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Home Buying Advice MSP

Home Buying Advice MSP

One thing I know for sure is the passage of time always brings a change in its wake. Fashion, food, hairstyles, home décor, and lifestyles have become extremely sensitive to trends. Some embrace change, and others fight it.  Whichever the case, a constant we can depend on is that trends will come and go regardless.

Sifting Through  Home Buyers Advice

Along with style changes, there is an incredible amount of advice about what we should hold on to and what goes off. Real estate is no different, and we must weed through all the bits and pieces of information and discover what is still meaningful and what no longer serves us when we decide to put a roof over our heads.

Purchasing a house is the most expensive buy of a lifetime for most of us. It is predominately a joyful experience, but a certain amount of stress is inherent in the process, especially for first-time homebuyers. We want to make the right choices, so we seek advice from family, friends, and the internet. But with so many tips out there, how do we know which keepers we should ignore? Here are several pieces of home buying advice that have not met the test of time.

You Will Always Be Better Off Owning Than Renting

Bad Advice. There are occasions when renting is a far better option than buying. If you plan to move in less than five years, you may not recoup what it will cost you to buy and sell your home. Renting may be a better fit for someone who would resent doing home chores like mowing the lawn and seasonal maintenance. Perhaps you travel a great deal for business, and renting a small apartment makes more sense personally and financially.

Good advice: One size does not fit all when it comes to the question of should you rent or buy. Evaluate your situation, personal preferences, and work-life balance, and make a decision based on what will work for you now.

Never Buy a House in Winter...

Twin Cities Housing Review December 2018

Minneapolis-St Paul Housing Data

As we say adios to 2018 and move into the new year, expectations include some long-awaited changes. In the last half of the year, we saw increases in new listings, decreases in sales, and median sales prices on homes rising more slowly.

The increases we are experiencing in no way are enough to balance the market at the lower pricing tiers. However, first-time buyers and downsizing boomers will begin to find more home buying options in the coming year. That fact alone will make buyers smile.

A Look at December Housing Numbers

Looking at a comparison of December 2018 to the same time last year, we see new listings up 3.5 percent, closed sales down 9.9 percent, list price received down 0.2 percent, and the median sale price of $258,000 up 4 percent. Pending sales showed a decline of 3.3 percent, while the month’s supply of inventory rose 13.3 percent. Days on the market decreased by 6.6 percent.

What story do these numbers tell us about the housing market in Minneapolis and Saint Paul? Pretty good news. We are finally starting to see more housing choices at lower pricing levels. Sellers are more flexible when they receive less than full-price offers. This situation takes some pressure off of buyers.

Sellers also have reason to smile. Property values continue to rise, with median sales prices up 4% over December 2017. Additionally, sales of homes are still brisk as we see days on the market drop to 57 from last year’s 61 days. Rising prices and shorter time on the market means demand for housing remains strong and desirable properties are moving to active contingent status quickly.

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Selling a Home With Pets

Selling a Home With Pets

According to the American Pet Products Association survey in 2018, 68% of households have at least one pet. People love their pets. That same APPA survey found that those millions of pet owners spent billions of dollars to prove it, $72.13 billion give or take a couple of mils. That’s a lot of puppy chow and catnip! 

Many pet owners consider their fuzzy wards children and often refer to them as “fur babies.” Being a dog owner, I understand completely. Our Doodle is an integral part of our family, and we all love him. However, when the time arrives to sell your home, beloved pets can present logistic problems. As much as I hate to have to say it, there are times that pets can raise issues that sellers must resolve before listing the property. 

The Challenges of Selling a Home with Pets

Some of the issues sellers faces when they have pets include:

  • funky smells and odors
  • what to do with pets during showings
  • keeping the home free of fur
  • maintaining cleanliness in pet areas
  • Make sure pets with aggressive behavior are confined or removed during buyer tours
  • ensuring that both pet and buyer safety is paramount

Pet Odors Must Go or Buyers Will

If you don’t’ get rid of funky animal smells, it will be difficult to get buyers to stay, much less make an offer to purchase. Now I know what you are going to say because I’ve heard it a hundred times, "my pets and my house do not smell.” 

Trust me, unless you are scrupulous, vacuuming daily and washing your pets weekly, you have funky pet smells. What’s more, you may not smell them, but people not living in your home will.

Getting Rid of Pet Odors

Start at the source. Time to give Miss Rosebud or Mr. Stinky a bath. Wash all of your pet’s bedding as well. Next, thoroughly vacuum your home, floors, and upholstered...

Use Hygge to Sell Your House

Use Hygge to Sell Your House

Did you know that Sperling’s Best Places named Minneapolis the third best city for hygge in America?  Now you do. Don’t get me wrong; we are not turning our nose up at the third-place award to Seattle #1 and Portland #2. However, some of us think with more people of Scandinavian heritage in the Twin Cities and colder winters, we should be #1 when it comes to getting our hygge mojo working.

What does hygge even mean, and how do you pronounce it?

By now, you have probably at least heard the term hygge. It is a Danish concept that has created a considerable buzz in the home décor market. But it is not just about decorating; it’s a lifestyle. It is a concept of embracing simple pleasures. The Danes, being awesome people, created hygge in the 18 century, and it remains an integral part of their culture today.

The word is pronounced “hue-gah.” Frequently defined as coziness, and in the Oxford English Dictionary as “to keep or make oneself snug.” So hygge also reflects a feeling of safeness and warmth. The critical thing to note is that even with long winters and limited hours of daylight, Danes are considered the world’s happiest people. Since you want buyers to be the most satisfied people when they tour your home, let’s hit them with some hygge.

Soft, Warm, Snug Cozy

Hygge decorating is about texture. Soft materials that provide warmth and comfort are essential. Aspects of this decorating style that you can pull together in staging your home for winter are knits, fur or velvet pillows, soft fuzzy throws of soft merino wool or cashmere, and fluffy rugs. Hygge is about color too. Whites and soft greys are perfect wall colors. White woodwork or natural light woods are perfect compliments. The color scheme should be neutral and mix grays, browns, white, and black. Warm wood furnishings fit in perfectly with this décor style as well....

Top Realtor Not Making New Year Resolutions

New Year Minnesota Property Group

Top Realtor Not Making New Year Resolutions.

Another New Year celebration is over. As our planet begins another journey around the sun, so we start our quest for perfection vis a vis New Year’s Resolutions! While most of us are on board with improving our personal and professional life, resolutions may not be the best way to achieve our goals.

Studies show that only 9.2 percent of us complete new year resolutions. What’s even worse is that 80% fail by February. Why are failure rates so stunningly high, and what can we do to improve our chances for success?

Why do our resolutions fail?

There are several reasons why so many of us crash and burn regarding the promises we make in the final days of the outgoing year. We are swept up in those moments when we feel buoyant and inspired about all the glorious opportunities we anticipate in the upcoming twelve thirtyish day blocks of time on the calendar. We feel invincible and as if there is nothing we can’t accomplish. We see traits of Mario Batali, Mary Barra, and Marie Kondo in ourselves. And so we launch another year with too many expectations and unrealistic goals, setting ourselves up for another epic fail.

Typically it may look like this: after-work rush to the gym...