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Expired

New Year . . . New Listings! (But, Are They Really New??)

“Old Wine in New Bottles” [Editor’s Note: The views expressed here are solely those of Ross Kaplan, and do not represent Edina Realty, Berkshire Hathaway (“Berkshire”), or any other entity referenced. Edina Realty is a subsidiary of Berkshire.] It turns out that, of the first wave of new Twin Cities listings to hit the market...
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New Year . . . New Listings!

“Old Wine in New Bottles?” No, the homes didn’t debut on the market at 12:01 a.m. (the earliest time I saw was 9:29 a.m.). And no, the would-be Seller didn’t win a lifetime supply of diapers, detergent, or some other promotional item (I suppose the housing equivalent would be a Home Depot gift certificate, or maybe a...
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Christmas Special! “For Sale” Homes Just Reduced $10k (or even more)

“Location, Location, Location” “Context, Context, Context” What can you confidently say about a “For Sale” home whose price was just reduced, days before Christmas? A. The home is now a bargain. B. The Seller is motivated. C. The Seller’s Realtor (listing agent) is motivated. D. The home is better-priced** than it was before. Correct answer:...
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Out-of-Bounds Realtor Marketing Tactics: “We’re Here For Our 5 p.m. Showing”

Targeting Expired Listings With Buyer Bait-and-Switch Apparently, at least a few overzealous agents at one Twin Cities broker in particular are now trolling for listings using some variation of the following sleazy strategy: Step #1:  target “For Sale” homes that have just expired, unsold, on MLS. Step #2:  show up unannounced at the home with...
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How to Get a Handle on the Housing Market: Shrink it to a Manageable Size

From 16,000 Houses Down to . . . a Dozen or So “Before you’re addicted to heroin, you have lots of worries; after you’re addicted . . . you just have one.” –George Carlin on the “virtue” of being a heroin addict. “I’m not in favor of abolishing the government. I just want to shrink it...
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Stealth Housing Statistics

Overreaching Sellers (& Their Side Effects) The big story in the housing market so far this year has been (lack of) inventory. As previously discussed on this blog, that has resulted — at least in the lower price rungs dominated by first-time Buyers — in multiple offers, upward price pressure, and lots of frayed Buyers (and...
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