“Charm Galore?” Where? Sorry, I don’t see “charm galore” in the MLS photo (above). I see an empty, darkish room with shadows from one of the windows. Just because the caption (listing agent) says it, doesn’t make it so.Read More
Smart Marketing: $10 For Yellow Rope, Wood Stakes Like most people in the neighborhood (not to mention area Realtors), I assumed that the lot for sale just southwest of Cedar Lake in St. Louis Park’s Fern Hill neighborhood was a very narrow rectangle. Not so. What appears to be just the backyard of the home...Read More
Targeting Expired Listings With Buyer Bait-and-Switch Apparently, at least a few overzealous agents at one Twin Cities broker in particular are now trolling for listings using some variation of the following sleazy strategy: Step #1: target “For Sale” homes that have just expired, unsold, on MLS. Step #2: show up unannounced at the home with...Read More
Chaperoned Showings: “Listing Agent Must Be Present For All Showings” It certainly CAN be a negative when a “For Sale” home — usually upper bracket — has restrictive showing instructions (other variants: lengthy advance notice; financially pre-qualifying Buyers; no previews; and/or no public open houses — ever). It’s also usually a “no-no” for a listing agent...Read More
Ad Targets Investors, Not Realtors (Phew!!) I got a momentary scare looking at the pop-up ad (above), until I realized that the advertiser was mutual fund giant Fidelity, and its target audience was investors, not Realtors. The “commissions” that Fidelity is referring to are the fees investors pay to buy and sell stock, NOT what...Read More
City Lakes Multiple Choice Test your knowledge of the Twin Cities, and answer the following multiple choice question: “Which of the following city lakes is ringed by upper bracket homes, has gorgeous nature and wildlife views, and is less than four miles from Downtown Minneapolis?” A. Cedar Lake. B. Lake Calhoun. C. Lake of the...Read More
