Quick! Find the Solar Tube (in the Photo above) From an energy and maintenance point of view, the perfect home is probably a cave: only one opening, deep underground or in the side of a mountain. But most people don’t want to live that way. So, modern homes have lots of (energy-leaking) doors and windows...Read More
The Business Card Test Well, the really bad ones . . . are dead.” –Master electrician, explaining how consumers can tell the difference(s) between electricians. Fortunately, being bad at real estate sales isn’t life-threatening. Subpar Realtors simply tend not to make a living at it, and drop out. Perhaps that’s why something like 90% of...Read More
I’ve got a hunch how — at least in some people’s minds — “tray” ceiling became “trey”: “très” is French for “very” (as in “very beautiful”). From there, it’s just a small step (and single letter) to “trey.” Of course, that’s also how the word sounds phonetically. However, the correct adjective for a recessed ceiling...Read More
Easier Sell in Summer? The problem with tuckunder garages is what’s “over” the “under”: usually, a bedroom. If that bedroom happens to have hardwood floors, and it’s Minnesota in the winter . . . it can be unpleasantly cold. The two other problems with tuck under garages: 1) they tend to be single stall; and...Read More
Bonus Question: What Exactly is “Square” About It? It would certainly be logical to guess that an “American Foursquare” home is, well . . . square (its foundation, at least). Nope — they’re usually rectangular. Specifically, the typical profile is slightly narrower on the sides, and deeper front-to-back. That shape better fits standard city lots...Read More
“City Lakes Real Estate Blog” Tops the List (Google’s) So, how do you get to be the best Realtor blog in America? Start with a daily post featuring a topical bit of real estate-related news or analysis (usually). Then, write 6-8 more such pieces the same week. Finally — and here’s the hard part —...Read More
