Biting the Bullet vs. Discounting the Sales Price Can Minnesota homeowners sell a house with a red-tagged furnace? The somewhat surprising answer: “You betcha!”** Ahhh, but is it smart to sell a home that needs a new furnace? The answer to that is more nuanced. Here’s mine: “Usually not — but it depends on the home’s...Read More
Having the TISH Done TOO Soon(?) Assuming the local municipality requires a Truth-in-Sale of Housing (“TISH”) inspection, the usual answer to the question, “When should prospective home sellers have the city inspection done?” is, “as soon as possible.” That gives the homeowner a head start addressing any required repairs, and allows them to combine the...Read More
“Clean Litter Box . . . Clean Chimney . . . Clean TISH(?!?) No, the listing agent isn’t touting the condition of some obscure new appliance, or instructing anyone to clean anything. They’re referring to the municipal Truth in Sale of Housing inspection. Public vs. Private Home Inspection Required by about a dozen municipalities locally,...Read More
New Construction in St. Louis Park’s Lake Forest Neighborhood — and Lots of Renovation & Expansion Nearby “Instead of teardowns, the focus in St. Louis Park has been on home renovation and expansion. St. Louis Park is definitely an area where people are willing to invest. We see this in the area near our office...Read More
Is There Such a Thing as TMI (“Too Much Information”) on the Seller Disclosure? (Hint: “No”) I don’t know about other parts of the country, but here in conscientious, neighborly Minnesota, home sellers are more likely to volunteer too much information rather than too little on the required state disclosure form. As their Realtor, I’m...Read More
Playing Offense vs. Defense About a dozen Twin Cities municipalities have them: a city-required home inspection that must be completed before homeowners can transfer title to a Buyer at closing. Leaving aside the merits of such inspections, when does it make sense for Sellers — and their agents — to market that the home has passed...Read More
