Tchotchke, pronounced chach-ke. It’s an appropriate time of year to contemplate the economic impact of the gifts we buy for the person who needs nothing. One of my favorite blogs – DemoMemo invented a Tchotchke Index. I love this blog, because, as we all know – Figures don’t lie, but liars can figure! You won’t believe the studies that have been done and conclusions drawn from them. Check it out- DemoMemo. First -consider what defines a tchotchke. Some say a decorative item for the home. Some say cheap and tacky items displayed in the home. Bauble, bric-a-brac, curio, trinket, knickknack. No matter what you call them, we all have them, we’ve all received them, we’ve all given them. But did you ever imagine that the economic health of our country could be gauged by how much we spend annually on tchotchkes? Self-storage facilities might also be an indicator of our love of trinkets. The assumption is that when we feel economically solid, we spend more on fluff decor. DemoMemo claims that the index peaked in 2000 and fell to it’s low in 2003. The good news is that 2014 spending on useless bric-a-brac shows cautious optimism. We’re up from 2013, but less than 2012. So, if you’re feeling comfortable in the wallet – purchase a purely non-essential bauble and feel at peace with the universe.
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Tchotchke, pronounced chach-ke. It’s an appropriate time of year to contemplate the economic impact of the gifts we buy for the person who needs nothing. One of my favorite blogs – DemoMemo invented a Tchotchke Index. I love this blog, because, as we all know – Figures don’t lie, but liars can figure! You won’t believe the studies that have been done and conclusions drawn from them. Check it out- DemoMemo. First -consider what defines a tchotchke. Some say a decorative item for the home. Some say cheap and tacky items displayed in the home. Bauble, bric-a-brac, curio, trinket, knickknack. No matter what you call them, we all have them, we’ve all received them, we’ve all given them. But did you ever imagine that the economic health of our country could be gauged by how much we spend annually on tchotchkes? Self-storage facilities might also be an indicator of our love of trinkets. The assumption is that when we feel economically solid, we spend more on fluff decor. DemoMemo claims that the index peaked in 2000 and fell to it’s low in 2003. The good news is that 2014 spending on useless bric-a-brac shows cautious optimism. We’re up from 2013, but less than 2012. So, if you’re feeling comfortable in the wallet – purchase a purely non-essential bauble and feel at peace with the universe.Remember the nursery rhyme –
There was a crooked man, and he walked a crooked mile,
He found a crooked sixpence against a crooked stile;
He bought a crooked cat which caught a crooked mouse,
And they all lived together in a little crooked house.
That’s what this category of Bad MLS photos reminds me of. There’s something about our amateur photo-taking abilities that results in crooked photos. Take note when you look at your photos – we tilt to the right or the left. Some of us tilt more than others!
There are sites that allow you to straighten the photo, lighten or darken OR you can hire a professional photographer to do listing photos. But here’s some examples of agents/sellers who “did it my way” and their crooked results.
Warning – If you are prone to vertigo, this may bring on an episode!
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