Neighborhood Expertise — and Lack Thereof

Want a sure sign that a Realtor doesn’t sell much by the City Lakes?

They refer to “Lake Calhoun” as “Calhoun Lake” in their marketing materials.

Fish (er, Realtor) Out of Water

It may be forgivable to confuse Forest Lake (the city 40 miles north of the Twin Cities) with Lake Forest (the St. Louis Park neighborhood just west of Cedar Lake and north of Fern Hill).

But getting “Lake Calhoun” (pictured above) wrong is pretty glaring — just imagine someone calling it “Minnetonka Lake,” or “Superior Lake.”

In turn, a Realtor who doesn’t know the local landmarks is often a sign that the home owner hired a family friend or relative, opting for a personal connection over local expertise.

P.S.: If instead it’s just a typo — it’s a big one.

About the author

Ross Kaplan has 19+ years experience selling real estate all over the Twin Cities. He is also a 12-time consecutive "Super Real Estate Agent," as determined by Mpls. - St. Paul Magazine and Twin Cities Business Magazine. Prior to becoming a Realtor, Ross was an attorney (corporate law), CPA, and entrepreneur. He holds an economics degree from Stanford.

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