Beauty in the Eye of the Beholder Buyer When should a listing agent (representing the Seller) explicitly market that a home “needs cosmetic updates” (or the equivalent)? Less often than you might guess. Here are my three reasons why: One. The pictures tell the story. Most MLS’s allow 18 photos; websites like EdinaRealty.com effectively allow...Read More
“Thing One and Thing Two” There are actually two eye-catching things in the Family Room of this “For Sale” Minneapolis home (photo above). The first, very conspicuous item is the neon red couch (I actually like it – and like how the red accent pillows in the upper left continue the theme). Red, White(!) & Blue...Read More
So THAT’S Why It’s Been For Sale Forever (Maybe) As I tell clients, the “good stuff” on MLS is invariably buried in the “Agent Remarks” field — which consumers can’t see — rather than the “Public Remarks” field, which they can. Even so, I can’t previously recall a listing agent trying to defuse a VERY...Read More
Saving 2.7% of $0 Contrary to popular perception, not all “For Sale by Owner” homes (“FBO’s”) are created equal. Perhaps the biggest misconception is that FSBO sellers are trying to avoid paying any commission. Wrong. The vast majority are only trying to save half a commission — specifically, the portion payable to the agent representing...Read More
Too Much of a Good Thing? Imagine Tweets suddenly going from 140 characters and spaces to . . . more than triple that. That’s sort of what happened on MLS last week. Since at least . . . uhh, forever, the amount of space allocated to “Agent” and “Public Remarks” was 155 characters. Now? Five hundred....Read More
Realtor Freudian Slips “All-new appliances, new carpeting, fresh pain.” –Public remarks, MLS I say it with sympathy, not Schadenfreude — both for the homeowner as well as their (listing) agent. Because it’s a bummer to have a house sit on the market, unsold — plus often, a financial hardship. When that’s the case, though, and...Read More
