True or false: what Realtors call “the selling agent” once a deal closes represents the Seller (no, this isn’t another “Grant’s Tomb” question). Answer: false. The agent who represents the owner/seller is called “the listing agent”; post-closing, the Buyer’s agent is referred to as “the selling agent.” Nomenclature Once you work in real estate sales...Read More
The Overzealous Agent: Asset or Liability? Don’t squeaky wheels get the grease? And in a hyper-competitive multiple offer situation, isn’t an aggressive agent an asset? (nice alliteration, huh?) Yes . . . to a point. Beyond that point, hyper-aggressive behavior on the part of a Buyer’s agent can become a negative to the Seller (and...Read More
Nominated for 13th(!) Straight Year Mpls. St. Paul Magazine and Twin Cities Business typically notify local Realtors via letter in early May that they’ve been nominated as a “Super Real Estate Agent.” When I saw this year’s letters in colleagues’ in-boxes a month ago ” but not mine ” I dejectedly reconciled myself to the...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....Read More
Subjective Tolerance Levels First, the good news: assuming the house is a couple of decades old (or older!), the settling is very likely historic. So, for a home that was built in say, 1925, the settling likely occurred (and stopped) by 1927. The bad news? It’s (very) hard to correct. It’s possible to use floor...Read More
“Can I Please Speak to Myra Mains?” Courtesy of retired Edina Realty office manager Josh Kaplan, here is a classic April Fool’s joke for ” make that on ” Realtors, especially “newbie” Realtors. The front desk leaves a voicemail for the intended Realtor-victim (plural, ideally), telling them that they have a lead for them. The prospect’s name...Read More
