You've finally found the home of your dreams. There's just one thing standing between you and your new house: The down payment. Many home buyers today opt to use funds from their employer's 401(K) program to come up with the down payment on a house. Ordinarily, you can't take money from your 401(K) plan unless you retire, leave the company or become disabled, but many company plans permit certain "hardship withdrawals" when there is an immediate and heavy financial need, including the purchase of the employee's principal residence. The drawback to a hardship withdrawal is that you will pay taxes and penalties on the amount withdrawn from your plan, which often must be paid in the year of withdrawal. And while hardship withdrawals are allowed by law, your employer is not required to prov... 04/22/2010

Woodbury Foreclosures MLS Instant Updates! Click Woodbury Foreclosures Instant Updates Click Woodbury Homes and Peoprties Schools Walk Score Go Green Market Data Remodeling Cost vs Value Much More Contact Information RES RealtyBob Elliot 12280 Nicollet AveBurnsville MN 55337612 578 6162More Listing InformationWoodbury ForeclosuresEmail Me 03/13/2010

  Dear Home Owner, Did you know that if if you own or purchase real estate in the City of Woodbury, Minnesota you are now required to carry flood insurance. In February 2001 Woodbury residents made a request to the City asking them to join the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP.) No maps were available at that time showing the high risk flood zones in the city. The city was placed in an "Emergency Phase" until flood hazard maps were produced. The city's final flood hazard maps became effective on Feb. 3, 2010. Approximately 500 parcels will be affected by this new ordinance. Woodbury is among some 20,000 communities nationwide in the FEMA Flood Insurance Program. High risk flood zones for the City of Woodbury can be found on FEMA's final map for the city. More information, including... 02/09/2010

The best of athletes are coached so why should Realtors be any different?   Sports are often used as a metaphor for professional competition.  In golf, for example, the average score is about one hundred.  At least two strokes per hole are putts, in regulation.  So the pro's only need two shots to get close.  We need more!   If you're an average golfer, you can flub a shot here, miss the green, shoot from trap to trap, and still shoot a hundred.  You would qualify as average!   The fastest way to playing better golf?  Play with someone who shoots par.  You'll be surprised how few strokes they use.  One tee shot, fly it onto the green, putt for birdie, miss, easy par.  The reward to the professional is so much greater than to the average player.   So it is also for real estate professio... 01/18/2010

First Time Home Buyer Tax Extension has PASSED!  With the passing of the First time home buyer tax extension and the expansions Minnesota home buyers and sellers enter into some exciting times in real estate. The real estate market in Minnesota for first time home buyers has been tightening. The housing supply in Minnesota's Twin Cities area has shrunk to as little as 7.69 homes on the market for every buyer. This is a decrease of 29.3% from how many homes were available to Twin Cities buyers last year. We specialize in working with First Time Home Buyers in Minnesota's Twin Cities metro area and have seen the demand of first time home buyers increase as the deadline of Nov. 30th has fast approached. The passing of the extension of the first time home buyer credit gives Twin Cities buye... 11/05/2009

Woodbury First-time Home Ownership Program Woodbury now has a First-time Home Ownership Program that is designed to encourage home ownership in the City of Woodbury by providing financing to low and moderate income first-time purchasers. This program is a low-interest, deferred loan of up to $25,000 to qualified families who earn no more then 80% of the area mediam income. The current amount of $64,000 for a family of four. Any person or household that has never owned a home or has not owned a home in the last three years, qualify as a first time home buyer. The purchase price of the property may not exceed $236,500. All single-family detached houses, townhomes and condo units are eligible for this program. Many cities now are creating new programs for 1st time home buyers. For more inf... 04/21/2009

Woodbury Foreclosure Purchase Program Are you looking to buy a home in Woodbury?  Are you looking at foreclosures? Well I have good news for you...  Woodbury has a new program that many Realtors and Loan Officers are not aware of.  If you buy a foreclosure property in Woodbury you can get a low interest loan for your 2nd mortgage. How does the program work? The Woodbury Foreclosure Purchase Program is designed to get homebuyers to purchase foreclosed properties in the City of Woodbury.  To do that they are providing financing to low and moderate income homebuyers. This is a low interest, deferred loan of up to $25,000. It is focused on qualified families who earn no more than 115 percent of area median income, capped at $90,000 per househ... 04/21/2009

Our home buyer workshops are designed to prepare you for the buying process in the current real estate market. With how life changing the purchase of a home is, you owe it to yourself, your future, to take the time and educate yourself on the process. We truly believe, KNOWLEDGE IS POWER! We will: Explain the $8,000 Uncle Sam wants to give First Time Home Buyers Review Current Market Stats - Where we have been and where it appears we are going  Share Special Financing Programs Available Provide you with Tools & Resources where you can search for homes on your own and at your leasure Assist you with Determine what house payment you can truly afford with the lifestyle you live Give you the oppertunity to Receive your credit report and get pre-approved Help you develop a personal home buyi... 03/29/2009

‘Foreclosure Tours’ - What is a ‘Foreclosure Bus Tour’?   ‘Foreclosure tours’ or ‘Foreclosure bus tours’ are sweeping across the nation. ‘Foreclosure tours’ have been featured in news stories on CNN, FOX, MSNBC, and many more. ‘Foreclosure bus tours’ have also hit the pages of places like the Wall Street Journal and internet blogs. You may have seen these stories.  ‘Foreclosure tours’ are usually lead by licensed Realtors or loan officers. Typically the goal is to introduce themselves, provide a unique experience to you and hopefully assist you in purchasing a home and rebuilding the communities plagued by foreclosures. To the best of my knowledge, I have not heard any of these ‘foreclosure bus tours’ pressuring any of their attendees rather the opposite. The spirit of most ‘foreclosure... 03/14/2009

Building a Stronger Real Estate Community – Knowledge Café in Woodbury, MN   According to the Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors (MAAR) their membership is down 10% from 2008. They are not the only real estate board in the Twin Cities that have dropped in membership. What this means is the number of real estate professionals in Minnesota are decreasing making way for more opportunity for those continuing to move forward with their careers.   The Minnesota Realtors that I have spoken with welcome this decline in numbers. One of the primary comments that I hear is ‘this will increase our industries professionalism’ and ‘make way for me to gain more business’.  Realtors are competitive by nature and most are passionate about regaining the high standards of professionalism that our cl... 03/01/2009

BUYING A FIXER UPPER - Is it Right for You? Let's Find Out! - MN Real Estate   With foreclosures dominating the Minnesota housing market I am asked often about 'fixer uppers'. Our real estate market opens the door to amazing opportunities for home buyers in Minnesota. When buying a home you should be informed and confident in your decision. If you are considering a 'fixer upper' you should take extra care to ask and find the answers to these key questions prior to making an offer on the home. Who will be doing the work?  How much will it cost you? Where will the money be coming from? Is the home price in line with how much the repairs are going to cost you? - Does it make sense? Do the repairs need to be done right away? Can you move into the home right away? or Will you have to pay fo... 02/22/2009

Weekly Market Activity Report 1.5.08 As expected, all activity in the Twin Cities housing market basically flatlined during the week of the Christmas holiday, as consumers and REALTORS® alike took time away from buying and selling homes. For the week ending December 27, there were 550 new listings and 256 pending sales in the entire 13-county Twin Cities region, down 3.2 percent and up 8.9 percent, respectively, from the same week last year. The inventory of houses for sale declined by almost 2,000 units in the past week but should be boosted upwards again in the weeks ahead. This edition of the MAAR Weekly Market Activity Report features an updated January 2009 figure for our Supply-Demand Ratio, which measures the number of houses for sale for each buyer. The January number is 8.36, w... 01/11/2009

12/25/2008

5 Cheapest Places to Retire Abroad With the credit crunch biting, Christmas costing a fortune and banks being bailed out by the tax payer but still demanding more money, it seems that us Britons have to escape Great Britain if we want to avoid drowning in a sea of governmental and institutional debt! Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if we were the ones who had built up substantial arrears and liabilities - but because it is mainly the government and financial institutions that are dragging us down, the only way to escape the inevitable recession/depression is to escape UK! British retirees are among the most active group in seeking a new life abroad where they can afford to have a decent standard of living, and so for pre-retirees and retirees seeking an affordable life overseas, here are th... 12/21/2008

First Time Home Buyer Checklist Have you gone over a "personal budget" to know where you have room to save and cut costs? Do you know what you can actually afford vs. what you "qualify" for? Do you know what your net worth is? Do you know what your credit scores are and what they mean? Have you been shown how to maintain great credit and raise your scores up? Do you know what the finance process is and what to expect within the next 30-60 days of purchasing your first home? How much money will you need and how will those funds get applied? What is a Pre-Approval vs. a Final Approval? Do you know the details of the program you are approved for and what it means to you? What happens if the company you close with goes out of business? What is mortgage insurance vs. homeowners insurance and... 11/05/2008

A Glimpse Into the Heart and Soul of an 80 year Old Bald Eagle, Bill Nasby.  Day 2 of Speakers at the EXIT Realty 2008 Convention. The day started out with a wonderful performance from a children’s organization that helps the hearing impaired and gives them a venue to perform and sing/sign on stage. The video clip is part of one of their performance. They were adorable and I wish I had the entire performance. I would find it hard to believe that it would not make every Realtor out there smile. Following that was renowned trainer Bill Nasby. To watch Bill up on stage open up was amazing. I had the privilege to meet and listen to Bill Nasby speak at EXIT Corp. broker/owner training in Mississauga, Canada in Nov/Dec of 2006. He was passionate about his message yet also I found him a bit i... 10/21/2008

EXIT Realty Convention, Day 1 of Speakers, October 15th, 2008   The day started with speaker Richard Flint speaking on “How to Stand Tall When Others Are Falling Down Around You”.  Flint was an outstanding speaker that spoke about leading a life by simple principles and coming back to basic in life. Building your life and business around relationships, true real relationships, conversations and connecting with one another.  He is a true believer in we chose our attitude and the places in life we are at. He was comical, particle and to the point. On a scale of 1-10 I give him an 11. Canadian Garth Turner spoke to us about “The Future of Real Estate”.  Mr. Turner is a Canadian journalist, broadcaster, and politician. He is a popular public speaker on financial issues. His discussion poin... 10/19/2008

Day 1 for me of the EXIT Realty Convention stated Tuesday October 14th. I arrived in Nashville, registered for convention found my wonderful room and began to get ready for Broker Fun Night.   Broker Fun Night, was held at The Wildhorse Saloon which was yes, you guessed it a HUGE Country Bar, 3 floors that all over looked a large stage and a HUGE dance floor. In true EXIT style Steve Morris and the EXIT family spared no expense. There was the dinner buffet line and then there was the appetizer line.  I would imagine that the appetizers would have been more then substantial enough for most everyone yet I am sure EXIT desired to not fall short of anyone’s expectations.    They brought in LoCash Cowboys who rocked the roof off of the place. Before they started to play it was a bit of a sl... 10/19/2008

Economic Recovery and Real Estate   The state of our economy and the real estate market has historically gone hand in hand. We hear softly in the wind the whispers of recession. With expert economists and Realtors projecting some markets throughout the country may fall an additional 15 to 20%.  Which could push for a deeper whisper.   Yet, wait there maybe some good news. While no one can dispute the real estate down turn and the impact it has had on the country there have been additional powers that have also caused economic ciaos and are just as critical to our recovery. We have seen the sharpest correction in the oil and commodities markets in years. If we can decrease the fuel impact on our agricultural products and our cost at the pump, we would be putting money back into the pocke... 08/24/2008

A fabulous 5 bedroom, 4 bath two story with a finished basement.  You will be proud to call this home, with hardwood floors through out the main floor, a fireplace with ample built-ins in the main floor family room, 4 bedrooms upstairs, 1 bedroom in the lookout lower level, three full baths and one half bath, owner's suite has a luxury bath and a walk-in closet, upper level laundry, walk-in pantry and so much more.       Call today to schedule a showing! 05/25/2008