Chattanooga Real Estate Blog

I guess most everyone knows that back in June the Supreme Court decided, in a 5-4 decision,  that government can take your  property for private development.  So when that large store that I refuse to speak of, decides they want to build on your property and you don’t want to give it up.  Too bad.  Our government has decided you can’t say "no".

Lauren Canario was arrested on September 22 for peacefully protesting the seizure of a home in New London Conn.  She has been in prison since then with no visitors allowed.  Well, Monday, she appeared in court and was ordered held indefinitely for trial at an unscheduled future date as reported at Homeland Stupidy.  This is ridiculous.  The last time I checked we were in the United States and had rights given to us by the Constitution. 

Protesters arrived early Monday to support Canario. But, according to Free State Project member Kat Dillon, “They told us she wouldn’t be brought in until 2 p.m., so we went out until about 1:30 p.m. When we came back, it was done and no one got to see her.” 10-year-old protester William asked his father, “Why would they trick us like that, Dad?”

An anonymous source at the courthouse said State officials were heard laughing about the demonstration. — Michael Fisher

“This is a wake up call for America,” said John Connell, who traveled from New Hampshire to join the protest. “You’re supposed to have a speedy and public trial in this country. The portion of the public that was there specifically for this trial was known by the court officers, including the pompous court jester in the black robe. . . . [McMahon] gave this prolonged speech about the right to remain silent, and then punishes a person for doing it.”

“What Lauren is doing is exposing the brutality of the system,” Connell said. “Today’s [court proceeding] was a subtle brutality, things you will never read in the newspaper. If you want to exercise your rights, you’re going to get punished for it.” — Michael Fisher

We need more more people like Lauren and John to stand up and fight because our rights as Americans and now even our homes are being taken away for the all mighty dollar.

I have just spent an hour putting together a post on eminent domain and the travesty going on in New London, Conn with the imprisonment of Lauren Canario.  I LOST IT!!!!!!!!!!!  I’m too tired and it’s to late to start it over but I’ll post it tomorrow.  She was in court yesterday and was ordered held indefinetly for trial with no date set.  This after being imprisioned since September 22 with no visitors allowed to see her.  All this for a non violent protest of the city taking property for private development.  Check back tomorrow for more info.

The FTC has aggressively criticized the real estate industry and MLS systems for the past couple of years. MLS systems, in particular, have felt the sting of FTC press releases, threatened investigations, and lawsuits. It was therefore interesting to see what the FTC would say in a new consumer brochure that they released last week:

"Selling Your Home? Tips for Selecting a Real Estate Professional"

Naturally, neither this brochure nor the FTC’s online glossary of terms (mentioned in the brochure) address either AGENCY or ETHICS — two issues that the Feds simply refuse to acknowledge or understand. They apparently don’t see either as very important! Every REALTOR, on the other hand, should be prepared to discuss – knowledgeably – the value of BOTH an agency relationship AND the REALTOR Code of Ethics to every prospective buyer or seller.  Every potential customer and client should know exactly what they are and how they are affected by them. I am going to be posting on both of these topics over the next few weeks.