Minneapolis Moratorium on Redevelopment “Ex post facto law” (Latin for “from after the action” or “after the facts”): also called a retroactive law, is a law that retroactively changes the legal consequences (or status) of actions that were committed, or relationships that existed, before the enactment of the law. –Wikipedia [Editor’s Note: see also the...Read More
Is Bad Behavior “Stickier” Than Good? First, a caveat: good real estate outcomes — especially in the land of “Minnesota Nice” — are by far the rule. But, that doesn’t mean there aren’t any deals that end badly — or don’t end at all. See, “Get Me Out of the Deal!”: Statutory Cancellation for Beginners.”...Read More
Ad Hoc vs. Whole Building Approach For at least a couple years now, I’ve counseled my condo Buyers to be leery of a certain Lake Calhoun condo building. My concern(s)? That is, besides suspiciously low sale prices (often a giveaway): I’d heard numerous stories about alleged problems (remember, I’m a former attorney) with the building’s...Read More
When to Give the Buyer More Time — And When Not To You got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em, Know when to walk away and know when to run. You never count your money when you’re sittin’ at the table. There’ll be time enough for countin’ when the dealin’s...Read More
Thick — and Thin-Skinned — Buyers First, two disclaimers: 1) in a decade selling real estate, I’ve never had a Buyer or Seller I represented bring — or defend — a legal action or arbitration claim; and 2) lawsuits (or arbitration actions) over “home sales gone bad” aren’t very common to begin with (I’d estimate that...Read More
Riddle: How Can His Prices Possibly Be That Low?!? [Editor’s Note: For obvious reasons, no names or other identifying info on this post. However, I heard the following anecdote from an “extremely reliable source” (as they say), and believe it to be true.] So, how does one very cost-competitive Twin Cities builder deliver such eye-popping prices? By “exploiting”...Read More
