Snapshot of Home Sales Statistics in Chisago, MN Year End 2015

The real estate market is once again strong in Chisago, MN at the end of 2015. Overall, the housing market remained quite active in the Minneapolis/St Paul metro, and the Chisago housing market is no exception. New listings were relatively flat but the number of closed homes sold jumped over 18%. Likewise, the average sales price was nearly 18% higher 2015 compared to the previous year, coming in at just under $260,000. This is quite an improvement from just a few years ago when the average sales price was just $189K. Sellers are receiving nearly 98% of asking price in 2015. Market time dropped significantly too. It now takes an average of 86 days on the market to sell a Chisago home. While this is higher than other metro suburbs, it is significantly less than a few years ago when it would take over four months to sell a Chisago City home. The price per square foot in Chisago is also heading up. It now stands at $137/sq. ft., compared to an average of $122/sq. ft. in the previous year. Home owners considering selling in Chisago would be well advised to put their homes on the market early in 2016. With low housing inventory, sellers seem to have a bit of the upper hand in this community at this point in time.

What is my Chisago Home Worth? 

READY TO MAKE A MOVE? Let me be your professional guide. If you are buying, selling or relocating to Minnesota and need help from a professional REALTOR®, give me, Teri Eckholm of Boardman Realty, a call or visit my website for a FREE Home Buyer Success Guide or FREE Home Value Report. 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 2016 terieckholm.com

The BIG Affect a Rise in Interest & Price has on Home Affordability

 

(Or Why NOW may truly be the best time to buy a house.)

For a number of years the housing market in the Minneapolis/St Paul metro has be extremely affordable. Even with the rise in housing prices since the beginning of the year, our market continues to be affordable compared to other areas of the country. A home buyer can find a very good quality starter home for under $200,000 in the Twin Cities if they are flexible with their location. But that appears to be changing.

Housing prices are on the rise across the metro area. And, interest rates won’t be at historically low levels forever. In fact, rates have crept up a bit in the past few weeks. So when a REALTOR® tells you “NOW is the Best Time to Buy”, I’m not just marketing. It will be more expensive to purchase a home next year if the economy and real estate market continue to improve.

Don’t just take my word for it. An article I read on the KCM (Keeping Current Matters) Blog today,  Buying a House: Is NOW the Time? reiterates this point. It shows how the slight uptick in the market really affects the payment on an every day starter home purchase from 2012 to 2013. This is based on prices rising 10% from June 2012 to June 2013. According to KCM, a home priced at $200,000 in June of 2012 would have roughly $100/month higher payment if purchased today. And  the required down payment for the same house would be higher too.

Home prices in Twin Cities north and east metro are continuing to rise. In Anoka County MN, the average sales price of a single family home is up 14% since the beginning of the year. The average sales price of Washington County homes is up 4.5% and Chisago County has seen a dramatic  23% increase in average home value just in 2013.  These rising prices did affect by buying clients this year. Most had to spend more than they had expected as prices changed dramatically from the time they initially began the buying process about 6-12 months ago. Whether they were looking at townhomes in Hugo or single family homes in Blaine, prices jumped since the beginning of the year and it did affect where they bought and what the paid for a home. Almost all buyers were in multiple offer situations too.

Local real estate market remain poised for continued improvement affecting home prices AND interest rates. I don’t need a crystal ball to know that this could be the best time to purchase. Of course, I could look back with my 20/20 hindsight and say that last year was better too. But there are still MANY OPPORTUNITIES in this market still. It would be wise to listen up and realize it isn’t just marketing puffery, NOW is a great time to buy a home!

Copyright 2013 www.terieckholm.com

Year End 2009 Snapshot of Chisago Lakes, MN Home Sales Statistics

There were just a few more closed sales in Chisago during 2009 over 2008 but the average sales price was down significantly for the second year in a row. New listings were down almost 21% over the previous year. Sellers are receiving just slightly less than they did in 2008 with as the accepted sales price ratio compared to list price ratio is down just a bit. At 89% it remains one of the lowest in the north and east metro communities I work in as many communities saw an improvement in this ratio this year. Market time is up significantly to well over 200 days. Buying a home in Chisago City could continue to be a very affordable option as there appears to be plenty of sellers still on the market and willing to negotiate on the list price of their properties.

Copyright 2010 Teri Eckholm