Make That “Lower Level” Some Realtors (and their clients) go nuts over things like built-in buffets, custom mill work, or gorgeous hardwood floors. Personally, I’m a sucker for a spacious, clean-as-a-whistle basement. Like the one in this South Minneapolis home, pictured above. P.S.: It appears that the owner has spray-painted the ceiling, a smart and...Read More
“Sold, Subject to Inspection” Yes, multiple offers — at least in some neighborhoods and price points — are making a comeback in the Twin Cities housing market today. And yes, at least some would-be Buyers are skeptical that there really is competition for the home they’re interested in. Unfortunately, I only really know one, absolutely...Read More
Any Port Name-Brand Restaurant in a Storm I can’t prove it, but I’ve got a hunch that a big slice of McDonald’s’ customers are more than 100 miles away from home. Like us, over the weekend. McDonald’s . . . On the Road Traveling to (kind of) Northern Minnesota to visits friends at their cabin,...Read More
Of Apples and Houses One of the trickier concepts in residential real estate — especially for first-time home buyers — is seller-paid points. Think of it like this: if you buy an apple from me, is there a difference between paying me 97¢, or paying $1 and getting back 3¢? Not to me — either way,...Read More
Excel 2003 — or Excel 2012? Maybe the “amen” I heard was just in my head, but I know that that’s what practically every other Realtor in the room was at least thinking when a colleague uttered the line above (at the weekly Exceptional Properties meeting). In fact, at least for some of us Realtors these...Read More
How Big a Premium? Do famous homes fetch a premium? In the Twin Cities, it’s hard to know — there aren’t that many of them. However — at least to Baby Boomer fans of The Mary Tyler Moore Show — there are few more iconic homes than the one (pictured above) on Kenwood Parkway, just north...Read More
