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
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
Contractor: “We NEVER Get Callbacks” Is a “callback” a good thing or bad thing? It depends on the context. So, if you’re interviewing for a job or auditioning for a role (same thing, really), it’s good. However, once you’ve finished a job . . . it’s definitely bad. Fortunately, the workers who just replaced my fence...Read More
“Who’s on First?” — Real Estate Edition Exactly what role(s) do licensees, principals, agents, subagents, brokers, dual agents, and facilitators play in residential real estate in Minnesota? Consumers, I’m sure, have no idea. But their Realtor does. Moreover, it’s incumbent upon their Realtor to (briefly) explain it to them, at the beginning of the relationship. Step #2: document that they’ve...Read More
“Three Bedrooms NOT on One Level” Every once in awhile, you see a single family home being touted by the listing agent as a “townhome alternative.” What do they mean? Features At least to this Twin Cities Realtor, it’s shorthand for a detached home with many of the following attributes: –Around 2,000 to 2,500 square...Read More
No More to Do (For Now) After a whirlwind 48 hours of inputting a TON of data for my new listing, I felt obliged — passing the hard-working Edina Realty front desk earlier today — to let them know they were safe. As in, I didn’t have anything more for them to do: no more Supplements...Read More
