Answer: “About 50°” In the middle of August, on an especially humid day, a nice breeze ” if necessary, generated by a ceiling fan ” is especially welcome. Fast forward six months (or three, if you live in Minnesota), when local temps are 40º to 60º(!) cooler. That same breeze is now officially a “draft”...Read More
Just because a home hasn’t sold doesn’t mean that the Realtor is doing a bad job. But, if your home is lingering on the market, it’s imperative to know why. Here are four signs that the problem may not be your home, but your Realtor. One. Mediocrity (or worse). Fortunately, egregious Realtor ineptitude is usually...Read More
Checking Your Teeth — and Your Voicemail Messages In retrospect, it DID seem a little quiet yesterday, even though I wasn’t hosting an open house, doing showings, or otherwise involved in a deal. The explanation? My cellphone’s voicemail was full. I found out when a client sent me an email. In contrast to a few...Read More
Leads, Serious Leads . . . & Tire Kickers After hosting a couple hundred (thousand?) weekend open houses, I still learn useful things about Buyers ” as well as the home I’ve been hired to sell. Which is why I do ’em (vs. letting newer agents pinch hit for me). The most important insight? It’s...Read More
Meticulous Record Keeping = Meticulous Maintenance? “Are you in possession of prior seller’s disclosure statement(s)? (If “Yes, please attach).” –Minnesota Seller Disclosure; p. 1, line 44. [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. If you need legal advice,...Read More
Is it Halloween Yet? I’m a big fan of dramatically lit homes. And with the seasonal change, we’re heading into ever-shorter Fall days. And yet, the technique doesn’t work all the time ” and can even backfire: especially for smaller homes, interior lighting at night can produce an (unhelpful) “Jack-o-Lantern effect.” The (kind of) scientific...Read More
