Sometimes The Most Powerful Thing I Do Is NothingI have a challenge for you. Do nothing for a minute. How about five? Could you make it to fifteen? Turns out doing nothing at all is harder than it
Enough Experience
Dated: June 30 2026
Views: 370
I recently attended college orientation with my daughter. Walking around an unfamiliar campus with her gave me a flashback to my own freshman year, and one particular story came to mind.
During my first week on campus, everyone on my dorm floor went to a coffee shop together as a way to get to know each other.
That probably sounds completely normal. Today, there’s a Starbucks or Caribou on every corner, and stopping for coffee is one of the most ordinary things urban humans do.
But at that point in my life, I had never actually been to a coffee shop.
Growing up in rural Minnesota, we had cafes that served coffee. Restaurants served coffee. At home, coffee came out of the glass carafe under the drip machine. At church and school, it came out of a much larger stainless steel pot. As far as I knew, there was one kind of coffee: black. And I knew one thing about it: I didn’t like it.
There was another wrinkle. I didn’t have much money. I was trying to save as much as possible for school, and I was reluctant to spend any of it, especially on something I wasn’t interested in buying in the first place.
I stood there scanning the menu board, seeing all kinds of words I didn’t recognize. Cappuccino. Frappuccino. Americano. I had no idea what any of them meant.
So I stopped looking at the names of the drinks and slid my eyes over to the prices.
I figured I might as well order the cheapest thing. I didn’t know what it was anyway, and I didn’t think I was going to like it once I got it.
That is how I made my first coffee shop purchase: a shot of espresso.
And let me tell you, if you don’t like coffee, you definitely don’t like a shot of espresso.
What I needed that night was someone who had been there before to help guide me through the menu. Instead, I did what a lot of first-timers do. I defaulted to the only thing I understood, which happened to be the worst possible choice.
That’s what it can feel like to navigate a real estate transaction without the right agent.
You’re not lost exactly. You’re just ordering from a menu you don’t fully understand and hoping for the best.
Technically, I walked out of that coffee shop having accomplished the goal. I ordered something,
I paid for it, and I drank it.
But I didn’t enjoy it. I didn’t understand it. And I wouldn’t have called it a success.
The same can be true when buying or selling a home.
Just because the transaction closed doesn’t mean you were well served.
The next time you have a move coming up, I’d love to be the person who already knows the menu.
Clint Kuipers
Clint Kuipers
Clint Kuipers specializes in complex and emotionally significant real estate transitions in the Twin Cities, including divorce, estate sales, downsizing, and buying and selling at the same time. With ....
Latest Blog Posts
I recently attended college orientation with my daughter. Walking around an unfamiliar campus with her gave me a flashback to my own freshman year, and one particular story came to mind. During
Real Estate Market Update: Surprising Sales, Strong Jobs, and Improving AffordabilityWelcome to your mid-June market update! Whether you are looking to buy, sell, or simply keep a pulse on the
Have you caught yourself scrolling through the evening news lately, wondering if the housing market is completely shifting out from under you? Everywhere you look, national media outlets are
The data relating to real estate for sale on this web site comes in part from the Broker Reciprocity Program of the Regional Multiple Listing Service of Minnesota, Inc. Real estate listings held by brokerage firms other than REMAX Advantage Plus - Blaine are marked with the Broker Reciprocity logo or the Broker Reciprocity thumbnail logo (little black
house) and detailed information about them includes the name of the listing brokers.
© 2026 Realtor Association of Southern Minnesota. All rights reserved. The data relating to real estate for sale on this limited electronic display comes in part from the Broker Reciprocity (sm) Program of the Realtor Association of Southern Minnesota Multiple Listing Service. Real estate listings held by brokerage firms other then REMAX Advantage Plus - Blaine are marked with the Broker Reciprocity(sm) logo or the Broker Reciprocity(sm) thumbnail logo (a little black house) and detailed information
Lake Superior Area of REALTORS® All information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. All properties are subject to prior sale, change or withdrawal. Neither listing broker(s) or information provider(s) shall be responsible for any typographical errors, misinformation, misprints and shall be held totally harmless. Listing(s) information is provided for consumer's personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested
Information should be deemed reliable but not guaranteed, all representations are approximate, and individual verification is recommended. Copyright ©2017 All rights reserved.
