“A billion here and a billion there, and pretty soon you’re talking real money.” —Everett Dirksen

A short while ago, a bunch of states announced, to much fanfare, how they had negotiated a multibillion settlement with all those evil banks accused of screwing up foreclosure cases. The money, the government officials vowed, would go to those harmed by the banking-system process.

But guess what? Many of the states took the dough and are spending it on other government programs. The entire settlement, at least for some states, was simply a way to raise more money. Officials won’t use the words “scam’ or “extortion” or other loaded phrases. But that’s what it comes down to in the end, right?

Think of this the next time a bunch of state attorneys general, or other state officials, announce some major industry settlement, whether it’s with banks, or tobacco companies, or baby-toy makers. More than likely, it’ll just be a legalized extortion scheme disguising what it truly is: A tax increase.

File under: Fraud

Ford Realty is looking for a few good people to join us in our re-opened office at 151 Tremont Street, facing the Boston Common.

We are already established in downtown Boston as one of the most-successful agencies in town. We’ve been on Charles Street for years and are now expanding to Midtown. If you’re up to the challenge, we’d love to hear from you.

Email us at jkbostonrealty@gmail.com or call (617) 482-0010.

Details below.

Ford Realty is a leader in the downtown Boston condominium sales and apartment rental businesses. We are looking for real estate agents to join our office located on Tremont Street across from the Boston Common. Agents will be responsible for both sales and rentals.

Our office gets lots of foot traffic walking by our highly-visible storefront windows. We’re located in the same block as the Ritz Carlton Towers, Grandview, Parkside, and Tremont-on-the-Common condominium projects and around the corner from 45 Province. The W Boston Residences, Ritz Carlton Towers, and Heritage on the Garden are all nearby.

The ideal candidate will be a hardworking, honest, and motivated self-starter with a positive attitude, great people skills, and a strong desire to succeed.

Looking for full-time agents, only. Experienced agents are preferred but new agents are welcomed to apply.

Career requirements are:

1) Licensed Massachusetts real estate salesperson’s license (or, in class)
2) Car
3) Cellphone
4) Knowledge of Boston’s neighborhoods and its history
5) Tech savvy

We offer you:

1) Leads from our highly-successful, well-placed websites (page 1 of Google for “boston condos” and “boston real estate”, among others)
2) No desk fees
3) No franchise fees – independently owned
4) Commission-based salary
5) Company paid business cards, advertising, marketing, signs, and errors & omissions insurance

Contact us by phone at 617-482-0010 or by email at jkbostonrealty@gmail.com

Bar none, this is our favorite ugliest home. Maybe it was used in a PeeWee Herman movie? It can’t be real. It can’t be. More listings here.

File under: Luxury homes

“Buy land, they’re not making it anymore.” – Mark Twain

“Money’s only important when you don’t have any.” — Sting

You gotta love a blog post with the double-truck headline: ‘AND NOW YOU KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT WALL STREET: It’s Just Kids Playing With Dynamite.’

Of course, the post is about JPMorgan’s disastrous loss of $2 billion on some imbecilic bet trade. They’ve learned nothing from 2008. The question isn’t if we’ll have to bail them out one day again, but rather when we’ll have to bail them out again one day.

You knew it couldn’t last. So many recent development proposals. So few protracted fights. It just didn’t seem like Boston.

But the record non-fight streak looks like it’s coming to an end. The city is now asking the proposed developer of the old Home for Little Wanderers in Jamaica Plain to hold off on demolishing the structure and see if the building can’t be incorporated into a $75 million, 200-unit apartment project. The developer says it can’t be done.

Ah, it’s like old times.

Single-family home sales increased by 35.6 percent in April, while condo sales shot up by 30.9 percent, according to the Massachusetts Association of Realtors.

Note: The association counts pending sales, not closed deals, which is how other groups measure sales.

Still, the trend is clear that the housing market is improving quite a bit in Massachusetts. No prices were available. But it’s obvious buyers and sellers are finally reaching accommodations with each other — which they haven’t been doing in the past.

File under: Good news

Another piece of evidence that the housing market is recovering, although slowly: Teardowns of old Capes, Colonials and ranch homes are on the rise within some towns.

First, bidding wars for multi-family homes, now teardowns.

Make of it what you will.