I know from my own buyer’s, as well as the feedback from many other agents, as well as looking at the market (agent access to MLS data, along with the large amount of showings I do), that our market is in serious need of good listings.

There are still quite a few listings on the market which have not yet sold, but this is usually a pricing, presentation and marketing issue.

The fact is, our local inventory is down, significantly, over the past year, and there are plenty of buyers locked and loaded at our great rates, waiting for the right home.

My advice to those with a good home: put it on the market this spring. If it is priced moderately well, is dialed-in (needs very little work) and it is marketed right, I firmly believe it will sell quite successfully.

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.

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.

It breaks down and explains – with references and analysis – the primary areas of concern. While some of these areas are not anything new, Richard Berner (author) does a great job of pointing out the housing risks as well as the strong points through the end of 2009 and what to expect coming into 2010.

He warns of payback from the home-buyer tax credit (with scant reference to a smaller, similar situation back in 1975), rising unemployment, possible looming foreclosures being dumped on the market (shadow inventory), and builders competing with the current, sizable inventory of distressed properties.

However, on the positive side, rates are still low, affordability is much better and still improving, and inventory (although still higher than we’d like to see) is still trending lower, which is great.