Weekend "Honey Do" List! Checklist to get Your Home Winterized!

The overnight temperatures have been dipping down into the range where all Minnesotan’s realize that the cold weather is coming soon. Fall is just around the corner. I noticed the first yellow leaves on the black walnut tree in my yard just beginning to turn. Soon the golds, reds and yellows of autumn will cover the landscape throughout Anoka, Chisago and Washington Counties. Before the snow, ice and winter winds arrive, homeowners in the north know it is time take care of the autumn chores to protect our biggest investment from the winter ahead.

As a Realtor in the Twin Cities metro, I know how important periodic home maintenance is. We have a mixed bag of weather in MN, some winters can be mild but others are brutal. Taking one weekend in the fall to get your home ready can prevent damage from the Minnesota Winter elements. An unprepared home can require costly repairs in the spring.

Here are a few important autumn reminders of repairs and preventive maintenance tips for all homeowners:

1. Clean Gutters of leaves and other debris that might clog the drainage. A blocked gutter can cause an ice dam when the snow flies.
2. Winterize the lawn tractor or mower and get that snow blower tuned. If you have a plow service, make contact and update your contract prior to the first snowfall.
3. Change security lightbulbs in hard to reach places. It is hazardous to climb ladders to reach the tip of a garage over an icy driveway.
4. Unhook, coil and remove hoses from water spigots. Turn off and winterize sprinkling systems. Turn off water to outside spigots if not frost-free to prevent burst pipes in subzero temperatures.
5. Have the annual furnace cleaning and tune-up to be ready for those first cold evenings. Remember to change the furnace filter every month for best efficiency...even if the packaging says "6-month filter". QUICK TIP: Change filter when you make your monthly mortgage payment so you don't forget.
6. Caulk all windows and doors and check to see if new weather-striping is needed.
7. Touch up peeling paint. Fall is the perfect time to paint with the low humidity and crisp breeze. Check deck, siding and trim for peeling paint.
8. Seal the asphalt driveway prior to winter freezing. Fill cracks and topcoat if necessary.
9. Inspect the roof for missing or damaged shingles. Verify that the flashings are sealed from rain and snow.
10. Snap a few fall photos while the fall perennials and trees are vibrant with color! Golden yellow oak leaves and vivid red sumacs will look awesome in the local MLS if you decide to sell your home over the winter.

Featured Homes in the Forest Lake, Centennial and Anoka-Hennepin School Districts:

• 15139 E Vermillion Cir NE, Ham Lake
• 601 86th Lane NW, Coon Rapids
• 401 Village Parkway, Circle Pines
• 25797 Freeport Ave, Wyoming

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

Forest Lake, MN Real Estate Market Statistics 3rd Quarter 2007

Real estate in Forest Lake, MN in north Washington County and east Anoka County is selling—though admittedly at a slower pace than most sellers would like. The third quarter numbers show area homes are staying on the market an average of 171 days. Looking at current inventory levels and the rate of sales for homes priced under $300,000, there is about 7-8 months of inventory as it stands today.

While homes under $300,000 have a manageable inventory level, similar to other areas of the Twin Cities, high end homes are selling at a much slower pace. Note the abundance of existing inventory in the over $400,000 category. With 23 homes to sell over $400,000, there is currently 2 years of inventory. Looking at properties priced over $500,000, there are 32 homes on the market and with four homes selling every 3 months, it will take nearly three years to sell the entire inventory if home sales do not pick up.

The real story is that lakeshore is available in Forest Lake! The combination of an amazing inventory of 50 lakeshore homes, long market times, and low interest rates, creates the perfect situation as sellers should be ready to negotiate an acceptable deal for the sale of your piece of paradise!

3rd Quarter Forest Lake residential real estate statistics for single family homes:

Under $300,000~ 78 Active Listings, 9 Pending Listings, 20 Sold Listings (Lakeshore Subgroup ~ 3 Active, 0 Pending, 0 Sold)

$300,000-$400,000 ~ 47 Active Listings, 2 Pending Listings, 7 Sold Listings (Lakeshore Subgroup ~ 12Active, 0 Pending, 0 Sold)

$400,000-$500,000 ~ 23 Active Listings, 0 Pending Listings, 4 Sold Listings (Lakeshore Subgroup ~ 12 Active, 0 Pending, 3 Sold)

$500,000 and Up~ 32 Active Listings, 1 Pending Listings, 3 Sold Listings (Lakeshore Subgroup ~ 23 Active, 1 Pending, 3 Sold)

Lakeshore available in the Forest Lake Area:

Forest Lake lakeshore price range: $250,000-$2,900,000

41 Homes on Forest Lake
7 Homes on Clear Lake
1 Home on Sylvan Lake
1 Home on Neds Lake

For details on Forest Lake listings and lakeshore homes available, contact Teri Eckholm directly at 651-3336-7073.

**All Statistical information based on information from the REGIONAL MULTIPLE LISTING SERVICE of MINNESOTA, INC. for the period of 7/1/07 through 9/30/07.
Featured Listing in Forest Lake Minnesota: 20685 Georgia Ave N

Articles on Forest Lake, Lakeshore and Minnesota that might be of interest:

• Does "Minnesota Nice" Affect the Real Estate Market? "Yah, You Betcha!"


• Dreaming of Life on MN Acreage?--What YOU Need to Know Before YOUR Move!


• Affordable Minnesota Lakeshore


• Relocating to Forest Lake MN? The Schools are Full of Ranger Pride!

If you are relocating to Minnesota, are looking for Homes for Sale in the north and east Twin Cities metro area and need help from a professional Realtor, give me a call or visit my website for a FREE Relocation Packet. I specialize in acreage properties! Serving Anoka, Chisago, Ramsey and Washington Counties in Minnesota.

Copyright 2007 www.terieckholm.com/

Bad Parenting can Decrease Your Home’s Value!

Long before becoming a Realtor in Anoka County Minnesota, I was a neurotic mom to two very active toddlers. I use the term neurotic because what else would you call a parent who spends hours looking for a missing red permanent marker that disappeared from the counter? It will show up eventually, right? I was frantic because I didn’t want it to show up in the hands of one of my sons as he created a masterpiece on the living room wall!

We had house rules when it came to playtime. Washable markers and crayons only! Finger paint, Silly Putty and Playdoh were kitchen activities where the flooring was vinyl and washable. There was a mandatory foot check when finished to make certain no stray remnant would transfer to the carpet. Water toys were for the bathtub or swimming pool. Nerf toys were (and still are) for the outdoors.

As the boys grew older the list changed. We don’t have air BB guns or paint ball fights at our home, though most Ham Lake acreage is large enough to accommodate these activities. Dirt bike riding must stick to the marked path. No candles or unsupervised fireworks allowed. Baseballs must be hit away from the house not toward it. And water balloons and Super Soakers are filled only with water and played with outdoors.

Parenting is not an easy job. No one said it would be and it isn’t. One of the most important things you can teach a child is respect.

• Respect of self.
• Respect of other people.
• Respect of property.

Every once in a while as a Realtor I will happen upon a family situation where there is little respect for the home and property. It is obvious that the children run the home rather than the parents. Sometimes the kids aren’t even home but I can see evidence of a lack of respect and care. It is easy to tell in some cases because the writing is on the wall, literally.

I have shown half million dollar lake homes that are only a few years old where all of the newly sheet-rocked walls in the basement were “decorated” with the black Sharpie designs of a three year old. The parents didn’t mind as they were planning to finish the basement prior to closing. But what will happen in the new home when Junior tries his hand at marker-art again?

Homes barely a few years old have been ruined not only with Sharpie Markers in a rainbow of colors but by water damage in kitchens, bathrooms and laundry rooms. Carpeting and hardwood floors are damaged by not taking care with drinks, paints or messy toys. A spill on carpeting never properly cleaned up after leaves ugly discoloration. I have seen homes with cracked windows; holes in doors and walls; bathrooms with water damage from over filled bathtubs; BB holes in siding. Home fires are often started by fireworks or unattended candles…The list really goes on and on in a home with lax parenting.

Certainly, accidents happen from time to time and repairs can be made but teaching children to respect your home and property can save a family thousands of dollars and endless preparation when it becomes time to sell your home. Replacing carpeting and vinyl flooring for most homes will be a minimum of $3000-5000. Hardwood replacement can be triple that amount. Window replacement can run a thousand per window. Holes in siding can be repaired but mismatched colors kill the curb appeal. Laws in Minnesota require that a fire and repairs be disclosed to potential buyers and that will affect the value and ability of new buyers to insure the home.

If you think, so what. A new buyer can make the repairs. Think again. In a buyers market, IF a distressed property sells at all, it is sold at a substantial discount.

So institute family rules that protect your real estate investment! Become a bit neurotic and enforce ALL of them. Your kids will learn more than how to have fun, they will learn how to respect their family’s home.
Other articles on protecting your real estate investment:

• Dangerous Decorating--Home Improvements that Lower the Value of your Home!
• Something Smells Funny! Is YOUR Pet Destroying Your Home?
• Staging 101—Why Dead Animals Don’t Sell Houses!

If you are relocating to Minnesota, are looking for Homes for Sale in the north and east Twin Cities metro area and need help from a professional Realtor, give me a call or visit my website for a FREE Relocation Packet. I specialize in acreage properties! Serving Anoka, Chisago, Ramsey and Washington Counties in Minnesota.
Copyright 2007 www.terieckholm.com/