“Coupon Caveats,” or, When the Sum of the Parts < The Whole [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.] There may be valid reasons to buy an annual Barnes & Noble membership for $25. But, the promised $50...Read More
Avoiding “The Bowling Alley” Effect First, a caveat: unless there’s also a detached garage in the back of the house (typically, off an alley), converting a one-car garage into something else is a non-starter. That’s because going from a one-car garage to a no-car garage is guaranteed to destroy much more value than it creates. But, assuming that that’s not the...Read More
Avery Fisher Hall David Geffen Hall I have no idea who Lincoln Center namesake Avery Fisher was. Twenty years from now, it’s a good bet that no one else will, either. That’s because, in exchange for a ginormous gift from entertainment mega-mogul David Geffen, New York’s Lincoln Center recently agreed to rename its Avery Fisher...Read More
“Whole” vs. “Fractional” Floors Homes have half-Baths; why not half-floors? Or multiple half-floors? Functionally, that’s exactly what a Split-Level is. Ramblers & Two-Stories Of course, the easier cases are ramblers and two-stories. Digitally, a rambler with a finished basement would be expressed as “+1.0; -1.0” for the first floor and lower level, respectively. A two-story with...Read More
With fresh snow in the Twin Cities scarcely two days ago — and up to half a foot(!) further south — casual observers might think that the 2016 Spring housing market has yet to formally kick off. In fact, it’s closer to the mid-point. Spring Market Intermission Many years, depending on when it falls, Easter Sunday...Read More
What it Means For Competing Homes As Realtors if not the general public know, the MLS status “TNAS” — short for “Temporarily Not Available For Showing” — has a catch-all status, covering everything from an unexpected home repair, to the Seller having out-of-town company, to someone in the household being sick. Which is why it...Read More
