Knowing (Maybe) What the Buyer Can Afford: How Relevant for Sellers? As a listing agent (representing Sellers), one of the lamer Buyer pitches you occasionally hear is some variant of the following: “I know the house is listed at (and worth close to) $500k, but I can only afford $400k . . . so that’s...Read More
Home Not Selling? Only 3 Possible Explanations “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” –Buddhist sayings “When a home is priced right, Buyers will appear.” –Ross Kaplan I don’t know much about Buddhism, but I do know about selling residential real estate. Many frustrated home Sellers don’t want to hear this, but here goes:...Read More
Realtors Who Like the Home More Than Their Client Amongst the (many) problems with showing feedback forms — what Buyers’ agents are immediately bombarded with after showing a “For Sale” home — is that the form is really asking for two different things, from two different people. Question #1: “did the Buyer have any interest...Read More
“You WILL Like This House.” “You WILL Like This House.” “You WILL Like . . . “ Way back when, I commented (approvingly) on the listing agent (representing the Seller) whose lockbox code was “W-O-W.” Even better (and more obvious) was the Minnetonka home I previewed for a client yesterday, with the lockbox code “B-U-Y.” See...Read More
Not All Listings Are Created Equal Notwithstanding fairly steady Fall listing and selling activity, there is a perception afoot amongst many Twin Cities Realtors now that the market is deceptively slow. How can that be? Here’s one theory: while showings statistics overall are flat to slightly down, they’re unusually concentrated amongst a relatively small percentage of...Read More
Fewer Showings — But a Silver Lining, Too So far this Fall, the word amongst active listing agents (representing Sellers) is that showings are way down (that’s been my experience, too). If you want a benign explanation, blame it on the gorgeous Fall the Twin Cities has been enjoying thus far, keeping Buyers’ focus elsewhere...Read More
