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insider buying

Revisiting That Stuck-Shut Living Room Window, Six Months Later

Who Says Nature Doesn’t Have a Sense of Humor?? Very few home problems that I’m aware of benefit from benign neglect. So, as both a homeowner and long-time Realtor, I’d strongly advise against ignoring that leaky roof, warm-to-the-touch electric service panel, or ice dam. Fortunately, there’s at least one exception to that rule: the casement...
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The Real Estate Sales “Teeter-Totter”

The Harder It is To Sell Listings, the Easier They Are to Get — and Vice Versa “Energy cannot be created or destroyed.” –First Law of Thermodynamics. OK, so residential real estate isn’t governed by anything so fundamental as the three laws of thermodynamics in physics. But, it is characterized by a peculiar sort of...
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The $394,727.89 House (Huh?!?)

Consumer Psychology and the Too-Precise Price When you see an oddly-priced “For Sale” home, there are two possible explanations (at least in my experience selling residential real estate): One. Drawing Attention. The way to stand out from homes listed at $389,900, $399,900, etc. is to price at $398,731 or some such (I haven’t seen a home...
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Fall Closings & Minnesota Property Taxes

But First . . . a Brief History Lesson I don’t know about other states ” I’m only licensed to sell real estate in Minnesota ” but here, residential property taxes are due twice a year:  May 15 and October 15. Those non-randomly chosen dates stretch back to when Minnesota’s economy ” like practically every...
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Which Stocks Are in S&P’s “Homebuilders ETF?”

“Accept No Substitutes” (or Proxies) No, “Which companies are in S&P’s Homebuilders ETF?” isn’t a, “Who’s buried in Grant’s Tomb?” question. It turns out that a majority of stocks in the index don’t make homes — they make the things that go in them. That includes bed manufacturer** Tempur Sealy (3rd largest position); carpeting giant Mohawk Industries...
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What’s the Opposite of “Hump Day?”

“Sag Day?”  “Trough Day?” There’s really no good counterpart in real estate to the 9-to-5 world’s “Hump Day” — otherwise known as “Wednesday.” In keeping with the “Opposite George”** nature of real estate, Wednesday to Realtors typically represents the low ebb of the work week. That’s because it follows Tuesdays, when all the new listings are showcased...
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