Weak Link: Between the Buyer and Title Company [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.] When it comes to housing-related cyber fraud, home Buyers and Sellers are not equally vulnerable to hackers. Buyers are much more exposed....Read More
Standard Amenities: “Baggage Claim,” “Courtesy Phone” . . . “Bike Assembly Area” (?!?) Test your knowledge of regional quirks, and guess which major U.S. airport provides a “Bike Assembly Area” for arriving passengers (last line of sign, above): A. Chicago O’Hare B. Dallas-Fort Worth C. Portland, OR D. Atlanta (Hartsfield) Correct answer: “C.” Not that...Read More
“What You’re OK With If You Get It . . . . & What You’re OK With If You Don’t” In my 15+ years selling residential real estate, perhaps the most fraught question I’ve fielded from clients has to do with multiple offers. Specifically, it’s stressed Buyers beseeching me, “What the $%#@! do I offer?”...Read More
Multiple Offer Photo Finish If you’re a home seller trying to decide among four virtually identical offers for your home (Yay!!), which one do you choose? At least for one recent Twin Cities seller, the tiebreaker was the Inspection Contingency. Specifically, one of the four offers included a $500 cap on any inspection requests. Painless...Read More
(Too) Affordable Monthly Payments One of the best ways to deal with (financial) objections is to whittle them down to size. As salespeople know, there’s no better way to make a big(ger) number seem smaller than to shrink it into monthly payments. So, that extra $10,000 you might have to pay to get a house now...Read More
Lender-Speak, Translated What they said: “the check’s in the mail.’ Translation: “I’m late paying the bills.’ What they said: “The dog ate my homework.’ Translation: “I didn’t do the assignment.’ What they said: “I have been holding off on submitting the file until we are within 60 days of closing (for both the rate lock and because the...Read More
