16,000 of the Best Reasons to Buy a Home on St Paul's Eastside in 2009!

How did that old gum commercial go? “Double the pleasure. Double the Fun.” How about “Double the Savings” with an $8000 grant AND an $8000 tax credit, if you buy a home this year on St. Paul’s east side?

Earlier this year the $8000 Tax Credit to first time homebuyers was announced as part of the stimulus plan. For those who may not have been paying attention, here is a quick rundown of the criteria to qualify for the government housing tax credit:

• The tax credit is for homebuyers buying their first home only. (But buyers are considered first time buyers if they haven’t owned a home in the past three years.)
• The money does not have to be repaid.
• The credit is capped at 10 percent of the home's purchase price with a maximum of $8,000.
• Homes must be purchased on or after January 1, 2009 and before December 1, 2009. (Note not the credit is NOT available until the end of the year. Plan accordingly!)
• Income caps to apply...Single taxpayers with incomes up to $75,000 and married couples with incomes up to $150,000 qualify for the full tax credit.
• Additional questions on the $8000 can be answered by CLICKING HERE

Now for the exciting news for Twin Cities homebuyers. In mid-April, the Pohlad Family Foundation pledged up to $20 million to support two Twin Cities neighborhoods hardest hit by the housing and foreclosure crisis. Part of that funding is being allocated in the form of grants to homebuyers in the 55106 zip code in St. Paul and 55411 zip code in Minneapolis. These areas are considered to be the hardest hit by foreclosures statewide, according to the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency.

Anyone who purchases a single-family home or duplex in either of these neighborhoods by the end of the 2009 calendar year will receive $8,000 from the Pohlad Foundation Charity. The money will not have to be repaid if the home is kept for seven years. Also the homebuyer would have to live in the home to qualify for the grant but there are no limits on income.

Here’s where “Double the Fun” comes into play: The funding would be in addition to an $8,000 federal tax credit that is part of this year's federal stimulus package. Distribution of the funds will be through the following agencies:

• Dayton’s Bluff Neighborhood Housing Services of St. Paul Phone 651-774-6995
• Neighborhood Housing Services of Minneapolis Phone 612-521-3581

As many of the homes in these neighborhoods are in foreclosure, first time homebuyers need to be savvy when making there purchase. Get educated on how to buy a home by contacting a REALTOR® that knows this part of St. Paul (or Minneapolis) and how to best negotiate a good deal on a foreclosed or bank-owned home.

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

One Week and Counting Down to the GREAT Minnesota State Fair!

It’s Coming! We are just a week away from the great Minnesota get together...better known as the Minnesota State Fair! Preparations for this fabulous event were well underway early this week. Though it looks a bit of a ghost town as of Monday when we were dropping off a few entries at the education building, there were signs of the frantic activity soon to come.

Trailers were parked strategically near displays and buildings still without signage.

Crews of hard working men were pulling up tents and working on other displays.

Though only a lone piece of farm equipment adorned Machinery Hill, there will no doubt be several more tractors on display soon.

The roads were clear of the mass of humanity that blocks every street and corner on a busy day in the last week of summer. In a remote corner of my mind I was certain I heard the echo of a long ago request for a Prontopup with ketchup and another for Tom Thumb Mini Donuts…Or was that a voice of the future? Probably both.

The 2008 Minnesota State Fair starts Thursday, August 21 and runs through Labor Day, September 2. For additional information and schedules, CLICK HERE to visit the MN State Fair website.

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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

May the Force Be With You at the Science Museum of MN…Until the Republicans Arrive!

The Science Museum of Minnesota (SMM) has played host to several intergalactic visitors this summer—The Science of STAR WARS opened for a very limited engagement this summer. The extremely popular exhibit has been packed morning, noon and night. Last week the SMM announced the tour would be extended three days until August 27. The SMM is located in downtown St. Paul along the banks of the Mississippi River and across from the XCEL Energy Center. The XCEL, home to NHL Minnesota Wild hockey, will be hosting the Republican National Convention and preparations are well underway for the big event that will start days after the close of the STAR WARS event.

Downtown St. Paul was bustling last Friday when my family and I visited the museum. We were there as the SMM opened to pick up our reserved tickets. We were warned that this is an extremely popular exhibit and were pleasantly surprised that there was ample parking and little wait time; But by mid-morning, the place was packed with fans of Yoda, Han and Luke eager to see the models and costumes used in the movies. There was hand’s on fun with opportunities to build a magnetically controlled land speeder out of LEGOS and even ride a simulated land speeder (no open toed shoes allowed!) Fans of 3CPO and R2-D2 were not disappointed as there were exhibits explaining how robots enhance our lives today…though not as animatedly as the beloved STAR WARS robotic characters. My highlight of the day was the Omni film, Special Effects which gave insights into how many film illusions are created.

All in all, STAR WARS is an event not to be missed! Hurry with the Republicans coming in on September first, there is no doubt that the exhibition won’t be extended further no matter how popular it is!

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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

It’s Historic! It’s Irish! It’s St. Patrick’s Day with a Minnesota Flair!

Or Flaherty…In this case! Though many consider Minnesota to be the home of Swedish and Norwegian immigrants, the Irish have very deep roots in Minnesota’s soil. Railroads and farming opportunities enticed Irish immigrants in the late 1800’s to the state to settle in colonies along the Mississippi. Of course on St. Patrick’s Day every Minnesotan has a bit of the Irish in them. The traditional St. Patrick’s Day parade in St. Paul was held this past Saturday as to not conflict with holy week but Minneapolis is holding true to a celebration today.

Growing up in St. Paul as a Flaherty, we did participate from time to time in the St. Paul St. Patrick's Day parade and watch the Gaelic events. I think we may have had a traditional familiy corned beef and cabbage dinner once or twice too. Whether as a spectator or walker, it was fun to watch the celebration of our heritage. The Irish dancing and music are a unique cultural experience, though I doubt my hair would have ever held those tight ringlets.

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I wanted to share some fun Minnesota Irish websites. Enjoy!

• Meet St. Patrick


• History of Irish in Minnesota


• Irish Songs and their lyrics


• Irish Recipes


• St. Paul St. Pat's


• St. Patrick's Day Online Games


• The Irish Gazette


• Official Government Website of Ireland
  

And here is the chorus of my favorite Irish song:

When Irish eyes are smiling, sure, 'tis like the morn in Spring.

In the lilt of Irish laughter, you can hear the angels sing.

When Irish hearts are happy, all the world seems bright and gay.

And when Irish eyes are smiling, sure, they steal your heart away.

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

Dinos Replace Peanuts in the Twin Cities this Summer!

My family along with thousands of others searched for a parade of Peanuts Characters for five straight years. First we searched for Snoopy throughout the city of St. Paul in the summer of 2000. The next spring in 2001, we were at it again finding Charlie Brown all around the town. During the next two summers, we looked for Lucy and Linus in Ramsey County parks, street corners and even at the Minnesota State Fair Grounds. The Peanuts parade ended in 2004 with Twin Citians asking “Where’s Woodstock?”, as we searched for Snoopy and his little yellow friend on decorated doghouses for one final summer. It was a tremendously fun way to honor the late Charles Schultz and tour our beautiful capitol city!

This summer, after a two year hiatus, the plastic statues will once again be gracing the corners of Twin City streets. Only this year the characters are not Charles Schultz creations. Get your walking shoes and cameras ready because starting in May 2007 expertly decorated dinosaurs will be invading the city streets of St. Paul and parks of Minneapolis. (Yes, this year Minneapolis has joined in the fun!)

The event is to commemorate one of my family’s favorite places, the Science Museum of Minnesota’s 100th Anniversary. The public is invited to a “paint off” in mid-May at the St. Paul RiverCentre as the artists transform the plain white statues into works of art. For more information visit www.diggingdinos.org.

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. Serving Anoka, Chisago, Ramsey and Washington Counties in Minnesota.

Copyright 2007 terieckholm.com

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Growing up Irish in St. Paul, Minnesota made March 17th an official holiday! (Okay...only a quarter Irish but on St. Pat's day, whose counting?) We attended the big downtown parade and walked under the “Flaherty” banner. Our dinner was home cooked corned beef and cabbage. We didn’t dance, but sang the “When Irish Eyes are Smiling” all day! It was fun to celebrate our heritage.

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, I wanted to share some fun Minnesota Irish websites. Enjoy!Meet St. Patrick
Irish Songs and their lyrics
Irish Recipes

May you have all the happiness

and luck that life can hold—

And at the end of all your rainbows

may you find a pot of gold.Traditional Irish Toast