Smart Landscaping, or, “What a Difference Two Months Make!” The “it” in question would be the home ” make that homes ” at 2545 Huntington in St. Louis Park’s Fern Hill neighborhood, sitting at the northeast corner of Huntington and 26th St. In the top photo, the row of deciduous trees (vs. evergreen) provide a...Read More
I don’t know about other housing markets, but at least in the Twin Cities, it’s not customary to include floor plans in MLS listings. In fact, I’d estimate that fewer than 1% of all listings have them. The two exceptions I’m aware of: 1) new construction, especially upper bracket and condo’s; and 2) homes with...Read More
Left Holding the (Garbage) Bag: Reason #17 for Buyers to Do a Walk-Through Inspection It’s certainly possible that the weekly garbage collector will haul away all of the Seller’s junk, left curbside. But, I wouldn’t count on it. And neither should the Buyer. Instead, I’d negotiate either: a) a $500 escrow (holdback) from the sales proceeds,...Read More
“An Ounce of Ice Dam Prevention . . .” To an untrained eye, there are simply two spots on the roof (photo above) that are snow-free. To someone who knows about ice dams, though, there are two “hot spots” on the roof (missing insulation? Directly above a Bathroom or shower?) where heat is escaping, causing snow to...Read More
Thanksgiving Eve 2020 Wait a second ” when an otherwise well-prepped and marketed home isn’t selling, don’t listing agents try to get home sellers to reduce their price? And don’t most home sellers stubbornly resist, no matter how compelling the Realtor’s market data (or underwhelming Buyers’ interest)? Well . . . usually. But there are...Read More
Telltale Symptom: Wavy or Uneven Floors How do prospective home Buyers (and their agents) know that a home has pronounced settling without setting foot in the home? (note: foundation settling is usually benign ” up to a point ” and typically results in wavy or uneven floors). A. The settling shows up in the (online)...Read More
