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An inexpensive useful tool
One of the most useful tools in my house is the plastic strippy thing for cleaning out drains. It cost a few bucks and I have used it many times over the years. I guess I have had two or three of them....
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There is mold in your house
There is mold in your house and probably in your car too. Mold can be scary but isn’t always dangerous. I drew this myself There is a 100% chance that the home you live in and the one that you buy in...
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Decided to wait until they lower the price?
I have worked with many home buyers over the years who have wanted to wait for the price to drop before making an offer. That didn’t work well during the buyers market of a decade ago and it doesn’t...
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Maps are the perfect resource for house hunting.
Yesterday I found a cute little house for sale. The house was described as being within walking distance of Lake Phalen. I know the area well and I knew from the address that it would be more than a...
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Relocating to the Twin Cities?
Spring beauty There are a few things people who are relocating should understand. First of all welcome to the Twin Cities. The buying and selling season here reaches a kind of peak in April. That means...
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Appointment Whack-a-mole
Sometimes home buyers want to see several houses. Making the appointments can be challenging for Realtors. There isn’t any point in making appointments several days ahead of time because more often...
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2022 Part l ends today
It is Friday and Fridays are for fun. Normally I would take this opportunity on July 1st to say something about how we don’t celebrate July 4th in St. Paul, but today is too important for that because...
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A wild and crazy election week
It is Friday and Fridays are for fun. On Tuesday there was a primary election and I am an election judge in Ramsey county. That means I get to the polling place at 5:30 in the morning and stay until...
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The heating bill cometh
St. Paul Just a heads up. Natural gas prices have quadrupled in the last two years. I just got our utility bill for December. I just want to say “ouch”. The prices are up because demand is high,...
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Sevice has changed
Turrets The meaning of the word service has changed. It used to be all about helping clients and responding to client or customer needs. I don’t believe that giving clients a questionnaire prior to...
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You found a house on the internet
For the last 25 years or so people have been able to search the internet and find houses that are for sale. There are people who believe that because of this real estate agents are no longer needed....
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Interest rates in the news, February 2023
Interest rates are in the news again because they went up and so did mortgage interest rates. I think the sweet spot that makes purchasing a home doable is about a percentage point lower than what we...
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Ideas for real estate agents representing home buyers
vacant house I was going to call this “Throw Back Thursday for buyers’ agents”. Negotiating has come back. It is still a seller’s market but it is getting a little harder to sell a house because of...
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Home inspectors for better or worse
Home inspectors are not licensed in Minnesota. A person can buy a franchise or go out on his own and become a home inspector. I say this because most home inspectors are men. I am referring to the...
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Reliable but not gauranteed
House If you are a home buyer and you are getting information from the NorthstarMLS, there is a disclaimer on the information: “Information Deemed Reliable But Not Guaranteed”. If you are searching...
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Interest rates do matter
Anyone who says that interest rates don’t matter isn’t being truthful. Sure a person can buy a house at today’s rates ad then refinance when rates go down but that means paying less on the principal...
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About those walk scores
I find walkability scores on many real estate websites. They can be kind of misleading or maybe they do not prioritize errands that we make frequently. For example, I found a house with a high walk...
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Having a hard time finding a home you can afford?
From the National Association of Realtors: “The U.S. housing market is missing about 320,000 home listings valued up to $256,000, the affordable price range for middle-income buyers (households earning...
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New baby new house?
Dr. Sarah Most parents want only the best for their children. When my firstborn came along we were in a one-bedroom apartment and her first bed was a dresser drawer. She had everything she needed and...
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