Post-Deal Hurdles Every day you see one more card You take it on faith, you take it to the heart The waiting is the hardest part –“The Waiting“; Tom Petty, lyrics Buyers have certainly been known to wait — sometimes for years — for the right house. At least to Realtors, however, it is Sellers...Read More
“A” for Honesty freeze damage to plumbing and boiler heat systems! –excerpt, new MLS listing Normally, you associate exclamation marks in real estate marketing with superlatives. Such as: “Gorgeous new Kitchen!” “Amazing lot and setting!” “Beautiful built-in’s and mill work!” So, “freeze damage to plumbing and boiler heat systems!” comes across as a bit ....Read More
Penny Wise Foolish, Pound Foolish, or, “Minnesota Not-Nice” When it comes to real estate transactions, graciousness begets graciousness, and pettiness begets . . . lack of graciousness. In the vast majority of deals, whatever tensions may have accompanied the negotiations are long forgotten, clearing the way for a warm and amicable closing. Which is only natural: ...Read More
Identifying with the Home You Sell Great House = Great Agent. Gross Listing = Gross Agent –Matt Loskota, City Lakes Office Manager Reason #34 not to take an overpriced, under-prepped listing: it reflects on you. Badly. Not only do prospective Buyers associate you with the home’s underwhelming appeal, but inexorably, over time . . ....Read More
Shopping for a New (Leased) Car It dawned on me the other week at a showing: me, Mr. Client, and Mrs. Client all arrived in our own cars, coming from 3 different locations — and 45 minutes later left in 3 separate cars, heading 3 different places. Energy-efficient or not, that’s how busy Buyers (and...Read More
Three Reasons (#3. “The Larry Summers Factor”) [Editor’s Note: see “Changing Realtor Demographics” for more on this subject.] Scan the headlines, and it’s apparent that women are making steady inroads in corporate boardrooms, academe, and formerly “male” professions like law and accounting. So, where are more men showing up? In real estate. It’s only an anecdotal observation, but here...Read More
