Recent Posts

The Ideal Time to Buy

If you have been mulling over the idea of buying a house, you might want to stop mulling and start looking. We have discussed this in several past blog articles, and I hope I am preaching to the converted. Now is the ideal time to buy a house. I am not mincing words because truly, there is no better time. Why am I so firm about this? For three reasons.... [Read more of this review]

Top 10 Real Estate Agent Fears when Showing Houses

Which house is it? 10. Getting into a car accident on the way to a showing. 9. Running out of gas with a client in the car. 8. Getting lost on the way to meet clients at a house. 7. Not being able to distinguish one house from another. 6. Discovering that the house isn’t quite as the buyers imagined. 5. Finding no key in the lock box. 4. Using... [Read more of this review]

Microsoft Outlook 2007 Slow Problem Resolved

I’ve been dealing with a slow Outlook 2007 for about a year now. By slow, here’s what I mean: when clicking on Send/Receive, the process takes perhaps 4-5 minutes to download 75 messages totalling about 400k. I have high speed internet, and have spent much time troubleshooting Outlook. My PST file size is 300MB, not large by any means. Looking... [Read more of this review]

How You Search For Your Dream Home

How do people search for a new home?  I am a tech person, so I use technology for almost everything.  However, I realize that many people may not want three different maps of the houses on their wish list, nor want to look through a hundred ‘just for you’ houses that really may or may not just be for them.  They think in terms of how a... [Read more of this review]

First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit

It’s a great time to buy a Minneapolis house.  I know, I’ve said this several times before, but I really want to emphasize the point.  Interest rates are at an all-time low, and even better, the government wants to help first-time home buyers with a tax credit.  Here’s the deal. If you have bought a new home on or after April 9,... [Read more of this review]

Looking to Sell Your Home?

We’re experiencing some serious pangs here in the Minneapolis real estate market as, of course, are most markets around the country.  As a result, it’s a great time to buy a house, but it’s not such a good time to sell a house.  The market is soft, and people are tightening their belts.  In addition to that, it’s almost winter... [Read more of this review]

HPDL Minneapolis Real Estate Market in Review, 2008 Y-T-D

    Minneapolis Real Estate Market Update As you know, the Minneapolis real estate market for 2007 was in flux.  America, as a whole, was experiencing what felt like a recession, even if it didn’t fit the technical definition of the term.  The fundamentals of the economy may or may not have been strong, but the housing market began to slow... [Read more of this review]

Relaxing At Home

Chaotic Minneapolis Life This is Minna again, and I’m here to talk about the economy.  No, actually, I’m not.  I know, the economy is dire, and I know that the government has given beaucoup bucks to try to jump-start it, and I know that the sky is falling down, but I would rather not focus on that right now. I am also not going to talk... [Read more of this review]

Pep Up My Minneapolis Home!

Minneapolis House Curb Appeal This is Minna, blogging about renovations for your Minneapolis home.  If you are trying to sell your house, you’ve no doubt been told to renovate on the inside.  Redo the kitchen, paint the walls, put in new carpeting-these are all mantras of the eager-to-sell set.  These are good ideas that will add value to... [Read more of this review]

House Abbreviations

Real Estate Abbreviations When advertising houses for sale, there are plenty of standard abbreviations and some not so standard abbreviations. Then there are those that even other Realtors can’t figure out. In this blog entry, we’ll look at some actual MLS entries. Some abbreviations look just like those cryptic singles ads. I can just see the... [Read more of this review]

Minneapolis Real Estat -or- Minneapolis Real Estate

South Minneapolis Real Estat, er, Real ESTATE Blog What is South Minneapolis Real Estat Blog? Just yesterday, I discovered that I had mistyped the title of the page. My page was specializing in Real Estat, which is a subsection of Real Estate. I’m sure not many people would be searching for Real Estat, but I certainly was catering to those people... [Read more of this review]

Advertising Words Translation Matrix

House Advertising Words You know how some real estate agents have a knack for describing homes in glorious and grand ways? Well, sometimes the words are a slight exaggeration of the actual home. In our industry, we call that puffery. Here’s a list of some common terms used in advertising and what they really mean.  If you come across some that... [Read more of this review]

3 Fixer Upper Considerations

Fixer Uppers I have a client that is looking for a fixer-upper house in Minneapolis. This client wants to purchase a house, fix it up, and then sell it for a profit. I’m going to share some insights on some of the considerations that go into buying a fixer-upper home.  Location 1. One consideration to keep in mind is location. You want to select... [Read more of this review]

Spanish Revival Style

Minneapolis Spanish House Styles It’s Minna again, and this time I am blogging about my absolute favorite style of house–Spanish Mission.  Well, to be more precise, I will be blogging about the Spanish Revival Style as we do not have many Missions in Minnesota.  Spanish Missions are mainly in California, but we do have some impressive... [Read more of this review]

Are You Ready to Buy a Home?

Factors to Consider Before Purchasing a Minneapolis Home There are many factors in determining where or when you buy your first home, but first ask yourself these questions: Do you have a steady source of income (usually a job)? Have you been employed on a regular basis for the last 2-3 years? Is your current income reliable? Do you have a good record... [Read more of this review]

Carbon Monoxide Detectors Required

Carbon Monoxide Detector Placement Did you know that Minnesota Law Stat. 299.51 now requires carbon monoxide detectors within 10 feet of legal bedroom in existing homes? This law was passed last year and required CO detectors in new construction houses last year. But it also put into effect the same requirements for existing houses effective this... [Read more of this review]

Little Touchups that Mean Alot

Research Before Buying a House Hi, it’s Minna again, and I am back!  This time, I am blogging about how to sell your house in this tough market.  Many people think they have to totally rehaul their house in order to sell it, but that’s not true.  All it takes is a little bit of ingenuity to make your home stand out from the rest.  Let... [Read more of this review]

Frank Lloyd Wright….Service Station?

Hi, I’m Minna, and I’ll be your guest blogger for the day–I hope you enjoy your stay.  Today’s topic is Frank Lloyd Wright’s service station, also called the Lindholm Service Station because it was built for the Lindholm Oil Co., in Cloquet because it’s celebrating its 50th anniversary, and I heard it being discussed... [Read more of this review]

National Night Out Minneapolis

National Night Out is coming up on the first Tuesday in August. It is a great way to get together with neighbors! This year, the organization that heads up NNO (i didn’t even know there was one), is in the headlines with some controversy. Apparently the president of the charitable organization, National Association of Town Watch, is taking a salary... [Read more of this review]

Green Home Guide

Everybody is talking green, and by green, I don’t mean money. Green is in. It’s the latest thing. The government has gotten into the act by forming ENERGY STAR, a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy.  This program rates different appliances, office equipment, home electronics... [Read more of this review]