Key Variables: Which School? Which Buyer? 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 data on this, but I’d guess “yes.”...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 My 2¢: the most important variable...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 dry....Read More
What to Do About the 5′ Tall Fiberglass Statue on the Front Lawn Should the Buyer of this 1950’s rambler just west of Cedar Lake expect the Lucy statue on the front lawn to come with the home? Step #1: determine whether it’s a fixture — Realtor-speak for, “is it permanently attached to the home?”...Read More
But, What’s “Too Long?” Test your knowledge of today’s housing market, and respond to the following statement: “A for sale home sitting on the market for 60 days is already shopworn”: A. True. B. False. C. Impossible to tell without more info. Correct answer. “C.” The key “other info”: price and location (of course). “Houston,...Read More
New & Improved Housing Stock — and a Price to Go With! [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.] Once upon a time — OK, until around a decade...Read More
