Realtors & Clients Parting Ways You can’t take it anymore. Close to the edge for awhile, they finally did something that crossed the line. So, you fire them. Clients axing their Realtor? Try, Realtors firing their clients. Irreconcilable Differences No, I don’t believe it happens that much, because most clients’ expectations and conduct are reasonable,...Read More
(More) Signs of a Seller’s Market I would never counsel a Seller to list their home with the condition that any sale is contingent on their finding another home. What Buyer wants to enter into a deal not knowing when — or even IF — their Seller is able to find their next home? What if the...Read More
Is Bad Behavior “Stickier” Than Good? First, a caveat: good real estate outcomes — especially in the land of “Minnesota Nice” — are by far the rule. But, that doesn’t mean there aren’t any deals that end badly — or don’t end at all. See, “Get Me Out of the Deal!”: Statutory Cancellation for Beginners.”...Read More
Shooting the Messenger Listing Agent I think the prospective client to whom I made a listing presentation the other week is hiring someone else. Or, at least, I think he is; he never returned my phone calls after the meeting. Setback — Or Not? Five years ago — 60 or 70 deals back, in Realtor vernacular — I would...Read More
Paid-Off House as Piggy Bank To the already long list of unintended consequences of zero percent interest rates (“ZIRP”) — squeezed savers, flush investment banks (and bankers), volatile commodity prices, etc., etc. — add one more: lack of (home) Seller motivation, especially amongst long-time owners with little or no debt. Why the lack of motivation? Because they...Read More
Estimating “Rental Turnaround Cost” “Normal Wear and Tear“: The inevitable physical decline of the condition of a property from time and usage. Normal wear-and-tear increases over the useful life of any property or asset. It results from normal usage by its occupants as well as from weather and other natural forces that surround it. Would-be...Read More
