This week in Minneapolis Real Estate Myth Busters we'll look at the best time of year to be a buyer. Some times it's best to zig when others are zagging (or at home drinking egg nog.) Let's look at why winter home buying might just save you some serious money. 11/13/2012

The Ivy Condos is a unique development in downtown Minneapolis. It's actually known as the Ivy Hotel + Residence and as it's name implies it is a combination of luxury condos and a hotel making it a one-of-a-kind building for Minneapolis. It opened as the condo market started to decline and went into foreclosure. It is coming out of that as the litigation has finalized and the remaining developer units are now being sold. It's a welcome addition to the downtown Minneapolis condos market as inventory levels continue to run very low. I'll take a look at some common questions about this unique development in the video below.  11/13/2012

Nationwide, mortgage rates are low in Minnesota and home prices remain relatively low, too. This combination, plus rising rents, is pushing renters in some cities -- including Maple Grove -- toward first-time homeownership. Buying your first home can be exciting, but you should also do your research to make sure that you ask the proper questions of the process, and make the best choices for yourself and your household. For example, recommended questions for first-time buyers to ask home sellers include : What major repairs have been made to your home? Although standard disclosure forms are supposed to provide information regarding past damage and renovation to the property, there are occasionally repairs that are omitted or otherwise forgotten.  Be proactive and ask pointed questions ab... 11/11/2012

The North Loop is a very pet friendly neighborhood and below you'll find a list of all the pet friendly North Loop condos and lofts. Every building has different rules regarding size, breed, height and number restrictions. River Station, for example, allows dogs on the first level homes, but only cats on the upper levels. If you are curious about whether your pet will be welcome in a certain building just let me know and I can help find you the answer. Feel free to browse the list below and contact me with questions. You can create your own custom North Loop condos search here. 11/09/2012

  Not too long ago our local professional photographer made big headlines telling all of the Minneapolis real estate agents that he puchased a radio controlled helicopter and mounted a HD camera that allowed him to begin filming real estate.  The results were fantastic!     For years I have been focused in the urban markets of Minneapolis-my idea was to create a birds eye view of the different neighborhoods in downtown Minneapolis to give Buyers and Sellers starting with the historic Mill District along the riverfront.  My objective was to create a short video detailing each building giving some point of reference to the area.   I am creating a site: MillDistrictLoftsandCondos.com to embed the video and link every building back to my main site: YourUrbanLife.com which has individual pag... 11/05/2012

Do Buyers Think It Is Halloween When They Approach Your Home? Home Staging Minneapolis, MN What do buyers see as they are approaching your home? Is it dark? Poor lighting or maybe even no lighting? Are they slowing their pace thinking they mistakenly are at the Halloween Haunted House? Does it creep them out to walk up the sidewalk and approach your dark porch or overhang?      What about when they unlock the front door and step inside? Are they worried they are entering................ "The Twilight Zone"     Is the entryway cold.....cavernous and making them think the Halloween Monsters are going to pop out?       Are they wondering what in the world they would even do with the cold space?           Well, if the buyers are asking these questions, wondering if it is Halloween and looki... 10/29/2012

The Minneapolis housing market continues to improve for home buyers and home sellers alike as Minnesota mortgage rates remain near historic lows.  However, a recent foreclosure report may weaken the Minneapolis housing market as the year wears on. New listings in the Twin Cities metro has posted positive gains for the fourth week in a row and is now showing an increase of 1.5 percent over a 3 month period when compared to last year, according to the latest Weekly Market Activity Report from the Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors. Could it be that homeowners are beginning to gain enough equity in their homes to actually be able to put them on the market and break even or possibly make a profit from the sell?  Well, according to the weekly report the median sale price in the metro r... 10/29/2012

Ok, I found them. The best cupcakes in Minneapolis. I never paid much attention to the pink building, but the 'cupcakes' finally caughy my eye so I ventured in. Sweet Retreat offers a wide variety of cupcakes and they sell them by any quanitity. I picked up two tasy treats which included Smore's that had a graham cracker base, cake, marshmallow frosting with a Hershey chocolate square on top. Perfection. The 2nd was a banana cake with chocolate frosting a banana runt candy on top. Perfection times 2. If you dig cupcakes check out Sweet Retreat on 50th and France across from TCF Bank. If you want to live close to the perfect cupcake you can check out Minneapolis homes for sale or Minneapolis condos for sale.   10/26/2012

There are a lot of myths when it comes to buying and selling Minneapolis real estate. One of them is this idea that working with the #1 agent when buying or selling really matters. We've all seen the billboards, bus benches and get mailings from the #1 this or that agent. Isn't it funny just how many #1's there are? Being #1 in sales does not automatically equate to being the agent that is right for you. They may also be #1 in some other categories and often are such as: - #1 in listings that don't sell. - #1 in overhead. - #1 in ego.  - #1 in telling people they are #1. Boring right? The best agent for you very likely doesn't waste, er, spend money on things like billboards and plastering a picture of their face all over town. Talk to 2-3 agents, see who will represent you the best and... 10/24/2012

We're all familiar with the term "cash is king," but is it true? When buying Minneapolis real estate it's a good idea to understand what advantages financing types might have on a transaction so you can adjust your strategy accordingly. Let's look at the idea of cash is king and see if it's true or just a myth.   10/22/2012

You Know That Ugly Bookcase You Have?  Home Staging and Redesign Minneapolis, MN You know....the one you got in college that you have been moving with you to every new house. Or is it the one you got as a hand me down when you got your first place? Or maybe the one your spouse brought into the marriage that you have always hated? We all have them. Tucked somewhere in a corner crammed with 'stuff'. Off in a forgotten guest room or office. Well, I had one. And it wasn't tucked in a forgotten guest room. It was in the room right inside the front door. Big, bold and ugly for everyone to see.     (I was already packing up the 'stuff' from my husband's desk that had been in here thus all the piles. And I moved my husband's office upstairs out of the line of sight of the front door. LOL)  I ha... 10/20/2012

  REALTOR ERIC KODNER APPOINTED CHAIR OF MINNESOTA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS DIVERSITY COMMITTEE   Minneapolis – Saint Paul, Minnesota (October 17, 2012) – Realtor® Eric Kodner has been appointed Chair of the newly-formed Minnesota Association of Realtors Diversity Committee by MNAR President Christopher Galler.  The appointment was confirmed today, following a meeting of the MNAR Board of Directors.     Kodner was recently appointed Vice-Chair of the Council of Residential Specialists (CRS) National Diversity Committee for 2013 and is currently in his second year as Chair of the Wisconsin Realtors Association Cultural Diversity in Housing Committee.  He also serves on the National Association of Realtors (NAR) Diversity Committee.  Kodner was appointed to the NAR Diversity Committee by f... 10/18/2012

"Pocket Of EmotionTM". Home Staging Course and Training Minneapolis, MN   In my humble opinion, this is the quickest most effective kitchen "PocketOf EmotionTM"   Curtis Stone. Olive Oil Jars? What Olive Oil Jars?          That's it, Curtis Stone. Period....nothing else to say. ;)         Want to learn more about what a "Pocket of Emotion" is and how to put them together in various rooms? Take my APSD Certified Home Stager Pro Class offered Nov. 14 - 17, 2012 in Minneapolis, MN!   www.coursesinhomestaging.com       10/14/2012

How Do You Find the Home Stager That is Right For You??    Home Staging Minneapolis MN   You may live in an area with many Home Stagers to choose from and you just don't know how to choose. What should you look for and how will you know if they will be a good fit for you to stage your home?    FIRST: Look at the Home Stager's Qualifications and Experience. Are they certified? I have been a Certified Home Stager for eight years and am also a Certified Home Stager Pro Trainer for APSD. Your Home Stager should not have received their training from watching HGTV.  Do they belong to Home Staging Organizations and Associations? I am a member of Real Estate Staging Association (RESA) and have a RESA Pro designation which is the highest degree of accountability for a Stager. We are required to ... 10/09/2012

When it comes to Minneapolis Real Estate there is a lot of advise out there. Everyone wants to tell you it's a great time to buy and it is, for some people, but everyone has unique circumstances. So, for you, should you be renting, buying or couch surfing? 10/04/2012

Ok, let me get this straight. As the listing agent you represent the seller. As the buyer agent I represent the ummmm buyer. Now that we have that cleared up I think you'll understand why I won't provide you with feedback regarding the showing on your listing with the exception of either writing an offer or not. It is not my responsibility to potentially jeopardize my clients negotiating position by reminding you that the wallpaper choices are less than desirable or that the house smelled like maple syrup or that maybe they love the house and working out how to make it work. I don't blame you for trying, but try not to get too upset when I don't do your job for you. 10/03/2012

    REALTOR ERIC KODNER APPOINTED VICE CHAIR OF 2013 CRS DIVERSITY COMMITTEE BY CRS PRESIDENT-ELECT RON CANNING     Minneapolis – Saint Paul, Minnesota (September 27, 2012) – Realtor® Eric Kodner has been appointed Vice Chair of the National CRS Diversity Committee by 2013 Council of Residential Specialists President-Elect Ron Canning.    Kodner is currently beginning his second year as Chair of the Wisconsin Realtors Association (WRA) Cultural Diversity in Housing Committee.  He also serves on the National Association of Realtors (NAR) Diversity Committee.  Kodner was appointed to the NAR Diversity Committee by former NAR President Dick Gaylord in January of 2010.   In mid-September, Kodner was invited by NAR Diversity Director Fred Underwood to participate in a select discussion group... 09/27/2012

Fall Is The Perfect Time to Go! Is is the perfect time to go to on vacation, the perfect time to go bike riding but it really is the perfect time to go to the Minneapolis Farmer's Market!!   I cannot believe how much this Farmer's Market has grown! It is no longer just about fruits and vegetables but that is still the main reason I go. YUMMM....             The FRESH CUT FLOWERS!!     The Minneapolis Farmers Market started in 1937 and has grown to 230 vendors!   It is the sites, the sounds, the people, the colors, the home made brats, the jewelry, the fresh honey, the artist booths. live music, cooking demonstrations and on and on!      Although it is open every day I recommend the weekends as that is when ALL the vendors are there and when all the fun hussle and bustle is going on. But... 09/25/2012

The home resale market put forth another strong data set last week. Home sales prices are higher nationwide and sales volume has moved to a 2-year high. According to the National Association of REALTORS®, 4.82 million "existing homes" sold on a seasonally-adjusted, annualized basis in August, representing a near 8 percent improvement from the month prior and a nine percent jump from August 2011. An existing home is a home which has been previously occupied. Home sales were unevenly split across price tiers, with more than half of all homes selling for less than $250,000. This suggests that the first-time home buyers and real estate investors continue to be active in today's market as a foundation for growth is built. According to the Existing Home Sales data : First-time buyers accounte... 09/25/2012

For the first time in 9 weeks, mortgage rates have made new lows. According to Freddie Mac’s weekly Primary Mortgage Market Survey, the average 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate fell 6 basis points to 3.49% this week, tying the all-time low set in late-July. The 15-year fixed rate mortgage also dropped, moving to 2.77%. This, too, marks an all-time low. The Federal Reserve’s plan to pressure mortgage rates down may be working. However, depending on where you live, your access to these all-time rates may be limited. This is because the Freddie Mac “published rate” is a national average based on the government-backed group’s survey of more 125 banks. Mortgage rates can vary by region. For example, last week, mortgage applicants in the West Region are most likely to get the lowest rates of ... 09/23/2012