Multiple Offers x 2 You know a home is a hot commodity when it hits the market; immediately attracts multiple offers; has a deal fall apart; goes back on the market; then immediately goes into multiple offers again. Believe it or not, that exact scenario just played out in St. Louis Park’s Fern Hill neighborhood....Read More
Dangers of Dual Agency: Representing the Seller, and Angling to Represent the Buyer, Too [Editor’s Note: The views expressed here are solely those of Ross Kaplan, and do not represent Edina Realty, Berkshire Hathaway, or any other entity referenced.] I just went through a “For Sale” home on high-profile France Avenue near Minneapolis’ Cedar Lake,...Read More
“That About Covers It” Department The line, “owner occupant and investor offers welcome” sounds plausible enough. Then I stopped to think: is there another kind of Buyer?? Short answer: not that I’m aware of. I suppose “2nd home” or “vacation home” Buyer, if the property had been a lake cabin. But in this case the...Read More
Who Pays? [Editor’s Note: Seller liability for ice dams and other home issues is case-specific, and affected by local and state law. For legal advice, please contact an attorney.] What a difference a year makes! Last winter, beleaguered Twin Cities homeowners contended with record snow and cold — and (tens of?) thousands of havoc-wreaking ice dams. See,...Read More
That’s “Ugly Fruit,” not ugly fruit It’s turns out that “Ugly Fruit” is actually a proper name, not just descriptive. Discovery #2: it’s perfectly suited to staging. I count four reasons for that: One. It’s pleasingly colorful (vs. glaringly so or too muted). Two. Ugly Fruit is big. You only need a few to fill up...Read More
OK, so I didn’t really pay 22¢ a gallon when I filled up at Costco in St. Louis Park last night. The official, nominal price was $1.359 a gallon. But, what economists call the real price, adjusted for inflation, was 22¢. That’s because $1 today, adjusted for inflation, is the same as 16¢ in 1970....Read More
