Update Twin Cities Housing Market

Are you thinking about a move to a new part of the Twin Cities? Or maybe you’re relocating to the Minneapolis area and don’t know anything about the different communities and suburbs surrounding Minneapolis and St Paul?

The Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors has a great online tool that will put basic real estate info for each Twin Cities community at your finger tips. It will tell you:

• Number of new listings
• Number of closed sales
• Median sales price
• Average sales price
• Percent of original list price received after sale
• Average days on market
• And housing type (single home, condo…)

The April Skinny

Interesting news from Minneapolis Realtors: It looks like home sales are up. Could this be the turning point? Spring is always a good time for a real estate spike in sales.

Welcome Leone Fisher

We are delighted to welcome Leone Fisher to the Buyers Real Estate Group Team. Lee has lived in Minnesota her whole life – well except for 4 years of college in Iowa. Lee lived in Southern Minnesota and up on Leech Lake. Now she lives happily in St Paul.

Lee is happy to represent home buyers. She brings her skills as a social worker and her experience as a lifelong Minnesotan to the job. She focuses on the Twin Cities area but has also been known to help people buy lakefront property or other vacation homes outside the metro area.

The Hair of Love

I am a real dog lover, and when I met my husband he had a Golden Retriever named Ellie Mae. I have a dachshund "wiener dog" named Yoda.

Yoda has very short hair and does not shed, at least I never can find any of his hair. Ellie on the other hand is a shedding machine, and at first I was on a mission to find a way to take care of the shedding, we tried brushing every day, grooming every few weeks, more brushing, supplements to her food, you name it I tried it!!

If you have a "golden" you know that this is just part of owning a "golden". I wish I would have invented the Swifter, I seem to use it daily!! I am now five years into having Ellie Mae in my life, she is the most loving dog I have ever had. I no longer am so concerned about the hair; I have put sheets on my furniture as she likes to sit on the sofa. I tell everyone that visits that we have decorated in "Traditional Ellie Mae", which gets good laugh.

I still Swifter, but I would not part with her for anything. She was my best buddy when I was battling breast cancer; she just knew that things were not right with me. She is my walking buddy, and I would put up with all the hair ten times over just to have her with me. So that is why I call it the "hair of love".

Submitted by exclusive buyer agent (and dog lover) Renei Schmitz

Green by Design Event

OK this is geared at industry folks - but we thought some readers might be interested...

Register now for the 4th annual statewide Green by Design conference and training aimed at providing housing developers, builders, contractors, architects, city planners, environmentalists, funders, and other professionals the tools needed to build energy efficient, healthy, and sustainable housing. Multiple tracks will be offered, including sessions by local and national experts that focus on various elements of the Green Communities criteria (a set of nationally recognized green affordable housing standards) and other related topics. Examples of successful green building projects, including both multifamily and single-family developments, new construction and rehabilitation, will be highlighted throughout the conference.

Topics of interest include:Residential Green Building • Minnesota Housing Green Funding Requirements • Green Rehabilitation • Ensuring Healthy Homes and Communities • Green Opportunities and Issues Surrounding the Foreclosure Crisis • Sustainable Land Use Planning • Equitable Green Economic Development • Green Building Materials • Energy Conservation and Climate Protection Strategies • Rural and Urban Greening Strategies • and other great topics on green building, design, and public policy.

Save the dates: June 10 and 11, 2009
Evening program: June 10 • Conference sessions June 11
The Depot • Minneapolis • www.mngreencommunities.org/gbd

Minneapolis Advantage

The Minneapolis Advantage Program is designed to help potential buyers purchase a home in areas challenged by foreclosure and bring people back on the blocks. It offers 200 loans at $10,000 each that can be used to pay for closing costs, down payment, or even small repairs to the home.

Funding is limited and income eligibility requirements apply. Loans will be given on a first come, first serve basis (program started April 2, 2009) and are for purchasing homes in eligible neighborhoods (map). For more information, see the Frequently Asked Questions and the program guidelines.

Special Tax Break Available for New Car Purchases in 2009

Here's the latest news from the Minneapolis Realtor Association. (A great way to save money for a new house if tax breaks for other purchases!)

The IRS is reminding taxpayers of a temporary tax incentive that will be
available to them for the purchase of a new car, light truck, motor home or
motorcycle during 2009. The deduction is available for the cost of all state and
local sales and excise taxes paid on up to $49,500 of the purchase price. The
amount of the deduction is phased out for taxpayers whose modified adjusted
gross income is between $125,000 and $135,000 for individual filers and between
$250,000 and $260,000 for joint filers. The vehicle must be purchased after
February 16, 2009, and before January 1, 2010, to qualify for the deduction. The
special deduction is available regardless of whether a taxpayer itemizes
deductions on their return. The deduction may not be taken on 2008 tax
returns. (Learn more)

Getting Ready to Garden

It is just about that time of year when all of us gardeners are anxiously waiting to get out in our gardens. Since moving into my home four years ago I have become an avid perennial gardener. I had always had my share of hostas, but I finally have a place where I can have a true perennial garden. That means I have have a variety of plants that come up every year.

It is always a surprise to see which ones have endured our winter and which ones I will have to replace. When planting perennials you have to be careful to buy ones that will grow and survive our cold weather. They are labeled according to zones and you must find ones that are hardy in our zone. As I look out my kitchen window I see the remnants of last years garden and soon will be out there raking away the dead leaves and plant parts and waiting to see signs of life as the temps rise and the sun get stronger. Happy gardening!!

Submitted by Renei Schmitz of Buyers Real Estate Group