Commonwealth Magazine
Commonwealth wasn’t your typical association magazine — at least not on my watch. It had an accessible voice, a professional but readable tone, and it’s full of useful stuff — news, well-researched features, stats, and a lot more.
When I was brought in to the magazine I had the task of turning an ordinary ‘trade rag’ into something people would actually want to read. I think I succeeded, at least judging by the reader surveys we ran. More real estate pros in Virginia read Commonwealth than read the National Association of Realtors’ magazine — and most people read most of the magazine. Yes, I’m proud.
Obamacare: What you need to know
Published October 10, 2013
The major provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act — the PPACA, but we’ll call it Obamacare like everyone else — take effect on January 1, 2014. Because most Realtors are independent contractors, and 28% are uninsured (according to NAR), the law has some significant effects for the profession. Depending on your situation […]
Watch Your Step
Published August 8, 2013
The messy real estate market means there are scammers, scoundrels, rogues, and rascals targeting Realtors and their clients. And they’ve got plenty of cons and rip-offs at their fingertips.
Signs of Life
Published August 8, 2012
I wrote this story off the cuff one afternoon — it was originally intended as a blog post, but it just… grew. It ran as a cover story, and a version also appeared as an op-ed in the Virginian-Pilot.
