Home Maintenance ” Summer Edition Unlike an exceptionally dirty car, no one ever wrote “wash me” on a filthy central a/c unit. But, maybe they should. A clogged a/c grill decreases the unit’s air flow, which makes it run hotter . . . which decreases its life expectancy. Fortunately, the solution is cheap and simple:...Read More
Prospective Home Sellers’ Four Big Sins: Music, Mirrors, and Masking Scents & Paint Like Richard Nixon and Watergate, in real estate, too, “the cover-up is worse than the crime.” In that vein, here are four things that home Sellers misguidedly do to throw Buyers (and their agents) off the, umm . . . scent. One....Read More
Realtor Freudian Slips? I found a Post-it note on the ground in the Edina Realty-City Lakes parking lot the other day that read: “Seller checking on Pending Assess.” I’m pretty sure they meant “Assessment” “ just not 100% sure . . . 🙂 P.S.: Theory #2 — somebody (the listing agent and/or Seller) didn’t like the...Read More
Fast Friends at Lake Bde Maka Ska (Lake Calhoun) About a zillion years ago at The Punchline nightclub in San Francisco, I heard a hilarious bit by (a then unknown) Rob Schneider recounting the various usages of the word “Dude.” As in . . . #1. Greeting (“Dude!”); #2. Approval (“Du-u-u-de!”, upbeat); #3. Disapproval (“d-u-d-e,” in a low tone);...Read More
Flushing Out the Seller’s Bottom Line (or trying to) Listing agents (representing the Seller) know that there are three cards you never show the other side: 1) the client’s bottom-line price; 2) their preferred purchase agreement terms (closing date, down payment, earnest money, inspection contingency, etc.); and 3) their motivation. Which doesn’t mean that Buyers...Read More
Hiding Highlighting Potential Dealbreakers OK, so the listing agent (representing the Seller) didn’t tell prospective Buyers that they may want to skip her client’s “For Sale” Edina home. She told Buyers’ agents. Specifically, the listing agent used an MLS section only visible to Realtors, “Agent Remarks,” to highlight a potential deal breaker: If your clients...Read More
