“Shadow Listings” “Don’t be an undercover agent.” –Advice routinely given to new Realtors (i.e., let people know you sell homes) Here’s another explanation for the scarcity of local (Twin Cities) housing inventory, in what should be the busiest time of the year for new listings: stuff’s for sale — but it’s non-MLS. See also, “The...Read More
Frozen in Place “For Sale” Signs Given the still-slow pace of new listings this Spring, you might guess that the lead time to have a “For Sale” sign installed would be unusually short. Wrong. It turns out that, due to this year’s unusually cold winter — there’ve now been 50(!) nights below zero in the...Read More
Signs, Signs, Everywhere there’s signs. Blocking out the scenery. Breaking my mind. Do this! Don’t do that! Can’t you read the signs? –Lyrics, “Signs”; Five Man Electrical Band Adding a 2nd “For Sale” sign for a home on a corner lot is smart marketing. That’s especially true when the home — in St. Louis Park’s Triangle...Read More
Are Two “For Sale” Signs Better Than One? Not if the Home is Overpriced What do you do if the home you have listed on a busy street isn’t selling (because it’s overpriced), and the owner won’t agree to a price reduction? (note: it’s not my listing). In the case of a Cape Cod currently...Read More
Cost of Doing Business(?) “The same real estate sign company that needs 3 “reminders” to straighten a leaning “For Sale” sign in May will show up 2 days early to remove the same sign, post-sale, in June — before the listing agent has had a chance to remove their sign riders.” The Realtor in question would...Read More
Non-Listed Listed Homes One of the side effects of a seller’s market is more homeowners who believe that they can sell their home without a Realtor (called “For Sale by Owner,” or “FSBO”). Here’s another: homes putatively listed by a Realtor, but nowhere to be found on MLS (Multiple Listing Service, the repository for all...Read More
