Twin Cities Real Estate

Hot Seats

About 15 years ago I had my first car with seat warmers.  It was late fall and I was showing a buyer houses.  She was in her mid-50's from Detroit and she thought our area was freezing.  I wanted to make her like our city, so without her knowledge I turned on her seat warmer.  Within a few minutes she said, "Jane, I need to roll my window down.  I am having  a hot flash and I am roasting.""I said, "Sure, make yourself comfortable."  I turned off her seat warmer and soon she rolled up her window and told me she was feeling much better.  She bought a house and has lived in this "cold" climate ever since.

 

On these cold days, as I turn on my car seat warmer, I smile thinking about Dorothy and what I did.  I now ask permission to turn on the warmer for my clients, but I think seat warmers in Minnesota are a great invention.  People in Arizona just can't imagine we would need such a thing.  I think we tolerate the cold much better than people elsewhere.  I have friends in Tucson and when it is 60 they take their shorts off and wear long pants and sweaters.  They laugh at us from the Midwest that think 60 is warm. 

It is Cold!

Today is my daughter's birthday.  It is always blasted cold on her birthday.  The day she was born it was -3o not counting a wind chill.  No one would come see us in the hospital it was so cold.  When she was little and we had birthday parties for her, parents would call to see if we were really going to have the party.  In other words they did not want to go out and warm up the car to come on over.

 

I don't like it cold.  When you breathe in and your nostrils stick together, it is cold.  When you walk or drive on the snow and the squeak is there, it is cold.  When the fluid in your  car is frozen and you can't clean your window, it is cold.  When you roll down your window at the bank to make a deposit at the drive through and the window won't go down, it is cold.  When you go out to get the paper in the morning and get an ice cream head ache, it is cold.  Okay, we can complain all we want to. Still--------

 

We don't have to go to the outhouse.  Most of us don't have to make it to the barn to care for animals.  We don't stay warm by sleeping with our siblings and putting hot potatoes under the covers with us.  We don't open the oven door in the kitchen to warm us as we eat our oat meal.  We don't have to break the ice on the water bowl before we wash our face in the morning.  We don't sleep with night caps on to stay warm.

 

Yet, I know when I go to bed at night there are people on the streets trying to stay alive.  I cannot imagine what it is like to stay alive in this weather.  I know they ride the bus during the day, read in the library, try to find a shelter at night, and somehow make it to another day.  I refuse to say it is cold out.  I can't complain as I have it so good. 

House Tempatures

How warm should a house be inside?  Men would say it needs to be cold inside, and women walk by the thermostat and crank it up.  There is something about our genders that have us argue about the house temperature.  When small children are in houses we once again have it warmer.  They are crawling around on the floor ,and we don't want them cold.  If one has birds then the house needs to be kept at about 72 degrees.  Those tropical birds want it to feel like the tropics and not Minnesota. 

 

Energy companies tell us the safe temperature is 58 degrees.  That is the lowest you want a house to be set at.  You go lower than that and on these cold nights you can freeze your pipes.  Last Saturday I showed a house in St. Paul, and I thought it felt warmer outside than inside the house.  The water in the toilet was frozen.  You guessed right.  My buyers left that property in a flash.  I am guessing that between 68 and 72 most people are comfortable in a house in Minnesota in the winter.  Insulation, the direction you face, the amount of sunshine, quality of windows, window coverings, and gas fireplaces can all alter the needs for heating a property.  A house on the market, even when the home owner is not home, needs to be kept comfortable for showings.  The buyers are walking around with coats on, but they don't want to feel their noses freezing.  A cold house does mean a short showing. 

 

In Minnesota we average 60 days below zero in a given winter.  That means we do burn fuel to stay worm.  Our heating bills can be nasty, but look at it this way. In Arizona and Florida they don't have large heating bills, but their cooling bills are nasty. They cool their properties from March-November.  The grass is not always greener.  Stay warm and throw another blanket on the bed this evening.

Land Lines Going Away

A new study shows that 18% or one out of every six houses in the United States have cell phones only.  This is not surprising to the population 35 and below.  The majority of my clients will tell me they have an office and a cell number but no land line.  I think this is due to cost, use of the internet, and the fact that people are very mobile and not home that often to get their phone calls.  I will ask for an appointment with one of my 35 and below buyers and they tell me this, " I am up about 6:30 am, get to the office about 7:30/7:45, work eating at my desk, leave the office about 5:30, go work out, meet a friend for a light dinner, and am in bed around 9:30 PM. "  See, they don't need a phone line.

 

I can remember just a few years ago that as a Realtor I made a big deal out of how many phone jacks there were in a house.  Builders would give four phone lines to impress buyers.  Back in the 70's it was trendy to put a phone in the master bath room. Each child got a phone line and that was normal.  I show a house built in 1928 and in the center hall there is a built in phone stand and my buyers' ask what it is.  They cannot believe that there was one phone for the entire family.  They should have lifted that old, black, metal phone.  You could kill someone with the weight of that thing.  Phone conversations were kept limited as it was not comfortable to hold and the whole family could hear you.  Kids often would stretch the line so it would reach the coat closet and they could talk in there.  Life got modern when the wall phone was invented and mounted in the kitchen.  It had a cord about 5 feet long that would get stretched out as Mom walked all over the kitchen talking.  If you were a special girl you got a princess pink phone in your bedroom.  Every girl dreamed of having one.  Most girls did not own one.  The cordless phone came into being and that was the end to so many phone outlets in a house.  Now the challenge is to find the cordless phone. 

 

As I sell houses, my goal is to mirror the buyers of today.  If land lines are a thing of the past then I am into cell phones.  The important thing is not to lose the number of the cell phone owner.  They cannot be found in the phone book.  Be prepared for the phone book to be a thing of the past.  If that is true, then what will a little kid sit on when they visit at Gram's house?

Why is Wash Day Monday?

I grew up in a house where my mom had dish towels they were embroidered with each towel having a different message:

Monday:  Wash Day                      Thursday: Market Day                     Sunday: Day of Rest

Tuesday: Ironing Day                   Friday: Cleaning Day

Wednesday: Sewing Day              Saturday: Baking Day

            

My mom did do her wash on Monday.  She did it one day a week for a family of five.  I can't imagine this as I do several loads a day.  I vividly remember the basement laundry room with her piles of whites, darks, sheets, towels, etc.  We would get in big trouble if we messed those piles up.  Mom would be home all day listening for the cycles and adding bleach or fabric softener. Clothes were taken out at certain times to hang dry.  I think her washer only had four cycles and the dryer two.

 

There was a logic for Monday to be wash day.  The laundry was the heaviest task a housewife faced and required the most strength and fortitude.  This was especially true when the washing machine was a hand wringer and clothes were hung outside.  Monday women were fresh after Sunday which was the day of rest.

 

Move forward to 2009 and listen to couples when buying houses and their needs for the laundry room.  It is best if it is near their master bedroom so they can both do the wash and it is close to them.  Being near the kitchen is good too.  Wash is done often and there are so many more delicate items to hand wash due to the trends in clothing today.  A family could not survive if it was done only by "Mom" on Monday.

 

It is amazing how the washer and dryer can be a deal killer.  If the seller is not willing to leave the appliances behind, the buyer will pull out of the transaction.  The buyer wants nice looking appliances.  Forget about Maytag and how they brag their repair man is lonely.  The buyer wants current models.  Note buyers: Conventional washers often called top loaders have their advantages.  The government now requires them to use less water and work on cold water temperatures, so they are more green.  The advantages to these appliances is that they cost less, require less repairs, and are easier to repair.  The "sexy" front-loading machines cost more, have more repair calls, and require high trained technicians to repair them so it can take longer for the repair person to come out.  Mold has become an issue in these models. 

 

What the laundry room looks likes is a big thing to buyers.  Basement laundry rooms that are clean, well lit, organized with shelves and newer machines win.  First floor and second floor laundry rooms that are clean, organized and well lit with newer machines are winners.  Run dehumidifiers in lower level laundry rooms.  No want wants the sense of mildew. Organizer stores have neat products to make laundry rooms state of the art.

Please Shove when there is a For Sale Sign in your Yard

Most cities have an ordinance that says you must shovel after 2" of snow or more.  Some people hire companies that remove the snow when it is 2" or more.  This is great as far as the law goes, but if you have your house on the market, you need to broom off even a dusting.

It is not a welcoming sight for a Realtor and the buyers to see the sidewalk, steps, and driveway of a property not cleared.

With so many vacant properties on the market, we are being forced to slush through lots of snow.  You get into the house and remove your shoes and your feet get even colder.  Add the fear of falling to the complaint list, and even before you enter the house you don't like it. A house does not need to have negatives added to the objection list.

I think people shovel after three or more inches, but home owners let the dustings here and there sit.  Those little snows go to ice as the sun melts it during the day and then it freezes at night.  The home owner ,not the listing company or the person seeing the house ,is liable if a guest falls and gets hurt.  I really preach to my sellers to clean that walkway and driveway.  If a driveway has an incline to it, and the buyer's car cannot get up it, there goes the sale.  I even suggest taking the leaf blower to get any stubborn patches off the walk. 

It should be a motivation to a home owner who no longer lives in the house, to get the house sold so they don't need to worry about the snow.  I find some sellers remind blind to the fact that it snows in Minnesota during the winter months.

Please Shove when there is a For Sale Sign in your Yard

Most cities have an ordinance that says you must shovel after 2" of snow or more.  Some people hire companies that remove the snow when it is 2" or more.  This is great as far as the law goes, but if you have your house on the market, you need to broom off even a dusting.

It is not a welcoming sight for a Realtor and the buyers to see the sidewalk, steps, and driveway of a property not cleared.

With so many vacant properties on the market, we are being forced to slush through lots of snow.  You get into the house and remove your shoes and your feet get even colder.  Add the fear of falling to the complaint list, and even before you enter the house you don't like it. A house does not need to have negatives added to the objection list.

I think people shovel after three or more inches, but home owners let the dustings here and there sit.  Those little snows go to ice as the sun melts it during the day and then it freezes at night.  The home owner ,not the listing company or the person seeing the house ,is liable if a guest falls and gets hurt.  I really preach to my sellers to clean that walkway and driveway.  If a driveway has an incline to it, and the buyer's car cannot get up it, there goes the sale.  I even suggest taking the leaf blower to get any stubborn patches off the walk. 

It should be a motivation to a home owner who no longer lives in the house, to get the house sold so they don't need to worry about the snow.  I find some sellers remind blind to the fact that it snows in Minnesota during the winter months.

Please Shove when there is a For Sale Sign in your Yard

Most cities have an ordinance that says you must shovel after 2" of snow or more.  Some people hire companies that remove the snow when it is 2" or more.  This is great as far as the law goes, but if you have your house on the market, you need to broom off even a dusting.

 

It is not a welcoming sight for a Realtor and the buyers to see the sidewalk, steps, and driveway of a property not cleared.

With so many vacant properties on the market, we are being forced to slush through lots of snow.  You get into the house and remove your shoes and your feet get even colder.  Add the fear of falling to the complaint list, and even before you enter the house you don't like it. A house does not need to have negatives added to the objection list.

 

I think people shovel after three or more inches, but home owners let the dustings here and there sit.  Those little snows go to ice as the sun melts it during the day and then it freezes at night.  The home owner ,not the listing company or the person seeing the house ,is liable if a guest falls and gets hurt.  I really preach to my sellers to clean that walkway and driveway.  If a driveway has an incline to it, and the buyer's car cannot get up it, there goes the sale.  I even suggest taking the leaf blower to get any stubborn patches off the walk. 

 

It should be a motivation to a home owner who no longer lives in the house, to get the house sold so they don't need to worry about the snow.  I find some sellers remind blind to the fact that it snows in Minnesota during the winter months.

Home Improvement and Where the Real Return Is

 

This past week I have had two clients call me and ask what they could do to their property to bring the greatest return to themselves.  I know people get frustrated when I say, "Always think about resale."  True you might not be selling for 15 years, but when you do improvements  the will be either  negative or positive.  Here is a  list from the "Remodeling  Cost Versus Value Report 2008-09."

 

1) upscale fiber cement siding 86.7%

2) midrange wood deck 81.8%

3) midrange vinyl  siding 80.7%

4) upscale foam-backed vinyl 80.4%

5) midrange minor kitchen remodel 79.5%

6) upscale vinyl window replacement 79.2%

7) midrange wood window replacement 77.2%

8) midrange vinyl window replacement 77.2%

9) upscale wood window replacement 76.5%

10) midrange major kitchen remodel 76.09&

 

For further information about renovations go to www.realtor.org/realtormag and click "2008 Cost vs. Value report".

House Trends in 2009

The forecast for 2009 in house decorating is yellow.  It is a peppy color that is related to the sun and is designed to make us feel happy during difficult times.  It is also called Mimosa which is defined as warm and nurturing.  Benjamin Moore will call it citron "St. Elmo's Fire" which has a hint of green and gives us a spirit of optimism. Another company has designed energetic yellow.  Go down the color wheel and they say we will see retro mauves, watery and sky blues, browns, and the colors from India, China, and Turkey textured with white finishes. 

 

I am guessing we will be showing houses with colors of the past and even wallpaper.  As economic times continues to stress families out, sellers will have less ability to update the house for the market.  Buyers will need to lower their standards and buy houses for good bones and put their own influence in decorating when they move in.  I have yet to have a buyer who purchases a property and then leave it as they bought it.  They all seems to start painting.  Once the previous owner's paintings and furnishings are gone, the place looks in need of fresh paint.

 

I am guessing designers can tell us what the new color will be, but I don't think the consumer will jump at it.  The majority of consumers are not in the mood to spend money on something that is not necessary.  We once again need to get real and not expect what we see on TV. or in the magazines.