Sales Blockbuster a Big Surprise “We like to have a comparison title so that we can do sales forecasts, but in this case none of the comparisons work.” –“The Long Tail of ‘Where the Crawdads Sing”; The New York Times (12/21/19). It turns out that publishers estimate book sales the same way Realtors (and Appraisers)...Read More
Porsches, Picasso’s, and Stradivariuses A Steinway piano is a hand-made marvel, full of intricate detail and workmanship, sought by collectors and valued accordingly. A true “piece of work,” one might even say. Ditto such treasures as a Stradivarius violin, a Picasso painting, a Porsche sports car, and a Rolex watch. So . . . how...Read More
Northern Light** “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. Red sky in morning, sailor take warning.” –Old proverb. With Twin Cities temps now (well) below freezing, there aren’t many local sailors divining weather clues from the sunset and sunrise. All the same, I suppose it’s a good omen that the snapshot above — looking southwest across...Read More
Is the Buyer Short of Cash? Not Committed to Deal? [Editor’s Note: The views expressed here are solely those of Ross Kaplan, and do not represent Edina Realty, Berkshire Hathaway, or any other entity referenced. If you need legal advice, please consult an attorney.] Normally in Minnesota, the Buyer’s earnest money is due to the...Read More
Debits & Credits, Credits & Debits In the vast majority of real estate closings in Minnesota ” 99.45%**, to be exact ” the title companies doing the closing have to calculate a pro rata property tax adjustment between the Buyer and Seller That’s because Minnesota homeowners pay property taxes twice a year (May 15 and October...Read More
“You Know What They Meant” Department Among the hundreds of “spam” emails intercepted by my email filter each week was one the other day with this subject title: “Contract is singed and we are ready to proceed.” Not recognizing the sender ” and having no in-progress deals about to go up in smoke ” I...Read More
