Is Bad Behavior “Stickier” Than Good? First, a caveat: good real estate outcomes — especially in the land of “Minnesota Nice” — are by far the rule. But, that doesn’t mean there aren’t any deals that end badly — or don’t end at all. See, “Get Me Out of the Deal!”: Statutory Cancellation for Beginners.”...Read More
“And the Owner’s Dog is Ugly, Too!” In the land of “Minnesota Nice,” listing agents (representing Sellers) don’t encounter it often. But, at today’s office meeting, another Realtor made reference to a recent, “brutal” showing on one of their listings. Invariably, here’s what they meant: “The prospective Buyer trashed the home’s price, condition, curb appeal,...Read More
Thanks to Hopkins City Inspector Colleen Rybak, who emailed me a copy of the city’s inspection report late last night. As in, “Sunday night” — after she’d been out-of-town for the weekend. I needed the report first thing this am, to go with my new listing at 738 Drillane Circle, and would have had to...Read More
“Relative” Reality “The level of reality is very high.” –Bravo producer, “Million Dollar Listing New York”; The Real and Unreal on Reality TV (NYT, May 2, 2013) First, there was the Crime Scene Investigation (“CSI”) franchise. As in, “CSI: Las Vegas,” “CSI: Miami,” “CSI: New York,” etc. Next came The Real Housewives of . ....Read More
Translating “Minnesota Nice” I’ve got to remind myself when I work with out-of-town Buyers — I have three such clients at the moment — that outside of Minnesota, “interesting” actually can mean “interesting.” As in “unique” (in a good way), “provocative,” or “stimulating.” When Minnesotans say it — especially in the context of house-hunting, and they enunciate...Read More
“Gee, That’s So Nice of You!” It wasn’t Minnesota Nice that prompted me to repeatedly yield the right of way on the single file path up (and down) Camelback Mountain this morning. I had no choice — I needed all those breaks to catch my breath! I ultimately made it half-way, which I consider a...Read More
