Matson125

What are some examples of sites where sellers are eliminating brokers/agents? As a Z short, this is a very interesting topic :) I live in Toronto, and more and more I see companies like these: http://comfree.com/ http://propertyguys.com/ These sites allow a seller to list their home for a flat fee for less than $1,000. I compare it to someone who owns a $400,000 home and pays a 3% commission to an agent or $12,000. If they choose one of the sites above and even hire their own real estate lawyer to make sure everything goes smoothly your looking at a $10,000 savings. The average price in Toronto last I checked was over $500,000 so the sales increase the more your house is worth. Having said all this I acknowledge not everyone is going to do this, but from talking to people in the industry and also real estate agents themselves technology forces them to either drop their commission as it's negotiable or to really enhance their offerings.

Technology is also replacing real estate agents. Years ago real estate agents owned the relationship with buyers and sellers where now sellers of real estate in increasing numbers are turning to the internet to sell their properties and pay little to no commission.

Interesting take on the media with respect to oil prices http://www.salientpartners.com/epsilontheory/post/2014/12/11/Narrative-Uber-Alles

Mel Watt will be in Miami on December 5th. I'd laugh if Bruce Berkowitz stands up and asks the 1st question in the Q+A http://investorsunite.org/discussion/topic/fhfa-town-hall-meeting-in-miami-dec-5th/

Sears closing its doors at the St. Lawrence Centre mall in mid-January http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20141016/DCO/141018867 Pittsburgh Mills mall http://triblive.com/neighborhoods/yourallekiskivalley/yourallekiskivalleymore/6975322-74/sears-store-mills#axzz3GJvOeyk2 Aroostook Center Mall http://wagmtv.com/aroostook-centre-mall-sears-location-to-close-january-2015-more-than-60-workers-affected/ K-Mart in Rocklin to Close Doors for Good http://fox40.com/2014/10/15/k-mart-in-rocklin-to-close-doors-for-good/ Sears in Fingerlakes Mall http://auburnpub.com/news/local/updated-sears-in-fingerlakes-mall-to-close-in-mid-january/article_68ee6558-08c8-5171-b0f6-99ea9e08f67b.html Sears store open 50 years in Iowa to close Read more: http://www.kcci.com/news/sears-store-open-50-years-in-iowa-to-close/29151030#ixzz3GJyZ77t5 Kmart to close Ann Arbor store http://www.mlive.com/business/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2014/10/kmart_to_close_ann_arbor_store.html The Sears store at Cary Town Center will close in mid-January-CBL Mall Read more at http://www.wral.com/sears-in-cary-to-close-in-january/14084685/#dOBjAEdVgxjAoEQ6.99 http://www.wral.com/sears-in-cary-to-close-in-january/14084685/

http://www.exmiami.org/index.php/megamind-of-miami-to-build-intimidating-looking-headquarters-on-biscayne-boulevard/

Randolph, NJ Kmart closing http://www.dailyrecord.com/story/news/local/2014/09/26/randolph-kmart-closing-december/16274525/

Ferguson, MO Kmart closing http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2014/09/26/some-ferguson-businesses-staying-put-others-not-sure/

Thats a good question. I was recently looking over Richard Perry's 13F and the pfd's that he holds are not listed either http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/919085/000114036114020916/xslForm13F_X01/form13fInfoTable.xml Fairholme lists both common and pfd

Evergreen Way Kmart to close in September http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20140715/BIZ/140719381/Evergreen-Way-Kmart-to-close-in-September-

Southgate Kmart will close http://thenewsherald.com/articles/2014/07/09/news/doc53bc87e2a67e8189355105.txt

Madisonville Kmart to Close in October http://surfky.com/index.php/news/local/hopkins/50356-madisonville-kmart-to-close-in-october K-Mart Store in Everett, WA Closing http://myeverettnews.com/2014/07/13/k-mart-store-everett-wa-closing/ Winter Haven Kmart to Close in October http://www.theledger.com/article/20140714/NEWSCHIEF/140719601

In addition to the Pottery Barn at the Oakbrook Mall sears also signed a ground lease for the portion of the parking lot they own. 3.7 acres Village Of Oak Brook April 13, 2012 · Sears Holdings Signs Lease Agreement With Pinstripes, Inc., at Oakbrook Center Entertainment/Dining Concept to Construct 40,000 square foot Venue Sears Holdings announced that the company has signed a long-term Ground Lease with Entertainment Properties Trust whereby EPT will construct a free-standing facility in the northwest parking lot where Pinstripes will lease and operate its bowling/bocce and bistro concept. Pinstripes intends to commence construction in March and open for business in the fall of 2012. "We are very excited to welcome Pinstripes to our property at Oakbrook Center," said Scott Miller, Regional Vice President, Leasing and Development for Sears Holdings. "Pinstripes has been successful in offering a winning combination of entertainment and dining in Chicago and Minneapolis, and we look forward to attracting area diners, entertainment seekers and shoppers to Sears and all the other retailers of the Center.” Dale Schwartz, Pinstripes Founder/CEO added, "We welcome joining the Oak Brook community and offering individuals and businesses ’strikingly good’ food and fun. This Ground Lease and financing structure is a continuation of our strategic financing partnership with EPT, and we look forward to a long-term relationship with Sears and Oakbrook Center to maintain the mall’s first-class reputation”. “We enthusiastically welcome Pinstripes to the Oak Brook neighborhood,” said David Niemeyer, Oak Brook Village Manager. “We believe they will be a special asset for our community and we look forward to the opening of their business in the very near future.” At the Sears’ owned property at Oakbrook Center, Pinstripes/EPT will Ground Lease 3.7 acres of Sears’ 24.9 acre parcel, and Sears will continue to explore other re-development opportunities at this site. “This agreement is a further example of Sears Holdings selectively redeploying its asset base to improve the retail experience for consumers while working to create long-term shareholder value," said Jeff Stollenwerck, President, Real Estate for Sears Holdings.

According to the Anchorage Municipality website Sears owns the property and has a tax assessed value of $23,817,500 (2014) http://www.muni.org/pw/public.html Parcel ID: 009-042-01-000

Big Kmart closing in north Raleigh http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/blog/2014/02/big-kmart-closing-in-north-raleigh.html

2012 annual report: 2073 total stores q1 2013: 2062 total stores q2 2013: 2036 total stores q3 2013: 2018 total stores all figures are excluding Sears Canada

Is there a reason why the Freddie mac common is slightly lower than the Fannie Mae common, looking at a chart there always seems to be a slight discount. Is there a better credit profile at Fannie?

According to this article the property was indeed owned by Sears http://www.willowbrookil.org/DocumentCenter/Home/View/350 According to the Property Assessor site 840 Plainfield Rd. is listed at a tax value of $1.6 million http://www.dupageco.org/PropertyInformation.aspx parcel # 09-23-405-018 http://www.dgtownship.com/search.php parcel # 09-23-405-018

When the host of the television show responded to Buffett, 'But there are 24,000 publicly traded companies!' Warren responded, 'Start with the A's'”

Logansport Sears store closing in May http://casscountyonline.com/site/content/logansport-sears-store-closing-may

Kmart in FairOaks Mall to close in April Columbus, IN http://www.therepublic.com/view/local_story/Kmart-in-FairOaks-Mall-to-clos_1390427720

http://hutchnews.com/Todaystop/A1--hutch-sears-closing Kmart Manhattan Kansas The company also announced it was closing a Kmart in Manhattan, also in mid-April, which employs 67 people. Those were the only two Kansas stores listed.

I agree. The same can be said about Force Capital and vadim perelman at Baker Street. He left Force capital to start his own shop and continues to hold SHLD.

They own a position in Sears as well.

Take a trip to Centre Island and take a walk through the maze http://www.centreisland.ca/ http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/06/19/centre_island_maze_to_amaze_again_thanks_to_businessmans_200000_donation.html