The Nest Thermostat First, a caveat: I’ve yet to see a “Nest” thermostat in an actual home in the Twin Cities. And you’d certainly guess that the spate of recent (and well-timed) news stories extolling its virtues have as much to do with holiday shopping and marketing as the device’s revolutionary technology. However . . . in...Read More
“They Can’t Do That!!” (Can They??) Add one more item to the list of annoyances — and expenses — associated with buying a foreclosure in the Twin Cities. So, word the last week or so is that at least some banks in town selling REO (“Real estate owned”) properties — also known as foreclosures — are...Read More
What’s That They Say About Messengers? The worst part of my job? (at least the last few years). Telling many would-be Sellers that they’re home is worth $20k — or $200k — less than they thought (and not infrequently, what they currently owe on it). Blunting the sting: the next home they want to purchase will...Read More
One Successful Real Estate Transaction Begets Another OK, so what I do is not nearly as memorable as what Meg Ryan does (or imitates doing) in her rather dramatic delicatessen scene opposite Billy Crystal in “When Harry Met Sally” (the title of this post is what Ryan’s neighbor tells the waiter she wants after Ryan concludes). ...Read More
Keys: Location, Strength of Local Economy What are the prospects for (re)developing the now-mothballed St. Paul Ford plant? How long will it take? The best way to answer those questions is to look at what’s happened previously to idled auto plants elsewhere in the country: “Shuttered auto plants have been a surprising beneficiary of the...Read More
“So . . . How Long Has it Been on the Market??” First, a definition: “CDOM” stands for “Cumulative Days on the Market” — what non-Realtors call “market time.” As a prospective Home Seller (and their Realtor), it’s your friend on a new listing, neutral after perhaps 6-8 weeks on the market . . . and...Read More
