Prospective Listing Agent to Homeowner: “So, Why Are You Selling?” Realtors who aren’t skilled at determining prospective clients’ motivation . . . usually don’t make much money selling real estate. So, how do you tell how motivated someone is? A good starting point is asking them why they’re selling (Duh, right?). Sometimes, you don’t even...Read More
“Location, Location, Location” “Context, Context, Context” What can you confidently say about a “For Sale” home whose price was just reduced, days before Christmas? A. The home is now a bargain. B. The Seller is motivated. C. The Seller’s Realtor (listing agent) is motivated. D. The home is better-priced** than it was before. Correct answer:...Read More
“Buy a House in Minnesota in December?” “Are You %#&!$ Crazy?!?” Actually, no. In fact, I can think of three reasons why that’s actually a very good idea. Discount Shockers One. Best deals of the year. Every year I’ve been selling real estate ” and it’s now 17 ” the best deals of the year...Read More
Standing Out in a Crowd Vacuum On an especially busy Tuesday in March or April, it’s not unusual for the Edina Realty – City Lakes office to have 11 homes on Broker Tour** all by itself. So, you know it’s a slow week when that’s the TOTAL number of Twin Cities homes on tour, excluding St....Read More
“We Can Always Drop the Price, Right?” Yes, But . . . Wait a second! Don’t leftovers come after Thanksgiving? Not when it comes to the housing market. In my own neighborhood close to Minneapolis’ Cedar Lake, I’m aware of at least half a dozen very nice homes which came on the market as far back...Read More
Rounding Errors Is a rich Seller a less motivated Seller? After all, to a billionaire, what difference does it make if their oceanside estate fetches $21 million or $17 million or $23 million? Can you say, “rounding error?” Certainly, that describes the mindset of some affluent homeowners (ditto for very large estates). However, all that...Read More
