Is it Halloween Yet? I’m a big fan of dramatically lit homes. And with the seasonal change, we’re heading into ever-shorter Fall days. And yet, the technique doesn’t work all the time ” and can even backfire: especially for smaller homes, interior lighting at night can produce an (unhelpful) “Jack-o-Lantern effect.” The (kind of) scientific...Read More
“Find Your Place” . . . in Between a Future Construction Site and Demonic Neighbors (Huh?!?) Let me see if I understand StreetEasy’s pitch** for a New York City loft (above) correctly. The unit immediately above (“NEEDS RENOVATION”) is likely to become a noisy, dusty construction site for an indeterminate period of time, starting . . ....Read More
Beauty in the Eye of the Beholder Buyer When should a listing agent (representing the Seller) explicitly market that a home “needs cosmetic updates” (or the equivalent)? Less often than you might guess. Here are my three reasons why: One. The pictures tell the story. For years, websites like EdinaRealty.com have allowed an unlimited number...Read More
There’s Never Just One Cockroach Buzz Word To know exactly what Lenny Kravitz means by a “highly curated” home . . . I’d first have to know what a “curated” home is (I don’t). Here’s guessing said residences — in a development called “75 Kenmare,” in Manhattan’s super-trendy NoLita neighborhood — include at least a few one-of-a-kind artisanal...Read More
The Bruce Willis Estate in Sun Valley The Twin Cities doesn’t really have celebrities, excepting certain Vikings, Twins, and Timber Wolves. Ergo, it doesn’t really have celebrity homes.* But, if you’re the listing agent representing a famous client, do you broadcast that fact? Keep mum? Privacy vs. Cachet My Upper Midwest sensibilities say the latter,...Read More
Law of Diminishing Returns Show me a “For Sale” home that’s open Sunday after Sunday, rain or shine, and I’ll show you a house where: a) the home is likely overpriced and going nowhere in the market; b) a frustrated Realtor is trying to placate an impatient owner; or most likely c) both “a.” and “b.”...Read More
