“Oh! Now I Get It!” As a text messaging neophyte — I’ve only been using it for a few months — I’m still discovering situations and contexts where it’s superior to voice messaging. Like, when you’re standing in line at Tin Fish by Lake Calhoun on a sunny Memorial Day and don’t want to be...Read More
Did the Late Bird Get the Worm?? Although I take issue with some of the math underlying the analysis, there’s no denying that the drop in interest rates since April 30 — thanks to the Eurozone crisis — has at least partially offset the benefit(s) associated with now-expired home buyer tax credits. Missing the tax...Read More
No Discount on This One In a Buyer’s market like today’s, it’s not unusual for gun-shy Sellers to want to “pad” their initial asking price. Their rationale? No matter where they set their initial asking price, aggressive Buyers are simply going to discount further from there. So, why not pick a listing price that “leaves...Read More
“Not a Drive-By” Quick, test your knowledge of Twin Cities real estate, and guess how much the single family home pictured above is listed for: A. $149,000B. $249,000C. $419,900D. $599,900 Give up? Here are three more, very significant clues: 1) the home has been completely remodeled; 2) it’s located in Minneapolis’ tony Kenwood neighborhood (just...Read More
Making the Most of What’s Available A rose is a rose is a rose. –Gertrude Stein Question: When is a chair not a chair?Answer: When it’s a prop. Home stagers view furniture, framed pictures, rugs and various other objets d’art not as things in themselves — but in terms of what they do for the...Read More
Good & Evil at the Same Spot, Days Apart The Northwest corner of Lake Calhoun (pictured on this blog’s masthead, and at right) was the scene of two very different incidents this week. The first one occurred Monday night around 10 p.m., when a gang member was apparently ambushed and killed just off the lake’s...Read More
