Thanks for the suggestions on bidding strategy. Might be a bit too ballsy for my tastes, but at least I’ll know what I’m up against.

Sometimes it feels like something straight out of 2004. I just happened to drive past two open houses the other day and stopped by to look, even though both were obviously out of my price range.

The first one was downright creepy … cookies, scented candles (warm apple pie, of course), meticulously upgraded, staged to perfection, attended by two perfectly coiffed Realtors(TM) who should probably lay off the salon tans. I kept looking around for the HGTV camera crew.

The second felt more like something out of “King of Cars” … the Realtor(TM) started the conversation with “What kind of monthly payment are you looking at?” then launched into a mathematically questionable spiel about the huge tax benefits I could expect from the mortgage interest deduction. I managed to extricate myself from the jaws of “The Chopper” about the time he used his infallible intuition and years of experience to decide I was just a looky-loo (which I’d stated up front).

I’ve long since given up on anything that “shows well.” I’ll settle for a deal on something that is neither structurally unsound nor a long-term health hazard. But even that won’t be easy to find 🙂