The Reason to Put the Laundry (Back) in the Basement I just met a client’s plumber, who quoted the cost to move a basement laundry to the first floor in a “For Sale” home my client is considering. According to the plumber, that’s the direction of the move 90% of the time. The other 10%?...Read More
vs. “Family Home”(?) “Starter home“: a relatively small, economical house or condominium that meets the requirements of young people buying their first home. My association with “starter home” — and I’m sure many others’ — is a small house, usually two Bedrooms (or three very small ones), that may (or may not) be in rough condition....Read More
When Bigger Isn’t Better Just like the discount for a one-car garage varies, so, too, does the discount for a home with no basement (at least in the Twin Cities housing market, where single family homes routinely come with — and Buyers expect — finished basements). The biggest variable driving the discount for no basement?...Read More
Pros and Cons For Downsizing Baby Boomers Surprise, surprise, that stalwart of the ’50’s — the one-story rambler (known as a “ranch” on the coasts) — is making a comeback. They can be especially appealing to downsizing Baby Boomers, who are looking for one-level living, in a smaller home, with the privacy and backyard that go with a detached, single-family...Read More
Back in Fashion: Ramblers “People want to remodel their homes so they can age in place. They’re adding main-floor Bathrooms and Laundry Rooms, zero-curb showers that could accommodate a wheelchair, and Family Room additions that could easily convert to main-floor Bedrooms.” –Kim Palmer, “Remodeling on Rebound”; Star Tribune (5/5/2013) Along with the housing market, remodeling...Read More
Built for Baby Boomers — By Their Parents! Like narrow ties and bell bottoms, wait long enough and the most dated fashions come back in style. The same is true in real estate. As Baby Boomers age, the unheralded, ’50’s-era rambler is making a comeback. I can think of (at least) four reasons why. One....Read More
