Price & Other Terms What is the Seller’s objective in multiple offers? If you said, “obtain the best offer,” you’d only be half-right; the better answer is, “obtain the best offer from the strongest Buyer.” “Eyes on the Prize” (Closing) That second, broader criterion takes into account not just the selling price, but such things...Read More
Kathleen Madigan: “What’s wrong with calling someone a ‘tool’? Jerry Seinfeld: “Tools are good.” Kathleen Madigan: “Right.” Jerry Seinfeld: “Tools are completely without consciousness.” Kathleen Madigan: “So are a million things; why aren’t you a ‘chair?’ “That guy’s a chair.” Chuck Martin: “That guy’s a real Ottoman.” Kathleen Madigan: “I would go for footstool. Or...Read More
“No-No’s” for Would-Be Home Sellers, or “What’s the Opposite of an Achilles’ Heel?” My #1 piece of advice for would-be home sellers prepping for market this Spring (or any other time of year) is, “make everything consistent.” Which suggests this corollary: “don’t over-improve.” In fact, there are two kinds of over-improvements: 1) within the home; and...Read More
Everything You Wanted to Know About Ceiling Finishes As best I can tell, the reason it’s called a “knockdown ceiling” is because calling it a “knock-off ceiling” would have been too confusing. What gets knocked off — er, knocked down — is the joint compound that’s first applied to the ceiling, and allowed to partially...Read More
The “Air Force One Theory” of Farmhouses What makes a farmhouse a farmhouse? A. A farmer lives in it (or used to).* B. It’s located on a farm (or was). C. A unique architectural style.** D. All of the above. Correct Answer: “A.” and “B.” Admittedly, you don’t run into many farmhouses in the more...Read More
Maybe They’re Counting Four Stairs I’ve seen homes with as much as 3,000 finished square feet in the lower level — “basement” to non-Realtors (it was a very big house). And I’ve seen homes with no finished square feet in the lower level (typical of 19th century homes that have limestone foundations and only partial basements with...Read More
