(More) Realtor Euphemisms Realtors will seldom come right out and say that a property they’re representing is overpriced. Instead, what you will privately hear from the listing agent (like I did yesterday in Kenwood) is, “The Seller priced the listing.” That’s invariably followed by, “make an offer (any offer).” For more real estate euphemisms, see “Real...Read More
OK, so I have no idea if the charging station — at the BP gas station just northwest of Minneapolis’ Lake Calhoun — is the first such station in the Twin Cities. But, it’s the first one I’m aware of — and I’m pretty sure it wasn’t there even a month ago. Here’s hoping that there...Read More
2005 vs. 2012 Once upon a time, when the housing market was overheated — like 2005 — a home that needed $100k in updates might be discounted only $50k -$75k. Today? The same home might easily be discounted twice the projected updating cost, or $200k or more. Why the shift? Explanation I see two main...Read More
Sellers Competing Against Themselves: Exhibit A I’ve certainly seen plenty of listed homes that seem to be stuck in a time warp: seasons come and go, Presidential administrations change — and yet the list price stays the same. And then there’s this house in St. Paul’s Highland Park neighborhood. Since debuting on the market scarcely...Read More
Vanishing Breed: The Part-Time Realtor After four(?) years using the same desktop PC in my home office, I’m finally ready to upgrade. Inspired by the Steve Jobs biography (I just finished reading it), and reasonably happy* with my iPhone (I started using one 3 weeks ago), I’ve resolved to get an Apple. So I went to my local...Read More
Plight of “The Kind-of-Dated House” The good is the enemy of the great. –Voltaire When it comes to enticing Buyers, “all new” is good (assuming it’s well-done). “Hopelessly dated” isn’t so good, but when that’s the case, at least it’s usually apparent to everyone (including the owner) — and priced accordingly. Which leaves the big,...Read More
