I cannot brag about this because I guessed on 4 of the questions- I had an 80%. And these were complete quesses - I couldn't even narrow the choices down.

The problem with RE is that it's become a huge business. With the technology & customer demands, the price tag goes up. The BROKERS will not budge because they like their huge profits. The set up has been around for ages. The big companies just got bigger & they have expenses. The agents are powerless. They take what the "pimp" gives them. A mom & pop RE agency can charge less than a large RE office. Other than brand name, I don't see what a large RE company does better. I would think that the bigger the office, the more inpersonal it is. It is not difficult to sell your house. Anybody with half of a brain can do it. The question is whether YOU want to be bothered with the stress that comes with dealing with buyers. It's a lot of work to sell it. The contingencies are a pain to deal with. How much is that worth to the sellers? Is it 6%, 4%, 3%? Sounds as though you've had some bad experience in RE. I haven't found agents unwilling to budge. There is a lot of middle ground between a big office and mom & pop. Good agents have a lot of power, without them the broker has no income. Good agents keep most of their commission split, so they can negotiate. Good agents work in large and small offices, I hire the agent not the office or company name. I see the price (commission %)going down with all the new technology and competition, as housing prices go up. I always negotiate commission, but I first work to make my property easy to market and make it clear that I will do my part to sell the property. This way the agent feels comfortable with a lower commission upfront. If I get a much lower offer (I shouldn't because I price well) that the agent suggests I work with, I may then ask for further concession on the agent's part. This is all a business transaction and partnership with my agent, I know we both have the same goal and work together to meet that goal. In the end we both win. Interview several agents, negotiating with them to learn the going rate in your area, you will soon know what a good agent will accept.

Alternate Work Schedules (AWS). Normally, the work day is 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, to total 40 hours worked. But with AWS, some folks work what's called a 9-8-80, and some work a 4-10-40. With a 9-8-80 schedule, the hours are combined over a two-week period. You can choose any day of the week as your "alternate day off," but most folks choose either Friday or Monday. With the Friday 9-8-80, you work 9 hours a day Monday through Thursday. On Friday, you work 8 hours. The next week, you work 9 hours a day Monday through Thursday, and you are off on Friday. With a 4-10-40 schedule, you again can choose which day of the week you want to take off, and then you work 10 hours a day on the other 4 days. With both of those AWSs you take the same day off each time. You can't, for example, work a 4-10-40 one week with Friday off and the next week take Monday off.

Wow! Yay me and Terilyn! Sure glad the answer was 'compliments' and not 'insults'! For today's question, I have to agree with janey_alabama, it is paper with news printed on it, that makes sense. (So it's probably wrong) Or maybe because it's printed on new (as opposed to used) paper. Rusty