Minnesota Shines in the Summer

Summer is here! OK, maybe it’s not official but Memorial Day has passed and it’s nice and hot today. Summer is really a great time to be in Minnesota.

Whether you are enjoying Minnesota from your new home or whether you’re trying to enjoy it while looking for your dream home we have a couple suggestions for online summer calendars to help you see the best Minnesota has to offer in terms of summer fun and festivals:

Vita.MN is an ongoing calendar that highlights festival, diversions and nightlife, primarily in the Twin Cities. They have a searchable database and you can filter events by date and type.

Explore MN just redesigned their site – and it’s a great place to look for a Minnesota vacation. And really proximity to beautiful vacation spots is one reason we love all Minnesota in the summer.

EPodunk track festival throughout the state. They have 70 festivals listed for June alone from Dairy Days in Willmar to Hat Daz in Canby.

St Paul Chamber of Commerce tracks events staring strong this weekend with Grand Old Day and the Flint Hills International Children’s festival. (The folks at Buyers Real Estate Group have long enjoyed these events!)

Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce tracks events in and around Minneapolis.

Happy Memorial Weekend

The long weekend is nearly here. For some of us it means picnics or spring cleaning. (You can find a list of fun events in the Minneapolis & St Paul area online.) For others it’s a great opportunity to do some serious house hunting.

You can check out the Buyers Real Estate Group database of contact an agent if you want them to help you narrow down the pack of home to a list the few most likely candidates for you.

As exclusive buyer agents we are here to help you spend your time wisely so that soon you’re moved into your dream house and hosting your own summer picnic.

Online Real Estate Services vs Traditional Buyer Agents

Last weekend 60 Minutes ran a story on online real estate services; the story seemed to disparage traditional real estate agents. We think that the great disservice 60 Minutes did to our industry was to not recognize the difference between the online services that focus on facilitating transactions and real estate agents who really work for the buyers and sellers to find the perfect match between a home and a buyer and negotiate the best price and terms possible.

This week Buyers Real Estate Group agent Susan Hofflander talks about the program and the differences between traditional agents and online real estate services on the podcast below.


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Buying a Foreclosed Home

For better or for worse, there is more foreclosed property available these days. According to RealtyTrac, foreclosures went up an astounding 42 percent last year. Foreclosed properties generally sell for a good price – so purchased wisely, buying foreclosed property can be a good investment.

But before you buy you want to research the property, the neighborhood and know the process. ABC News recently ran an article that discussed some of the terms you ought to know:

Pre-foreclosure sale: That's where you buy a home from the owner before the owner is foreclosed upon. It’s a win-win situation, where the buyer generally saves money and gets to tour the home.

Auction: With an auction, you buy the property, as is. The market sets the price and you don’t get to see it before purchase.

Real estate-owned: The bank owns it and the buyer generally does not get a prices that is as good as with previous methods of home buying.

For more information, visit ABC News.

Affordable Housing Exhibit

The Goldstein Museum of Design at the University of Minnesota is currently showing the National exhibit, Affordable Housing: Designing an American Asset and Leading from Policy to Practice: Affordable Housing in Minnesota (from April 21- July 1).

Affordable Housing: Designing an American Asset explores well-designed housing opportunities for the least wealthy Americans. In conjunction, Leading from Policy to Practice: Affordable Housing in Minnesota will present an overview of affordable housing in Minnesota. A symposium, held on June 19 and 20, will bring together funders, developers, builders and policy-makers for a lively exploration of the state and future of Minnesota affordable housing.