Is an “alcove apartment” easier to rent than a “studio?” Apparently, at least one Twin Cities developer seems to think so. So far, the term only seems to be a feature of the rental market: out of almost 1,000 condo’s currently for sale on the local (NorthStar) MLS, only five use the term — and...Read More
Skipping the Starter Home There’s some anecdotal evidence that first-time Buyers in the Twin Cities are making their mark a rung (or three) higher than you’d normally expect to find them. Namely, they’re disproportionately active in transactions around $500k — especially new construction in some of the more affordable ‘burbs — rather than in the...Read More
2014: Year of the “Boomerang Buyer”?? If you didn’t know, a “baby boomeranger” is the adult offspring of a Baby Boomer who’s grown up, graduated from college . . . and moved back home with their parents (presumably unemployed — or at least underemployed). That’s bad for the housing market. Replenished Buyer Pool So, what’s...Read More
Do They Come Out Ahead? In college football, they’re called “red-shirts”: promising freshmen who are held back a year — both for more seasoning, and because they’d otherwise use up valuable eligibility serving as an understudy to a star upperclassman. The housing market equivalent? A home that was listed 2-3 years ago when the market was...Read More
So Which Is It? One side effect of a market flooded with both sales and rentals is that renters are gaining clout when it comes to negotiating, just as buyers have. –“As Sales Slump, Rental Stock Rises“; The New York Times (9/25/2010) To the chagrin of many renters . . . the balance of power...Read More
