2009 Real Estate Sales Statistics for the North and East Metro—Snapshot VS Detailed Report

Real estate marketing statistics can be confusing. Local television news reports can seem to be conflicting and if you are a home owner or home buyer, you may have trouble understanding what you hear. On one channel there will be a news report proclaiming good news with rising average sales prices for several consecutive months in the Twin Cities metro area flip channels and there another talking head giving gloomy report of how foreclosures and short sales are causing a significant decline in the market value of homes in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.

Since January, I have been posting real estate market statistics for the communities in the north metro where I do the bulk of my business. While I work in Anoka County, Southern Chisago County, North and Eastern Ramsey County and North Washington County, the focus of my business is Ham Lake, Blaine, Lino Lakes and all communities in the Forest Lake and Centennial school districts. That does include a good number of communities so it takes a bit of time to pull all of the information together.

There are two types of reports that I post. The first is a quick snapshot that includes information taken directly from the Minneapolis Area Association of REALTORS® website’s Top 100+ Report (a comprehensive database with statistics for 205 different Twin Cities communities). I pull these stats into a chart and post along with a quick synopsis of what happened during the past year. I have done quite a few of these "short and sweet" looks into the basic real estate housing stats for several north and east metro communities.

Housing Statistic Snapshots

• 2009 Year End Snapshot of Andover, MN Home Sales Statistics


• 2009 Year End Snapshot of Blaine, MN Home Sales Statistics


• 2009 Year End Snapshot of Centerville Market Statistics


• 2009 Year End Snapshot of Chisago City, MN Home Sales Statistics


• 2009 Year End Snapshot of Circle Pines, MN Home Sales Statistics


• 2009 Year End Snapshot of Columbus, MN Home Sales Statistics


• 2009 Year End Snapshot of Coon Rapids Market Statistics


• 2009 Year End Snapshot of East Bethel, MN Home Sales Statistics


• 2009 Year End Snapshot of Forest Lake MN Home Sales Statistics


• 2009 Year End Snapshot of Ham Lake, MN Home Sales Statistics


• 2009 Year End Snapshot of Hugo, MN Home Sales Statistics


• 2009 Year End Snapshot of Lino Lakes, MN Home Sales Statistics


• 2009 Year End Snapshot of Linwood, MN Home Sales Statistics


• 2009 Year End Snapshot of Mahtomedi, MN Home Sales Statistics


• 2009 Year End Snapshot of North St. Paul, MN Home Sales Statistics


• 2009 Year End Snapshot of Oakdale, MN Home Sales Statistics


• 2009 Year End Snapshot of White Bear Lake, MN Home Sales Statistics


• 2009 Year End Snapshot of White Bear Township, MN Home Sales Statistics


• 2009 Year End Snapshot of Wyoming, MN Home Sales Statistics

But as is said, the devil is in the details . I have another version of market reports for specific communities are not snapshots. In the communities that I work in on a daily basis, I want to really help people to understand the market so I take good hard look at the real estate sales on a quarterly basis and post a more detailed report. I also post a year end review several communities I work in and know well.
Detailed Statistic Reports
Blaine, MN Year End Real Estate Market Statistics 2009
Forest Lake, MN Year End Real Estate Market Statistics for 2009
Ham Lake, MN Year End Real Estate Market Statistics for 2009
Lino Lakes, MN Year End Real Estate Market Statistics 2009
White Bear Lake, MN Year End Real Estate Market Statistics 2009
When I take the time to pull statistics directly from the Twin Cities Multiple Listing Service (MLS) I look for specific details like cumulative days on the market (CDOM). This comes into play every time a home is relisted as a new listing in the MLS. The snapshots DOM do not take relisting into account so the time on the market appears to be much shorter than it really is in some area.
I also look at CDOM by price point. Homes in the lower price ranges are selling much more quickly that in the higher price points. A quick overview does not get that specific.
Since each community is so different, I will examine different things in different areas. Blaine has an abundance of townhomes. Since townhomes are lingering on the market in all price points, this does have an affect on the CDOM if the sales are looked as an aggregate. But if the townhomes and single family homes are looked at separately, the details give home buyers and sellers more useful information than a one-size-fits-all quick look at the market. Now in Forest Lake, lakeshore homes are a focus while in Ham Lake and Lino Lakes, acreage comes into play.
Knowing how to pull the right comparables and read the market comes from knowing a specific area and what makes the community different. Finding a REALTOR® that knows the details is imperative when buying or selling in this topsy-turvey, continually changing real estate market. There is no one-size-fits-all agent when buying or selling a home today. It is necessary to work with an expert.


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

Selling a Home with Oak Wilt—Diseased Trees are a Deal Breaker!

Last week I was out showing acreage homes to a family who loves the privacy of a tree-filled lot. After an extensive internet search and driving by many homes, my clients narrowed their options to a handful of must-see properties. Full of excited anticipation my buyers were concerned by dead and dying trees in several yards. OAK WILT!

As a REALTOR® in Anoka County in Minnesota and owner of my own oak-filled acreage I at first had no worries when I saw the diseased towering overhead. Most saavy t homeowners in the process of selling their Anoka or Chisago County home would know that though oak wilt will spread, proper and early treatment can curtail this devastating disease and retain the beauty of a tree filled yard. Surely any acreage owner, if aware of the problem, would address it promptly and provide a remedy to mediate further potential damage.

We entered the first home in search of the sellers’ disclosure to see what the homeowner would share regarding the treatment of the affected trees on the property. This particular Linwood home had several trees that were dead and a few more dying scattered around the back and sides of the home. The sellers did document that they were aware of oak wilt on the property. But rather than offer a serious solution to the spreading problem, their answer was dismissive; sort of “pooh-poohing” the problem. Their comment said “oak wilt is common in Anoka County but there are several other varieties of trees that will fill in any loss of oak trees in time.”
What?!! No prevention? No removing of dead trees? Just let these hundred year old oaks die and deal with it?
I advised my buyers that the landscape would be forever changed as the oak wilt would continue to spread through the several dozen oaks on the 4+ acres of land. It would be a significant negative affect the value of the property. With lack of treatment it is a certainty that eventually all the towering shady oaks would die.

Unfortunately, that was not the only property that we saw that day where the owners had a cavalier attitude toward oak wilt; a disease that claims thousands of beautiful trees every year. At another home in Chisago County, there was a beautiful newer rambler that had remarkable landscaping. In the front of the property a small grove of oaks was infected and had just started to die from oak wilt. With root cutting and treatment, the hundreds of oaks on the back acreage could be spared. Did the seller address this and offer a treatment plan on the disclosure?

Nope; just a mention of “oak wilt” in response to the question about diseased trees.

Sellers…Oak wilt has to be addressed when selling an acreage home.

Writing "oak wilt" on the sellers' disclosure is an important first step but sellers must do more than just disclose the problem if they want to sell their home. Anoka County is still in an unbalanced buyer-driven real estate market. Buyers want to know what you have done and are doing prevent the spread to other trees. If you have not done anything, buyers have no choice but to assume all the oak trees on the property will die. If your home is surrounded by oaks, a buyer imagines a tree-free landscape in the future…and thousands in expense to remove the trees, there will not be a purchase agreement in most cases. In this buyer-controlled market, those looking for beautiful, lush wooded acreage will cross your oak wilt-infested property off their list of favorites and move on to another house.

Homeowners in Ham Lake are fortunate that the city has an on-staff forester who inspects oak trees throughout the city and offers prevention suggestions. Once a year, they provide free root cutting for anyone who is concerned about the spread of oak wilt to healthy trees. The forester will come out and inspect your trees, free of charge if you have any concerns about oak wilt on your property.

Here are a few important reminders to prevent the spread of Oak Wilt:

• To prevent the spread of devastating disease, it is imperative to follow the guidelines for oak wilt prevention. Do not prune, damage or cut down oak trees during the growing season from May 1 through September 30.
• During the spring and early summer months of May and June, oaks are at especially high risk to this highly contagious, landscape changing disease.
• Any wood or branches taken down over the winter that is infected with oak wilt needs to remain covered under black plastic and completely sealed until after July 1.
• During the summer if you sustain storm damage and lose a limb from an oak on your property, immediately paint the wound with black tree paint to seal the wound and prevent exposure to the oak wilt fungus.

What is Oak Wilt?

Oak wilt is a disease caused by a fungus which attacks the central system of the tree from the roots to the leaves. The tree attempts to block the fungus, but also blocks all water and nutrients to the branches and leaves. Eventually, the trees leaves wilt and it dies.

Oak wilt spreads through the root systems of near by trees and by fungus beetles that carry the oak wilt spores from tree to tree. For additional information on oak wilt from the University of MN Extention Service CLICK HERE.

How to Protect Your Trees

The fungus beetles infect trees that have been recently injured or trimmed. These beetles are very active in the spring and summer months. Oaks should be protected from damage and not trimmed from April through July.

Trim large mature oaks now. As a preventative to spring storm damage, have your large oaks trimmed now so that heavy, dead branches won't fall during tornado season and break other healthy limbs.
Consider Oaks When Planning Construction

• If you are planning to build on your property this spring, plan the construction process to protect the trees. Discuss the situation with your builder and fence off the trees from the base of the truck to the branches.
• Be prepared with tree paint and apply immediately to any wounds that accidentally occur.
  Root System Protection
• If an oak is infected on your property or a nearby neighboring property, your trees could be at risk through their intertwined root system. Oak roots travel up to 50 feet out. The fungus can pass underground from tree to tree.
• To prevent spread, have the roots cut using a trencher or vibratory plow. The five foot blade severs the roots to protect neighboring trees. Root cutting should be done prior to tree removal. If you want to sell your acreage home and there is oak wilt on the property, address the problem and outline a remedy. Ignoring oak wilt will cause the disease to spread and kill more trees. This will directly affect your property's value.

Copyright 2009 Teri Eckholm http://www.terieckholm.com/

Homebuyers--Listen to that Little Voice Inside Your Head!

A few days ago I received a call from a past client. She excitedly told me that she was helping a very good friend who was in the process of buying his first home. The friend was enticed into the market by a Parade of Homes advertisement a couple weeks ago. It was for a new construction home in the Lindstrom/Chisago area that was for sale for around $150,000 with a zero down financing option. The friend was intrigued and asked my past client to tag along to see the home. At the model they were told that this particular home would qualify for one of the only zero down programs still available. From the conversation, the first time buyer thought the lending program was only available on this particular home, with this particular builder so he met with the builder’s recommended loan officer and was approved to buy the home at full price. He was seriously considering buying the home. But before signing, this first time buyer and my past client started talking and thinking, maybe we should run this by a trusted professional, a REALTOR®. Since the friend had never purchased or sold a home, my client called me.

Whatever prevented this young man from signing the document, a gut feeling or voice inside his head, it doesn’t matter. The instinct was right. He hadn't looked at enough homes to know if this was a good deal. See, it is in the builder’s best interest to make a sale at the most possible profit. So, this first time homebuyer wasn’t told a few things that really changed the picture:

1. The USDA program can be used to purchase almost any home in Chisago County including Lindstrom, Chisago, North Branch, Shafer, Center City and several other communities as well. (It isn’t available in Wyoming though.)


2. A buyer does not have to pay full price on a home even from the builder. They can negotiate the sale price the same as on any other property.


3. If you walk into a model home without your REALTOR®, the builder is under no obligation to pay out a commission to your agent. This means if the friend now decides buyer’s representation is necessary and signs a buyer’s representation agreement with me, the seller/builder is not obligated to pay any commission to me as their agent. The buyer would end up paying a commission to me out of pocket or buy the home without representation.


4. The builder, or builder’s representative, in a model home is not going to tell you if there is a better deal down the street. Even if there is a REALTOR® hosting the open house, that agent represents the builder of the home. They work for the builder and have fiduciary duties to work in the builder’s best interest to make the sale of the model home….Even if it is overpriced.

Again, thank goodness for that little voice; that pull in the gut. No contracts had been signed with this builder.

I explained that the USDA program was available in several areas, including some that would be a quicker commute to work for the buyer than the home in Lindstrom. After I did my MLS search, I found several well priced homes that would qualify for the USDA zero down program. In fact one almost brand new home that had gone back to the bank 8 miles closer in with 4BR/4BA that was almost $60K less than the builder’s model. There were almost 20 homes that I sent over to this first time buyer this morning that I felt were a significantly better value than the home they were looking at with the builder.
My exact words were that had he bought this new home at full price it would have been like paying sticker price for a brand new car and discovering that as soon as you drove off the lot, the value dropped. Previously owned homes in this area are selling for significantly lower prices per finished square foot than this home.
My past client's friend is now my new client and he is very excited with all the housing options he now knows he has. He has reviewed the listings online and determine a half dozen that seem to be a good value for a first home. I, as his buyer’s representative, will show these homes over this weekend. Thanks to that little voice, that uneasy feeling, this is one first time buyer who won’t be overpaying for a home in this amazing buyer's market!

Copyright 2009 Teri Eckholm http://www.terieckholm.com/

Out-of-State Buyer Buys Dream Home from My BlackBerry Pics!

Relocating from out of state to Minnesota takes coordination and a little innovation doesn't hurt either...Here's the story: After weeks of narrowing down homes to view and a couple of long days seeing a half dozen or so beautiful properties throughout Chisago and Anoka Counties, my out-of-town buyer, Lyn, had found the perfect home. Unfortunately, someone else thought it was perfect too and an offer had been accepted moments before we had contacted the listing agent with ours. We were back at square one…and out of time!

My disappointed buyer had to head back to work and wouldn’t be back in town for weeks. Lyn really wanted to be living in Minnesota in weeks not months so we devised a plan where I would show homes to her fiancé, James, and if something great came up we would set up a second showing and create a video of the house for her to check out.

A day later, James called as he thought he had found another perfect option! It never made Lyn’s or my list because it was just a bit higher in price than the rest. It was a new construction, short sale home in southern Chisago County just outside of Wyoming. The price was over $150K less than the original list price and house was a beauty!

The very excited James called with the address and after looking at the home, we decided we’d better see it that next day.

As soon as we stepped over the threshold, James and I both new this was perfect for Lyn! So perfect in fact that we wanted to share it with her immediately. James mentioned that he tried to take a photo with his phone yesterday so she could see the amazing wetland view but the photo didn’t turn out so great. I knew that the photos I had been taking with my BlackBerry Curve had been turning out pretty well so I figured I would take a picture or two and send Lyn an email of the indescribable view.

Lyn knew the time we had scheduled the showing and had called a few minutes after we arrived. James excitedly started describing the home. He rattled off descriptions of features in the kitchen with custom cabinetry and pantry, the fireplace and mantle, the upgraded light fixtures, the four season porch, the hardwood floors, the unique master bath layout, the windows, the view, the dropped-track ceiling in the master bedroom, the first bedroom, the ceramic tile, and the second bedroom. It was hard for him to give accurate descriptions of a home with so many unique, upgraded features.

I had just emailed the photo of the spectacular view through the window of the 4 season porch as he went on and on trying to depict the home adequately in words.

Then the light bulb moment! Photo everything and email them as James described the rooms.

I started snapping off view after view of the home and emailing the pictures. Lyn was opening them as quickly as they arrived. James took a quick look at my photo and was able to more accurately explain the home’s features to Lyn. After a two hour showing, I locked up the house and headed home to write up the offer. Coincidentally, this house also had another interested party writing up an offer. But this time we were able to get ours to the seller's agent in time for consideration. Had we waited to video the interior at a second showing, Lyn might have missed out again on a beautiful property.

Lyn saw the home for the first time on the day of closing. She thought it was “picture-perfect”!

Isn’t technology wonderful?

Copyright 2009 terieckholm.com

Year End 2008 Snapshot of Chisago City, MN Home Sales Statistics

Closed sales and average sales price were down significantly for Chisago real estate in 2008 compared to statistics in 2007. New listings were down more than in other areas but so is the accepted sales price ratio compared to list price. At just over 89% it is one of the lowest in the north and east metro communities I work in. Though the market time is up, it is not significantly more than in neighboring communities. Buying a home in Chisago City would be a very affordable option as the sellers in this community seem prepared to make deals.

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 or Homebuyers Success Packet. 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.

Buying a Home? Check out my new HOME BUYER'S BLOG!

Copyright 2009 terieckholm.com