controls a family fortune worth an estimated $1 billion, an analysis of public records shows. The $1 billion figure is double the estimates of her wealth that are widely cited in news stories about her husband, Sen. John F. Kerry, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president. The couple would rank as the wealthiest to occupy the White House, far surpassing such storied presidential fortunes as the Kennedys'. Their assets are so vast and far-reaching that they mirror the U.S. economy and will probably...