Is That Bowed Foundation Wall Historical or Active? “This side appears to be brown.” –What a CPA will answer if you point to a horse in a pasture and ask what color it is. “The house’s foundation does not appear to be at imminent risk of failing . . . today.” –Structural engineer’s analysis of a...Read More
Hot Housing Market Multiple Choice Quick! Guess which of the following variables — besides price — can be a tiebreaker for Sellers weighing multiple offers: A. The Buyer’s type of financing. B. The size of the Buyer’s down payment. C. The Buyer’s lender (local, name brand > out-of-state and/or online). D. The closing date. E....Read More
Soliciting Customer Feedback From the Math-Challenged Of course, the email solicitation didn’t say the airline would pay customers $1.50 to complete its survey. Instead, it offered “250 bonus miles.” But, do the math — I did — and that comes to a rather measly $1.50 (that’s what you get when you divide $300 by 50,000 points, then multiply by...Read More
FOBH & The 2017 Housing Market Once upon a time, Twin Cities Realtors eschewed rentals (vs. purchases and sales). Compared to the “For Sale” market, rentals were notoriously time-consuming, low-paying, and involved lots of red tape (the average lease has more fine print and addenda than a standard Minnesota Purchase Agreement). Then, the housing bust...Read More
When One Size Definitely Doesn’t Fit All What makes a good closing gift for home buyers? Anything the client really wants (within limits). “Know Your Client” (Again) In that vein . . . it’s hard to top the Buyer’s agent who popped for a new dryer (or so I recently heard). Apparently, the agent found out...Read More
The Case For — and Against In a microcosm, the considerations for doing an open house on Easter Sunday are the same as for deciding whether to list a home during a traditionally slow time of the year (like around the holidays). Here’s how the arguments shape up: Pros: –Not much competition from other open...Read More
