Budding Trend in New Construction? Lots of new homes these days have first-floor offices off the front entry. (Much) less common: a separate door opening from the office to the front porch, like the one at 3810 Upton Ave. South in Minneapolis’ Linden Hills neighborhood (pictured above). The effect is to give the home a much better flow, and...Read More
Parade of Homes, Spring Fall 2014 [Editor’s Note: Broken clocks are accurate twice a day. Similarly, my post about the Parade of Homes — and the challenges and opportunities it presents for home buyers and their Realtors — is correct twice a year. The first time is the Spring Parade; the second is the Fall...Read More
Other People’s Lake Views, or, “Not . . So . . Fast” Put it this way: I’ve never seen a supplement on MLS for a turret before (the proposed home that goes with is pictured above). Here’s what it says on MLS: SPECIAL FEATURE! The Turret area is designed to have a spiral staircase leading...Read More
What’s the best-selling item at the shopping mall these days? Hint: it’s not in the stores — it’s in the parking lot. In fact, it IS the parking lot. Mixed-Use New Construction No less than 3 Twin Cities shopping malls at the moment — Ridgedale, Knollwood, and Southdale — have major construction projects going up...Read More
When to Skip Home Improvements In general, I applaud homeowners who want to make improvements to their homes and property. See, “Let’s Hear it For Granny Flats!” However, at least when it comes time to sell, there’s one scenario where owners are better advised to save their cash, and simply market their home to builders: ...Read More
New 2nd Story (and new 1st Story, Too!) In a post a year ago, I speculated that the Dean Parkway rambler (pictured above) was a prime candidate for a popped roof (that is, a 2nd story addition). See, “2nd Story Coming Soon?” That was based on both the home’s terrific location just north of the...Read More
