Home Staging Multiple Choice Which of the following conclusions are highly likely based on the actual MLS photo (above) from this Richfield “For Sale” home: A. Per the purple sheet over the bed, there are no window treatments anywhere in the home (if they’re missing in the bedrooms, they’re likely missing everywhere); B. The home is a...Read More
Standard for Buyer’s Walk-Through Inspection “I know it when I see it.” –United States Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart’s threshold test for defining obscenity. What’s fair game for raising issues during the Buyer’s walk-through inspection? (typically, conducted within 48 hours of closing). At least in Minnesota, any changes to the home since the Buyer’s inspection that substantially alter its...Read More
Inspection Contingency Catch-22 Like any contract, the Inspection Contingency — which governs the Buyer’s inspection timetable — can be amended if both parties agree. The most common amendment: a time extension to allow both sides to get more info about an inspection-related issue. The catch, though — especially if turnaround time is an issue with...Read More
Friend vs. . . Foe Not Friend In the Twin Cities, ten municipalities require home sellers to have their home inspected prior to sale (in some cases, prior to listing). Some of those cities (Bloomington, St. Louis Park) have their own city inspectors; others, like Minneapolis, outsource the job to an approved list of independent...Read More
The Wisdom of Leaving a Little Goodwill in the Deal At the risk of becoming a broken record on the subject, let me suggest to dubious home Buyers that foregoing that last $100 (or even $500) inspection item is truly a smart, even self-interested decision (the threshold depends on the home’s price). Why’s that? Because...Read More
Star Trib: ‘More Than 40% of Minnesota Homes That Tested for Radon Had Elevated Levels’ “Finding elevated levels of radon is becoming less of a surprise, but it’s still generally a surprise. ‘Can’t see it, can’t smell it, can’t taste it.'” –Pat Brennan, radon remediation contractor; “State is a Radon Hotbed” (Star Tribune 2/10/2013). Not...Read More
