The $6.4 Trillion Question: Why Not?? I’m sure Eric Holder accomplished lots of other things during his six-year tenure as (now-outgoing) U.S. Attorney General. Unfortunately, holding Wall Street accountable for its egregious — and frequently criminal — conduct at the heart of The 2008 Financial Crash most certainly wasn’t one of them. The really hard...Read More
Giving Agents a Green Light to Go to Bat for Their Clients “No man can serve two masters.” –New Testament [Editor’s Note: The views expressed here are solely those of Ross Kaplan, and do not represent Edina Realty, Berkshire Hathaway, or any other entity referenced.] Unlike, say, many financial advisors, Realtors owe their clients a...Read More
Benign (and Not So Benign) Explanations The benign explanation for why there’s a “For Sale” sign in front of a home, but it’s not formally listed on MLS, is that there’s a brief timing difference. The sign installation companies typically show up anywhere from 3-5 days after receiving an order, and can be behind schedule...Read More
Blast From the Past — Like, 2005 More signs that at least some segments of today’s housing market are overheating: I am hearing about — and running into personally — “For Sale” homes . . . that really aren’t. That is, they sell almost immediately after coming on the market, but the listing agent neglects...Read More
What Did Buyer #2 Know? (and When Did They Know It?) The vast majority of inspections go smoothly, resulting in a nominal reduction in the sales price (if that). On the relatively rare occasions when a Buyer’s inspection turns up a major issue (or several), most of the time, the deal still holds together —...Read More
Hiring a Buyer’s Agent Too Late It doesn’t happen often, but once in awhile I’ll get a call from someone who wants to hire me to help them purchase a home, but I can’t help them. Why’s that? They called me too late. The typical scenario is the would-be Buyer went through a Sunday open...Read More