Long Live the (Hypertext) Link! If you write, I dunno . . a couple thousand words a month (a week?) on your blog, you’re naturally attuned to subtle shifts in the style and usage of the English language. Like . . . no one underlines anymore, because it’s confused for a hypertext link. See what I mean? What does...Read More
Ahhh, So THAT’s What They Are If you’re joining the story “already in progress,” as it were, here’s what you missed: Goldman Sachs exec Greg Smith — heretofore officially referred to by Goldman defenders as “‘junior’ Goldman Sachs executive Greg Smith,” “peon” Greg Smith, or the like — resigned in a blaze of glory on the Op-Ed...Read More
Housing Market’s “Babysitters” I have the names of over 500 contractors in my contact manager (no, I don’t use a Rolodex anymore; I doubt anyone under 25 even knows what they are). My database includes not just inspectors, lenders, and handymen, but also painters, carpenters, electricians, roofers, masons, odor remediators (by far the best: Dave Polley,...Read More
“I’m (Very Close to) #1!” “I’m (Very Close to) #1” What are the top Twin Cities real estate blogs as of mid-March, 2012? It depends which search engine(s) you use. Here’s how the majors tally up the hits: Google: 1. Twin Cities Real Estate Blog 2. City Lakes Real Estate Blog 3. St. Paul Real Estate Blog Bing:...Read More
“Make an Offer! Please!” For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. –Newton’s third law I don’t know about physics, but then I suppose Newton didn’t know about real estate. In real estate, the equivalent to Buyers’ agents who verbally probe for, shall we say, Seller “price flexibility,” are listing agents who troll for showings and offers by intimating...Read More
Supportive — and Unsupportive — Comp’s In appraiser (and Realtor) lingo, a “supportive” Comp (“Comparable Sold Property”) is one that substantiates the value of the subject property, i.e., the one that the Buyer is seeking to obtain a mortgage on. Ergo, an “unsupportive” Comp is one that . . . torpedoes the value of the...Read More
