Did you know the demand for rental properties is higher in Phoenix than it has been in the past 5 years?  The downfall of the housing market- has pushed many local homeowners out of their home and into rental properties. This provides an amazing opportunity for anyone wanting to get into the rental business.  You can buy a brand new- 3bedroom/2bath home in Gilbert, AZ for the low $150's.  Rent this home out for $1150-$1300 per month and you will see a cap rate (return of investment) of 8% +.   Can the stock market promise this type of a return?  The majority of my clients are investors- looking to buy their first home or their 21st home.  If you want a free list of available homes- please contact me: jacklynjm@cox.net.   FREE list of homes and pictures.  No pressure- just information to... 06/08/2011

  The media tries to report on the world economy or the national economy, or even the economy in Detroit or LA. This is easy to talk about, statistically driven and apparently important to everyone. Alas, this has virtually nothing to do with your day, your job and your approach to the market. That's because geography isn't as important as it used to be, but more than that, it has to do with the fact that you don't sell to everyone, and the economy is unevenly distributed. If the unemployment rate in your industry doesn't match the national numbers, the national numbers don't matter so much. At the largest Lexus dealer in New Jersey, they're sold out of many models, with a waiting list. In some towns in Missouri, the unemployment rate is twice what it is in your town. In the tech indust... 05/30/2011

Edina‘s Hornet Marching Band is making a name for itself across the country. In 2009 they performed at Chicago's Thanksgiving Day parade and now they are headed to make their debut in New York City this November. The United War Veterans' Council invited the Hornets to apply to participate in New York City's annual Veterans Day Parade and they were accepted. The band will in also perform in Times Square in a "mass band" performance that will honor those killed on September 11, 2001.  The performance will feature over 800 musicians playing together.  The Director of the Hornets, Andy Richter, attributes doing bigger events such as the Chicago parade as a way to get the band's name out there. The size of the marching band is large by many school standards and they hope to take 202 musician... 05/19/2011

Recent reviews by Kim M. What's this? 04/24/2011

Bullying among children and teens is on the rise and with more and more access to social media outlets it will continue to be a problem. The city of Edina is not sitting quietly back and ignoring this problem, but instead is tackling it head on.  On April 26th at Edina High School's Fick Auditorium there will be an anti-bullying event. Tentative plans are to have the event doors open at 6pm with the official event kicking off at 7pm by Edina's Mayor Jim Hovland. There will be food available on behalf of local food vendors. EdinaSecrets posts will also be on display. EdinaSecrets are postcards that are sent in anonymously from Edina residents with their own personal reflections on bullying.  The EdinaSecrets is also a way for Edina residents to feel comfortable talking about their own ex... 04/13/2011

Unfortunately, the easiest way to add insulation to just about any place in your home is to install fiberglass batts.  Fiberglass batts are typically the worst insulation for any job, as I complained about in a recent blog.  I mentioned at that time that I would follow up with a blog about the other choices of insulation.  Today I'm going to discuss several different types of attic insulation. The best way to insulate an attic or pretty much anything else in a home is to use spray foam insulation. There are two types of spray foam insulation; open cell and closed cell. I've also heard people call them 'half pound' and 'two pound' foams, respectively.  Open cell foam has an insulation value of up to R-3.9 / inch, while closed cell has an insulation value of up to R-6.9 / inch.  Closed c... 03/28/2011

Edinborough Park Playpark in Edina is almost an acre of indoor fun, highlighted by Adventure Peak... a great resource for things to do with kids in our land of changeable weather!   It's a popular family destination for good reason. With a 30-foot climbing tree, 4 giant tube slides plus a triple wave slide and new super slide down from the lookout, "The Peak" is climbing, crawling, sliding adventure that can occupy children and their families for hours regardless of the weather! It also has a toddler area for small tots, an inflatable air bounce and a large open gym play area overlooking the indoor swimming pool which is also part of the park.   A $6 kid pass is good for the whole day in Adventure Peak, with come and go privileges. No charge for adults with kids, who are invited to join... 03/27/2011

Fiberglass batts are a poor choice of insulation for most applications, yet this still seems to be the insulation of choice for most handy homeowners.  I'm been complaining about fiberglass batts for a while now, and for good reason. Fiberglass batts are more expensive.  I stopped by the Maple Grove Home Depot and compared the prices of unfaced fiberglass batts, loose fill fiberglass, and cellulose.  Here's what I found: $0.93 / square foot for R38 Fiberglass Batts $0.56 / square foot for R38 Loose Fill Fiberglass $0.30 / square foot for R38 Cellulose Side note:   Comparing prices at Home Depot was a pain in the butt.  Are they doing this on purpose?  The sign on the fiberglass batts said "That's only $0.93 sq. ft."   Yes, for R38... perfect.  But then the sign on a bag of loose fill f... 03/21/2011

The City of Edina The City of Edina is a first-ring suburb located immediately southwest of Minneapolis with a population of 47,425 at the 2000 census, the City of Edina grown from a village of mostly Scottish and Irish immigrants to a full service metropolitan community with now more than 95 percent developed, many major highways run through or are close to the City of Edina, making it accessible to those within the metropolitan area, the City of Edina is home to many people who could be described as “urban sophisticated”, people who are educated, wealthy and love art. The City of Edina offers a very good education opportunity with Edina High School is often listed in the top 100 schools in the U.S. in academics, the City of Edina has numerous retail shopping centers, including Southda... 03/19/2011

Edina School District is making strides in their effort to make the schools in Edina more eco-friendly. Edina High School students are also doing their part by helping to collect things such as paper, plastic bottles, and cans that can be recycled. In 2008 the district began its efforts to go green by creating the Go Green Committee which includes students, parents, staff, and community representatives. The committee has already made changes to the cleaning materials that are used throughout the school. Less toxic cleaning solutions are now used throughout nine of the schools in Edina.At a recent Edina School Board meeting the board considered a new environmental resource management policy that will be brought back before the board at a later date for action. The policy reemphasizes Edi... 03/07/2011

Edina, Minnesota The community of Edina, MN is committed to creating positive futures for its youth.   Edina Public Schools has joined forces with the City of Edina, families, businesses, the medical community, the faith community and its residents to build support around youth needs. The joint venture, Connecting With Kids, was formed to connect individuals, families, organizations and other resources in Edina to help raise healthy children and develop a healthy community. It is their vision to be a community where all children have the support they need to grow up to be responsible, healthy and caring adults. The Edina City Council appoints students to serve terms on all City Boards and Commissions. In most cases, they are invited to participate as full members, including voting right... 12/27/2010

In today's economy any money savings is good news, and Edina residents will soon have reason to celebrate. Tax payers in Edina will more than likely see a tax break on their city tax bill. At the November 1st City Council work session city leaders proposed an updated budget for the 2011 fiscal year.  The new budget included the lowest property tax increase the city has seen in the last decade.The preliminary 2011 tax levy and budget that was proposed in early September was set at $26.1 million, which was 2.3 percent higher than the current year. Not only was it 2.3 percent higher it was the maximum allowed under the state imposed levy limit. Now the city leaders have reduced the proposed levy to $25.8 million, which is only a 1.1 percent increase from 2010. John Wallin, Finance Director... 11/15/2010

Edina was recently recognized by America's Promise Alliance (The Alliance) as one of the nation's "100 Best Communities For Young People." Edina was named one of the nations "100 Best" as a result of the community wide involvement and commitment in raising healthy young people, while encouraging youth leadership and in turn having high achieving students.  All aspects of the town of Edina work together from families and businesses to help support the city's youth.  "Through its innovative and far-reaching programs, Edina is taking bold and effective steps to help their young people graduate and lead healthy, productive lives," said Marguerite W. Kondracke, America's Promise Alliance president and CEO. " The city of Edina boasts a graduation rate of 98 percent, which proves that the scho... 10/22/2010

http://www.edina.k12.mn.us/news/newsletters/schoolboardupdates/2010-2011/School%20Board%20Update%2009-27-10.pdf 10/12/2010

Twin Cities in Photographs... by Twin Cities Homes for Sale   Centennial Lakes Park in Edina.           Contact Marzena M. Melby, GRI, CDPE, Keller Williams Integrity Realty. Licensed REALTOR® in the state of Minnesota  Visit my website to search homes for sale in the Twin Cities and surrounding areas. Disclaimer: The information provided herein is supplied by several sources and is subject to change without notice. Twin Cities Homes 4 Sale Blog does not guarantee, or is any way responsible for its accuracy, and provides said information without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. Entries on Twin Cities Homes 4 Sale Blog represent the opinions and ideas of the author. Twin Cities Homes 4 Sale Blog does not express the views of Keller Williams Realty, or its other partners... 10/11/2010

Speechless Sunday: Centennial Lakes Park Evening Reflections... by Twin Cities Homes for Sale           Contact Marzena M. Melby, GRI, CDPE, Keller Williams Integrity Realty. Licensed REALTOR® in the state of Minnesota  Visit my website to search homes for sale in the Twin Cities and surrounding areas. Disclaimer: The information provided herein is supplied by several sources and is subject to change without notice. Twin Cities Homes 4 Sale Blog does not guarantee, or is any way responsible for its accuracy, and provides said information without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. Entries on Twin Cities Homes 4 Sale Blog represent the opinions and ideas of the author. Twin Cities Homes 4 Sale Blog does not express the views of Keller Williams Realty, or its other partners... 10/10/2010

Take a look at the link below!  Another great reason why our market values remain in tack even in these economic times!     http://www.americaspromise.org/100Best 09/22/2010

Interactive FloorPlan Presentation 09/17/2010

Edina School Districtis making many technological advances this school year. The school district initiated School View, a new program that allows both parents and students access to real-time attendance and more.  If parents are interested in seeing if their child showed up for school that day they can login to the system and check. All six elementary schools, two middles schools and the high school will have access to the School View program. The goal is to allow this program to enhance parent - teacher communication relationships. Currently, Edine is a system available to parents that allows them to see their children's assignments, tests and other academic activities.  The School View program will work along with Edine, but will provide more up to the minute district information. Sch... 09/16/2010

http://www.edina.k12.mn.us/news/newsletters/schoolboardupdates/2010-2011/School%20Board%20Update%2007-19-10.pdf 09/02/2010