Guilt By Association When agents see a listing ” in mid-January, in Minnesota ” with leafy trees and a bright, green lawn, 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 ” and find out how many...Read More
“To Update Exterior Photos Now or Not” — That is the (Listing Agent) Question I’ve previously shared the only slightly tongue-in-cheek secret for a Buyer’s agent to get a balky client to actually buy: have a plane to catch immediately after showing the client a series of homes. See, “Want Prospective Home Buyers to Buy?...Read More
Official Beginning of Winter 2017-2018 in Twin Cities: Yesterday! (Dec. 5) “Welcome to Stanford! Last year, 95% of you were in the top 5% of your class. Today, 95% of you are in the bottom 95% of your class.” –Stanford Dean of Admissions Fred Hargadon, to each year’s entering freshman class (including mine a long time...Read More
Keeping the Listing Fresh** As a Buyer’s agent, I know an (almost) surefire way to get recalcitrant clients to buy: head to the airport. See, “Want Buyers to Buy? Head to the Airport.” What’s the equivalent for listing agents (representing Sellers)? Update the home’s photos (a necessity in Minnesota’s fast-changing, extreme climate). Keeping Up the (Sales) Pressure...Read More
Seasonal vs. Unseasonal Photos I thought this pair of pictures would underscore the point I made in the previous post (“What’s Under All That White??”). Alliterative-minded readers will note that that’s five “P’s” in a row — plus the “Ph” and “F” in the headline. 🙂Read More
Winter Wild Cards It’s a genuine dilemma for listing agents (representing Sellers): if you show a seasonally “white” winter photo of a home’s front or backyard, Buyers can’t really see anything. However, if you show a non-seasonal Spring or Summer photo, Buyers (and their agents) may draw the mistaken conclusion that the home has been for...Read More