Two Realtors for the Price of One

Co-Listing Agreements

Realtors share a listing ("co-list") for a number of reasons:

--The homeowner has ties to two Realtors, and doesn't want to offend either;

--The two Realtors work together as part of a "group" or "team";

--One Realtor has the tie to the client, while the other Realtor is strongly established in the particular neighborhood.

It was this latter scenario I encountered recently.

Which made it ironic that, because the "neighborhood" Realtor was on vacation, the co-listing agent and I negotiated the deal without them (I was representing the Buyer).

The experience recalled an anecdote about the Vikings' trade for quarterback Fran Tarkenton, way back when.

On the opening play of the first game following Tarkenton's return, the Vikings' return man ran the kickoff back 99 yards for a touchdown.

Tarkenton supposedly turned to then-head coach Bud Grant and said: 'See, I told you I'd be good for your offense.'

Quick! Name Everyone on the 1969 Vikings Roster

"Dear Technorati: Please Check Your Classifications"

Well, yes, as a matter of fact I can rattle off practically every player from the 1969 Minnesota Vikings' football roster, starting with Joe Kapp and Alan Page.

Still, I'm pretty sure that's not why -- at least according to Technorati -- this blog is ranked in the top 1,000 football blogs worldwide (#747 to be exact, as of this morning . . . )

Funny, I always thought this blog was real estate-related . . .

Top 100 -- Really!

In fact, going by Technorati's "authority ranking," this blog is now ranked just outside the top 100 real estate blogs -- in the world!

IMHO, even that is misleading.

As *Lloyd Bentsen might say if he were a blogger, "I've read most of the top 100 real estate blogs, put up more frequent and better posts than they do -- and they're no City Lakes Real Estate blog."

As for the occasional anti-Wall Street rant by yours truly, as Bill Maher would say, "But I'm not wrong . . ."

*If you're under 30, Texas Senator (and '88 Democratic VP nominee) Lloyd Bentsen famously put down Dan Quayle when the latter had the temerity to compare himself to JFK.

"The Vikings are Dead, Long Live the (2010) Twins!"

The Agony of Defeat (Again)

I tell non-Minnesotans that the *saddest days I recall growing up in Minnesota, in order, are:

1. The Vikings' first Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs in 1969.
2. Hubert Humphrey's funeral in the mid-70's.
3. The Vikings' Super Bowl loss to the Oakland Raiders (not a dynastic team -- see next).
4. (Tie) The Vikings' Super Bowl losses to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins (both juggernauts, and heavy favorites).

Yesterday's loss in New Orleans doesn't make the top 10.

Heretical as this may sound, after witnessing all the fumbles yesterday, I was secretly even a bit relieved: it's hard to imagine the team matching up well with an even stronger Indianapolis Colts team in Miami in two weeks.

Losing the NFC championship game (again, for the 5th time) is a bummer; losing a 5th Super Bowl would have been a very big bummer.

At least we're still tied with the Buffalo Bills at four.

*The Vikings' loss to the Atlanta Falcons on January 17, 1999 in that year's NFC Championship game also makes my personal "top 10" list (even though I was living in Manhattan at the time) because: a) they were heavily favored, and would have had a good shot at winning the Super Bowl if they'd gotten past the Falcons; and b) it was my wedding day, at the Puck Building in Tribeca (a Manhattan neighborhood).

In fact, the usual split between groom's friends and family and bride's friends and family was even more pronounced at my wedding: in my case, the former were all listening to radio's and stealing away to watch lobby TV's broadcasting the game.

At least all the (relatively) glum, Minnesota faces weren't an omen: my wife and I just celebrated our 11th anniversary last Sunday (the Vikings' win over the Cowboys), and have 3 kids.