Owner: St. Paul Real Estate Blog URL:http://www.stpaulrealestateblog.com Join Date: Fri, 01 Jun 2007 19:16:36 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: All about St. Paul Minnesota and real estate. With a home search, monthly market condition reports, advice for buyers and sellers and 100's of photos. Site statistics:Click here
The Real Estate Market in St. Paul 2007-07-05 00:15:18
I am lucky that I don't work for a newspaper, or a news blog. I can publish statistics on mine as they come out and without any spin. The first chart shows average sale prices for all of the homes, which includes townhouses and condo's that sold and closed during the first half of 2007. The data is from the RMLS, and is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Part of the reason for the increase in average home price is that last month a higher number of upper bracket homes sold.
The second graph, also made from data found in the RMLS, shows how may homes were put on the market each week and how many were sold each week. I personally like the way the lines are going. As they get closer to each other the market becomes more balanced in terms of how many buyers there are and how many sellers there are.
When looking at the charts consider that each year home prices do go up slightly in the spring, because there are more buyers an Read more:Estate
, Market
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July 4th 2007 2007-07-04 09:53:54
Have fun today. Stay away from your computer and go outside and play.
Just a reminder, Minnesota made some fireworks legal in 2002,
including sparklers, smoke bombs and trick noisemakers. But anything
that flies high into air or explodes is still against the law.
This year the St. Paul Police department has assigned an extra squad car in each district to respond to fireworks complaints. Two years ago a friend and neighbors house was badly damaged because of a child playing with fireworks. We are all thankful that the child was not injured but three homes were seriously damaged and the families that live in them had to leave for several months while the homes were being repaired.
Congratulations Andrew and Lisa 2007-07-03 00:10:19
posted by (C)T
They just bought their first home. We started looking last January. First they had to find a Realtor, like many home buyers they were worried that we all have horns and a tail, more about the horns and tail in a future post. It did take awhile to find that special home. It had to be in good repair and had to have everything they wanted for a good price and located in the Highland Park neighborhood of St. Paul.
They came close to buying another home but before they could decide someone else bought it. We found a home that was a bit over priced, and made an offer. The seller countered at a price that was higher than the listing price. The seller and his agent were not very good at math, but my buyers are. That home has not been sold yet.
Everything worked out for the best because the home they bought has it all. Andrew
and Lisa are not house flippers or investors. They wanted a home they could live Read more:Congratulations
Bars and Churches 2007-07-02 00:09:15
Welcome to the Happy Gnome, located at 498 Selby Avenue, St. Paul, MN. Known for it's warm friendly atmosphere, great food and of course excellent beer. The bar resides in a converted historic fire house.
Why am I writing about a bar? Glad you asked. Every Saturday I run a post about a historic St. Paul church. We have some gorgeous churches, designed by Cass Gilbert and other noted architects. I never really get tired of taking church pictures.
One of our readers asked what I would when I run out of churches. It will take some time but I will eventually run out. The next logical move is to take pictures of bars in historic buildings. It is entirely possible that we have more bars than churches. In my neighborhood the number of bars and bar stools increased after the Xcel center was built and became the home of the Minnesota Wild.
When I run out of churches to photograph and change my Saturday post to "S Read more:Churches
History Underfoot 2007-07-08 11:04:05 By Erik Hare
In a city like Saint Paul, there are stories
everywhere. Sometimes they can be
found on a plaque on a
building and sometimes they fall out of a conversation
with a stranger. If you look hard
enough, there are even a few stories in the sidewalk under your feet.
Hardly anyone takes the time to even notice a sidewalk. They
are just there, a part of the city that we depend on. But by being there, they can tell us something about the times
long gone when they were put in place and everyone started to rely on
them. It’s simply a matter of noticing
them in ways you never have before.
Poured concrete was not generally used for sidewalks until a
century ago, so any sidewalk cannot be older than about 1900. Before that time, crushed rock was the most common
kind of “walk” found even in cities. It
was somewhat durable, but still prone to become muddy when it rained. Downtowns and a few vocal neighborhoods were
able to get cast cement pavers. In the early 1900s many o Read more:History
Saturday's church 2007-07-07 00:11:07 We have a special guest this week. It is the Basilica of Saint Mary. Located corner of Hennepin and N 17th Street in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Today everyone is invited to make the Pilgrimage and attend the annual Basilica block party, and they do know how to party.
The Basilica of Saint Mary was constructed between 1907 and 1915. It's also the first Basilica in the United States, honored by Pope Pius XI in 1926. Click for more history. What is a Basilica? First and foremost it is a church. The word Basilica, is a Latin word derived from a Greek word that I most likely can't spell, and was used to describe public buildings in Rome that were located at the center of a Roman town.
This building is gorgeous and the proceeds from the block party help keep it that way. It takes a lot of money to maintain this important historic treasure.
Read more:Saturday
Category not found 2007-07-06 05:53:50
What a lovely Friday! Fridays are for fun here at St. Paul Real Estate. I had considered doing a
Tuesday fun post because Tuesday became a virtual Friday because Wednesday was a holiday. I didn't write it because Thursday was a virtual Monday, and I didn't feel like writing a Monday post, on a Thursday. It just didn't feel right.
What a great segue into my Friday topic which is "musings". Most blogs have a category called "musings" but mine does not. I got to thinking about it, and had to stop because it was too much work, which is really why I don't have a musings category.
The definition of musing is Deep in thought; contemplative, and musings are a product of thought. I don't think I muse. Instead I have light random thoughts that move through my brain only to be replaced seconds later by unrelated thoughts. It is busy in there, always something going on. The speed at which I think he Read more:Category
Twin cities housing supply snap shot 2007-07-12 20:22:32
This data is from the RMLS, and compiled by the Minneapolis Board of Realtors. The data is a comparison of June 2006 and June 2007, and looks at the housing supple by price range and how long it will take to absorb it for the 13 count Twin Cities Metro area. There are currently 33,870 properties on the market. I don't want to put much of a spin on this but I would call it a metro wide buyers market.
Mortgage Fraud in Minnesota 2007-07-12 10:22:56 This just in from the Minnesota
Association of Realtor's
Department of Justice Indicts Three People on Fraud Charges
"Three people were indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice on
mortgage related fraud charges. A Mortgage
Broker and his assistant who
worked with American Alliance Mortgage Company were indicted by a
federal grand jury for allegedly bilking vulnerable homeowners. The
charges include one count of conspiracy, three counts of mail fraud,
and one count of engaging in a financial transaction with criminally
derived property.
The indictment alleges that the duo schemed to defraud homeowners
who were either in foreclosure or behind on their mortgage payments.
They allegedly caused homeowners to refinance their homes and then
stole some or all of the equity checks produced through the
refinancing. In some cases they allegedly used physical intimidation to
force homeowners to endorse equity checks over to them. Read more "
Read more:Mortgage Fraud
A year later . . . 2007-07-12 07:23:26 This blog has close to 700 posts about St. Paul, and of course about real estate. I went back to July 2006 and thought I would bring a couple of the posts forward from last year. Much has changed in the real estate industry since July 2006, yet some things have remained the same.
July 05, 2006
- Help unwanted
In recent years, housing sector employment boomed with the real estate industry.
Housing-related
employment accounted for about 23 percent of the 4.9 million jobs
created since the nation's job market began to grow in late 2003,
according to Moody's Economy.com.
As the sector cools, some of these people will be looking for jobs. The peak demand for REALTORS was in 2005, yet NAR predicts that the total number of REALTORS will not peak until 2007.
The last time I checked 2900 agents left the business this year. Recently new agents have been coming into the business so it is unclear what the net loss is. The 13 county metro are Read more:later
Food and History 2007-07-11 00:10:14
Mickey's diner 36 W. Ninth St., St. Paul, Ramsey County, is listed on the national register of historic places . The art deco style car was made in New Jersey and shipped to St. Paul and has been serving St. Paulites breakfast for 60 years. I think they allow people from out of town in the place too. When Travelers insurance expanded they built out as close as they could to the Diner, which is protected by it's status as a registered historic place. They don't have WiFi yet but they don't need it.
Read more:History
June prices by St. Paul Nieghborhood 2007-07-10 20:21:13
One of our readers requested Median prices by neighborhood. If there is some thing you would like to see published on this blog please let me know.
The numbers in the charts are made from data gathered from the RMLS, which is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. These numbers are for June 2007 and include all residential properties that were listed or sold through the MLS in the city of Saint Paul.
Prices and sales by St. Paul neighborhood for previous months can be found here.
*note - the chart says May prices, these are June 2007 prices - there are no do overs on the internet either.
The home buying roller coaster ride 2007-07-09 05:16:06 There is a lot involved in buying a home. Most consider a home a place to live but also a big financial decision. Even after buyers are pre-approved and ready to go they are not ready for the emotional roller coaster ride
most experience as they go through the home buying process. We do the best we can as Realtors to make the ride as smooth as possible. (I see one bad pun in this already. It could be worse but I am trying to be serious)
One thing that really bothers buyers is when they find a home, make an offer, we negotiate, they have an inspection, everything is signed and sent to the lender and the closing is scheduled but . . . .
They go on the internet and look up the home that they have a contract to buy, the one that is just right and that took awhile to find, the one they just love and it is still for sale. They call me, or send me a note because they are concerned. If their offer was accepted why is the home stil
I-35E 2007-07-15 01:15:12
It’s been called the “Practice Freeway” because it is so
slow. Many people wonder why it has a
speed limit of 45 and trucks are not allowed, both of which are very strange
for Interstate Highways. I-35E still
generates almost as much controversy today as it did 40 years ago when it was
first proposed. The gently winding route it takes is a contrast to the twists
and turns that have made it more interesting as a story than as a road.
The first issue with Interstate 35E is its name. There is only one Interstate in the entire
system that does not follow the standard 2 and 3 letter naming convention, and
it is I-35. It should have been built
as I-35 into Minneapolis and I-135 as a spur to Saint Paul, the smaller city. Local politics demanded that the two highways
appear equal, hence the unusual designation of I-35W and I-35E. This particular highway also splits the same
way for Fort Worth and Dallas.
That’s the way it was proposed in the late 1960s, in an
effort to stave o
Condo sellers - review rules and bylaws 2007-07-16 00:35:01 When a buyer purchases a condominium he or she is given a copy of the rules and bylaws and given up to ten days to review
them. After reviewing the documents buyers can decide that they do not want to buy the condo.
We see all kinds of rules. I remember one where just about any number of pets were allowed but no birds. There was another where fish were the only type of pet allowed. In others I have seen rules about a rotation on who cleans the laundry room and the entryway, and who waters the plants.
Often buyers do not read these all important documents as throughly as they should. I usually go through them myself and point out areas that may cause concern.
Sellers often seem to be unaware of what is in the documents. Last year I listed a townhouse and the seller said that real estate signs were allowed. I ordered the sign, before I got a copy of the bylaws and had to cancel the order.
Recently I witnessed a situation where the o Read more:Condo
Saturdays Church 2007-07-14 12:25:13 The Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas, Located on the campus of the University of St. Thomas. Roman Catholic church built between 1917 and 1918. Emmanuel-Louis Masqueray, the architect of the St. Paul Cathedral, the Basilica of St. Mary, and the Church
of Saint Louis, was chosen to
design the adaptation of the Byzantine style used for basilicas in
several northern Italian cities during the Renaissance, with a pattern
based on the Latin Cross
Read more:Saturdays
Candy and Dinosaur's 2007-07-14 06:41:03 Candy
land 435 Wabasha St N St Paul, MN 55102 - I went to take a picture of the Dinosaur. I had to go inside. I thought I would just buy some popcorn. Candyland has been around since 1932, they are know for their candy and for their popcorn. The popcorn is an excuse to go into the store, I always come out with chocolate. Stop in sometime they are open late.
Scrumptiasaurus by Lori Manke-White
Also see:
Dinosaurs Roam St. Paul
Smiles 2007-07-13 05:21:43 Friday again, marking the end of another week and giving me the opportunity to have some fun because Friday's are for fun.
The picture is of my dog daisy. I took it with my phone a couple of days ago. She is a beagle, with papers even, of course she doesn't know it which is a good thing. If she did she would find the papers and chew them up, leaving me to clean up the mess.
She got her name because one of the first things she did when she arrived at our home two years ago was try and eat some flowers I had in a flower box.
She has had special training and attended obedience school with my husband. They passed with flying colors which I don't get because my husband is still not at all obedient. She has also had some advanced good citizen training, and is a candidate for search and rescue school.
Daisy loves to go for a walk, almost as much as she loves chewing on my sandals, or stealing credit cards and ot Read more:Smiles
Swede Hollow Cafe 2007-07-18 00:42:17
Swede Hollow
Cafe, 725 E 7th Saint Paul, MN 55106 Located in the Swede Hollow neighborhood on St. Paul's east side, Swede hollow cafe offers excellent food, wifi, a great atmosphere and out door dining.
The Swede Hollow area has a rich history, as does the surrounding area. During the 1880's there was a large influx of immigrants from Sweden. Many settled in Minnesota. By 1890, Minnesota had the largest population of Swedish immigrants in the country totaling about 60,000. Swede Hollow was a Swedish neighborhood and according to the 1905 census about 1000 immigrants lived in the Ravine.
They did not live in the beautiful Victorian homes, located above the ravine that are so plentiful in the area, they lived in small modest homes that I have heard described as shacks. They had no city water, or electricity right up to about 1950. They got their water from Phalen creek which runs through the ravine and feeds
Property flipping 2007-07-17 00:10:19 This post was first written last year. Some things have changed since then, and some have not.
Property Flipping
Google results 2,410,000 for the words 'property flipping ' generated in (0.07 seconds)
What is property flipping?Property "flipping" occurs when a
property is resold for a considerable profit at an artificially
inflated price shortly after being acquired by the seller. - This is a different definition than the one used by book publishers, television producers and some web sites.
Illegal flipping
- If it makes me rich quick, how could it be illegal? What about all
those books and web sites about flipping? Could flipping ever be a bad
thing? Should I be afraid to say FBI on the internet?
Flipping far from easy - No way, I have seen the infomercials and read the books, and the web sites, it is easy!
Flip your house without losing your shirt - wow! you mean I could lose something?
Selling books ab
I won't say a word 2007-07-20 07:59:29 It is Friday and as my readers know I do like to have fun on Friday's and any other time I can get by with it. The picture was taken yesterday at about 4:30 pm on Michigan avenue in Chicago. We were on a mission and did not get to stay as long as we would have liked. Since downtown Chicago and downtown St. Paul are only 420 miles apart we were able to leave late Wednesday, and were back home by 1:30 this morning.
My daughter, Sarah, had to get a French visa. The new rules stipulate that the applicant must appear in person at the French consulate, the closest one is in Chicago. An appointment must be made in advance, and they take ten minutes. We met one young lady at the consulate who had boarded a bus in Ohio at two in the morning so s he could be on time for her appointment.
Sarah was on time, only to be told that she would have to go home with out her Visa and come back another time because one of her forms was missing. She w
Where in the world? 2007-07-19 06:17:34 They let me out of St. Paul once in a while. Where in the world am I?
Sing Along 2007-07-22 18:00:12
Thanks Jonathan for finding this
Festival Time! 2007-07-22 06:11:56
By Erik Hare
Summer may be a bit brief in Saint Paul, but we make the
most of it. One of the ways we enjoy it
is by getting out and seeing our neighbors and putting on a big show.
Neighborhood festivals are traditional affairs, but they are
hardly low-key. The season gets off to
an early start with Cinco de Mayo on the West Side. It can be a bit cold at that time, so most of our communities
wait until the sun beats down hot and the grills are even hotter.
This weekend was a double-bill, featuring both Rondo Days (pictured at top) and
the Highland Fest (pictured below). Rondo is a
neighborhood that was cut in half by the construction of I-94, but their spirit
remains strong. That festival is one of
the largest and best attended in Saint Paul. The Highland Fest closes down otherwise busy Ford Parkway for a large
carnival that includes an art show and plenty of good food.
Next week, on July 28, is the Rice Street Parade. The North End neighborhood puts on a
particularly
big Read more:Festival
Cent-A-Saurus 2007-07-21 14:38:10
Cent-A-Saurus sponsored by Andersen Corporation, by Artist Mel Ferrer, located in front of the Minnesota Children's Museum, 10 West Seventh Street, St. Paul, MN 55102.
Also see:
Dinosaurs Roam St. Paul
Saturdays Church 2007-07-21 00:19:11 Church
of the Good Shepard, 1849 Marshall avenue St. Paul, MN 55105, I can't find a history on this one. It was built before 1890, and is made of lime stone.
Read more:Saturdays
700 2007-07-25 07:03:42 Should I mention that this is my 700th post? I guess I just did. Thanks for reading, there may even be a post in here somewhere without a typo in it. Wish I could figure out how to count the pictures, I am sure there are more than 1000, and some are good.
This would be a great opportunity to do a re-cap of the last 699 posts, and maybe include a list of awards, achievements and links to newspaper articles, interviews and podcasts that mention the blog. I am proud of my accomplishments but this blog is for you, not for me and I would like you to keep coming back. . . . a recap of 699 posts, I wonder how long that would take?
The very next post will be about St. Paul or about real estate, or maybe about both. I just needed a pause here and would like to thank Erik Hare for his most excellent contributions.
If this blog had a tag line in would be:
Just keep typing and don't forget to smile.
Sell your home, three easy steps 2007-07-24 19:49:46 How to Save by Selling Your House Online - Found in the Real Estate Journal. Three easy steps
to
selling your own home without paying a commission:
Find out what your home is worth.
Market your property
Transfer the title
Done! I never looked at it this way before. Three simple steps to selling a home. I have no idea why I have been working so hard. This makes me wonder why we have so many homes on the market. Maybe if all sellers followed the three steps the local real estate market would pick up a bit. Personally I would try selling a car or some less expensive item using this strategy. If it works well then try it with a home. Call me when you are finished and I'll help you find a new one.
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