Three Quibbles A new study purports to put a number on the value of curb appeal: 7%. The study’s authors did that by analyzing Google Street View photos and sales data from 88,980 properties in the greater Denver area. Specifically, they performed these three steps: “The researchers manually scored a set of properties, grading 400 images...Read More
Proposed(?) Realtor Publicity Stunt No, as a Twin Cities Realtor, I’m not holding my breath waiting for an email or text from a colleague trumpeting a price reduction — or even a list price — in Bitcoin. As attention-getting as that might be (no doubt, what caused a client to suggest that to me recently)....Read More
The King Has No Clothes Currency “Bitcoin mania reached new highs as the price of the digital currency jumped about 40% in about 40 hours, surging past the $16,000 mark.” —The Wall Street Journal (Dec. 8, 2017). Why is gold valuable? Mostly, because you can buy things with it, and only (very) secondarily, because you...Read More
Morel Mushrooms at The Wedge for 33% Off The distinction between “on sale” and “cheap” is nicely illustrated by the morel mushrooms currently on sale for $39.99/lb.(!) at The Wedge Co-op on Lyndale in Minneapolis. And yes, the principle is frequently on display in residential real estate sales. Unfortunately, neither the Kaplan family budget nor...Read More
Getting (and Wanting) What You Pay For You’d certainly think that $300 a month for Association dues is a better deal than $500, assuming two near-identical units. But, the truth is, the higher fee could be a (much) better value. How so? If it covers a long list of services and building amenities that the...Read More
“Price is What You Pay, Value is What You Get” . . . . When it Comes to Realtors, Too “Price is what you pay, value is what you get.” –Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway Chairman (Note: Edina Realty is a Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary). When someone with a couple blocked arteries needs a heart surgeon, their...Read More
