“Why Are You Selling?” Realtors who aren’t skilled at determining prospective clients’ motivation . . . usually don’t make much money selling real estate. So, how do you tell how motivated someone is? A good starting point is asking them why they’re selling (Duh, right?). Sometimes, you don’t even have to; lots of prospective clients,...Read More
Resale Mystery Amongst the new Twin Cities listings debuting on MLS today, this Minneapolis home caught my eye: 5/31/17 (1:03 p.m.): Closed 5/31/17 (2:53 p.m.): Active Why would someone buy a home — in multiple offers, no less — than immediately put it back on the market? No, it’s not a flip: the Seller paid $330k, and...Read More
Too Much of a Good Thing? “As I am smoking . . . I don’t expect to be thanked.” –What John Hurt’s character — in “Love and Death on Long Island” (1997) — says to the cab driver, when the latter points to the cab’s “Thank You For Not Smoking” sign, and asks Hurt to extinguish his cigarette. Who doesn’t want...Read More
Legal Concept of “Ripeness” Even though it’s been decades since I practiced corporate law, I use the training practically daily. To pick just one example, I consciously apply the legal doctrine of “ripeness” to prioritize decision-making — mine and my client’s. In the legal world, “ripeness” means that courts will not consider an issue until it’s “ripe”...Read More
Can’t Show = Can’t Sell “If your parents don’t have children, you won’t either.” –old joke. “Show and sell!” –Common listing agent exhortation in the “Agent Remarks” section of MLS. It’s axiomatic that if, as a Buyer’s agent, you can’t get your client into a property . . . you ain’t going to sell it,...Read More
Telling Buyers Why the Owner is Selling You see it all the time on MLS: a listing agent who trumpets that a home is “only available due to Seller relocation.” Such verbiage is: A. Smart marketing, because it lets prospective Buyers know why the property is available. B. Neither a marketing plus nor minus. C. A violation of...Read More
