Reviving “The Milkman Model” for the Grocery Business “Costco is the latest retailer to see dips in its stock on the news that Amazon’s buying Whole Foods for $13.7 billion.” –Fortune.com [Editor’s Note: The views expressed here are solely those of Ross Kaplan, and do not represent Edina Realty, Berkshire Hathaway (“Berkshire”), or any other...Read More
“Two Hour Parking?” Maybe Not Quick! What’s the maximum number of hours someone could park in a space with the restrictions posted above? A. 2 hours B. 4 hours C. 8 hours D. 18 hours **Correct answer: “D.” As helpfully explained to me by the hotel staff directly across the street in Kalispell, MT (where...Read More
Coffee Kiosks If you’re looking for a local Starbucks to get your morning caffeine fix, you’re out of luck. Fortunately, in much of the west — including Missoula, Montana, where I’m briefly visiting — there are free-standing coffee kiosks instead. The drill: drive up on the right side, place your order, and pay; then, drive...Read More
When Popping Into a Weekend Open House Trumps Beats a Private Showing For Buyers & Their Agents In general, home buyers and their agents prefer to see “For Sale” homes when: a) it suits their schedule(s); and b) they can count on having it to themselves. Ergo, they prefer private showings — typically, one hour-long — to very...Read More
One Showing ” or Two? If Sellers were OK with it ” and Realtors’ “smart” keys worked then ” it would be possible to show homes in late June in Minnesota between 9 and 10 p.m. After all, the sun sets after 9 p.m. on June 21, and twilight lingers almost till ten. Unfortunately (or maybe not...Read More
Telling Buyers’ Agents What to Lock — and What NOT To It may be a surprise to home owners, but — at least in my experience as a listing agent (representing Sellers) — it’s exceedingly rare for Buyers’ agents to finish a showing and fail to lock up the home properly. In fact, I’d say...Read More
