The Monthly Skinny is a summary of the Twin Cities housing market activity. Decreases in mortgage rates and housing prices have made the market surprisingly attractive to home buyers. And the housing affordability is 180 – that’s unbelievably high and a sign that now just might be the right time to buy. Learn more on the video below:
Original post by Buyers Real Estate Group
That’s kind of the word from the Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors. Well maybe it’s not the weather, maybe it’s the holidays. Either way the housing market is entering an annual hibernation. That being said – there is an increase in activity from this time last year.
For the week ending December 6, there were 597 signed purchase agreements (pending sales), which is up 27.6 percent over the same week last year. Roughly half of these sales—54.7 percent—were lender-mediated foreclosures or short sales. On the supply side, new listings were relatively flat, up only 0.7 percent for the same time period comparison.
For some folks the holidays are a great time to start looking for a home – especially if they are looking to relocate to the area and have family or friends in the Twin Cities. The good thing about the cols is it can help you access a home’s insulation without getting out of your car – look for the icicles. Looking for more home buying tips? Contact us at Buyers Real Estate Group.
Original post by Buyers Real Estate Group
The Monthly Skinny is a summary of the Twin Cities housing market activity. Good new is that the market is actually on a slight uptick. The video below hightlights the latest numbers.
Original post by Buyers Real Estate Group
Looking for an excuse to go to the Mall of America these days? The Good & Green Showhouse is a 3,000-square-foot craftsman-style showhouse built in the mall that features stylish eco-friendly ideas that are easy on the environment and perfect for any home.
HOME Magazine is launching The 2008 Good & Green Showhouse at Mall of America this holiday season. The house will spotlight building materials, products and appliances that create a low environmental impact while maintaining high style. It will exemplify green living that is simple and attainable without sacrificing good design or state-of-the-art products.
Tours of the Good & Green Showhouse will run from November 28 to January 1 and are free and open to the public, with a $3 suggested donation. All proceeds from tour donations will benefit Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, which is building the Twin Cities’s first LEED-certified Habitat for Humanity home in Crystal.
The Good & Green Showhouse Grand Opening Event will be on Friday, November 28 at 6:00 a.m. Gift bags will be given out to the first 250 guests in line to tour the house. You must be 18 years or older to receive a gift bag. There is a limit of one bag per person. You will also have the chance to win the following prizes that will be placed in select gift bags: 2009 People 150 Scooter provided by Scooterville Minnesota ($3,300 value), American Girl Doll and American Girl-themed Celebration ($540 value), Mall of America Attraction Gift Basket ($350 value), Columbia Gift Card ($300 value). Guests may start lining up in the Best Buy® Rotunda at 4:00 a.m. for the grand opening event.
View live footage fo the Good & Green Showhouse construction.
Original post by Buyers Real Estate Group
Forbes.com recently ranked the Twin Cities metro area as one of the 10 best metro areas to get the best value for a dollar. In fact, it put Minneapolis/St. Paul at the eighth spot.
The survey considered economic factors such as
Forbes examined data from Moody’s Economy.com on the 40 largest metropolitan areas in the United States to determine job growth projections through 2012. It also calculated ratios between median house price and median income for each city. Gas price data was collected from AAA. (Learn more)
Original post by Buyers Real Estate Group
Chanhassen, Minnesota is a small town located just southwest of the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Chanhassen has an estimated population of 23,889 (April 1, 2007), Chanhassen has 14,427 acres in 24 square miles.
There are twelve beautiful, clean lakes wholly or partially located within the City limits: Christmas Lake, Harrison Lake, Lake Ann, Lake Lucy, Lake Minnewashta, Lake Riley, Lake St. Joe, Lake Susan, Lotus Lake, Rice Lake, Rice Marsh Lake, and Silver Lake. Chanhassen’s 500-acre park system features five community parks and 22 neighborhood parks scattered throughout the community. There are 55 miles of trails and sidewalks for walkers, bikers, runners, and in-line skaters to enjoy. The trails connect downtown, parks, and neighborhoods.
The average house sale price is $299,911. In 2000, the median age was to 34.2 years. In the community, the largest single age cohort is those residents between 35 and 44 years of age. This group consists of 4,903 persons (24.1% of the total population). The next closest age cohort consists of persons between 45 and 54 with 2,816 persons (13.9% of the total).
Median income doubled between 1969 and 1979 from $13,452 to $26,441. It doubled again between 1979 and 1989 when it reached $52,011. Almost half (49.5 %) of Chanhassen residents have college degrees, associate through graduate degrees. Almost three-quarters of residents have gone to college.
Chanhassen is a great place to live. Check out list of great Chanhassen homes that are currently for sale.
Original post by Buyers Real Estate Group
We’re living in interesting times. Sometimes it seems like a lot to take in. Figuring out how the turmoil will impact you is a start. Zillow is a fun tool that will tell you what your home is worth – and what the homes all around you are worth.
ZIllow can be a particularly valuable tool for homebuyers. Enter in an address and again you’ll learn the value of your potential home and the homes of your potential neighbors.
Original post by Buyers Real Estate Group
We’re living in interesting times. Sometimes it seems like a lot to take in. Figuring out how the turmoil will impact you is a start. Zillow is a fun tool that will tell you what your home is worth – and what the homes all around you are worth.
ZIllow can be a particularly valuable tool for homebuyers. Enter in an address and again you’ll learn the value of your potential home and the homes of your potential neighbors.
Original post by Buyers Real Estate Group
The James J Hill Library is one resource that makes the Twin Cities a “best performing” area. They recently sent out a “site of the week” that we thought would interest anyone thinking about relocating. Five Minnesota locations make their tops lists.
Here’s what Hill had to say about the resource:
Best Performing Cities Indexhttp://bestcities.milkeninstitute.org/
If we were looking for proof that location, location, location is important in the success of a business venture, we’d find it in the Best Performing Cities Index.
The Index separately ranks large and small cities “by how well they are creating and sustaining jobs and economic growth.” Take a look at your location and compare it to the national average on job, wage, and high-tech GDP growth. Then peruse the overall ranked list of cities, or create your own rankings based on several categories.
This location, location, location is more “regional economy” than “street corner,” but as a small business, knowing about trends in the surrounding economy can be just as important as picking the right storefront.
Original post by Buyers Real Estate Group
The City of Anoka considered itself the Halloween capitol of the World. They were the first city to organize a citywide celebration. It’s a great time to check out their haunted houses. But in this perfect fall weather, it’s also a great chance to check out the homes for sale. (We are featuring homes in Anoka County on the web site this month.)
Anoka is just north of both Hennepin and Ramsey Counties. It lies on both sides of the Rum River, which enters the county approximately 20 miles north of the City of Anoka. In fact, the name Anoka originates from the Indian language, meaning “on both sides.”
There are 121,187 housing units in Anoka. Almost 40 percent of home contained children under 18; 60 percent of the homeowners were married. The median income for a household in the county was $57,754, and the median income for a family was $64,261.
Original post by Buyers Real Estate Group
2008 Minnesota Solar Tour
Saturday October 4, 2008
The Minnesota Renewable Energy Society (MRES) has created a the self-guided, public Minnesota Solar Tour featuring 70+ exemplary homes, businesses, and institutions that have incorporated renewable energy into the design and operation of their buildings.
From geothermal heat pumps using the earth as a huge thermal buffer to wind turbines elegantly spinning in the breeze and the many incarnations of solar energy between earth and sky, this event offers local residents an opportunity to find out how their neighbors are trimming their energy bills, increasing their energy independence, and taking steps to address global warming. This is an excellent opportunity for those interested in solar and other renewable energies to view installations and talk with building owners, builders, architects, and planners about their experiences.
Original post by Buyers Real Estate Group
2008 Minnesota Solar Tour
Saturday October 4, 2008
The Minnesota Renewable Energy Society (MRES) has created a the self-guided, public Minnesota Solar Tour featuring 70+ exemplary homes, businesses, and institutions that have incorporated renewable energy into the design and operation of their buildings.
From geothermal heat pumps using the earth as a huge thermal buffer to wind turbines elegantly spinning in the breeze and the many incarnations of solar energy between earth and sky, this event offers local residents an opportunity to find out how their neighbors are trimming their energy bills, increasing their energy independence, and taking steps to address global warming. This is an excellent opportunity for those interested in solar and other renewable energies to view installations and talk with building owners, builders, architects, and planners about their experiences.
Original post by Buyers Real Estate Group
Submitted by Holly LaRochelle
Original post by Buyers Real Estate Group
We’ve known it for years but not the research is backing us up – Minnesota is a great place to live.
We’ll try to take the praise in our understated Minnesotan way – we always knew we were well above average!
Submitted by Ron Jensrud
Original post by Buyers Real Estate Group
In the meantime, it might be best for some Twin Cities home owners to just stay put. In the spirit of making your house the home you’re looking for, the city of Minneapolis is hosting the Midwest Fall Home and Garden show at the Minneapolis Convention Center. You’ll get so many home design and gardening ideas, you’ll go home and take out the tool box. (or the telephone to call your contractor!) http://www.homeremodelingshow.com/
Let Buyers Real Estate Group be your host. Contact us for free tickets.
And, what about a downtown Minneapolis or St. Paul condo? Lots of folks are buying an “urban cabin”, or looking to stream line their life style by buying a Minneapolis or St. Paul condo, or making a condo their first home. Condo sale prices have increased by almost 6% market wide, while inventory has decreased by almost 10%. Want to check out condos and lofts? Check out the Twin Cities Loft and Condo Living Tour in November.
Don’t forget, you can get creative design ideas, travel destinations, gardening tips and fabulous recipes from my online By Design magazine.
Original post by Buyers Real Estate Group
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