From Floor to Ceiling Last year, 90% of you were in the top 10% of your class. Today, 90% of you are in the bottom 90% of your class. –Stanford Dean of Admissions Fred Hargadon, to each incoming class at freshmen orientation Five years ago, if a home’s tax assessed value was relevant at all...Read More
Too Much Information — Realtor’s Version Living Rm: 13.4′ x 26′ Dining Rm: 9.2′ x 13′ Family Room: 16.7′ x 29.8′ Kitchen: 9.5′ x 16′ Bedroom #1: 14′ x 19.1′ Bedroom #2: 22′ x 14.6′ Bedroom #3: 8.1′ x12′ Bedroom #4: 12′ x14.4′ –Excerpt, MLS Listing What’s the corollary to “The Too-Precise Price?” The too-precise...Read More
CSA Sign-up Time Except for the lengthening days, there are scant signs of Spring outside: the thermometer is still in the single digits (or lower), and yesterday’s sunny Ground Hog’s day is supposed to herald six more weeks of Winter (if only!). But, that doesn’t mean people’s attention isn’t looking ahead to Spring or even...Read More
Shorter AND Longer Term Mentality One of the housing statistics that has seemingly been around forever is that the average U.S. homeowner moves every seven years. If that was ever true before . . . it’s not anymore. My guess is that that number was never right: if two homeowners move after three years, and a third stays...Read More
Mouth-Watering Parcels Speaking of development potential . . . the news that the parent company of Arby’s is putting the struggling chain up for sale raises the prospect that some of its locations will be closed — and turned into something else. One especially ripe target: the Uptown Minneapolis Arby’s — between Lake, Lagoon & Emerson...Read More
“Golden Valley Commons South?” How does a landlord (and would-be home seller) comply with city-ordered repairs? One way, of course, is to actually do the repairs. However, if that’s not feasible or economic — and sometimes it isn’t — Plan B is to vacate the property, and sell it “as is.” Multiply by six, and that’s what is...Read More
