Get Rid of Toxic Waste Safely Before you Sell YOUR Anoka County Home!

“I left all the extra paint  under the basement stairs, just in case you want to touch up a few things.” 

It's a statement that will often make a REALTOR® cringe at the closing. But it still is an announcement is made by home sellers at closings in Minnesota from time to time. Some home buyers are appreciative, especially if the home was recently repainted and they love the neutral color scheme. But agents, such as myself, will cringe when this hasn't been discussed prior to the closing. Some buyers won't be so happy because paint and other hazardous chemicals are considered to be toxic waste.

My husband and I periodically venture into our own little toxic wasteland of cans stored under the basement steps to do a project or touch up a bump or scratch in the paint. Every once in a while we are surprised by what is accumulated there. Some cans are so old, they are rusted shut. It is amazing how quickly we stack up dozens of half containers of paint we will never use again. 

When horde of chemicals and paint under the stairs gets to this point we know it's time for a trip to the Anoka County Household Hazardous Waste Facility (HHW) in Blaine!

The HHW is located at 3230 101st Ave NE in Blaine just west of the 35W and 95th Ave interchange and is open YEAR-ROUND and is FREE to Anoka County Residents...just bring proof of your ID to prove you are a resident of the county. Summer Hours (April through October)

Wednesday 2PM-8PM
Friday 9PM-3PM
Saturday 9PM-3PM

Winter Hours (November through March)

Wednesday 2PM-8PM
Saturday 9PM-3PMThe HHW accepts more than paint too. Drop off any household product that is labeled “Corrosive”, “Flammable”,” Poison”, “Toxic” or “Warning”. This includes old drain cleaner and mothballs from the hall closet and the insecticides and weed killer in the garage. Mercury thermometers, pool chemicals and used motor oil are also accepted.

Every time we have to drop off chemicals and toxins, we have received quick, efficient service. It's a quick drive into the facility and the service professionals remove the unwanted items from your vehicle. We never seem to wait more than 5-10 minutes, though from the lines and cones around the building, I would guess that on a busy Saturday in the summer, the wait can be longer.

Plan ahead when selling your Anoka County home and do the new homebuyer of your home a favor by disposing of old paints, stains and other products before your closing. It's FREE, easy and the right thing to do.

Copyright 2013 www.terieckholm.com

Blaine, MN Real Estate Market Statistics Mid Year 2010

The community of Blaine has continued to grow and expand in the north metro of the Twin Cities despite the economic downturn. Just drive down Highway 65 and see the Main Street (125th) overpass to get an idea of how the significant changes have affected the community. Though housing construction had slowed during 2008-2009, it has not stopped and continues to affect the market in 2010. New developments expand the housing base, especially in the townhome and lower level price points. Conveniently located along 35W and Highway 65 and connected by Highway 10 just north of the Twin Cities, Blaine is an attractive location for both business and residential development. The community is served by three school districts; Anoka Hennepin District #11, Centennial District #12, and Spring Lake Park District #16. Blaine is best known for the National Sports Center a sport and meeting facility that hosts an annual worldwide soccer event and Tournament Players Club golf course where the PGA Senior tour is played every summer.

Builders’ incentives along with the tax incentives seemed to boost sales in the Blaine area during the first half of 2010. Looking at pending sales, it is doubtful that the trend will continue during the second half of the year but time will tell. The homes that are selling best in Blaine continue to be in the under $200,000 price point. I think that the tax credit incentive boosted the lower end sales considerably by enticing first time buyers into the market. Move up buyers had opportunities too as more homes sold in some of the higher priced categories too…but compared to completely stagnate sales of the past few years, it could have been due to pent up demand. It is also important to note that there are fewer new construction properties in the over $500,000 price range and that builders are starting to construct both townhomes AND single family homes under $200,000. Sales were brisk in the 2nd quarter in these price points for new construction. However, momentum has seemed to decline with the tax credit expiration.

The townhome and condominium market has started to sell at a rate similar to single family homes. This is affected directly by the number of new townhomes available at lower price points and how quickly they flew off of active status. Existing townhome sellers must continue to be aggressive in their pricing to compete with builders if they want to sell their properties in this market.

2009 Average Sales Price of all homes sold in Blaine:

· All Homes $196,174
· Single Family Homes $216,254
· Townhomes/Condos $150,5232009 Average Cumulative Days on Market in Blaine:
· All Homes 143
· Single Family Homes 140
· Townhomes/Condos 150

1st Half Blaine residential real estate statistics for single family homes:

Under $200,000~ 109 Active Listings, 14 Pending Listings, 141 Sold Listings, 105 CDOM (New Construction Subgroup 5 Active, 1 Pending, 2 Sold, 21 CDOM)

$200,000-300,000~104 Active Listings, 14 Pending Listings, 78 Sold Listings, 138 CDOM (New Construction Subgroup 37 Active, 6 Pending, 23 Sold, 88 CDOM)

$300,000-$400,000 ~40 Active Listings, 2 Pending Listings, 28 Sold Listings, 158 CDOM (New Construction Subgroup 15 Active, 1 Pending, 13 Sold, 142 CDOM)

$400,000-$500,000 ~ 18 Active Listings, 1 Pending Listings, 11 Sold Listings, 216 CDOM (New Construction Subgroup 2 Active, 1 Pending, 3 Sold, 282 CDOM)

$500,000-$1,000,000~ 20 Active Listings, 6 Pending Listings, 4 Sold Listings, 180 CDOM (New Construction Subgroup 7 Active, 4 Pending, 3 Sold, 53 CDOM)

$1,000,000 and Up ~1 Active Listings, 0 Pending Listings, 0 Sold Listings (No New Construction over $1,000,000)

1st Half Blaine residential real estate statistics for townhomes and condos:

Under $200,000~ 143 Active Listings, 27 Pending Listings, 103 Sold Listings, 123 CDOM (New Construction Subgroup 16 Active, 9 Pending, 15 Sold, 124 CDOM)

$200,000-300,000~ 11 Active Listings, 1 Pending Listings, 16 Sold Listings, 177 CDOM (New Construction Subgroup 8 Active, 1 Pending, 13 Sold, 162 CDOM)

$300,000-$400,000 ~ 5 Active Listings, 2 Pending Listings, 1 Sold Listings, 137 CDOM (New Construction Subgroup 3 Active, 2 Pending, 1 Sold, 137 CDOM)

$400,000-$500,000 ~ 6 Active Listings, 1 Pending Listings, 1 Sold Listings, 1 CDOM (New Construction Subgroup 2 Active, 1 Pending, 1 Sold, 1 CDOM)

$500,000-$1,000,000~ 3 Active Listings, 1 Pending Listings, 1 Sold Listings, 371 CDOM (New Construction Subgroup 1 Active, 0 Pending, 0 Sold)

For additional information on any current Blaine real estate listing or for additional information on buying a home in Blaine contact Teri Eckholm directly at 651-336-7073.

**All Statistical information based on information from the REGIONAL MULTIPLE LISTING SERVICE of MINNESOTA, INC. for the period of 1/1/10 through 6/30/10.




Copyright 2010 Teri Eckholm 

Blaine, MN Real Estate Market Statistics First Quarter 2010

The community of Blaine has continued to grow and expand in the north metro of the Twin Cities despite the economic downturn. Just drive down Highway 65 and see the Main Street (125th) overpass to get an idea of how the significant changes have affected the community. Though housing construction had slowed during 2008, it has not stopped and continues to be a force in 2009. New developments expand the housing base, especially in the townhome and lower level price points. Conveniently located along 35W and Highway 65 and connected by Highway 10 just north of the Twin Cities, Blaine is an attractive location for both business and residential development. The community is served by three school districts; Anoka Hennepin District #11, Centennial District #12, and Spring Lake Park District #16. Blaine is best known for the National Sports Center a sport and meeting facility that hosts an annual worldwide soccer event and Tournament Players Club golf course where the PGA Senior tour is played every summer.

Builders’ incentives to home buyers have required home sellers to be very competitive with housing prices making homes in the Blaine area extremely affordable. As I predicted, this affordability did continue throughout 2009. Home sold more quickly in 2009 and at better prices than in 2008 (Click Here to see stats for Blaine for the first quarter of 2008). The homes that are selling best in Blaine continue to be in the under $200,000 price point. There is currently only about 5 months of single family homes in prices under $200,000 in Blaine.

I would speculate that the tax credit incentive boosted the lower end sales considerably by enticing first time buyers into the market. Cumulative days of the market (CDOM) picked up a bit in the lower price points as compared with 2009 by a few days. It is good to note that there were a few more sales in the higher price points too. There is approximately 9 and 11 months of inventory of single family homes in the $200,000- $300,000 and $300,000-$400,000 ranges, respectively. It is also important to note that there are fewer new construction properties in the over $500,000 price range and that builders are starting to construct both townhomes AND single family homes under $200,000. Builders seem to finally realize that buyers are not buying as many “McMansions” in Blaine as they had in years past.

The townhome and condominium market is still selling slower than single family homes but inventory levels have come down considerably in the past year in Blaine. Existing townhome sellers must continue to be aggressive in their pricing to compete with builders if they want to sell their properties in this market. Townhomes under $200,000 have about an 16-18 month absorption rate but little is selling in higher price ranges so it is difficult to assess how long the current new townhome inventory will stay on the market.2009 Average Sales Price of all homes sold in Blaine:
· All Homes $196,174
· Single Family Homes $216,254
· Townhomes/Condos $150,523

2009 Average Cumulative Days on Market in Blaine:

· All Homes 143
· Single Family Homes 140
· Townhomes/Condos 150

1st Quarter Blaine residential real estate statistics for single family homes:

Under $200,000~ 104 Active Listings, 53 Pending Listings, 59 Sold Listings, 115 CDOM (New Construction Subgroup 4 Active, 2 Pending, 0 Sold)
$200,000-300,000~109 Active Listings, 33 Pending Listings, 34 Sold Listings, 167 CDOM (New Construction Subgroup 35 Active, 15 Pending, 7 Sold, 113 CDOM)
$300,000-$400,000 ~40 Active Listings, 10 Pending Listings, 16 Sold Listings, 119 CDOM (New Construction Subgroup 14 Active, 5 Pending, 7 Sold, 119 CDOM)
$400,000-$500,000 ~ 21 Active Listings, 3 Pending Listings, 4 Sold Listings, 319 CDOM (New Construction Subgroup 4 Active, 1 Pending, 3 Sold, 378 CDOM)
$500,000-$1,000,000~ 20 Active Listings, 4 Pending Listings, 3 Sold Listings, 156 CDOM (New Construction Subgroup 10 Active, 3 Pending, 1 Sold, 47 CDOM)
$1,000,000 and Up ~1 Active Listings, 0 Pending Listings, 0 Sold Listings (No New Construction over $1,000,000)
1st Quarter Blaine residential real estate statistics for townhomes and condos:

Under $200,000~ 115 Active Listings, 40 Pending Listings, 20 Sold Listings, 95 CDOM (New Construction Subgroup 14 Active, 6 Pending, 7 Sold, 40 CDOM)
$200,000-300,000~18 Active Listings, 7 Pending Listings, 0 Sold Listings (New Construction Subgroup 10 Active, 6 Pending, 0 Sold)
$300,000-$400,000 ~ 4 Active Listings, 1 Pending Listings, 2 Sold Listings, 193 CDOM (New Construction Subgroup 3 Active, 1 Pending, 1 Sold, 151 CDOM)
$400,000-$500,000 ~4 Active Listings, 0 Pending Listings, 0 Sold Listings (New Construction Subgroup 1 Active, 0 Pending, 0 Sold)
$500,000-$1,000,000~ 5 Active Listings, 0 Pending Listings, 0 Sold Listings (New Construction Subgroup 1 Active, 0 Pending, 0 Sold)
For additional information on any current Blaine real estate listing or for additional information on buying a home in Blaine contact Teri Eckholm directly at 651-336-7073.
**All Statistical information based on information from the REGIONAL MULTIPLE LISTING SERVICE of MINNESOTA, INC. for the period of 1/1/10 through 3/31/10.

Copyright 2010 Teri Eckholm 

2009 Year End Snapshot of Blaine Market Statistics

The number of new listings continued to drop in Blaine, Minnesota through 2009 as did the average sales price. Blaine’s high valued home market in prices $500,000 and up continues to be at a standstill but lender mediated foreclosure/short sale homes in the lower price points continue to sell and affect the average sales price. Closed sales are up for Blaine in 2009 over 2008 so the market is seeing activity. Listings are staying on the market just slightly less this year than the previous year. Blaine has sold through most of its current home inventory as it was an affordable option for buyers in the north metro homebuyer. With less than 3 months of inventory in the lower price points, 2009 might be the year for a traditional seller with a starter home to have the opportunity to move up.  

*Does not take into account time on the market or list price from previous listing contracts.
*Based on data from the Minneapolis Association of Realtors and data reported to the Regional Multiple Listing Service, Inc.

 
Copyright 2010 Teri Eckholm http://www.terieckholm.com/

Blaine, MN Year End Real Estate Market Statistics 2009

Blaine has continued to expand and develop by leaps and bounds in the north metro of the Twin Cities during the past few years. Just drive down Highway 65 and see the Main Street (125th) overpass as well as several others in different phases of construction and all of the new retail establishments to get an idea of how the changes have affected the community. Though housing construction slowed during 2009, it has not completely stopped. New developments have continued to expand the housing base, especially in the townhome and lower level price points. Conveniently located along 35W and Highway 65 and connected by Highway 10 just north of the Twin Cities, Blaine is an attractive location for both business and residential development. The community is served by three school districts; Anoka Hennepin District #11, Centennial District #12, and Spring Lake Park District #16. Blaine is best known for the National Sports Center a sport and meeting facility that hosts an annual worldwide soccer event and Tournament Players Club golf course where the PGA Senior tour is played every summer.

Builders’ incentives to home buyers have required home sellers to be very competitive with housing prices making homes in the Blaine area. While existing single family homes are holding their own in the competition against builders, it does not appear to be the same case in the existing townhome market. Over 77% of the townhomes sold at prices over $200,000 were new construction. Existing townhome sellers in Blaine really need to be competitive to sell when in competition with a brand new property. Homes remained affordable throughout 2009 and with 874 homes sold, Blaine’s inventory of property for sale is very manageable across all price points. Currently there is 2-6 months of inventory for homes with price points under $500,000 and just under 18 months of inventory for homes priced over $500,000. These are better inventory statistics for Blaine than I have seen in the past 3 years! The overall CDOM statistic at 143 for Blaine is down from 154 in 2008 and is significantly better than any of the surrounding communities in the north metro such as Forest Lake, Lino Lakes and Ham Lake.

The townhome and condominium market has exploded in Blaine and builders have pulled out all the stops bringing pricing down. There is considerably less new construction townhome inventory on the market with about 7 months of inventory compared with 18 months at the end of 2008 and nearly 3 years of inventory in 2007. Existing townhome sellers have their work cut out for them as they continue to sharpen their pencils and make their prices very attractive. Pricy existing executive townhomes listed over $500,000 are currently at a standstill with 5 listed homes and no buyers in the past year.

2009 Average Sales Price of all homes sold in Blaine:

All Homes $195,793
Single Family Homes $215,361
Townhomes/Condos $150,823

2009 Average Cumulative Days on Market in Blaine:

All Homes 143
Single Family Homes 140
Townhomes/Condos 153

Year End Blaine residential real estate statistics for single family homes:

Under $200,000~ 78 Active Listings, 35 Pending Listings, 331 Sold Listings, 117 CDOM (New Construction Subgroup 3 Active, 9 Pending, 4 Sold, 256 CDOM)

$200,000-300,000~80 Active Listings, 13 Pending Listings, 172 Sold Listings, 132 CDOM (New Construction Subgroup 22 Active, 4 Pending, 36 Sold, 136 CDOM)

$300,000-$400,000 ~ 29 Active Listings, 10 Pending Listings, 63 Sold Listings, 217 CDOM (New Construction Subgroup 13 Active, 4 Pending, 30 Sold, 239 CDOM)

$400,000-$500,000 ~ 11 Active Listings, 2 Pending Listings, 27 Sold Listings, 284 CDOM (New Construction Subgroup 3 Active, 2 Pending, 9 Sold, 259 CDOM)

$500,000-$1,000,000~ 23 Active Listings, 5 Pending Listings, 16 Sold Listings, 272 CDOM (New Construction Subgroup 9 Active, 3 Pending, 5 Sold, 135 CDOM)

$1,000,000 and Up ~1 Active Listings, 0 Pending Listings, 0 Sold Listings (All existing homes)

Year End Blaine residential real estate statistics for townhomes and condos:

Under $200,000~ 87 Active Listings, 22 Pending Listings, 243 Sold Listings, 147 CDOM (New Construction Subgroup 17 Active, 0 Pending, 48 Sold, 241 CDOM)

$200,000-300,000~19 Active Listings, 2 Pending Listings, 12 Sold Listings, 276 CDOM (New Construction Subgroup 10 Active, 2 Pending, 11 Sold, 252 CDOM)

$300,000-$400,000 ~ 5 Active Listings, 0 Pending Listings, 7 Sold Listings, 259 CDOM (New Construction Subgroup 5 Active, 0 Pending, 4 Sold, 361 CDOM )

$400,000-$500,000 ~ 0 Active Listings, 0 Pending Listings, 3 Sold Listings, 359 CDOM (New Construction Subgroup 0 Active, 0 Pending, 2 Sold, 410 CDOM)

$500,000-$1,000,000~ 5 Active Listings, 0 Pending Listings, 0 Sold Listings (No New Construction activity)

For additional information on any current Blaine real estate listing or for additional information on buying a home in Blaine contact Teri Eckholm directly at 651-336-7073.
**All Statistical information based on information from the REGIONAL MULTIPLE LISTING SERVICE of MINNESOTA, INC. for the period of 1/1/09 through 12/30/09.

If you are buying, selling or relocating to Minnesota and need help from a professional REALTOR®, give me a call or visit my website for a FREE Relocation Packet , Homebuyers Success Packet or sign up for Listingbook Twin Cities Home Search. I specialize in acreage and lakeshore properties in the north and east Twin Cities metro area including Ham Lake, Lino Lakes and all communities in the Forest Lake School District! Serving Anoka, Chisago, Ramsey and Washington Counties in Minnesota.

Copyright 2010 Teri Eckholm http://www.terieckholm.com/