Reticent Scandinavians Loathe to Give Offense Thanks to Senator Amy Klobuchar’s recently announced Presidential campaign — and by now, her very well-documented “bad boss” rep — the national media is having a field day with “Minnesota Nice.” Unfortunately, they’re getting it completely, even spectacularly, wrong. Here’s just one example: “‘Minnesota Nice’ is a form of...Read More
What’s More Than a Full Bath? By convention, Realtors call a Bathroom with a sink, toilet, bathtub and shower a “full” Bath. Because each of those items counts as .25, a Bathroom missing one or more of them is considered a fractional Bath. So, a Bathroom with a sink, toilet, and shower (but no tub)...Read More
I’ve got a hunch how ” at least in some people’s minds ” “tray” ceiling became “trey”: “très” is French for “very” (as in “very beautiful”). From there, it’s just a small step (and single letter) to “trey.” Of course, that’s also how the word sounds phonetically. However, the correct adjective for a recessed ceiling...Read More
Not Measuring Up? There’s no harm in touting that a home has an especially nice backyard, sits on a large or impressive piece of land, etc. However, the term “double lot” ” at least to me ” has a specific, defined meaning. Namely, it’s a least twice the size of a standard city lot. In...Read More
One of the ways you can tell that a product is dated or out-of-fashion ” or people think it is ” is that it acquires an adjective. So, for a while, “Coke” became “New Coke.” In the wake of Watergate in the 1970’s, Minnesota’s Republican party became the “Independent — Republican” party (at least until Ronald...Read More
Question #2: Is That Different Than “Large?” “Original hardwood floors have just been re-done, four oversize bedrooms, tremendous woodwork & period fixtures.” —”Public Remarks,” MLS. “Oversized” is one of those imprecise adjectives that you occasionally run into in real estate: they certainly sound good, but, on closer inspection, don’t convey much if any information. Sort...Read More
