Looking at the photo above, you’d think the far end of the Living Room was a country mile away. It’s not. According to MLS, the room is 22′ long.Read More
Smart Staging How do you make a home that may be smaller and/or have a challenging layout, feel bigger and more flowing? Pick one floor covering to use throughout. Depending on the size home, putting in a new, neutral-colored Berber carpet can cost $5,000 (or more). But, it can easily add 3x – 4x to...Read More
Handwritten “Home Highlights” Nobody uses Post-it notes more than me. They’re on my desk, near my phone, in my wallet, and on my family’s fridge. I’d probably put them on my wrist if they stuck there. So, where don’t hand-written Post-it’s belong? Near a hand-carved fireplace mantel, custom moldings, or other high-end features in a $600k...Read More
Translation: ‘Are You Too Busy For Me?’ One of the questions that often comes up in a listing presentation — basically, a Realtor job interview — is some variation of, “how many other clients do you have right now?” The subtext — at least for a veteran agent — is, “do you have time for me?”...Read More
Will Scathing Feedback Lower the Seller’s Price? I’ve certainly taken my swipes at the seemingly ubiquitous showing feedback forms that Buyers’ agents receive after they show a home. The main knocks: they ask for information no good Buyer’s agent is going to provide — e.g., “what is the home worth?” — especially if they have a client...Read More
Guilt By Association When agents see a listing — on February 14, in Minnesota — with leafy trees and a bright, green lawn (like the one above), their knee-jerk response isn’t to say to themselves, “My, what gorgeous landscaping.” It’s to click on “History” on MLS to see how long the home’s been on the market —...Read More
