When “Less” Can Be More Every time of year has pluses and minuses for home Buyers and Sellers. The lead-up to a long holiday weekend — in this case, July 4 — is no different. Pluses, from the Buyers’ perspective: –Less competition for homes; less chance of a home that a Buyer wants to see...Read More
Analog vs. Virtual Unlocked Doors Once upon a time, standard Realtor advice to new homeowners, post-closing, was to change the locks: even if the Seller delivered all known keys to the Buyer, there was always the possibility of neighbors or friends possessing a “stray.” Now, thanks to smart homes — and specifically, Nest thermostats — there’s...Read More
When the (Earnest Money) Check ISN’T in the Mail Normally, the Buyer’s earnest money check is due as soon as the Buyer and Seller have entered into a valid Purchase Agreement. However, I just handled a deal where the Buyer’s offer stipulated that the earnest money wasn’t due until after the Inspection Contingency had been...Read More
Hearing it From Seller > Hearing it From Neighbors As advice to home Sellers regarding disclosure goes, it’s hard to beat, “tell what you know.” The other standard caution to Sellers is, “it’s not what you think is relevant, it’s what Buyers think [is relevant].” But, there’s an even more practical test. “Meet the Neighbors”...Read More
Easier Sell in Summer The problem with tuck under garages is what’s “over” the “under”: I’ve now shown three homes in the last month where one of my (Buyer) clients’ main objections was that the bedroom floors directly above the garage were cold (admittedly, that was before the Twin Cities basked in 80º temps this...Read More
“Death By a Thousand Cuts” (Or Raises) No home Seller, quite understandably, wants to leave money on the table. No Buyer wants to overpay. Which is why it can be so tempting to initially list for too much (Sellers) or offer too little (Buyers). Big mistake. That’s because what often happens next — and by “next,” I mean, “several...Read More
