Why Hand Online Cranks a Megaphone?? “In the architecture of online media, comment sections are the septic tanks.” –“Still Kickin”; Mpls St. Paul Magazine (April 2016) I don’t know about other agents, but there’s not much doubt in my mind about whether or not to allow online consumer comments for a listing. In case it’s unclear,...Read More
Broker Open Pitch: “Drawing for Two $25 Gas Cards” With the hosting agent promising two gas $25 cards, and only five agents (including myself) through so far, I was very much liking my chances at the Broker Open near Cedar Lake yesterday. Then, two (very) full cars of City Lakes agents pulled up just as...Read More
Will the Backup House Sell in Time? In addition to the usual contingencies for Inspection and Financing, the Buyer making a Contingent offer for a house is adding a third, big one: that’ll they’ll be able to sell their current home — what Realtors call “the backup house” — within 60-90 days. In turn, the salability of...Read More
“Coupon Caveats,” or, When the Sum of the Parts < The Whole [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.] There may be valid reasons to buy an annual Barnes & Noble membership for $25. But, the promised $50...Read More
Avoiding “The Bowling Alley” Effect First, a caveat: unless there’s also a detached garage in the back of the house (typically, off an alley), converting a one-car garage into something else is a non-starter. That’s because going from a one-car garage to a no-car garage is guaranteed to destroy much more value than it creates. But, assuming that that’s not the...Read More
“Nobody goes there anymore; it’s too crowded.” –Yogi Berra, about a (too) popular Miami Beach restaurant. Returning from a family event over the weekend in Philadelphia, it took me a while to name the city’s gritty, cosmopolitan vibe: “1980’s Upper West Side.” Meanwhile, the real Upper West Side (in Manhattan) increasingly feels like something conjured...Read More
