MLS: “3rd Bedroom on Upper Level is Large & Has Lots of Storage” There’s certainly nothing wrong with an Upper Level Bedroom (pictured above) that’s large and has lots of storage. But, what’s notable — at least to me — is what’s omitted. Errors of (C)omission Namely, any mention of a Bathroom, or whether the...Read More
Is an “alcove apartment” easier to rent than a “studio?” Apparently, at least one Twin Cities developer seems to think so. So far, the term only seems to be a feature of the rental market: out of almost 1,000 condo’s currently for sale on the local (NorthStar) MLS, only five use the term — and...Read More
Overwhelmed Listing Agents Improvise to Communicate with Buyers’ Agents Once upon a time, the “Agent Remarks” field on MLS was used to supplement the marketing verbiage in the “Public Remarks” field.** That is, if it was used at all — listing agents (representing Sellers) often simply copied-and-pasted their Public Remarks into Agent Remarks. Now? Especially...Read More
The “Can You Top THIS!?!” Spring 2021 Housing Market At least for now, the winner of the “Can You Believe How Crazy-Hot the Market Is!?!” contest is the Twin Cities home seller who reportedly sold their home a whopping 35 minutes(!) after it debuted on MLS. Under “Coming Soon.” Without a single showing.** And with...Read More
Practice vs. Theory One of the biggest areas of confusion in residential real estate is, “exactly what constitutes a legal bedroom?” In particular, to be a legal Bedroom, does the room have to have a closet? The short answer: it depends on the local city’s code requirements (some require it, some don’t). MLS Guidance However,...Read More
Collecting (Mining?) a Treasure Trove of Personal Data on Home Buyers and Sellers (and their Realtors) [Note to Readers: The views expressed here are solely those of Ross Kaplan, and do not represent Edina Realty, Berkshire Hathaway (“Berkshire”), or any other entity referenced. Edina Realty is a subsidiary of Berkshire.] To consumers and even...Read More