Pre-Thanksgiving Cabin Fever?? Want a good explanation why Millennials and Generation Z-types — roughly, people aged 20 to 35 years-old — were AWOL from the housing market this past Summer? It was Summer! (Duh). So, why do they seem more active now? Thanks to the suddenly not-so-benign Twin Cities weather, many are now cooped up ....Read More
Holiday Countdown Officially Begins, or “T Minus 26 Days” to Black Friday With the calendar now showing November(!), home Sellers who are serious about selling in 2014 are well-advised to revisit their current asking price. Especially if their home has been at that price for more than 30 days. That’s because most home Buyers are...Read More
From 16,000 Houses Down to . . . a Dozen or So “Before you’re addicted to heroin, you have lots of worries; after you’re addicted . . . you just have one.” –George Carlin on the “virtue” of being a heroin addict. “I’m not in favor of abolishing the government. I just want to shrink it...Read More
Momentary Lull? The word amongst local Realtors — corroborated by what I’ve seen personally — is that Buyer activity for mid-September seems to be unexpectedly low. That means fewer showings for Actively Listed homes, which means fewer deals in the transaction pipeline — and ultimately fewer closings later this Fall. The various theories I’ve heard:...Read More
When it Works — and When it Doesn’t; or, “Good! Go Lowball Someone Else!” Fear of loss can be a huge motivator in real estate sales. For home Buyers, it means losing out on their dream home to a higher bidder. So, what do home Sellers fear losing? A good Buyer. “The Runner-Up House” Which...Read More
“Just Sign Here” Which sounds less intimidating (at least if you’re not a lawyer): “let’s meet at my office at 6:30 p.m. to go over the paperwork.” Or, “let’ s meet at 6:30 p.m tonight to review and sign the contracts.” At least to my ear, Option #1 — which is what I tell prospective...Read More
