Key Variables: Type of School, Buyer Characteristics Homes on busy streets typically fetch a discount. Is there an equivalent discount for homes located across from a school? (which, in a way, is really just a subset of “busy street” — call it, an “intermittently busy street”). I’ve never seen formal data on this, but I’d guess...Read More
Cost: More Than a Furnace, Less than a Roof (Usually) One of the biggest stealth expenses for homeowners is a new driveway. Depending on the driveway’s size and construction material (concrete vs. asphalt), the cost can easily exceed $10k. When should would-be home Sellers contemplate replacing it?** The Consistency Criterion; Eliminating Any Achilles Heels My 2¢:...Read More
Universal Staging Principles How do you stage an outdoor, in-ground swimming pool in the backyard of a “For Sale” home? The same way you stage anything else: by adding accents, focal points, and color ” and removing clutter. For an outdoor pool, that means opening up any poolside umbrellas, arranging nearby lawn chairs, and throwing...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
Answer: It Depends on the Buyer ” and the House* It may be a surprise to people who associate Minnesota with year-round Arctic cold, but summers here ” while admittedly not long ” can be hot and VERY sticky. Hence the locals’ preference for central air conditioning. Which raises the question: if a home lacks...Read More
Consumer Psychology and the Too-Precise Price When you see an oddly-priced “For Sale” home, there are two possible explanations (at least in my experience selling residential real estate): One. Drawing Attention. The way to stand out from homes listed at $389,900, $399,900, etc. is to price at $398,731 or some such (I haven’t seen a home...Read More
