Offering 1% referrals on every client referred to Asset Restoration...  Referral will be paid in advance pre-construction on all signed clients that we can help get exterior remodeling... call today 02/09/2009

There is a lot to be said about the value of buying a property "below market". You can save yourself anywhere from 5% to 40% on a purchase or more. Here are a few things to think about before you put your money down and write up an offer. Do you have time? - Reason being, it can take weeks, even months to get a foreclosure or short sale through the process to closing for a variety of reasons, but the biggest one being the entire industry is log jammed with properties, and few "reasonable" people handling them. In a recent conversation with a mortgage company REO specialist, they said that they are handling 2X to 4X the amount of files(properties) than the system and the staff are designed to handle. Are you handy? - I mean really handy? - Many foreclosure properties provide no warrantee... 01/09/2009

Today I thought we could take a look at what real estate is doing out on Lake Minnetonka. Not that it is any big surprise, but things have slowed down a little in 2008 on the famous lake. High end buyers don't seem to be coming out of the woodwork anymore, either because they already bought a home in the last five years, or can no longer afford the luxury lifestyle. Anyway, the news isn't all that great. About the only positive number coming out of the area is that closed sales for the month of September were up 9%. The not-so-good "positive" numbers show that the number of days a home is on the market has gone up to 181, almost 9% higher from this time in 2007. The good news to buyers is that the average price of home on Lake Minnetonka has gone down 10.3%. It helps that many million d... 11/26/2008

Minnetonka, Minnesota! We Buy Houses Fast in Any Area, Condition or Price Range and Want to Buy Your House! We are aggressively looking for houses to buy in Minnesota We Buy Houses in All These Areas of Minnesota Hennepin County including: Minnetonka, Excelsior, Orono, Deephaven, Greenwood, Spring Park, Plymouth, Chanhassen, Victoria, Eden Prairie, Wayzata, Shorewood, Woodland, Tonka Bay, Mound, Maple Grove, Chaska and surrounding areas. Click Here to Complete our Seller Questionnaire! "Buy My Home From Me Fast!" "Sell My Minnetonka, Minnesota House Fast" is something that our company hears allot from people in Minnetonka, Minnesota, but what is amazing is so few people are aware that this is easier than they thought. Yes, even in today's market it is possible to sell your home fast, t... 11/13/2008

Would You Like to Sell Your House In the Next 7 Days or Less in Hennepin County, Minnesota!? If You Have an Unwanted House You Need to Sell in Hennepin County, Minnesota Fast,You've Found the Right Website! You may be asking, "How can I sell my house in 7 days?" You can sell your house fast in Hennepin County, Minnesota by selling your house to us! You see, we're not Realtors® who simply want to list your house for a commission and hope it sells one day. Instead, we're a nationwide group of Professional Homebuyers who buy and sell houses in any condition or price range all over the United States. If you'd like to sell us your house faster than you ever thought possible, please take a moment to complete our Seller Questionnaire to the right of this page. "What kind of houses do you buy?... 11/03/2008

 My 400th blog is about the most beautiful lady in the World - by: Robert Swetz  I wanted this blog to be special because of the number and to try and make my wife Nu Nu a part of Active Rain. She always mentions to me that I am wasting my time with Active Rain and I try to explain to her that AR is different than other networks. So this blog is all about the most beautiful lady in the world.  Nu Nu was born in Myanmar (Burma) and it took her 5 years to just come and visit America. When she came to visit America in 2002 she stayed and worked in San Diego, California. It wasn't more than 6 months and she moved to Minnesota and worked in Minnetonka. We met out of the blue one day, she was working at a Sushi place in Minnetonka and we started dating.  It wasn't long before we got married ... 10/25/2008

FINDING (YOUR) REAL ESTATE AGENTS  / CRITICAL!Finding the Right Real Estate Agents is Critical! Buying a home today should be EXCITING! Your experience when shopping for a home for sale should be informative, intuitive and fun. When finding Real Estate Agents it is critical you have a Real Estate Agent on your side that meets ALL of your needs.Silver Door Real Estate Agents use the most up to date innovative first systems and tools necessary to accomplish and enhance your objectives and meet today's must have standards when purchasing a home.  Below is a partial list of what you can expect from Silver Door Real Estate Agents: 1.  FUN FAST FIND A HOME MAPPING OFFERED BY SILVER DOOR REAL ESTATE AGENTSWhy settle for clumsy hard to search platforms? Your home search is EASY with interactive... 09/18/2008

The demand for honest, affordable contractors for homeowners continues to grow as HandyPro opens franchises in new locations across the US   Minnetonka, MN-HandyPro Handyman Services began in 1993 as a referral service for home repair contractors.  They now have franchises in Louisiana, Texas, Hawaii, Michigan and Minnesota.  Collin Dickey has serviced the franchise in Minnesota for over 5 years.  Through his experience, he strives to make improvements to keep very high customer service ratings.   HandyPro lives up to their slogan, "every home needs a handyman" and "let us finish your ‘to do' list.  "We believe in being very efficient in doing even the smallest jobs according to our customer's best interest in an honest fashion," said Collin Dickey, owner of HandyPro in Minnesota.  "We ... 08/24/2008

There's lots of folks heralding the new First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit...but there are those who feel that it is a lot more sizzle than steak.  Sure, a first time homebuyer can utilize the new government incentive to fix up the home, adding value and equity to their balance sheet, but it is also possible that the tax benefit will be squandered on vacations or consumer goods with massive initial depreciation rates.  That might be a boost to the economy, but the inexperienced first time home buyer will still be looking at 15 years of $500 per year debt, (at maximum credit) because the IRS will recapture 100% of the tax credit over 15 years, and it won't even show up on his/her credit report.  As is obvious, savings and not debt makes for a stronger balance sheet. While there may be seve... 07/30/2008

The amount of days that a home sits on the market does not necessarily have anything to do with the home for sale. Many times, it has to do with location, and even the amount of competition from other neighbors. Take for instance, Minnestrista, Mound, and Orono, which have the largest amount of homes for sale this year. They also have a relatively high number of days of the market (DOM).At the same time, you could look at Orono with its high DOM, and also take into consideration that the average selling price in 2007 was almost $2 Million, also contributing to the reason for a high DOM.                    On Lake Minnetonka, there are many small towns that surround the lake, and each has homes that vary in price. Greenwood for instance, is relatively small, and only had four homes sell ... 04/25/2008

Oops! Looks like I forgot to do the market analysis for February. But have no fear, with the market slow down, we didn't' miss out on too much!$1 Million -2 Million - The "cheap" homes have tons of competition, what with 117, which is almost the same amount as in January. Thirteen homes are pending, which compared to March 2007, is a three homes short. Closed sales totaled six, which blows last year out of the water.$2 Million - $3 Million : 41 homes are competing against each other, especially with almost 10 homes for sale more than in January. Selling seems a little difficult in this price range as there is only 1 pending sale and 1 closed sale for March.$3 Million - $5 Million : There are 22 homes currently for sale on Lake Minnetonka in this price bracket. Looking back to March 2007... 04/03/2008

10025 Kingman LaneMinnetonka, MN 55305For Sale $329,900Spacious Main floor with Vaulted Family Room & Screened Porch!Bedrooms:4Bathrooms:3 3/4 Master Main Full Lower Level 3/4 Area:MinnetonkaStyle:Single Family Home Split Entryy10025 Kingman is much larger than you realize! The upper level has large open spaces for an active household. As you enter the home you will see refinished hardwood floors through out the living room. There is massive window in living room for natural light and a built-in planter for greenery. The main level has been freshly painted with a warm neutral paint. The Living room flows into a Formal Dining room and the centerpiece of the main level: a vaulted main floor Family Room!   Home  Full Details  Photo Tour  Print Brochure  Property Map  Area ... 02/27/2008

Why have mortgage lenders tightened their guidelines so much? Can I still buy a home with zero or no money down? Will I be able to refinance with the tougher mortgage lending guidelines? I am not able to refinance and my ARM is about to expire what should I do? These are some very common questions being asked right now in 2008 by consumers everywhere. With the record number of foreclosures that have hit our nation and so many mortgage loans going bad, the mortgage industry was in need of a serious overhaul or makeover. Therefore, lenders have been forced to tighten up their lending guidelines to make sure that they are producing loans of better quality which is not only better for them, but better for the consumer as well. While, lending guidelines and underwriting guidelines have defin... 02/20/2008

Looking to buy a luxury home? Well, the place to be is Lake Minnetonka. Just because it is winter doesn't mean you can't go out there and see the beauty of a frozen lake. Who knows, you might even want to put in some ice fishing time or check out a pond hockey game between showings. Here's the real estate numbers for the month of November:1 Million - 2 Million : Compared to the rest of the year's activity, the brakes were put on this month and new listings were put to a halt. There are currently only 131 homes actively for sale, the same amount as back in April. Six homes have gone pending this month and five homes closed, making the pending and closing stats some of the best this year.2 Million - 3 Million : Never the price bracket with outstanding results, there are currently 36 acti... 12/05/2007

Looking to buy a luxury home? Well, the place to be is Lake Minnetonka. The most active price range of 2007 has been the $1-2 Million market and is the most affordable for the area. But there are also some big hitters out there with nine homes priced over $5 Million.1 Million - 2 Million : Seeing a huge slow down this month, with only 143 homes currently for sale around Lake Minnetonka. No new homes have gone pending, but eight of last months pending sales closed in the month of October.2 Million - 3 Million : This bracket saw a huge decrease in active listings. There are 34 active homes for sale meaning six homes have been pulled from the market since September. Only one home in this price range sold in October.3 Million - 5 Million : Always the bracket to be active or slow, October sa... 11/13/2007

With so many lakes in Minnesota it could easily get confusing on the water quality of each lake. Thanks to the Department of Natural Resources, they do the research for you. All you have to do is fumble through the data.On their website, you can look up the lake of your choice and then obtain information on water quality, water clarity, what types of fish the lake stocks, topography charts, and more. The DNR also offers Fish Consumption Advisories and lets local real estate owners know if certain species have higher than normal amounts of Mercury.It is a great way to check up on the ecology of a lake you might be thinking of purchasing a home on. 10/17/2007

Looking to buy a luxury home in Minneapolis? Well, the place to be is Lake Minnetonka. The most active price range of 2007 has been the $1-2 Million market and is the most affordable for the area. Fall is upon us and now is a great time to take a tour of homes for sale via the water and also enjoy the changing colors.1 Million - 2 Million : The most active high-end price range just got more active this month, again. This time more homes moved to PENDING, eleven to be exact, and 5 of last months six closed for the month of September. However, active listings still remain high at 141.2 Million - 3 Million : This bracket saw a another decrease in active listings. There are 41 active homes for sale and only 1 pending. Four homes closed this month, 1 more than in August.3 Million - 5 Million... 10/11/2007

Lake Minnetonka Real Estate Update - August 2007Looking to buy a luxury home in Minneapolis? Well, the place to be is Lake Minnetonka. The most active price range of 2007 has been the $1-2 Million market and is the most affordable for the area. Summer is winding down and soon the Lake will have a spectacular display of autumn colors for all to enjoy. Get your home soon so you too can enjoy the wonderful lake views and take a last cruise around the lake before winter sets in.1 Million - 2 Million : The most active high-end price range just got more active this month, again. This time more homes moved to SOLD, six to be exactly, and 7 more took their spot for being put under contract. However, active listings still remain high at 144.2 Million - 3 Million : This bracket saw a slight decre... 09/04/2007

Lake Minnetonka Real Estate Update - July 2007Looking to buy a luxury home in Minneapolis? Well, the place to be is Lake Minnetonka. The most active price range of 2007 has been the $1-2 Million market and is the most affordable for the area. So bring your boat, and your check book, because one of the best lakes in Minnesota is up for sale....via homes, that is!1 Million - 2 Million : The most active high-end price range just got more active this month. Whereas June saw 135 active listings, July was ever more so with a whopping 149 homes for sale! Pending sales are currently at 15 because two from June closed in July. However, where previous months saw 10 or more homes closing, July only had these two.2 Million - 3 Million : This bracket remained steady, currently at 48 active listings.... 08/01/2007

Being the largest lake around, it makes sense that Lake Minnetonka would be home to a couple of yacht clubs. During the summer months, especially on the weekends, you can enjoy some of the sailboat regattas on Wayzata Bay. I have always loved sailboats and I can remember my first ride on a very windy day. It seemed the captain of the boat was trying to get me in the water as a joke, but thankfully I did not fall overboard.If you like to sail, Minntonka offers three options:   Minnetonka Yacht Club - 19800 Minnetonka Blvd., Deephaven, MN 55331 Call (952) 473-9935 Upper Minnetonka Yacht Club4165 Shoreline Drive, Spring Park, MN 55384Call (952) 471-8783 Wayzata Yacht Club1100 East County Rd 16, Wayzata, MN 55391 Call (952) 473-0352 07/30/2007