Bad Deals Only

Seth Williams
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Entrepreneurship

Bad Deals Only is a podcast about bad deals, bad decisions, and the lessons that come from them. We break down real estate deals gone wrong, business mistakes, financial missteps, and everyday decisions that cost more than they should. Each episode dives into why these deals failed, what people missed in the moment, and how to avoid making the same mistakes yourself. This podcast covers real estate investing, business strategy, money management, work culture, negotiation mistakes, and the hidden costs behind decisions that look good on paper. No gurus, no fake success stories, and no pretending hindsight is obvious. If you are interested in real estate, business, entrepreneurship, personal finance, or learning from other people’s expensive mistakes, Bad Deals Only delivers honest conversations, strong opinions, and practical takeaways. New episodes weekly.

  1. Oct 23

    Boston Condo Prices Dropping, Lot Line Disputes & Appraisal Traps | Bad Deals Only Ep. 19

    Boston condos are in a real-time correction, appraisals are getting crushed over square footage, and a fence almost killed a Winthrop closing. In this episode: Mortgage rates back down from 7.57 and why the commercial, HELOC and car rates are the real squeeze The top 5 objections from 200 real buyer and seller calls, analyzed by Claude Condo listings sitting, rents down 20 percent, and new construction vs used condos East Boston math: 70 condos for sale, 3 sold in eight weeks The new standardized appraisal form and why square footage now matters more than bedrooms A condo insurance fix that saved a deal with no mortgage contingency Main event: plot plans, lot lines, town land and a deal that nearly blew up days before closing Live triage on a deck encroachment and a temporary easement Overrated/Underrated: apple picking, Salem in October, fall festivals, gutter guards and waiting for spring to list Next time: should Massachusetts kill adverse possession? Chapters: 00:00 Cold open 02:48 Rates back down from 7.57 04:39 The top 5 objections from 200 sales calls 10:00 What "bad timing" really means 12:41 Is the market actually going down? 14:48 Condo listings sitting and rents down 20 percent 18:22 New construction vs used condos 23:18 Nick's Vocab Word of the Day: panacea 24:14 Moving during a nor'easter 29:13 A turbulent fall market and deal fallout 30:02 Rate lock gaps and a condo insurance fix 33:00 The new standardized appraisal form 41:05 East Boston: 70 for sale, 3 sold 42:23 The "Pick Two" buyer incentive 44:13 Main event: plot plans and lot lines 46:13 The Winthrop lot line dispute 51:58 Live triage: a deck encroachment 1:01:16 Reddit: the dead cow and poop emoji billboard 1:02:31 Fence over the line 1:04:39 Overrated/Underrated 1:11:04 Debate teaser: adverse possession Hosted by Seth Williams (Reference Real Estate, sellinboston.com) and Nick Nardone (real estate and condo attorney). Bad Deals Only is for entertainment only. Nothing in this episode is legal, financial or real estate advice. Talk to your own attorney, lender or agent about your situation.

  2. Sep 27

    Boston Rents Falling, the Fed Rate Hike & Ranking Boston Steakhouses | Bad Deals Only Ep. 18

    Boston rents are falling, the Fed just hiked, and Seth and Nick still found time to blind-rank Boston's top 10 steakhouses. In this episode: Why the Fed rate hike does not set mortgage rates, and why a multi-year temporary buydown beats a price cut 45 active listings, condo rents down 10 to 20 percent, and 2021-2022 buyers now short selling Seth's $20K buyer savings guarantee idea for renters in Boston's luxury buildings Nick's bad deal: a pool heater, a 2,500-brick chimney and a buyer who walked The 8 a.m. showing, a lowball offer, and how buyer agency agreements and commissions really work in Massachusetts Blind-ranking Boston steakhouses, Hawksmoor Seaport, and Underrated vs. Overrated: pumpkin spice, lobster rolls, apple picking, NFL overseas Chapters: 00:00 Cold open: sleep hacks and the Blue Line 10:13 Hawksmoor Seaport and the reserved bar seat problem 19:50 Blind-ranking Boston's top 10 steakhouses 38:04 The Fed rate hike and mortgage rates 40:53 Temporary buydowns vs. price cuts 43:59 45 listings, falling rents and short sales 48:16 Existing home sales hit a new low 51:00 70,000 Massachusetts sales a year and part-time agents 54:26 The $20K buyer savings guarantee 1:01:44 Bad deal: pool heater and 2,500 bricks 1:05:20 The 8 a.m. showing and a lowball offer 1:09:54 Buyer agency agreements and commissions, explained 1:16:04 An off-market sale and "just because it was fast" 1:17:57 Underrated vs. Overrated Hosted by Seth Williams (Reference Real Estate, sellinboston.com) and Nick Nardone (real estate and condo attorney). Bad Deals Only is for entertainment only and is not legal, tax or financial advice. Explicit language.

  3. Sep 23

    Boston Fall Market, a Bounced Commission Check & Notary Fraud | Bad Deals Only Ep. 17

    A post-closing mess, a commission check that bounced out of an attorney's IOLTA account, and how easy it is to fake a notary stamp. In this episode: Why buyer agents should send every seller 20 to 40 questions, even if they never answer Mid-September to mid-November: the best listing window left in the Boston market How a California notary clause can break a Massachusetts closing COVID-era remote closings and how easy notary fraud really is A commission check bounced from an IOLTA account, and what the BBO does next A fried Florida Airbnb AC, the $10K paint protection film upsell, and the 2025 Storrowing count Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:23 A post-closing bad deal we have to clean up 02:05 Why buyer agents should send sellers 20 to 40 questions 06:07 The bait-and-switch broker and why referrals depend on you 10:40 Florida Airbnb guest check-in and a fried AC 13:55 Why we skipped open houses Labor Day weekend 15:13 Boston fall market forecast 19:57 Luxury SUV repair saga and dealership concierge service 23:36 Dealer finance spread and the $10K paint protection film upsell 29:30 California notary clause vs. Massachusetts title standards 30:24 COVID-era remote closings in Massachusetts 32:40 How easy notary fraud is 35:54 A commission check bounced from an IOLTA account 40:50 Storrow Drive bridge strikes: the 2025 count 44:40 A 60-unit Cambridge development sellout 51:10 Listener shoutout and high school soccer Hosted by Seth Williams (Reference Real Estate, sellinboston.com) and Nick Nardone, real estate and condo attorney. This show is for entertainment purposes only and is not legal, tax or financial advice.

  4. Aug 31

    Boston Condo Loan Denials, Fannie Mae's New Rules & a Live Seller Call | Bad Deals Only Ep. 16

    A condo questionnaire killed a loan, then two phone calls brought it back in four hours. Plus a live seller call comes in on air. Boston real estate agent Seth Williams and real estate attorney Nick Nardone get into the August condo lending shakeup that is quietly wrecking Boston deals, a $25,000 re-trade after a clean inspection, and what clean versus dirty 6D really means at the closing table. Then the bat phone rings mid-episode and you get to hear a seller lead handled start to finish. In this episode: The new Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac condo rules: 15 percent reserves and the end of limited review A lender denied the loan over an unanswered questionnaire, and how Nick reversed it in four hours Self-managed associations with no condo fee, no reserves, and no shot at financing an $800,000 buyer A buyer came back for a $25,000 credit five days after giving the all clear The 6D certificate, super liens, and why a dirty 6D is not the emergency everyone treats it as P&S Section 52 and who eats an assessment levied before closing Net versus gross commission, and the closing disclosure nobody reads in time Insurance carriers auditing roofs by drone and canceling policies after the fact A live on-air seller call from an out-of-state owner selling a Jeffries Point single family Overrated or underrated: Labor Day open houses, balcony grills, suspiciously low condo fees, and listing into the fall market Chapters: 00:00 Cold open: Nick has never eaten an Italian sub 13:38 How to actually grill wings, low and slow 28:00 Deal flow: a real Euro August slowdown 30:16 The $25,000 re-trade after a clean inspection 35:33 Two adjacent Chelsea four-families and the tear-down math 41:34 Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac: 15 percent reserves, no more limited review 46:05 A condo questionnaire denied the loan, then two phone calls fixed it 50:37 Why the agent has to be the mouthpiece or get cut out 55:53 The 6D certificate, super liens, and estoppel 59:39 Clean 6D versus dirty 6D at the closing table 66:25 Commission statements, net versus gross, and the CD nobody reads 71:41 Insurance carriers auditing roofs by drone 73:57 A live seller call, on air, from Kentucky 87:50 Speed to lead and tracked phone numbers 90:50 Overrated or underrated, Labor Day edition 98:22 Condo due diligence before you write the offer 100:38 Listing after Labor Day and the fall market 102:08 Over/under: trucks getting Storrowed on September 1 Seth Williams runs Reference Real Estate out of East Boston, a team of 14 agents on pace for over 200 sales this year. Buying or selling anywhere from Winthrop to the South Shore, start at sellinboston.com. Nick Nardone is a Massachusetts real estate and condo attorney who spends his week closing deals and untangling other people's paperwork. Bad Deals Only is made for entertainment. Nothing here is legal, tax, or financial advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created by listening. Talk to your own attorney and lender about your specific deal. Explicit language throughout.

  5. Aug 19

    Boston Housing Market Cools, Open Permits Kill a Deal & Broker Fee Ban | Bad Deals Only Ep. 15

    Boston finally got a real August: pending sales down 13%, inventory way up, rates back at 6.7%, and a move-in ready house that could not sell but rented in a day at the same payment. In this episode: The market check: pending sales down 13%, inventory above the last two years, and buyers who suddenly are not in a rush Mortgage rates back at 6.7% and why 6.25% is the number that unlocks the fall The listing that sat for months, went up for rent, and was instantly flooded with applications at the same $4,000 a month Seth's own purchase going sideways: a roof stain everyone called old, until it rained twice Why Seth now sends a full seller's disclosure to the buyer before the home inspection Home inspection reports that read like the house could fall down tomorrow or stand another hundred years A closing blown up by open ISD permits and a tenant estoppel the seller claimed to know nothing about Paragraph 10 extensions, rate lock fees, and who is actually on the hook The Salem sump pump permit war, and why some agents stopped doing seller's disclosures entirely A South Boston fence a broker swore was common area, and what happens when it is not One year of the Massachusetts renter-paid broker fee ban, and the open-listing loophole still charging tenants a full month Overrated / Underrated: the school district premium, back to school shopping, Plymouth County, and living off campus Plus: writing an offer straight out of anesthesia, spatchcock chicken on a hard-lined grill, and things you only see on Revere Beach Chapters: 00:00 Why listen to two guys who do this much volume 07:26 Surgery, private-pay insurance and the HSA play 14:20 Writing an offer straight out of anesthesia 18:30 Pending sales down 13%, inventory way up 19:39 Rates back at 6.7% and what that does to buyers 20:23 The house that would not sell but rented in a day 22:23 Do buyers have commitment issues now 24:55 Home inspection reports are 40 pages of disclaimers 26:22 Seth's own roof leak, found at the final walkthrough 29:03 Full seller's disclosure before the home inspection 32:48 Overrated / Underrated: the 80 year old Maytag gas dryer 43:35 Things I see on Revere Beach 55:51 Bad deal: open ISD permits and a tenant estoppel 57:05 Paragraph 10 extensions and who pays the rate lock 59:43 The Salem sump pump permit war 64:57 The fence a broker swore was common area 67:02 One year of the Massachusetts renter-paid broker fee ban 72:48 Overrated / Underrated: the school district premium 78:01 Plymouth County 79:37 On campus vs off campus, story time Hosts: Seth Williams, owner of Reference Real Estate in Boston (sellinboston.com), and Nick Nardone, Massachusetts real estate and condo attorney. Bad Deals Only is for entertainment purposes only and is not legal, financial, or real estate advice. Talk to your own attorney or agent about your specific situation.

  6. Aug 4

    Boston Condo Buyer's Market, Selling My Own House & Appraisal Traps | Bad Deals Only Ep. 14

    Boston just tipped into a condo buyer's market, and this week Seth put his own house on the market to prove a point. In Episode 14, Boston real estate agent Seth Williams and real estate attorney Nick Nardone break down what a buyer's market actually looks like on the ground in Boston, why "it's my house" pulled real buyers out of the woodwork, and the appraisal contingency that is quietly hiding inside every mortgage contingency. In this episode: Why Boston condos have tipped into a full-blown buyer's market, price band by price band Selling my own house: closing stress and why Seth broke his rule about representing himself How a listing video that said "it's my house" produced three seller appointments and real buyer inquiries Buying another off-market four-unit with a private-money rehab loan and a residential refi Mortgage rates moving the wrong way, plus a 5.375% seven-year ARM Attorney hot seat: who pays for a condo gas leak, the association or the unit owner? The appraisal contingency hiding inside your mortgage contingency, and how to write LTV into an offer Overrated or underrated: use-and-occupancy agreements, extended-coverage title insurance, and Qualia Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:44 Seth's hernia surgery saga 08:40 Seth's ruptured appendix and a 20-year cover-up 10:48 Selling my own house and breaking the self-representation rule 14:00 Why "it's my house" brought buyers out of the woodwork 18:50 Buying another off-market four-unit 21:35 Mortgage rates turn the wrong way 25:50 The Fed, fear-mongering, and reading the market yourself 28:00 $189M for Boston school busing 34:20 Hot take: Boston condos are a buyer's market 41:15 Attorney hot seat: who pays for a condo gas leak? 46:20 The appraisal contingency inside your mortgage contingency 56:44 Put it in the offer: controlling the deal 73:00 Overrated or underrated: use and occupancy, title insurance, Qualia 76:49 Wrap Hosted by Seth Williams, a Boston real estate agent and owner of Reference Real Estate, and Nick Nardone, a Massachusetts real estate and condo attorney. Work with Seth and the team at sellinboston.com. Bad Deals Only is for entertainment purposes only and is not legal, financial, or real estate advice. Consult a licensed professional before making any real estate decision.

  7. Jul 16

    A Truck Gets Storrowed, $54K Deposits Vanish & the Condo Dumpster Fire | Bad Deals Only Ep. 13

    A truck gets Storrowed live on Storrow Drive, a car goes up in flames on the Zakim, buyers walk away from $50K deposits, and the Massachusetts condo market gets called a hot dumpster fire. No producer, no filter. Seth Williams and real estate attorney Nick Nardone go it alone this week (RIP Producer Nick) for a very Boston episode of moving-day carnage, dead deals, and Reddit's worst landlord horror stories, with a real Massachusetts inventory update in the middle of it all. In this episode: A moving truck gets Storrowed in real time, plus a car fully engulfed on the Zakim bridge Massachusetts single-family inventory update and why the condo market is a hot dumpster fire Friday price drops are putting buyers under agreement fast How commission-rule changes broke rental representation, and why rents still aren't dropping The watermarked 6(d) certificate that blew up a closing, and the Uber Courier document hack Buyers torching $50K to $54K deposits by walking at the closing table Reddit bad deals: a phantom in-ground pool, an HOA vs. a court order, and dues spent on board members' lawns Overrated or underrated: July 4th weekend, lakes vs. ocean, snakes, and men's skincare The 3A multifamily overlay fight and what "paper compliance" really means Chapters: 00:00 Cold open - RIP Producer Nick (now powered by Claude) 01:27 Scouting the competition with agent sale-to-list data 03:37 Seth's annual Bank of America pilgrimage 05:56 A moving truck gets Storrowed on Storrow Drive 10:54 A car engulfed in flames on the Zakim bridge 15:20 Friday price drops put four buyers under agreement 16:54 Massachusetts single-family inventory update 18:31 Why the condo market is a hot dumpster fire 19:48 The rent-control ballot measure gets denied 20:59 Why rents aren't dropping and the mom-and-pop squeeze 23:32 How commission-rule changes broke rental representation 30:53 The watermarked 6(d) that blew up a closing 33:37 Uber Courier: the document-delivery power move 36:41 Reddit bad deal: tenants "installed" an in-ground pool 39:15 Does an HOA trump a court order? 40:59 Are condo rules and regs actually enforceable? 45:37 Live fire: a buyer submarines his own condo deal 51:00 Walking away from $50K to $54K deposits 57:58 HOA spends 90% of dues on board members' lawns 58:31 Overrated or underrated: July 4th weekend 61:36 Lakes vs. ocean and a 53-foot tide 66:56 Snake stories: Snake Bay, pythons in the walls, Costa Rica 73:48 The 3A multifamily overlay and "paper compliance" 80:22 Thigh tans, no sunscreen, and men's skincare 82:53 July 4th boat-day provisions and the meat market Hosts: Seth Williams of Reference Real Estate and real estate attorney Nick Nardone. Buying, selling, or investing around Greater Boston? Reach Seth and the Reference Real Estate team at sellinboston.com. Bad Deals Only is a comedy podcast for entertainment purposes only. Nothing in this episode is legal, financial, tax, or real estate advice. Consult a licensed professional before making any real estate or financial decision.

  8. Jun 23

    Boston's Brutal Summer Real Estate Market & Selling My Own House | Bad Deals Only Ep. 12

    The Boston summer real estate market is cooling off, and the deals that are still happening are brutal. In Episode 12 of Bad Deals Only, Seth Williams and Nick Nardone break down why every transaction feels like a fight right now, why everyone (buyers, sellers, agents, and honestly Seth too) is being so difficult this time of year, and what a summer slowdown really means if you are trying to buy or sell in and around Boston. Seth also gets into the chaos of buying AND selling his own personal home while running deals for everyone else, and the guys close it out with a Father's Day edition of Overrated vs. Underrated (is Cape Cod actually overrated? you decide). What we get into: Why the Boston summer market is slowing and what it means for buyers and sellers The hard fought, brutal deals happening right now Why everyone feels so difficult this time of year Seth buying and selling his own house at the same time Overrated vs. Underrated: Cape Cod, Father's Day, and more Bad Deals Only is the no filter real estate podcast from Reference Real Estate. Real agents, real deals, real chaos, in and around Boston. Watch the full episode on YouTube, and find more at sellinboston.com.

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About

Bad Deals Only is a podcast about bad deals, bad decisions, and the lessons that come from them. We break down real estate deals gone wrong, business mistakes, financial missteps, and everyday decisions that cost more than they should. Each episode dives into why these deals failed, what people missed in the moment, and how to avoid making the same mistakes yourself. This podcast covers real estate investing, business strategy, money management, work culture, negotiation mistakes, and the hidden costs behind decisions that look good on paper. No gurus, no fake success stories, and no pretending hindsight is obvious. If you are interested in real estate, business, entrepreneurship, personal finance, or learning from other people’s expensive mistakes, Bad Deals Only delivers honest conversations, strong opinions, and practical takeaways. New episodes weekly.

Information

  • Creator
    Seth Williams
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    18
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Bad Deals Only