“Would You Give to My Favorite Charity?” [Note to Readers: The views expressed here are solely those of Ross Kaplan, and do not represent Edina Realty, Berkshire Hathaway (“Berkshire”), or any other entity referenced. Edina Realty is a subsidiary of Berkshire.] What would you think if, six months after you closed on your new home...Read More
Novice Realtors Rush In Where Pro’s Fear to Tread “Never negotiate furniture.” “Never negotiate furniture.” “Never negotiate furniture.” “Never negotiate furniture.” Realtors who don’t know the above rule — or forget it — soon get the opportunity to (re)learn it. That’s because negotiating the sale of personal property, particularly furniture, can be more challenging than...Read More
Novice Realtors Rush In Where Pro’s Fear to Tread “Never negotiate furniture.” “Never negotiate furniture.” “Never negotiate furniture.” “Never negotiate furniture.” Realtors who don’t know the above rule — or forget it — soon get the opportunity to (re)learn it. That’s because negotiating the sale of personal property, particularly furniture, can be more challenging than dealing...Read More
Civic Penury . . . and Its Opposite I don’t what it makes you, but somehow, I don’t think being a billionaire who manages to pay zero federal income taxes makes you “smart.” Maybe “greedy” or “crafty” or “callous,” but not definitely “smart” — especially if you think you’ll ever run for President. “But,” you say,...Read More
That’s the question I fielded the other week from a client on behalf of their friend, who was leaving town imminently, and was (deeply) underwater on their North Minneapolis home. The short answer: ‘no.’ The more detailed answer: “no, for about 18 different reasons,” starting with the fact that what the underwater homeowner is essentially “donating” is a...Read More
Checkout Line Charity What kind of monster would answer the question — posed publicly at a checkout line in front of (many) other customers– “would you like to donate your change to starving orphans (or some such)?” with a callous “No, thanks.” Me. I can think of (at least) three reasons why. One. It’s manipulative (see above),...Read More
