Telltale Symptom: Wavy or Uneven Floors How do prospective home Buyers (and their agents) know that a home has pronounced settling without setting foot in the home? (note: foundation settling is usually benign — up to a point — and typically results in wavy or uneven floors). A. The settling shows up in the (online)...Read More
Deal Makers & Deal Breakers I don’t know about other housing markets, but at least in the Twin Cities, it’s not customary to include floor plans in MLS listings. In fact, I’d estimate that fewer than 1% of all listings have them. The two exceptions I’m aware of: 1) new construction, especially upper bracket and...Read More
CMA (“Comparative Market Analysis”) Math I just showed an Edina home to clients who expressed serious interest, and want to know when they can double back to see it again. Their inevitable next question for me: “what do you think it’s worth?” While every house is by definition unique, the key to estimating a home’s...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
Common Interest Community (“CIC”) Rules & Reg’s Test your knowledge of Common Interest Communities — typically associated with condo’s and town homes — and answer the following multiple choice question: Which of the following is most likely to be a deal breaker in the sale of a condo or town home? A. No fireplace —...Read More
From $0 to . . . . Infinite At least in frigid Minnesota, an in-ground pool can be a waste of a perfectly good backyard 8-9 months of the year. Unless, of course, the backyard happens to sit on a third or half-acre, in which case there’s plenty of room left over for swingsets, playing...Read More
