How to Financially Qualify Home Buyers — and Home Builders One of the things you get pretty good at (hopefully) in the course of representing home Sellers for 12+ years is, how to qualify — that is, get comfortable with — the Buyer’s financing. To be sure, I have a preferred list of questions I like...Read More
“Four Three Corners” At least to my knowledge, there’s no one spot in the Twin Cities where four municipalities all touch (sort of like “Four Corners” in the U.S. Southwest, where Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona all meet — and somebody limber enough can straddle all of them. See photo, above). But, I’m aware of at least three...Read More
Four Explanations “Man came by to hook up my cable TV We settled in for the night my baby and me We switched ’round and ’round ’til half-past dawn There was fifty-seven channels and nothin’ on” –Bruce Springsteen; lyrics, “57 Channels (And Nothin’ On)”** It’s not just Buyers’ imagination: there really IS a dearth of...Read More
Playing Down the Price “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.” –Samuel Johnson The real estate equivalent of Johnson’s line is, “when you’ve got nothing else (left?) to sell, sell price.” That’s not to say value is irrelevant. With ever-more discriminating consumers, online information, and high tech tools and savvy generally, value has never been more important....Read More
The Virtue(s) of a Slower, Quieter Housing Market Apparently, at least a few industry players are trying to spin what is expected to be modest price appreciation in 2015 into something . . . bigger. See, “Projecting 2015 Housing Prices Using Statistical Sleight of Hand.” I don’t think it’s ever a good idea to embellish...Read More
Negotiating One Deal — or Two?? Good agents instinctively know that “he who negotiates least, negotiates best.” Which is why they avoid drafting early move-in and holdover agreements — and discourage their clients from entering into them. Side Deals The vast majority of the time, the issue never arises because the Buyer takes possession from...Read More
