Chuck Barberini Real Estate

 “Just Thinking” I was talking to Cole (Son #3) last night and he told me that he and his buddies watched “Apocalypse Now” the other night, he hadn’t seen the movie before (my bad). We took some time and talked about what an impactful movie it was, the Vietnam war, the surreal atmosphere and haunting visuals, how young Martin Sheen was how imposing Marlon Brando was. How far outside the box Francis Ford Coppola went in showing the humanity and the horror of war. We talked about how Coppola used Robert Duvall and Marlon Brando who were both featured actors in the Godfather. Our conversation got me thinking got about not just “Apocalypse Now’ which came out in 1979 but “The Godfather” 1972 and “The Godfather II” 1974 the actors that were involved and the impact they had on our culture. Marlon Brando who started as Vito Corleone, the patriarch of the Corleone family in “The Godfather” and Colonel Kurtz. the rogue officer in “Apocalypse Now”. Brando was an established actor who won his fir

  Today, we bring you news of a much-anticipated (or at least much-desired) improvement in housing affordability, thanks to two recent Redfin reports. The first report, dated yesterday (September 24) reveals a 1.4% year-over-year reduction in the household income required to afford a median-priced home—the first annual improvement since June 2020. Byron Lazine broke down the news in today’s  Hot Sheet , tying in consumer sentiment on the U.S. economy. The second report, published a day later (i.e., today) shows half of all homes listed have gone stale, still unsold after 60 days on the market. That’s good news for buyers, especially those keen to take advantage of today’s lower mortgage rates. Read on for the highlights. The Income Needed to Afford a Median-Priced Home Dropped 1.4% YOY As of Redfin’s data for August 2024, American homebuyers need an annual income of $115,454 to afford (not just buy) a median-priced U.S. home. That’s 1.4% less than they needed one year ago—and the first

 “Just Thinking” We watched a documentary on Netflix this week, “Remembering Gene Wilder” and it really impacted me, I think it was because his movies were a timeline of my formidable years. We think of Wilder as the actor who played the Waco Kid, Willie Wonka or Young Frankenstein, but he was so much more, not just an actor, but a writer, director and producer who was active for forty plus years. He was born Jerome Silberman in Milwaukee and moved to New York after finishing his service in the Army. He started as a stage actor in off Broadway, he was in a production with Anne Bancroft who was dating Mel Brooks at the time, who was working on a new film. Although it was very early in the process, this led to his first major film role as Leo Bloom in the 1967 film “The Producers”, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. His first film role was that of a hostage in the 1967 motion picture “Bonnie and Clyde” starring Warren Beaty and Faye Dunaway. Althou

New research shows home sellers who used a real estate agent made $79,000 more from their home sales than sellers who did not. That’s according to a survey by Clever Real Estate, based on the replies of 654 Americans who sold a home in 2023 or 2024—about 36% of whom chose to sell their home without an agent. Nearly a third of those unrepresented sellers (30%) chose that route to avoid paying real estate commissions, though they generally had more than one reason. Other reasons included: “I thought it would be quicker than a traditional sale” (29%) “The house was at risk of foreclosure” (29%) “My house was in bad condition” (28%) “It was convenient” (27%) “I prefer to handle showings/negotiations myself” (27%) Eight in ten sellers who chose not to work with a real estate agent have regrets about their home sale, with more than half (54%) wishing they had used an agent. Sellers who worked with an agent, despite having to pay the commission, earned an average profit of $207,500, compared

  “Just Thinking” I slept poorly one-night last week and woke up with a stiff neck, I’ve had plenty of stiff necks and didn’t think much about it, try to stretch it out and rub on some Bengay (Icy Hot). A couple days went by, and it was still bothering me radiating down to my arm, so I made an appointment with Tina Downtown to get a message. Tina doesn’t speak much English, but I was able to convey that I had a stiff neck and need her to work it out. Tina has hands like a brick layer and forearms like Mark McGuire and she went after it. I suffered through the 45 minutes of torture and had to admit that I felt pretty good going back to the office. During the night, I woke up with my arm on fire, it was just pain resonating from my neck to my figure tips, not the typical stiff neck, Tina struck a nerve. So here is where I get into my “Just Thinking”, Friday morning I send an email to my doctor describing what is going on. She doesn’t respond but sets up a prescription of steroids for me

  Check Out This Weeks Newsletter Only 15% of today’s Baby Boomer homeowners have any plans to sell their homes in the next five years. And more than half (54%) have no intention of ever doing so.  That’s according to new research from Clever Real Estate, a St. Louis-based real estate company, which surveyed 1,100 American Boomers to get some clarity on their perspective as it relates to homeownership and the housing affordability crisis.  Twenty percent of those Boomer respondents have never owned a home. Six in ten of them (61%) currently own homes. And less than one-third of those Boomer homeowners (30%) expect to sell their homes by the mid-2030s.  Among the factors behind that reluctance to sell is the belief, held by 76% of Boomer homeowners, that homeownership is the primary reason for their financial security. Nearly nine out of ten (86%) believe owning a home leads to a more stable home life.  Nearly half (46%) say they would consider themselves a failure if they did not own a

  “Just Thinking” I was in the truck the other day when Born to Wild by Steppenwolf (who I saw at the Civic Center many years ago) came on the radio, after I thought about how cool John Kay was on stage, I thought about Peter Fonda, and Dennis Hooper cruising the long lonesome highways in Easy Rider. That got me thinking that a list of popular songs that were in movies and became synonymous with that movie. Here's what I came up with: Top Gun – Maverick and Goose at the Junk Box decide to serenade the girl by singing "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" by The Righteous Brothers. Guardians of the Galaxy – The movie starts with Star-Lord plugging in his Walk Man and hitting play to “Come and Get Your Love” by Redbone The Breakfast Club - “Don’t You (Forget About Me)" by Simple Minds, is forever tied to the film’s final scene with Judd Nelson’s fist-pump freeze-frame. Ferris Bueller's Day Off - The parade scene in Chicago features Ferris Bueller leading a

Read This Weeks Newsletter With the next presidential election approaching fast, the campaign rhetoric isn’t the only thing heating up. Consumers across the country are feeling uncertain and overwhelmed, wondering whether it makes sense to buy or sell a home now or wait until after the election. It’s a tense, emotional time for many. And while some might welcome the distraction a home purchase or sale would give them from all the pre-election drama, others are inclined to wait and see how the outcome could change their financial situation—or where they want to live. You, as a real estate professional, need to know how to have these conversations with people: To shed light on how the housing market historically has reacted to election years To clarify today’s market conditions and what we can expect in the months to come To break down the benefits and risks involved in buying/selling now vs after the election The more data and experience you can bring to bear to guide consumers and empo