Home School is a real estate video podcast for Lakeville and the Twin Cities south metro, hosted by Liz Sandwick and Tom Sommers of Coldwell Banker Realty. Each episode answers one question buyers and sellers actually ask, like how to price a home, how to win a multiple-offer situation, or why online home values miss the mark, in plain language and without the sales pitch.
New episodes come out every week. Each one has a written guide below with the key points, a local Lakeville angle, and answers to the most common follow-up questions.
Watch the latest episode
Episode 19: Buyer Payment vs. Seller Net: Price Cut or Rate Buydown?
All Home School episodes
Buyer Payment vs. Seller Net: Price Cut or Rate Buydown?
What buyers and sellers are really solving for, why a rate buydown can lower the buyer's payment while the seller's net holds, and 2-1 vs. permanent buydowns.
Watch and read Episode 19
Selling Your House in a Minnesota Winter: Winter vs. Spring
Why winter buyers are serious, how to stage, price, and time a winter listing, what winter inspections miss, and when waiting for spring makes sense.
Watch and read Episode 18
Why Hasn't My House Sold? Reset Now vs. Relaunch in Spring
The five reasons homes sit, how to tell if a home is overpriced, price cut vs. rate buydown, and when to reset now or relaunch in spring.
Watch and read Episode 17
What Happens After an Offer Is Accepted? Accepted Offer vs. Closed Sale
The first 72 hours, the key milestones from offer to closing, common closing delays and how to avoid them, and how agents, lenders, and title work together.
Watch and read Episode 16
Downsizing: Where to Start
How to know when it's time to downsize, what to do with all your belongings, the money side of moving to a smaller home, and a step-by-step checklist.
Watch and read Episode 15
How to Read a Lakeville Real Estate Market Like an Agent
The numbers agents actually watch, days on market, list to sale price, months of supply, and price reductions, explained with real Lakeville MLS data.
Watch and read Episode 14
Timing the Market: Should You Wait or Sell Now?
Why strategy beats the calendar, how each season plays out for south metro sellers, and the difference between waiting for a good reason and waiting out of habit.
Watch and read Episode 13
New Construction vs. Resale: What You Need to Know
The pros and cons of building new versus buying an existing home, the hidden costs of new construction, timelines, and how negotiation differs for each.
Watch and read Episode 12
The Biggest Mistakes Sellers Make (And How to Avoid Them)
The five mistakes that cost sellers the most time and money: overpricing, skipping prep, ignoring feedback, choosing the wrong strategy or agent, and letting emotion drive decisions.
Watch and read Episode 11
Appraisals: What Happens When Value Doesn't Match Price?
How appraisers determine value, why homes sometimes appraise below the purchase price, and the options buyers and sellers have when they do.
Watch and read Episode 10
How to Prepare Your Home for Sale (Without Overdoing It)
Which repairs are worth making before you sell, what to skip, cleaning versus updating versus staging, and where sellers commonly waste money.
Watch and read Episode 9
The Hidden Costs of Buying a Home in Minnesota
Closing costs, escrow, property taxes, insurance, moving expenses, and ongoing maintenance: the costs beyond the down payment and how to budget for them.
Watch and read Episode 8
Home Inspections in Minnesota: What Actually Matters
What a Minnesota home inspection covers, what really matters in the report, climate-specific issues like radon and ice dams, and how to negotiate repairs without losing the deal.
Watch and read Episode 7
The First Week Your Home Hits the Market
Why the first seven days on market matter most, what showing activity really tells you, and when a price adjustment makes sense versus when to be patient.
Watch and read Episode 6
The Offer That Beat Everyone Else (Without Being the Highest)
Why the highest price doesn't always win, how appraisal gap coverage works, how to read seller priorities, and what a clean offer looks like to a seller.
Watch and read Episode 5
Why Online Home Values Are Outdated
Why instant home value estimates vary from site to site, what automated valuations cannot see, and how sold comps and absorption rates really set the price of a Lakeville home.
Watch and read Episode 4
What Buyers Notice in the First 30 Seconds
The curb, the front door, the entry, light, smell, and listing photos: the first-impression details that make or break a showing, and the affordable fixes that help.
Watch and read Episode 3
Pricing Strategy That Actually Gets You Top Dollar
Why pricing high to leave room to negotiate backfires, why the first seven days matter most, and how price brackets and appraisals shape what a home sells for.
Watch and read Episode 2
Surviving Multiple Offers
How to compete when several buyers want the same home: lender strategy, escalation clauses, appraisal gap coverage, inspection choices, and what sellers look for.
Watch and read Episode 1Meet the hosts
Liz Sandwick, REALTOR®, GRI, e-PRO is a Lakeville-based agent with Coldwell Banker Realty. Licensed since 2011 and living in Lakeville since 2016, she has closed 190+ transactions and focuses on sellers and move-up buyers across Lakeville and the south metro.
Tom Sommers is a REALTOR® with Coldwell Banker Realty serving Lakeville and the surrounding area. Visit Tom's Home School page to learn more about Tom.
Real estate answers for Lakeville and the south metro
Home School covers the questions that come up in real transactions across Lakeville (55044), Apple Valley, Farmington, Burnsville, Rosemount, Prior Lake, Savage, Eagan, and the greater Twin Cities. Topics include pricing strategy, preparing a home for sale, multiple offers, appraisals, inspections, new construction, and what it really costs to buy.
Frequently asked questions about Home School
What is the Home School podcast?
Home School is a real estate video podcast hosted by Liz Sandwick and Tom Sommers of Coldwell Banker Realty. It explains buying and selling topics like pricing, offers, appraisals, and inspections in plain language, with a focus on Lakeville, MN and the Twin Cities south metro.
Who hosts Home School?
Home School is hosted by Liz Sandwick and Tom Sommers, both REALTORS® with Coldwell Banker Realty serving Lakeville and the surrounding south metro communities.
Where can I watch Home School?
Every episode is on the Home School YouTube channel, @TheHomeSchoolPodcast. Each episode also has a written guide on lizsandwick.com with the key points and answers to common questions.
How often do new Home School episodes come out?
New episodes of Home School are released every week.
What areas does Home School cover?
Home School focuses on Lakeville, MN and the Twin Cities south metro, including Apple Valley, Farmington, Burnsville, Rosemount, Prior Lake, Savage, and Eagan, while covering real estate topics that apply across the Twin Cities.
Can I ask a question about something from an episode?
Yes. Call or text Liz Sandwick at 952-491-3685 or email Liz@CBRealty.com with any question about buying or selling in Lakeville and the south metro.
Have a question about your own home?
Get a real, local answer about what your home is worth and the best way to sell it.
Get my home value Call or text 952-491-3685Buying your next home too? Search Lakeville homes for sale.
Liz Sandwick, REALTOR® | Coldwell Banker Realty | 17305 Cedar Ave, Lakeville, MN 55044 | 952-491-3685 | Liz@CBRealty.com
Equal Housing Opportunity.