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What Is Your Home Worth Today?
I found a cool resource at http://www.FHFA.gov. If you go there, in the middle of the page you will find something called the Home Price Calculator. You input your home purchase information in terms of State, quarter in which you purchased and the quarter in which you’d like to get the valuation. Next, you hit calculate, and it will show you a chart. While it isn’t specific to YOUR... [Read more]
Did you know-Current & Future Housing Data
Watch this video-then call me to help you buy or sell a new home or investment property. Powered By WP Footer Read More →
8 Tips For Finding Your New Home
A solid game plan can help you narrow your homebuying search to find the best home for you. House hunting is just like any other shopping expedition. If you identify exactly what you want and do some research, you’ll zoom in on the home you want at the best price. These eight tips will guide you through a smart homebuying process. 1. Know thyself Understand the type of home that suits your personality.... [Read more]
4 Tips to Determine How Much Mortgage You Can Afford
By knowing how much mortgage you can handle, you can ensure that home ownership will fit in your budget. Here are six surefire ways you can get your finances in order before you buy a home. Homeownership should make you feel safe and secure, and that includes financially. Be sure you can afford your home by calculating how much of a mortgage you can safely fit into your budget. Instead of just taking... [Read more]
Two Special Twin Cities Home Buying Programs
One program is called FPP-Foreclosure Partnership Program, and the other is NSP2 Homebuyer Assistance Program. Both programs offer incentive money for a purchase. I can use these financing programs with one of our mortgage investors. Consider checking them out to see if they’d work for you. HennipenCounty-Non-forclosedHomes-overview HennipenCounty-Nsp2-overview Powered By WP Footer Read More →
Rebuilding Credit To Get A Mortgage
Often, especially in this market due to the recession, we find potential home buyers who have had a life event or “bump in the road” that affects their ability to obtain a new loan. If you want to buy a home, you will have to have a certain number of reporting trade lines and for certain length of time. MOST mortgage programs require 3-5 trade lines and a minimum of two years of reporting.... [Read more]
Buying Rental Property In The Twin Cities
Have you ever wanted to own rental property, but were unsure where to start? I teach a class on the topic. I’ve decided to make the outline into a PPT. I cover the information in my class in much more depth and breadth, but this will give you a lot of useful information. If you are interested in discussing purchasing a rental property as an investment, just give me a call and we can set... [Read more]
Mortgage Insurance May Still Be Deductible For Some Buyers
Yipee-It looks like mortgage insurance will remain deductible for some home buyers. When we look buying a home, you need to consider all aspects. One main one is mortgage financing. There are ways around mortgage insurance by doing split loans-like and 80/10/10 for example or LPMI-which stands for lender paid mortgage insurance-which means the interest rate is higher. Rather than confuse the matter... [Read more]
Is There An Opportunity Right In Front Of YOU
I just watched an amazing video which I’ve posted below called the Money Tree. There are so many different interpretations. One that struck me was that people are oblivious to opportunity that is right in front of them. How many of us are looking for something that we already have or is within our reach? How many people are NOT buying real estate today when they could be looking at this... [Read more]
December Is The Time To Reflect
Are each of us doing all we can to make the world a better place? Many of us have our favorite charity and organizations we support. RE/MAX is a very large sponsor of Children’s Miracle Network. Many people don’t realize how much has been given. Each time I sell a home, I automatically donate a portion of my commission to this organization. Other RE/MAX agents like myself contribute... [Read more]
City Of Minneapolis Brochure
The City of Mpls produced this great brochure which highlights the benefits of city living. http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/cped/docs/WhyMplsBrochure.pdf Powered By WP Footer Read More →
Getting Ready to Sell Your House
While most experts see little good news in 2011’s housing market, economic downturn is no reason to neglect maintenance on a home or lose sight of future plans to relocate. The critical issue is planning intelligently for what spending you do now to make sure it’s worth your money later. And even if your plan to sell your property is more than a year away, it’s not a bad idea to get your finances... [Read more]
Getting Ready to Sell Your House
While most experts see little good news in 2011’s housing market, economic downturn is no reason to neglect maintenance on a home or lose sight of future plans to relocate. The critical issue is planning intelligently for what spending you do now to make sure it’s worth your money later. And even if your plan to sell your property is more than a year away, it’s not a bad idea to get your finances... [Read more]
HUD Has A YouTube Channel-Here Is There Vid On Buying A Home
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Google lets you create cool templated websites
Just an idea for anyone who wants to set up something quick and easy: https://www.google.com/accounts/ServiceLogin?continue=http%3A%2F%2Fsites.google.com%2F&followup=http%3A%2F%2Fsites.google.com%2F&service=jotspot&passive=true&ul=1 Powered By WP Footer Read More →
Song About The Twin Cities
How cool is this. I had no idea the band Everything But The Girl produced this video. Makes me wish for a warm summer day fishing by a lake. Powered By WP Footer Read More →
Can Home Ownership Contribute To Your Wealth?
Based on the implosion of equity in the past few years, one begins to wonder. At the same time, if you look back from a historical perspective, home ownership and home equity have contributed to the net worth of many. Recently, there was a study/survey done by the Federal Reserve. NAR presents and interprets the resultshttp://www.realtor.org/research/economists_outlook/didyouknow/dyk111610dh Powered... [Read more]
Minnesota Foreclosure And Distressed Home Fact Sheets PLUS Twin Cities First Time Buyer Special Programs
I have mentioned it before, but I really am impressed with the Minnesota Home Ownership Center. I frequently get calls from people who need to find information about how best to deal with a distressed real estate situation. You must visit their website and bookmark it for future reference. Here are just some of the links you need to look at: Foreclosure & distressed property fact sheets http://hocmn.org/en/fp-factsheets.cfm Counseling... [Read more]
Twin Cities Foreclosure Update
Here is our latest newsletter that has updates on foreclosures in the Twin Cities. Also, watch the video below Powered By WP Footer Read More →
Minnesota First Time Home Buyer Tips
A buyer in Minnesota, and specifically the Twin Cities area-Minneapolis/St Paul, should consider visiting the board of Realtors site at http://www.MplsRealtor.com On the tab regarding market activity, they will be able to click through and find out aggregated information that is compiled into city specific reports. For example, Minneapolis real estate will be broken down into the various areas of... [Read more]
Top Seven Tips For Home Buyers
Recently I was asked to create a list of top tips. Here is my list. I have been selling homes for over 25 years. I hope these help you make better choices and improve your real estate making decisions. 1) Before you begin to search for a home, always get prequalified FIRST. Seek out an experienced mortgage broker to arrange your financing. Even if you think you want to use a large bank, at least see... [Read more]
Lake Nokomis Sunset
I was at a client’s business on Friday for an open house. In her office she had a sign that read “the best things in life aren’t things”. Think about that for a moment. Isn’t it true? We all equally rich in many ways. While wealth is measured in terms of traditional “money”, we can be very rich and still feel empty or “poor”. Look... [Read more]
Data.gov – A Cool Site With Lots Of Great Info
http://www.Data.gov I just found this site and wanted to share it. It has a ton of info and reports. If you have a project or just an “inquiring mind”, this is sure to be a hit. Check it out and get the data you need. Powered By WP Footer Read More →
Lake Front Property – Look Before You Leap!
By Alan Olson Minnesota, aptly named, the “Land of 10,000 Lakes”, is well known for its abundance of lakes and rivers. In fact there are over 11,000 lakes over 10 acres in size, and more than 63,000 miles of natural streams and rivers. Chances are, after spending a few years here, you may eventually purchase property on or near one of these bodies of water. Here are some issues that need... [Read more]
Minnesota Mortgage – What to Expect When Buying a Home in Minnesota
By Jessica Elliott Maybe you’re buying your first home in Minnesota, or perhaps you’re relocating to Minnesota from another state. Either way, it’s important that you educate yourself on Minnesota home loans before shopping for a home and mortgage. This article explains what you’ll need to know before buying a home in Minnesota: The median price of a home in Minnesota is $122,400.... [Read more]
Check Out Energy Rebates
EnergyStar.gov — Check Out Energy Rebates This is a government site that offers lots of energy saving tips as well as explains what energy saving grants or credits might be available. Powered By WP Footer Read More →
Foreclosure Trends Newsletter
Here is the latest issue of my foreclosure trends newsletter. As you can see, the trend is not our friend, in the sense that the housing market has not recovered. Until jobs come back and people are employed and feel safe in their employment, they will tend to avoid making a committment. ForeclosureTrends.pdf Powered By WP Footer Read More →
Twin Cities Foreclosure Trends-From our MLS & Realty Trac
Besides the board of realtor sites: http://theThing.mplsrealtor.com and market data posted elsewhere at http://www.MplsRealtor.com I have a subscription to Realty Trac. My subscription gives me additional data about foreclosures and trends within certain zip codes. This is in addition to my daily subscription to Finance & Commerce (a business newspaper that prints all the foreclosure information... [Read more]
Real Estate Information
These are a couple of my newsletters that have a ton of valuable information. Go check them out. Foreclosure Market Trends Newsletter http://www.realtytrac.com/MarketTrends/NewsLetter.aspx?guid=131bd355-1b69-4bd1-99cd-2f0c9a936810 Real Estate Cyber Space Tips http://www.REcyber.com/cybertips/r11627 Powered By WP Footer Read More →
Tiger Muskie At Lake Nokomis
Caught on a medium sucker and bobber at 8pm Powered By WP Footer Read More →
Minnesota
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Outstanding Video-An Inspiration To All-Be The Best You Can Be!
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Twin Cities Home buyer book
Thinking about buying a home but don’t know where to start? Why not start by reading the home buyer hand book that we have provided below. It is a great place to start to get the information you need. When you’re ready, we would love to help you find and finance a new home. MN Home buyers handbook View more documents from John Mazzara. Powered By WP Footer Read More →
Open Source Documents-Unbelievable Resources-Find YOUR topic of Interest
If you’ve never visited http://www.Archive.org, you are missing a wonderful site. From this site, you will find many resources that are out of copyright and you can download and use them as you wish. You will find all the classics and some fun things as well. Just for fun, I have the download of a book called “Little Gardens” which is a book about setting up a garden on a city... [Read more]
Sell Your Home Faster-Learn The Home Selling Secrets Of Successful Sellers
Here is a special report that outlines over 450 ideas on how to sell your home faster. This report is just one of the many home buyer, home seller, and investor reports that I can make available to you. Read this report and call me to arrange a time to see how I can help. Download Now Powered By WP Footer Read More →
Extension And Expansion Of Home Buyer Credit-4/30/2010
A Big WOW!! The credit has been expanded to include homeowners who have owned their home for the past 5 years. No longer do you need to be a first time buyer. The dollar limit is $8000 for first time buyers and $6500 for move up buyers. This GREAT news. Combine this with 50 year lows in interest rates, and you’d be crazy not to consider making a move. If you feel secure in your job,... [Read more]
Why Foreclosure Is Often Preferred By The Loan Servicer Instead Of Offering A Loan Modification
Have you ever wondered why a foreclosure occurs when a better solution might have been a modification? Would you like to read the facts and figures and see how mortgages are bundled, sold and serviced? You will soon see it is isn’t pretty, we are in the midst of a crisis, and it is likely to get worse before it gets better. That being said, you can probably guess why-it’s about the... [Read more]
Home Buyer Tax Credit Information Update
It’s now official!! The tax credit has been extended and expanded. YOU NEED TO HURRY! You now have until the end of April 2010. The following summary of the credit is provided by the National Association Of Realtors. The following two documents cover the changes in the new law. Now get out there and buy a home!! NAR FAQ: Homebuyer Tax Credit Changes NAR Issue Brief: Homebuyer Tax Credit... [Read more]
Minnesota Real Estate Newsletter Gives Access To Great Computer & Life Tips
I maintain a number of real estate sites, blogs, and newsletters. One newsletter that provides a number of computer tips to help you function better with a computer is http://www.REcyber.com/cybertips/r11627 The site is full of cyber space tricks and great places to visit. We have link to this site on the list of MN Real Estate links, but I wanted to highlight this particular newsletter because... [Read more]
Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board
You will be amazed at the activities available throughout the Minneapolis Park System. Use the convenient search finder to locate your lake of choice and the events that follow. http://www.minneapolisparks.org/default.asp?PageID=5&advSearch=parks Powered By WP Footer Read More →
Seeing The Beauty Of Lake Nokomis MN
Although there are many lakes in Minnesota, this is one that many people flock to every year to enjoy the waters. But there is more to this lake then just being a body of water. There is a lot of history to Lake Nokomis and it is important to make sure that you are aware of it. [media id=1] Knowing the history of such a beautiful lake is the only way to make sure that you are fully going to be able... [Read more]
Lake Harriet, Lake Nokomis and Lake of the Isles
If you ask residents of Minneapolis what sets their city apart from other major metropolitan areas, you will quickly learn about the extensive lake system that runs through the southern part of the city. Though you can easily find the urban lifestyle and towering skyline in downtown Minneapolis, the lakes offer a terrific alternative for those who prefer the solace and beauty of living near water.... [Read more]
Twin Cities Lakes
The Twin Cities is a beautiful area. It’s also an area that has quite a bit of water around. Of course the cities are divided by the great Mississippi River, but there are a variety of different lakes that are in the area as well. There is a chain of lakes in the area, and there are five different lakes that are quite popular. Some of them include parks and recreational opportunities as well.... [Read more]
Twin Cities Minnesota
Interested in visiting the state of Minnesota? If so, you definitely won’t want to miss taking the time to visit the twin cities. These cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis are two of the biggest and most visited cities in the entire state. So, you definitely won’t want to miss them. Of course there are those that are not entirely familiar with these cities, their long history, and how... [Read more]
