Are Midwestern Homes Less “Seductive” Than Ones on the Coast? According to an analysis of roughly 1.6 million home listings by Realtor.com, lower-priced homes were most likely to have the word “love” in property descriptions, while homes priced in the millions of dollars were most likely to have “sexy” and “seductive” in the descriptions. —The...Read More
Real Estate Marketing Rule of Thumb: Play Down the Garage, Driveway Just like people often have a more and less flattering side for photos, so do homes. Looking at the photos of this currently “For Sale” Minnetonka house (not my listing), it’s pretty obvious which is which. The top photo is from the current listing; photo...Read More
“Charm Galore?” Where? Sorry, I don’t see “charm galore” in the MLS photo (above). I see an empty, darkish room with shadows from one of the windows. Just because the caption (listing agent) says it, doesn’t make it so.Read More
Smart Marketing: $10 For Yellow Rope, Wood Stakes Like most people in the neighborhood (not to mention area Realtors), I assumed that the lot for sale just southwest of Cedar Lake in St. Louis Park’s Fern Hill neighborhood was a very narrow rectangle. Not so. What appears to be just the backyard of the home...Read More
Targeting Expired Listings With Buyer Bait-and-Switch Apparently, at least a few overzealous agents at one Twin Cities broker in particular are now trolling for listings using some variation of the following sleazy strategy: Step #1: target “For Sale” homes that have just expired, unsold, on MLS. Step #2: show up unannounced at the home with...Read More
Designer Cabinets & Real Estate Couture “Fantastic sun-drenched West-facing, 2-story (top floors) each with a balcony (top-floor’s is huge), Valcucine cabinets, large center island, granite, open floor plan and hardwood throughout.” –MLS listing, “Public Remarks” field. [Editor’s Note: The views expressed here are solely those of Ross Kaplan, and do not represent Edina Realty, Berkshire Hathaway, or...Read More
