All in a Day (and Night’s) Work Ok, so there are plenty of times I wouldn’t have taken the call. Or, would have unplugged my phone, and not known about it until the next morning. But, since I’d left the other agent a voicemail regarding my client’s question around dinner time, I felt it was...Read More
Is the Buyer Short of Cash? Not Committed to Deal? [Editor’s Note: The views expressed here are solely those of Ross Kaplan, and do not represent Edina Realty, Berkshire Hathaway, or any other entity referenced. If you need legal advice, please consult an attorney.] Normally in Minnesota, the Buyer’s earnest money is due to the...Read More
Why Residential Realtors Don’t Sell Shopping Centers or Warehouses According to Realtors’ Code of Ethics, agents who provide specialized professional services concerning a type of property or service outside their field of competence have two choices: 1) they can disclose their lack of competence or expertise; or 2) they can engage the assistance of one...Read More
Five-Step Checklist One of the last steps before closing — in fact, sometimes done on the way to closing* — is the Buyer’s walk-thru. To my mind, at least, the Buyer’s walk-thru has these five goals: One. Determine that there’s been no change in the home’s condition since the Inspection Contingency was removed. What can...Read More
Dangerous Default Language (at least for Buyers) Up until last August, Minnesota home buyers who discovered inspection issues that required negotiation with their Seller were safe. If they proposed an Amendment reducing the sales price say, $1,500 as a result, and the Seller said “no,” the deal automatically cancelled at the end of the agreed-upon inspection period....Read More
Hitting Too Close to Home When you discover 1″ of standing water in much of your basement (as I did this morning), your first impulse — after uttering the obligatory “#$!%@!” — is to shut off the water to the house, then look for whatever pipe burst overnight. Nada. I then checked the main sewer...Read More
