Real Estate Measuring Mistakes(?) I’ve previously written about homes I’ve shown as a Buyer’s agent where the square footage was significantly exaggerated. See, “The House That Shrank.” This post is about encountering a mismeasured home as a Listing agent, representing the seller. Background First, a stipulation: it doesn’t happen that often. I’d estimate the 90%...Read More
Ever wonder why — according to Hennepin County tax records — so many properties were built in 1900? No, that wasn’t the peak of a construction boom. The answer: county records don’t go back any further. So, any property built before then is simply coded as “1900.” In practice, it’s possible to guess the structure’s...Read More
“The More Things Change . . . “ Growing up in St. Louis Park’s Fern Hill neighborhood in the early ’70’s, one of the first things you did as a kid was go to the Lincoln Del to grab a treat (my favorite was their apple strudel). When you got a little older — like 16 or...Read More
“Forget about being on [street name], this lovely family home lives out back!” –excerpt, MLS listing How do you market a home on a busy street? Certainly, one tack is to ignore it. The other? Address it head-on, then defuse it by adding some softening context (example above). Of course, the part about the home “living...Read More
Dumpsters and Road Construction As a Realtor who spends a fair amount of time in and around Edina, I’ve got to say that I’ve never seen as much in-process road construction/repair in that city as I’m seeing right now. Annoying, right? Absolutely, if you’re running late and the street you’re on is backed up. It’s also...Read More
Two Scenarios, One Result With the deadline to raise the federal debt ceiling looming, one of two outcomes appears likely: One. “The band-aid” solution (also known as “kicking the can down the road”). Under this scenario, Congress and President Obama reach some cosmetic, convoluted compromise that essentially buys (more) time. Two. The two parties’ philosophical differences...Read More
