Ideally, the first photo of a property on MLS is the front exterior. However, if the curb appeal is misleading or otherwise underwhelming, agents will occasionally substitute the Kitchen, Living Room or whatever they believe is the home’s most flattering feature. But I can’t recall ever seeing a lead photo of a . . ....Read More
Before . . . and After What’s the difference between the two photos (above)? Actually, surprisingly little. In place of ugly horizontal siding above the front door (upper photo), the new-and-improved curb appeal (lower photo) features diagonal half-timbers. Not only are those more consistent with the home’s Tudor style, but they create a dramatic focal point...Read More
Showing Feedback — Upper Bracket Edition “Is the Buyer local?” –Question on showing feedback form for a Twin Cities upper bracket home “I know half of my marketing budget is wasted — I just don’t know which half.” –Marketing director lament The typical showing feedback questions — what the Buyer’s agent fields after showing a property —...Read More
Before (above) and After (below) People get eye lifts. But houses can, too. How? By removing dated and dark awnings (painting the front door helps, too — as does a shadow-free shot).Read More
Where’s the Beef Inventory? In a post last month titled, “Inventory Glut? Not in These Twin Cities Neighborhoods,” I related the surprising (and growing) lament amongst would-be Buyers and Buyers’ agents scouring various high-demand, local neighborhoods, only to find slim (or no) pickings. What accounts for that? Part of the explanation is that this year’s...Read More
Home Improvements: ‘The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly’ Pornography is hard to define, but I know it when I see it. –Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart Oddly, I could say the same thing about good home improvements: they’re hard to define, but you know one when you see one (ditto for home improvements that...Read More
