The Carnival of Real Estate stopped by the Minnesota Investment Property Blog this week.  With past carnivals that I have hosted here, we have seen 10-15 entries.  This time it was 26 entries about every different part of the real estate business.  I spent hours and hours reading each one (just kidding, it didn’t take that long).  Here are my top picks in no particular order, but distinct areas of interest.

Real Estate Business/Realtors

• Jay Thompson at The Phoenix Real Estate Guy posted an account of one inept agent threatening to sue her customer over a commission despite the agent’s complete failure at customer service.  I can’t imagine either being that bad of an agent or as Jay says, suing your customer over your failure to provide excellent service!
• At first glance, I was wondering what this post “Why Lovers and Others Leave” had to do with real estate.  After the 4th sentence I realized that AgentGenius.com was explaining why our customers leave us and go elsewhere.  Good list of reminders!
• The real estate business can wear you out.  It is good to take some time off occasionally and recharge the batteries.  Jack Schmidt at SectorMatic quips about “How to Know When You Need a Vacation“.

Buying Real Estate

• As real estate agents, it is our job to make the purchase or sale of real estate as smooth as possible.  Unfortunately, it is rarely as simple as the public might think!  Dan Melson writes about it at Searchlight Crusade in his post:  Buying Real Estate Isn’t Simple.
• Along with everyone thinking buying real estate is easy, most of the buyers I work with today want to make low-ball offers on houses.  They figure that in this buyer’s market, they are in the driver’s seat.  Doug Willis demonstrates 5 Reasons Your Low Ball Offer is Rejected.

Selling/Owning Real Estate

• Ned Carey explains the differences types of tax auctions and how to handle if you wake up saying:  “Help!  My Home is going to tax sale“.
• The Zillow blog is always a great source of market data.  In their post:  Homeowner Confidence Shrinks (Yet Most Think the Worst is Over), they validate what most of us in the business have been sensing for a while.

Mortgages

• This comes up every time I am at a cocktail party with anyone that knows I am in real estate.  Fivecentnickel.com takes up the age-old argument about whether you should Pay Off Mortgage Early?  Or Invest?
• Everyone in the real estate arena these days loves the low interest rates.  Most of us are wondering not if, but when will rates go higher.  Dan Green looks at what the fed is doing and suggests:  Why Mortgage Rates May Plunge One Last Time Before Low Rates Are Gone For Good.

Thanks everyone for the great (and many) submissions.  Are you a real estate blogger and would you like to host a future edition or take a more active role in administration of the CoRE? If so, get instructions on how to do so here. Please check the complete FAQ list if you have other questions as to how to participate.

In the spirit of the upcoming election, I thought it would be fitting to spin a little political terms and political history into this week’s Carnival.  (Don’t worry, I am not going to start a long diatribe on why I am voting one way or another.  I don’t want to be the first (I think), Carnival host censored by the Carnival Admin!~)

The United States Presidential Line of Succession was first passed into law in 1792 naming the Senate Majority Leader and then the Speaker of the House as in line after the Vice President to take office.  In 1885, the President’s Cabinet was added in place of the Majority Leader and Speaker, but, in 1947, the Speaker and the Majority Leader were added back in above the cabinet.  The only other changes were to remove the Postmaster General, in 1971, from being in the succession and add the Secretary of Homeland Security to the bottom of the list in 2006.

Despite there being many, many topics discussed in this election, between Joe the Plumber and arguing about how many houses McCain owns and what Obama paid for his mansion in Chicago, this election has been lately centered around the economy with the housing crisis in the spotlight.  Seemed only fitting that the top political office awards go to those posts about that topic.

The Presidential Award goes to The Digertati Life.  As SVB (Silicon Valley Blogger) states, we often disconnect the foreclosed home (that we are excited to get a good deal on) from the family that once lived there and lost everything.  The video is especially eye opening about Foreclosure Alley’s Personal Stories of Financial Loss: The Aftermath of Foreclosure.

Toby Boyce at Saide’s Take on Delaware takes home the Vice Presidential Award for explaining the recent market collapse associated with Mortgage Backed Securities.  He puts on his Bubba Gump hat to simplify the explanation and gets Forrest’s Take on Mortgage Backed Securities.

Even after all the doom and gloom you hear on television these days about the housing market, it was amazing to have Amy Bohutinsky at the Zillow blog tell us that 32% of the people they surveyed still believed their house when up in value over the last 12 months!  Amy gets the Speaker of the House Award as she explains Strangely, “Not My House” Sentiment Continues, Albeit a Smaller Group.

The Senate Majority Leader Award goes to The Mortgage Reports Blog that explains How Cutting The Fed Funds Rate Helps The U.S. Economy.  While many people believe cutting the Fed Rate helps the economy, Dan cautions that we could be overheating it.

After that big dose of reality and the stress of watching the political coverage you need to get a laugh now and then.  Two posts gave me a smile and are worth honorable mentions.

• Purva Brown at Sacremento Real Estate Girl gave me a fright when she perfectly described a customer that I am working with right now in her post titled: Who? Me? A Monster?
• Over at Mike’s  Corner, Mike  Price talks about How To Be A Clueless Twit and Social Media Failure and how as Real Estate agents, we need to remember that Blogging and Social Media is not an immediate return.

It’s late at night as I finish up this week’s carnival post.  I suppose I am just in training for another long night of watching returns on Tuesday.

Remember:  Get out and Vote!