Property Taxes, Too (At Least in Minnesota) In addition to the more recognizable hallmarks of Fall, Minnesotans — at least ones who have cars parked outside — will doubtless recognize that last sign (literally) as well. The explanation: the cool overnight temps cause the air in the tires to contract, tripping the warning light. Higher...Read More
Doing Realtor Damage Control Thanks to a Star Tribune story Tuesday chronicling a supposedly overheated Twin Cities housing market, crestfallen Buyers who repeatedly(!) came up short in multiple offers this Summer, etc., etc., several thousand local agents had to take a chunk out of their busy schedules this week to do damage control with their anxious...Read More
DIY Drawbacks Do-it-Yourself always has perils, but particularly so when it comes to using a drone to take home photos. Here’s just a partial list of the drawbacks and other considerations that come to mind for Realtors tempted to try it themselves: 1. The $5k required to buy a commercial-quality drone. 2. The $5k that’s...Read More
“April showers bring May flowers.” —old saying “July deals bring (late) August closings.” —real estate corollary Combine a (very) busy late Spring market, surprisingly low interest rates, and a looming month-end, and what do you get? An exceptionally crowded end of August closing docket. Meanwhile, as for Realtors . . . not so much. At...Read More
China’s Chickens Come Home to Roost** or, Is the Opposite of the “Wealth Effect” the “Poverty Effect??” Normally, I tell prospective home Buyers and Sellers to tune out “macro” factors like the broader economy, (un)employment, etc. and instead focus on “micro” factors affecting the specific property they want to buy or sell. So, forget about...Read More
Too Much of a Good Thing? Imagine Tweets suddenly going from 140 characters and spaces to . . . more than triple that. That’s sort of what happened on MLS last week. Since at least . . . uhh, forever, the amount of space allocated to “Agent” and “Public Remarks” was 155 characters. Now? Five hundred....Read More
