Yesterday, I received a text from a friend of mine who lives in Linden Hills who told me one of my bus-bench ads ‘grew a beard…Chuck Norris-style’ – I laughed and assumed it was the typical black-marker beard job, and thus called my sales rep at US Bench. He said ‘no problem’.

Well, last eve when I took my kids to Dairy Queen on 50th, I decided to drive by the 49 1/2 and France bus-bench to see what I would look  like with a beard. What I did not realize was that my friend meant ‘Chuck Norris-style’ quite literally.

Somebody actually took the time to print-out Chuck’s head – to-scale – and put it on my body, with a very permanent adhesive/glue.

I’ve gotten quite a few calls/emails/texts since yesterday. This has been good for quite a few laughs. Not too bad. Once my rep at US Bench found out the permanence of this one, (understandably) he was not too happy.

Just listed: This wonderful, 4 bedroom, 3 bath, 3-stall (heated) garage is listed in Farmington. This home is priced competitively at $219,900. It is a corner lot, with very nice views of the community pond and fir-trees from the back deck. 19298 Evening star way has a nice open floor-plan, vaulted ceilings on the main floor, a 3-point (optimal design) kitchen with a center island, a walkout deck and a nice contemporary,  exterior design with low-maintenance siding. To view the full property description, see additional photos and take the video tour, click here.

This home is turn-key and ready to go.

Pre-lists (homes coming on the market): 2 in Edina, priced between $400K, and $600K, and 3 in Southwest Minneapolis – Linden Hills and Fulton neighborhoods, priced between $300K and $800K. Most of these sellers are open to pre-list showings, so if you’d like to see any of these homes before they go on the market, please call or email.

Now that the super bowl is cleared, February is here, and all we need are a couple of 40-degree days. Those are the factors that traditionally bring about the ’spring housing market’ in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.

Right now, almost everything that is listed in St. Louis Park is either a short-sale, or a foreclosure, and almost all need at least $25,000 in work just to be livable. 2732 Utica is the exception to the current state of real estate in St. Louis Park, under $200K.

This is a reality with this home. It’s ready to go.
Please click here for more information, to see all photos and take the video tour.

The 4 types of Home Warranties we offer at Edina Realty are: 1) HSA Home Warranty – Price is $415 2) Edina Realty Home Services Plus – price is $675+ 3) Edina Realty Home Services One price between $415-$565 and 4) Exceptional Home Warranty Plan (for Home Warranty Coverage of Distinctive – or upper bracket – homes).

First, what is a home warranty, and might you need one? – To answer this, we need to understand what a home warranty is, and what the advantages are. Depending on the type of warranty purchased, a Home Warranty can provide coverage against errors and omissions, appliance and mechanical breakdowns, sometimes even foundation issues, roofing problems, electrical issues etc.

2 scenarios in which it can be advantageous for a seller or buyer to utilize a Home Warranty:
1) A buyer has agreed with the seller on the price of a home, but the forced-air furnace is old, and the buyer is concerned it will break down right after closing, and thus the buyer will incur an additional $2,200-$3,000 out-of-pocket cost to replace the forced-air furnace. The buyer asks for the furnace to be replaced, but the seller is not willing to pay for a furnace replacement either. The solution might be a Home Warranty, which is designed to cover breakdown of the furnace system. The HSA Home Warranty can be purchased for a 1-year period, at a cost of $415. Sometimes, not a bad solution.

2) A Home is on the market, and is accruing a lengthy period of time on the market. The seller has come down to their bottom-line number, and is not comfortable with, or not able to do another price reduction. Perhaps this is the time for the seller to purchase a Home Warranty, and have the listing agent advertise this fact. Sometimes, this can be enough of  an incentive (additional piece of mind) to get a buyer to put an offer together.

Perhaps a Home Warranty can be the right solution for you.

The primary surge in home sales is being driven by first-time homebuyers.
Please click here to read this article.

Whereas I can see the  possibility of this in certainly markets, this would not be a universal, across the board mortgage crisis. Some metro areas are in much better shape than others. For example: the Detroit and Las Vegas areas will be offsetting the curve a great deal (in the negative), while other areas such as the Minneapolis area housing market, or the Dallas and Salt Lake City Housing markets are in much better shape.

It will be quite interetsting to see how this plays out, and I certainly hope Deutsche Bank is wrong in their prognostication for early 2011.

My advice if you are buying a home in the Minneapolis area housing market: if you can (depending on your price-point), buy your next home in Southwest Minneapolis, Edina and sometimes West Bloomington areas.