When it Works ” and When it Doesn’t; or, “Good! Go Lowball Someone Else!” Fear of loss can be a huge motivator in real estate sales. For home Buyers, it means losing out on their dream home to a higher bidder. So, what do home Sellers fear losing? A good Buyer. “The Runner-Up House” Which...Read More
Actions > Words, Real Estate Edition So, how do you tell if a home Seller is motivated? Test your knowledge of the housing market, and identify the correct answer(s) below: A. The home is realistically priced; B. If the home hasn’t sold after a reasonable amount of market time (depends on price point, home attributes),...Read More
Gullible Homeowner? Not So Fast . . . It sure sounds like a line: a builder who tells their client that they intentionally put a crack in the foundation floor to alleviate settling-related stress. But, it happens to be true. The two caveats: 1) it should be a small crack, barely more than a hairline; and...Read More
Brooks: Buyers Face Four Challenges (“Emotional, Psychological, Cognitive, & Moral”) Leave it to an intellectual to over think buying a home. In a nutshell, that’s my reaction to New York Times columnist David Brooks’ piece, “The Home Buying Decision.” Customized Criteria Which isn’t to say Mr. Brooks’ column — destined to be emailed to Realtors...Read More
All in a Day (and Night’s) Work Ok, so there are plenty of times I wouldn’t have taken the call. Or, would have unplugged my phone, and not known about it until the next morning. But, since I’d left the other agent a voicemail regarding my client’s question around dinner time, I felt it was...Read More
Dangerous Default Language (at least for Buyers) Up until last August, Minnesota home buyers who discovered inspection issues that required negotiation with their Seller were safe. If they proposed an Amendment reducing the sales price say, $1,500 as a result, and the Seller said “no,” the deal automatically cancelled at the end of the agreed-upon inspection period....Read More