Fern Hill Colonial Featured in NY Times Real Estate Section
It’s always a shock to read a national publication and see a home you recognize — in this case, one that I’ve shown multiple clients 
and is literally less than a block from where I live (by Minneapolis’ Cedar Lake).
As you’d expect, the home photographs and shows beautifully: it boasts gorgeous walnut parquet floors, an updated Kitchen with stainless appliances, and a stunning Sun Room (above) with a wood-burning Fireplace and two (!) walls of windows.
As is often the case with real estate marketing, though, what the NYT article omits is as (if not more) important than what’s said.
Achilles Heel(s)
So, while the home has four Bedrooms upstairs — a big draw for families — there is only one hall Bath (no private Bath in the Master Bedroom).
Other negatives:
–The home is on a very busy street;
–The Contemporary interior doesn’t go with the Colonial exterior (the NYT article spins the interior style as “surprising”);
–The driveway, (detached) garage, and concrete patio cannibalize much of the backyard — another negative for family Buyers with young kids.
Sitting in a Seller’s Market (& Hot Neighborhood)
Perhaps the biggest impediment of all?
The too-high asking price.
Which — at least to this plugged-in, local Realtor — appears to have been based at least in part on the even more overpriced Colonial just up the street.
(Pricing Rule #1: never price off of “Actives,” only recent “Sold’s”. See, “Why the Neighbor’s House Usually Isn’t a Comp.”)
Mix together all of the above, and you get a gorgeous home that’s been sitting on the market all Summer — another tidbit omitted from the NYT article (the Colonial up the street has been sitting even longer, since last February).
