It turns out I am not the only person who is taking a hard look at the various fees that mortgage companies are trying to squeeze out of people. “Slowly but surely, a handful of public-minded bankruptcy court judges are drawing back the curtain on the mortgage servicing business, exposing, among other questionable practices, the sundry and onerous fees that big banks and financial companies levy on troubled borrowers.” Over and above the miscalculated interest, the sloppy record keeping, and the fees upon fees that can keep people from ever being able to put their loans in good standing, some lenders are adding fees back on after judges have tossed them out and discharged a bankruptcy!

The Christian Science Monitor reports that some potential home sellers are deciding not to play the game at all and pulling their property off the market. Eventually these homes will come back, as the owners find themselves needing to sell rather than wanting to. Others will someday decide that the market has improved enough to chance a new listing. Some will sadly end up in foreclosure and become REO properties. Short version, this trend helps shore up supply now but bodes ill for some future date.

And now for a completely different kind of real estate, French lighthouses. Interested in a tough historical preservation project?

Speaking of foreign real estate, you probably don’t know how lucky we have it here in the states in some ways. Let Robert Brady spell it out for you: “Believe me when I tell you that, when it comes to business (that is, the purchase of real estate), the agent you’re working with is not working for you. Buyers’ agents don’t exist outside of North America. In many of the markets I recommend, real estate agents aren’t regulated or even licensed.”

A message to all those Realtors out there: I know about “Realtor Standard Time” and I know that things happen, but you still have to make an effort to be on time. Got that? Would it have killed you to call and let somebody know you were going to be late?

In a move that surprises nobody who has thought about things for a few minutes, economists have found that housing prices have declined most in places where the commute is longest. I suppose if you can work remotely, you can get some screaming housing deals in the far-flung ‘burbs right now. In the meantime, remember that the Las Vegas Valley is relatively small; I can be on the opposite side of town in a half hour…. traffic permitting of course.

And last but not least, two fun if kitschy tours of Vegas: the mob history tour (hey, they’re all legitimate businessmen!); and the haunted Vegas tour.

That’s all for tonight!