The Twilight Shot of the Century (But, Good Luck Getting a Re-Shoot) Yes, over 80% of the Sun over the Twin Cities will be covered by the moon’s shadow for about two hours Monday afternoon (August 21). But, no, that shouldn’t affect scheduled photo shoots for upcoming listings locally (a client just asked whether his 1:30 p.m....Read More
DIY Drawbacks Do-it-Yourself always has perils, but particularly so when it comes to using a drone to take home photos. Here’s just a partial list of the drawbacks and other considerations that come to mind for Realtors tempted to try it themselves: 1. The $5k required to buy a commercial-quality drone. 2. The $5k that’s...Read More
Double Whammy: Zillow’s Revenue, Realtors’ Expense* [Editor’s Note: The views expressed here are solely those of Ross Kaplan, and do not represent Edina Realty, Berkshire Hathaway, or any other entity referenced.] One of the biggest reasons that Zillow and Trulia — Websites that aggregate real estate listings and whose stocks are publicly-traded — make a...Read More
“Withheld From MLS” — But For How Long? It’s customary — at least for every listing I’ve ever taken — for the Seller to sign a “Withhold From MLS” form allowing me more than the otherwise maximum three days to have the home officially on the market. Wouldn’t it be smart, therefore, for the Seller...Read More
Home Not Selling? Only 3 Possible Explanations “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” –Buddhist sayings “When a home is priced right, Buyers will appear.” –Ross Kaplan I don’t know much about Buddhism, but I do know about selling residential real estate. Many frustrated home Sellers don’t want to hear this, but here goes:...Read More
More Than Meets the Eye (For a Change) Where: 1802 Colfax Ave. South, in Minneapolis’ Lowry Hill neighborhood What: all brick 6BR/5BA; almost 6,400 FSF on a double lot How much: $1.195M When: originally listed 8/08; two, $100k price cuts since then It isn’t often these days that the photos on MLS don’t do justice...Read More
