Role Reversal [Editor’s Note: Thanks to Edina Realty colleague Kathy Dick for her contribution to the following post.] Wait a second — don’t Realtors try to get home sellers to reduce their price? And don’t most home sellers stubbornly resist, no matter how compelling the Realtor’s market data (or underwhelming Buyers’ interest)? Well . . ....Read More
“This Property Sits on Nearly a Quarter Acre!” The agent’s boast (above) on MLS caught my eye, because the listed home is in a neighborhood — Seward, near the Mississippi River — not known for larger lots. So, I looked up the lot dimensions in Hennepin County’s tax records: 40′ x 129′, for a lot...Read More
Make that Three Times Once upon a time, I used to tell prospective Sellers that the Comparative Market Analysis (“CMA”) I was about to do would be repeated two more times. First, by the Buyer’s Realtor, trying to advise their client what to offer (and ultimately, to expect to pay). And second, by the appraiser dispatched...Read More
Financial Forecast Sophistry “Economists have predicted 9 out of the last 5 recessions.” “If you lined up all the economists in the world end to end . . . they wouldn’t reach a conclusion.” “If you lined up all the economists in the world end to end . . . it wouldn’t be such a...Read More
It’s hard enough — as a busy Realtor — keeping up with new listings, pre-list’s, pending sales, showings, inspections, walk-thru’s, closings, listing presentations, networking, etc. for a stable of a dozen or more concurrent clients. The last thing I’m interested in doing is becoming an expert on the various downpayment assistance programs that seem to...Read More
The $64,000 $500,000 Question: Can You Finance It? Apparently, there are now a number of Downtown Minneapolis condo’s on the market listed at “too good to be true” prices. The catch? They’re in buildings with checkered histories, making financing more difficult if not impossible. Specifically, the list of stumbling blocks include: –Buildings with pending litigation due to defects; –Condo...Read More
