“Bring Back the Pony Express?!?” First there was “slow food” — a reaction to today’s fast-food culture, it’s an actual organization (founded in 1986) that now has chapters in every state and dozens of countries. Next came slow travel, slow schools, slow living, slow books — indeed, an entire slow movement. So, in a world...Read More
Cheaper More Expensive By the Dozen Usually, the more of something you have to sell, the cheaper it is. That’s just basic, “supply-and-demand” — Economics 101. So, when is that not the case? When it comes to rental properties in today’s housing market. Buyer’s vs. Seller’s Markets Currently, there is a huge disconnect between what duplexes and...Read More
Diamond Lake (#3) vs. Linden Hills (#24) Imagine picking the top Twin Cities restaurants based on which ones were the most affordable, or had the shortest lines. In a nutshell, that’s my reaction to the cover story in the September issue of Twin Cities Metro Magazine, titled “30 Best Neighborhoods: the Twin Cities’ most livable destinations.” It’s All...Read More
First Houses, Now Gold? What’s the best way to make an asset class appreciate? A. Increase its intrinsic value B. Limit supply C. Increase its liquidity D. Stimulate demand Answer: C. (credit also given for “D.”). Buried in a Wall Street Journal article last week (the good stuff always is) was this nugget: Whenever an asset gets...Read More
Padded List Prices What do you do if you’re a Seller in a Buyer’s market who’s worried about lowball offers? At least a few succumb to the temptation to pad their asking (“list”) price. Their logic? The higher their initial price, “the more room they have to negotiate.” Flawed Logic Well, yes. But that presumes...Read More
Back to School 2011 I don’t have the foggiest idea how to bring peace to the Middle East, but I’m happy to announce that I have found the solution to peace in the middle seat (apologies to Gilda Radner and her Emily Litella character). That would be the middle seat in the back row of my car, which...Read More
