The Twin Cities’ “Brooklyn” and “Manhattan?” The Case for Edina’s Country Club Neighborhood Brooklyn has become so hot — and expensive — that the joke in New York is that people who can’t afford to live there should check out cheaper digs in Manhattan. In particular, the Upper East Side now looks like a relative...Read More
“What’s Sauce for the Goose is Sauce for the Gander” I suppose the opposite of that is, “what isn’t sauce for the goose isn’t sauce for the gander.” Huh?!? One of the insights into pricing a “For Sale” home well is recognizing that some properties ARE more difficult to value, due to their uniqueness, location,...Read More
Playing Down the Price “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.” –Samuel Johnson The real estate equivalent of Johnson’s line is, “when you’ve got nothing else (left?) to sell, sell price.” That’s not to say value is irrelevant. With ever-more discriminating consumers, online information, and high tech tools and savvy generally, value has never been more important....Read More
Downsides: Traffic, Peer Pressure “Many residents say they glory in the excitement and attention. Some moved here to get in on the tradition. But life in a winter wonderland brings more than glad tidings for the neighbors, who must deal with high public expectations, traffic jams, a parking shortage, litter and nosy visitors.” –“It Can...Read More
“There’s Gold Copper in Them Thar Hills” If, like my household, you’re contemplating replacing your (very) old central a/c unit this Summer, you’ll discover (like us) that it’s not cheap. But, I was puzzled why, on the contractor bid’s for “disposal fee,” the amount was $0. Disposal Fee? Try, Bounty The explanation? According to the contractor, old a/c...Read More
Pay More Commission, Net More Money? Yup, That’s the Idea Actually, the blog headline (above) was supposed to be a rhetorical question. But, if you’re dubious, here’s the math: Scenario #1: $300k less 5.5% commission = $283,500 Scenario #2: $310k less 7% commission = $288,300 Difference: almost $5k. “The Way to Bet” Of course,...Read More
