8-10 Neighborhoods = 1 “Community“ How many neighborhoods are there in Minneapolis? According to the City (and likely most area Realtors), just under 100. See map, below right. However, that’s too unwieldy for consumers. So, to make MLS more user-friendly, the local MLS just added a new field called “Minneapolis Community search box,” with the 11...Read More
East Coast Blizzard Creates Accidental Twin Cities Tourists Thanks to the East Coast blizzard, our New York City visitors found themselves with an extra day (yesterday) in the Twin Cities. While coming up with activities in Summer is easy (Sculpture Garden, walk around the Lakes, Stone Arch Bridge, biking the Midtown Greenway, State Fair in...Read More
“Inventory Alert Notification” Once upon a time, a shoplifter (at least one who was detected) was met with a hail of “Stop! Thief!” With the advent of electronic tags, that changed to alarm bells, flashing lights, or other gaudy displays. Today? At least at Ridgedale the other day, I heard this polite-but-loud announcement over the public...Read More
Back from North Dakota One of the biggest constraints on new construction the last several years has been a shortage of skilled labor. Thanks to the fracking boom, thousands of workers once employed in home construction decamped for greener (blacker?) pastures elsewhere. With the now-accelerating bust in energy prices, that exodus might now reasonably be...Read More
Killing Three Birds With One Stone What do you do with a dated, functionally obsolete* 1950’s rambler a stone’s throw from increasingly swanky Cedar Lake? In the case of 2425 France Avenue South in St. Louis Park, pop the roof and add a second story. Such an addition, done well, accomplishes three things: One. Cashes...Read More
“If a property is worth $250k and you ask $350k and reduce it to $325k, it’s not an indication of a problem in the market. It’s a problem with overpricing.” -Hall F. Willkie, president of Brown Harris Stevens; “Prices Drop for Luxury New York Real Estate”; The NYT (1/15/16). OK, I have a confession: I...Read More
