A Rose Penthouse by Any Other Name “Who are you going to believe, me or your own lying eyes?” — Caption, New Yorker cartoon. Quick! Guess how tall the hotel pictured above is (located in Cancun, my wife and I recently celebrated our 21st(!) anniversary there). According to the resort’s owner and its marketing literature...Read More
Now, THAT’S Going Cold Turkey! Speaking from experience, it’s almost impossible to completely disconnect from work the couple of times a year I take a genuine break. Somehow, the resolve to only check emails once or twice a day erodes, or, some unanticipated issue with a file pops up that requires my (hopefully) brief attention. Which is why...Read More
Proof That High Pressure Sales Tactics Don’t Work At least in my experience, the odds of any one showing leading to a consummated transaction are perhaps 1 in 10. The exception to that? If the Buyer’s agent is headed to the airport, or otherwise under acute time pressure. When that’s the case, I’d estimate that...Read More
Pre-Labor Day Weekend Housing Market Slow-Down One other variable that can be very relevant for homeowners deciding whether to list now or wait till after the market picks up, post-Labor Day weekend: the availability — or lack thereof — of any needed contractors. The list includes photographers, handymen, and assorted contractors (stagers, painters, electricians, etc.)...Read More
Four Logistical Hurdles Of course, the prospective Buyer still has to like the house enough to want to make an offer. But, over very long holiday weekends — like this year’s July 4th-on-a-Tuesday — there are a couple extra hurdles as well. Specifically, these four: One. Can you get in? If the house is vacant,...Read More
Realtor Version: ‘I’m Out Selling Houses’ It’s certainly possible that this Linden Hills photographer is out on an extended photo shoot, that just coincidentally straddles the long, Labor Day weekend. 🙂 Theory #2: they’re taking a little time off. Ditto for lots of Twin Cities Realtors, who just finished as busy a Spring-Summer stretch as...Read More