Riding Mower + Hovercraft + Trowel = Riding Trowel (of course) Except for the part about ramming into each other, the three contraptions pictured above look — and move — a lot like bumper cars. In fact, the devices (called “ride-on power trowels”) can cost up to $40k apiece, and are used in commercial construction to...Read More
“Modern Family” Season 7, Episode 7: “Phil’s Sexy, Sexy House” When it comes to showing TV Realtor Phil Dunphy in plausible, work-related situations, the writers for sitcom Modern Family have been remarkably sure-footed spanning almost 150 episodes. See, “Halloween Night Open Houses“; “Phil Dunphy, (TV) Realtor”; “Phil Dunphy’s ‘Modern Family’ Rival: ‘She Lied, She Cheated, She Won“;...Read More
Maybe They’re Counting Four Stairs I’ve seen homes with as much as 3,000 finished square feet in the lower level — “basement” to non-Realtors (it was a very big house). And I’ve seen homes with no finished square feet in the lower level (typical of 19th century homes that have limestone foundations and only partial basements with...Read More
Did Someone Say, “Is it Quitting Time?!?” When is a (very) quiet Friday afternoon, approaching Thanksgiving, not reflective of market conditions? When the local MLS is down (true since around 1 p.m.), and it’s not possible for Twin Cities Realtors to search for new listings, request showings, or do most of the things agents normally...Read More
“Let My People Go”: Blocking Senders as a Last Resort No sooner had I clicked “unsubscribe” on one of the automatic newsletters Realtors get bombarded with these days, then I saw a new email in my inbox. From the same vendor. It was a form letter saying they were “sorry to see me go,” and...Read More
Cheap(er) Copper = Less Expensive New Homes? “U.S. Housing Starts Fall 11% in October.” —headline, WSJ (11/18/2015) According to today’s Wall Street Journal, copper prices just fell to fresh six-year lows (about $2/lb.), in part due to softness in new home construction. Which begs the reciprocal question: will falling copper prices reduce the cost of new...Read More
