Snow or No Snow…Don’t be a Turkey and forget to Spring Forward Tonight!

Springing forward is a bit of a let down when snow is still in the forecast. Springtime is one of my favorite times of year in Minnesota. It is the time of year when the snow melts and the ground thaws so quickly that the winter white world seems to change overnight into an array of green shades from lime to emerald. Flowers start budding. Birds sing late into the evening. Everything starts anew again.

Like last year, we are springing forward earlier than we had in the past many years of daylight savings time. As March is one of Minnesota’s snowiest months, we will have a bit to wait before spring really arrives.
But having the sunset is an hour later starting tomorrow is a blessing in the spring real estate market. It means that showing those vacant foreclosures in the evening hours will no longer be an adventure! Viewing properties without an exterior light to shine on the ice on the unsalted stairway is treacherous. Starting tomorrow a bit of the challenge has been removed but the bargains are still available. The warm spring weather and green grass won’t be far behind!

Copyright 2009 terieckholm.com

Finding a GREAL Deal on Real Estate on Cyber Monday

Everyone knows that today is the day all computer lines will be buzzing with online shoppers trying to get the best deals on Christmas bargains from online retailers. Websites will be slow as millions surf the web to take advantage of discounted prices. So while millions are overloading shopping sites looking for deals on electronics and holiday gifts, now would be the perfect time to search out a great real estate deal.

No I am not kidding. Real estate sites often have tons of widgets, photos and video links that can slow searches. But while others flock to save a few bucks, a savvy homebuyer can save tens of thousands by looking for a home to buy now. Not only are there bank owned properties, pre-foreclosures and short sales on the market, there are homes owned by families that have relocated, there are estates that must be sold and there are houses that are being sold due to family changes such as a new baby, marriage or on the downside, divorce. These homes won’t be removed from the market due to the holiday season. But you can bet that the owners don’t want to face a winter of maintenance on an empty property.

These homes are featuring drastically reduced pricing. Yep, I am seeing listings on homes, tens of thousands off the price from even a few weeks ago. Whether you are looking at a starter home, a town home or lakeshore, great deals can be found! And with the masses of other people buying holiday gifts, a home buyer won’t be faced with as many multiple offer situations. (Yes, there can be multiple offers on a home in this market when the home is priced well!) So home buyers, take advantage of Cyber Monday as a time to shop till you drop for a home bargain! Come January, those distracted buyers will be back in the game.

Here are a few GREAT Deals on Anoka and Chisago County Real Estate:

• 4BR/2BA Townhome $199,900
• 2.5 Acre Rambler w/heated 2nd garage/shop $279,900
• 3BR/2BA/3Car on Pond $204,900

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. 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 2008 terieckholm.com

Minnesota Real Estate Market Shows Similar Trends to Nation in October

For the past year or so, I have been fortunate to be taking part in a monthly nationwide real estate market research project with the investment firm, Credit Suisse. As a thank you, I receive a copy of the report in exchange for my views of what is happening in the home construction and sales market in Minnesota.

“Fear Grips Buyers in October” was the headline of this month’s report. It is not just a Minnesota trend that had real estate agents phones not ringing. The report indicated that this was a nationwide trend. “Nearly all markets are impacted by buyers worries.” And how could they not be with talks of bailouts and massive economic meltdowns.

There are indications that foreclosure heavy markets are seeing traffic and demand is weak at high price points. Some buyers are buying but cautiously. Funny thing was as I read this report; I could have written most of what has been presented. This information is what I have observed in the Minnesota market right down the line. September buyers were stopped in their tracks by the economic news. Very few calls came into my office and even fewer were scheduled. October is usually a time where the phone will start ringing with buyers excited about getting into that new home before the Minnesota snow starts to fly.

On a positive note, the Monday following the election, my phone has started to ring. My listings are getting showings and buyers have started to ask to see homes again. Maybe with all the political focus on the economy over, the public is ready to start venturing out to see all the great deals on Minnesota lakeshore and acreage homes in the north and east metro. Buyers wanting to be in by Christmas better hurry as the forecast indicates the snow will be flying soon.

• Click here for a FREE list of foreclosures in Anoka County, Chisago County or Washington County.


• Click here for a FREE BUYER'S SUCCESS Packet

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. 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 2008 terieckholm.com

Smashing Pumpkins--An Alternative Housing Mantra?

Okay, I am not a metal-head but I do enjoy alternative rock from time to time and have teenagers so 93X is one of the preset stations on our family vehicle. Yesterday, while driving through Forest Lake, MN and flipping stations away from the annoying recorded political ads, I paused on the rock station and heard these lyrics: “Despite all my rage I am still just a rat in a cage”. It was the chorus so the mantra was repeated a few times. Although catchy, I know from experience, the rest of the song might not be as lyrical so I laughed as I switched the station, but the line stuck in my head.

It started me thinking about all of the rage I have been hearing lately. Not teenaged angst but rage at the housing market. It’s in all the papers and on the news, hundreds of thousands of people enraged at the current financial crisis and the housing/mortgage mess that was the catalyst of it all. I get calls from potential home sellers who are frustrated when they hear the number in their market analysis and realize their homes are not worth as much as they thought. There are homeowners contact me angry at the low value received on an appraisal for a refinance and wonder where these numbers are coming from. There are upset foreclosure buyers who didn’t do their homework prior to closing on a “deal” and realize the “As-Is” bargain of a property has problems that were not fully disclosed. And there are those homeowners who are panicked, frustrated and resigned at the reality of being foreclosed upon.

So I started thinking, maybe these alternative rockers are on to something here. Because despite all the rage that surrounds us, many people are feeling caged in a situation they cannot control.

When I reached my office, the first thing I did was Google search the lyrics and discovered The Smashing Pumpkins and their song, “Bullet with Butterfly Wings” was the catalyst of my muse. (October is the perfect time to showcase the song of a band with the name Smashing Pumpkins too, don’t cha think?) According to Wikipedia this song was a Grammy award winner in 1997, but this part of the song lyrics speaks to me a decade later regarding the financial situation of today. It was very ironic that the chorus also included the line, “someone will say what is lost can never be saved”. How profound. Consider this, some seniors facing retirement will not have time to wait out the current financial crisis for their biggest investments: real estate, usually the family home and the stock market, usually in a 401K or mutual fund to comeback. What has been lost cannot be saved.

So as rats in our cages, what can we do? It’s time to rethink rather than be enraged. Anger does not solve any problem. We need to refocus; to shift our way of thinking. Pick up that much acclaimed self-help book, “Who Moved My Cheese?” and change how to think about your life.

• Sellers forget what you think your home is worth…It is only worth what a buyer will pay today.
• Buyers need to do their homework with their REALTOR® and trusted mortgage professional to find the right home and right loan.
• Homeowners facing foreclosure cannot stick their heads in the sand. Take a realistic look at your situation and contact professional agencies to come up with a solution that fits your specific needs.
• Buyers looking at foreclosures and short sales need to be patient and do their due diligence on every purchase because some of those bargains have “skeletons-in-the closet”.

Rage and anger gets us nowhere. It is impossible to move forward if you are angrily looking in the rearview mirror. Look at where you are today and make a move to pull yourself out of that financial cage you feel trapped in. The sooner you assess your current situation and make moves to change and improve it, the sooner you will recover from the crisis. By taking one positive step at a time, one person at a time, we as a nation will find a way out of this crisis.
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. 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 2008 terieckholm.com