New Technology Lets RealtorsHone in on “Micro Markets”Investors are fond of saying “it’s not a stock market, it’s a market of stocks.” By the same token, I think of the housing market not in terms of overly broad, market-wide statistics — which can mask a great deal of variation between neighborhoods — but as an...Read More
New Coen Brothers Movie Shooting in St. Louis Park I have no idea if the new Coen brothers movie — about their upbringing in St. Louis Park, circa 1965 — is going to be a money maker or not. But the movie shoot is clearly injecting hundreds of thousands into the local economy. The location,...Read More
Open House Motives Vary by Realtor Unless you live next door to a realtor, or have bought or sold recently, the most common way to run into a realtor is probably at a Sunday open house.Popular as they are, open houses are frequently misunderstood by the public. In particular, there seem to be four misconceptions:...Read More
“Top Ten” Signs Just because a house has a “For Sale” sign in front doesn’t mean it’s really for sale. In fact, a large percentage effectively aren’t. Unbeknownst to the general public, on average more than one-third of all listings simply expire, unsold, after the listing contract ends. That number is undoubtedly higher in the...Read More
Six Years of Economic Growth: Just a Dream? Until someone comes up with a better name for The Financial Melt-Down of 2008 (how about, “The Financial Melt-Down of 2008”?), I have my own suggestion: “The Bob Newhart Economy.” Just like the sitcom’s famous last episode revealed, much of what happened in the U.S. economy since...Read More
Investing Decisions: Stocks vs. Real EstateI’m careful to leave financial planning to the financial planners, and stick to real estate when I work with clients. However, given the drop in many real estate markets since 2005, it’s hard to avoid at least touching on the subject, at least when counseling prospective Buyers contemplating such a...Read More
