Negotiate Formally or Informally? It Depends [Editor’s Note: The views expressed here are solely those of Ross Kaplan, and do not represent Edina Realty, Berkshire Hathaway, or any other entity referenced. If you need legal advice, please consult an attorney.] OK, so “Written vs. Verbal Counter-Offers” isn’t a very sexy title. But it’s a fascinating...Read More
“Other Uses For This Room”: OK, Maybe Not “Family Den” I knew I’d find a use for the sign (above) that I retrieved from my client’s house just before closing last week (the sign had formerly been located in a huge, upstairs Bedroom doing double duty as an in-home Exercise Room — with many other potential...Read More
Slightly Eerie Life Parallels I’m quite sure that Jerry Seinfeld has no idea I exist, let alone that our personal lives share several uncanny similarities. Nor have we ever met (though my then-single wife DID stand next to him in line at a coffee shop on the Upper West side in the 1990’s). But, consider...Read More
Closing Checklist . . . for Listing Agents I actually like 8 a.m. closings for a lot of reasons, especially when title companies are swamped (like now). If there’s a hitch with wired funds, there’s plenty of time to correct it; there’s no chance of a glitch in the closing(s) before delaying yours; clients are...Read More
(Even) Lower Interest Rates vs. Weaker Economy “It’s too soon to tell.” –Chinese leader Mao Tse-tung, when asked — in 1948(!) — about the historical significance of the French Revolution. To accurately assess the potential effect of Brexit on the housing market, one must first identify and analyze the biggest variables. Here’s my take: Positives...Read More
3-Fold Spike in Questions On Legal Forms So Far in 2016 First, a caveat: when your broker is Edina Realty, you don’t NEED to call the Minnesota Association of Realtors’ Legal Hotline (frankly, I didn’t even know it existed until last week). That’s because Edina Realty has three, terrific(!) in-house counsel** available to field agents’...Read More
