Avoiding “The Bowling Alley” Effect First, a caveat: unless there’s also a detached garage in the back of the house (typically, off an alley), converting a one-car garage into something else is a non-starter. That’s because going from a one-car garage to a no-car garage is guaranteed to destroy much more value than it creates....Read More
Look closely and you’ll see not one but two trunks at the base of this tree, about 1/2 mile west of Minneapolis’ Cedar Lake in St. Louis Park’s Fern Hill neighborhood. The tree ” make that tree(s) ” command a key intersection, which give passing motorists (and pedestrians) a treat this time of year. P.S.: a...Read More
A River Runs Through It (Diagonally) Quick! Test your knowledge of Minneapolis’ quirky geography (or at least, quirky neighborhood names), and see if you know which of the following are real terms, used by the locals . . . and which aren’t: A. “North Minneapolis” B. “South Minneapolis” C. “West Minneapolis” D. “East Minneapolis” E....Read More
Ironically, the better Realtors get at helping clients buy and sell real estate . . . the worse they can get at certain related tasks. Here are three areas where it’s easy for agents to let their skills atrophy ” or never acquire expertise in the first place: One. Market reports/updates. Show me a listing...Read More
But First . . . a Brief History Lesson I don’t know about other states ” I’m only licensed to sell real estate in Minnesota ” but here, residential property taxes are due twice a year: May 15 and October 15. Those non-randomly chosen dates stretch back to when Minnesota’s economy ” like practically every...Read More
Berkshire Hathaway 2020 (Virtual) Annual Meeting [Note to Readers: The views expressed here are solely those of Ross Kaplan, and do not represent Edina Realty, Berkshire Hathaway (“Berkshire”), or any other entity referenced. Edina Realty is a subsidiary of Berkshire.] Perhaps the biggest news from Berkshire Hathaway’s (online) annual meeting yesterday was Warren Buffett’s bearish...Read More
