Don’t miss this important info.
Time for you to get out while these great prices last? Contact me today!!!!
Susan Hofflander is a seasoned real estate professional, providing real estate consultations for home buyers and sellers in the Twin Cities since 1994. Susan specializes in homes for sale in Lake Calhoun/Lake Harriet, Minneapolis, Plymouth, MN, Minneapolis Western Suburban Cities and Downtown Minneapolis Lofts.
The Minneapolis Area Association of REALTORs does it again!!! It’s called THE THING! This interactive tool allows inquiring minds to find out what they want to know about their individual markets. This THING allows you to slice and dice the numbers in whatever way works for you. You might want to know specifically about townhouses. Or, do you want to find out what homes in your area are selling for? Search under price range. Definitely take a look at 100+. That will give you an overview of over 100 municipalities and neighborhoods in Minneapolis cities or St. Paul cities.
Make sure you bookmark this link so you can go back to it over and over again!
For more follow up info on how this relates to your property, contact me today. It’s one thing to have the info, but to interpret and apply, make sure you have a qualified professional, like ME!
Susan Hofflander is a seasoned real estate professional, providing real estate consultations for home buyers and sellers in the Twin Cities since 1994. Susan specializes in homes for sale in Lake Calhoun/Lake Harriet, Minneapolis, Plymouth, MN, Minneapolis Western Suburban Cities and Downtown Minneapolis Lofts.
Every month, the Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors compiles these video presentations of the Minneapolis real estate market statistics. They are just a thumbnail sketch of the market info. GREAT NEWS for the month of June is that housing prices are up!!! Definitely getting us back on a more even keel. Bad news is that sales are down for May and June. No big surprise there. Ever since the tax credit expired, it’s understandable that we wouldn’t have as many buyers out there. And, summer is usually another lull time in the market, even in robust times.
Now this video has just the bare essentials. For more detailed information about YOUR specific area, don’t hesitate to contact me. Better to have too much information than not enough!!!
CNN-Money Magazine only reiterates what we in the Twin Cities have known for a long time-that Eden Prairie is awesome! Eden Prairie has low unemployment, the schools seems to rank well in comparison when it comes to test scores and such. Much as we cannot discuss what areas are better than others with regard to crime rates, their crime rate statistics rank low. Eden Prairie boasts 17 lakes and over 100 miles of biking-hiking-walking trails! Of course it’s got some pretty good shopping and restaurants, too. For those who bought a house for sale in Eden Prairie in the last couple of years, it’s ESPECIALLY good for you. The sold prices of homes are going up in Eden Prairie year over year from 2009 to 2010. And, not just incrementally, but between 7-10% over all. That’s good news, folks!
With Plymouth, MN ranked number 1 a few years back by the same publication, I’d say Minnesotans have alot to be proud of. And, much to be thankful for as it will stand us in good stead as the economy continues to improve.
Are you looking for a house for sale in Eden Prairie MN or Plymouth MN? Make sure you contact me first before you do anything else. You need to make sure you have an agent who knows how to help you navigate these tricky waters!!!
Susan Hofflander is a seasoned real estate professional, providing real estate consultations for home buyers and sellers in the Twin Cities since 1994. Susan specializes in homes for sale in Lake Calhoun/Lake Harriet, Minneapolis, Plymouth, MN, Minneapolis Western Suburban Cities and Downtown Minneapolis Lofts.
Much is being said about the home buyer tax credit extension. This proposal is part of a larger bill aimed at closing a variety of tax loopholes and to create extensions for other tax policy issues and federal program renewals. As of Friday, June 18th, the Senate could not get required votes to pass this as is.
Here’s how it works: Home buyers were to have been under contract to purchase a property by April 30, 2010. Most home buyers, who met the qualifying income and other criteria, were eligible for the credit, even those that sold a property and purchased another one (as long as the property was/is their personal residence). First time home buyers would be receiving up to $8000 and repeat home buyers would be receiving up to $6500.
Originally, the deadline to close the deal was June 30, 2o10. The US Senate included a proposal to extend that closing date to September 30, 2010. This discussion came about because so many lenders and title companies became overwhelmed by the amount of files that needed to be consummated by June 30. So, because of public outcry and congressional lobbying by big lending, the idea to extend the CLOSING DATE ONLY on these deals was introduced.
Wall Street Journal article from June 11 expresses the idea that this extension could help those trying to defraud the system by back dating their purchase agreements to April 30. That would mean anybody could, ostensibly, write a purchase agreement anytime and, if all parties agreed to the fraud, put a date of April 30th on the paper work. Let’s hope everyone has learned their lesson about bilking the government and taxpayers out of these funds, ESPECIALLY lenders! The last decade was rife for fraud in the mortgage and real estate industry. If someone introduces this idea to YOU, blow the whistle!!!!
Time for you to sell or buy a house for sale in Minneapolis or any Minneapolis cities? Contact me today so I can give you the details you need to be an informed consumer.
Susan Hofflander is a seasoned real estate professional, providing real estate consultations for home buyers and sellers in the Twin Cities since 1994. Susan specializes in homes for sale in Lake Calhoun/Lake Harriet, Minneapolis, Plymouth, MN, Minneapolis Western Suburban Cities and Downtown Minneapolis Lofts.
How do buyers and sellers of homes for sale in Minneapolis go about choosing the right agent for them? So much has changed in the real estate industry and market in the last 20 years. Heck, so much has changed in the last 5 years! The requirements for disclosure, while good, are somewhat overwhelming. I encounter many agents and homeowners that say, “I remember when a purchase agreement was one page and a handshake!”. Having been a licensed REALTOR® for the better part of 16 years, I don’t remember that scenario, but many forms have jumped from being 2-4 pages when I started to now being 7 or 9 pages.
If you’re new to property purchases, I strongly suggest you interview a few agents to see who will be a good match for your personality type and desires. Some agents are just not a good fit. If you are a “touchy/feeley” type and your agent is cut and dried, you may feel brushed off or that your feelings aren’t being considered. If you’re a detail person who wants to know all the facts and your agent is talking about the karma in the house, that might not work for you. Ask some questions to make sure you have the agent that will work for you in the most comfortable and efficient way.
When buyers purchase their first property, they think they will remember the agent that helped them through that process because it’s so momentous!! If the agent is doing their job correctly, they’ve been an essential and profound influence on these buyers. But, as time wears on and people’s lives settle in to day to day routines, the memory of the agent fades in to the background. Fast forward 5-8 years and it’s time to buy the “move-up” property. Will these buyers remember the agent they had come to think of so fondly in their first experience? Sometimes they will and sometimes they won’t. Maybe they get a card from that agent once a year, or an e mail news letter or just occasional updates about the market in their area.
Frequently, in their zeal to find the new property, they will begin to look online (93% of all buyers look online FIRST) or go to open houses. They may meet an agent at the open house or through their online search. Because they’ve encountered that agent at just the right time, they may forget about contacting the other agent who was so instrumental in their first purchase, in deference to the “love the one you’re with” mentality.
It is incumbent upon us as good agents to be following up with our good clients over the years (i.e. Holiday/birthday/anniversary cards, here’s what’s going on in the market cards and e mails, newsletters, gift cards from time to time, tax alerts, etc.) And, it’s hard to know how much is TOO much. There is a school of thought that says you must be “touching” people 33 times a year in order for them to remember you and call on you for your services when the time comes. Isn’t that too much? I wouldn’t want my agent/insurance person/doctor ANYTHING to be contacting me 33 times a year! It’s a little stalker-ey, in my opinion.
Bottom line is, stay in touch when you can, but don’t make a pest of yourself. And, buyers and sellers of homes for sale in Minneapolis cities, if you liked your agent the first time around and are thinking of buying or selling a home for sale in Minneapolis cities, contact that agent to see if you’re still a good fit! I know they’d be happy to help you again and again. I know I will be happy and honored to assist my past clients again and again, and welcome any referrals they would care to send me. I encourage everyone to know and acknowledge that having the right agent is essential to a successful real estate transaction. So, don’t just “love the one you’re with”! Save that magnet or notepad your agent sends you and remember to contact them when you or those near and dear need a good agent.
Do YOU need a good agent now? Contact me today to benefit from my experience and expertise.
For many Minneapolis home owners, this is a tough time. We are experiencing significant volatility in the mortgage arena. The guidelines by which a mortgage may be obtained are much tighter. Actually, the guidelines are back to where they were 15-20 years ago. You actually have to prove you can be a responsible home owner. The paradigm shift that occurred in the early part of the decade, to render anyone who can fog a mirror qualified to be mortgagor (meaning the person who obtains a mortgage and makes the payments toward total ownership) is now shifting back to those who have a proven track record of on time payments and make enough money to pay their bills.
There were people who met such guidelines when they obtained their mortgages, even in the free-for-all days. But, many have now fallen on a hardship of some kind. For example job loss, health crises, divorce, death of a spouse, business failure can all be life changing events that render the Minneapolis home owner unable to honor their commitment to make their housing payments as originally agreed upon. If that happens, the homeowner needs to find alternatives.
There is help available. The new programs that will go in to effect on April 5 have provisions to assist homeowners who are experiencing a genuine hardship. There are many provisions for assistance to forestall the sheriff’s sale until a short sale can be achieved and stricter guidelines that will bring pressure to bear on the banks to provide answers quicker in order to facilitate the short sales to go through. The new program, HAFA, stands for Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives, was developed last November and the new guidelines will go in to effect April 5, 2010. Check out the information to see what might help you or someone you love.
Susan Hofflander is a seasoned real estate professional, providing real estate consultations for home buyers and sellers in the Twin Cities since 1994. Susan specializes in homes for sale in Lake Calhoun/Lake Harriet, Minneapolis, Plymouth, MN, Minneapolis Western Suburban Cities and Downtown Minneapolis Lofts.
For buyers and sellers of homes for sale in Minneapolis and Minneapolis cities, here is a video that tells you what’s going on as of March 2010. Take a look and pass it on.
Watch this video about the Minneapolis and Minneapolis cities housing market.
Susan Hofflander is a seasoned real estate professional, providing real estate consultations for home buyers and sellers in the Twin Cities since 1994. Susan specializes in homes for sale in Lake Calhoun/Lake Harriet, Minneapolis, Plymouth, MN, Minneapolis Western Suburban Cities and Downtown Minneapolis Lofts.
Sometimes it’s so hard to find information when you need it. 
How do you maintain the different components of a house? What’s going on in the real estate market? How can I make the most energy efficient improvements to my home? What’s the latest in mortgage and tax information? Do I need to buy different insurances for my home? These are all great questions to be answered. Check out House Logic.
HouseLogic is a free source of information and tools—from the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®—that can help you make smart and timely decisions about your home. With content covering home improvement, maintenance, taxes, finance, insurance, and even ways you can get involved in and enrich your community, HouseLogic can help you increase and protect the value of your home by helping you make confident decisions.
For more localized information about your real estate market, contact me today. I have access to information about your area, even your block! Relying on zillow.com and other real estate based websites is a mistake. Their information is only as good as the agents who participate in such websites. So, the information is very limited. Contact me, a local professional for information on Minneapolis homes for sale, or homes for sale in Minneapolis areas like Lake Calhoun and Lake Harriet. I also have lots of information on downtown Minneapolis lofts for sale and homes for sale in the Western suburbs of Minneapolis.
Susan Hofflander is a seasoned real estate professional, providing real estate consultations for home buyers and sellers in the Twin Cities since 1994. Susan specializes in homes for sale in Lake Calhoun/Lake Harriet, Minneapolis, Plymouth, MN, Minneapolis Western Suburban Cities and Downtown Minneapolis Lofts.
