Cost: More Than a Furnace, Less than a Roof (Usually) One of the biggest stealth expenses for homeowners is a new driveway. Depending on the driveway’s size and construction material (concrete vs. asphalt), the cost can easily exceed $10k. When should would-be home Sellers contemplate replacing it?** The Consistency Criterion; Eliminating Any Achilles Heels My 2¢:...Read More
Four Ways to Tell In the history of mankind, no first-time Mother has ever under-dressed their newborn in the winter.” —Manhattan Pediatrician So which pediatrician uttered the above line? Mine (and my wife’s). What prompted that comment were the 3 layers of clothing my wife had already put on our newborn son (a long time...Read More
Missing by a Little ” or a Lot? What does a “non-conforming bedroom” look like? When it comes to “For Sale” homes, it could mean a lot of things. At one extreme, a Realtor might list a bedroom as “non-conforming” because the egress window is smaller than allowed by code, or there’s no closet. At...Read More
“Location” x 3 Quick! Test your knowledge of today’s Twin Cities housing market, and guess how much this Spartan-looking, 400 square foot cottage in South Minneapolis is listed for: A. $89k B. $149k C. $249k D. $400k Before I give the answer, here are a couple clues: —-The property is located just west of Cedar...Read More
Long Way from “Tar-Zhay´” Not owning a Tesla, I have no idea how fast they (re)charge. But, based on at least one Target — the St. Louis Park store just east of Highway 100 — now having multiple Tesla charging stations (“Superchargers”) in its parking lot, I’m guessing that a 30-minute shop is long enough...Read More
“So, Why Are You Selling . . . ??” Realtors who aren’t skilled at determining prospective clients’ motivation . . . usually aren’t Realtors for long (in fact, something like 90% of all new agents don’t make it to year #3). So, how do good Realtors determine Seller motivation? A good starting point is asking them...Read More