The community of Blaine has continued to grow and expand in the north metro of the Twin Cities despite the economic downturn. Just drive down Highway 65 and see the Main Street (125th) overpass to get an idea of how the significant changes have affected the community. Though housing construction had slowed during 2008, it has not stopped and continues to be a force in 2009. New developments expand the housing base, especially in the townhome and lower level price points. Conveniently located along 35W and Highway 65 and connected by Highway 10 just north of the Twin Cities, Blaine is an attractive location for both business and residential development. The community is served by three school districts; Anoka Hennepin District #11, Centennial District #12, and Spring Lake Park District #16. Blaine is best known for the National Sports Center a sport and meeting facility that hosts an annual worldwide soccer event and Tournament Players Club golf course where the PGA Senior tour is played every summer.
Builders’ incentives to home buyers have required home sellers to be very competitive with housing prices making homes in the Blaine area extremely affordable. As I predicted, this affordability did continue throughout 2009. Home sold more quickly in 2009 and at better prices than in 2008 (Click Here to see stats for Blaine for the first quarter of 2008). The homes that are selling best in Blaine continue to be in the under $200,000 price point. There is currently only about 5 months of single family homes in prices under $200,000 in Blaine.
I would speculate that the tax credit incentive boosted the lower end sales considerably by enticing first time buyers into the market. Cumulative days of the market (CDOM) picked up a bit in the lower price points as compared with 2009 by a few days. It is good to note that there were a few more sales in the higher price points too. There is approximately 9 and 11 months of inventory of single family homes in the $200,000- $300,000 and $300,000-$400,000 ranges, respectively. It is also important to note that there are fewer new construction properties in the over $500,000 price range and that builders are starting to construct both townhomes AND single family homes under $200,000. Builders seem to finally realize that buyers are not buying as many “McMansions” in Blaine as they had in years past.
The townhome and condominium market is still selling slower than single family homes but inventory levels have come down considerably in the past year in Blaine. Existing townhome sellers must continue to be aggressive in their pricing to compete with builders if they want to sell their properties in this market. Townhomes under $200,000 have about an 16-18 month absorption rate but little is selling in higher price ranges so it is difficult to assess how long the current new townhome inventory will stay on the market.2009 Average Sales Price of all homes sold in Blaine:
· All Homes $196,174
· Single Family Homes $216,254
· Townhomes/Condos $150,523
2009 Average Cumulative Days on Market in Blaine:
· All Homes 143
· Single Family Homes 140
· Townhomes/Condos 150
1st Quarter Blaine residential real estate statistics for single family homes:
Under $200,000~ 104 Active Listings, 53 Pending Listings, 59 Sold Listings, 115 CDOM (New Construction Subgroup 4 Active, 2 Pending, 0 Sold)
$200,000-300,000~109 Active Listings, 33 Pending Listings, 34 Sold Listings, 167 CDOM (New Construction Subgroup 35 Active, 15 Pending, 7 Sold, 113 CDOM)
$300,000-$400,000 ~40 Active Listings, 10 Pending Listings, 16 Sold Listings, 119 CDOM (New Construction Subgroup 14 Active, 5 Pending, 7 Sold, 119 CDOM)
$400,000-$500,000 ~ 21 Active Listings, 3 Pending Listings, 4 Sold Listings, 319 CDOM (New Construction Subgroup 4 Active, 1 Pending, 3 Sold, 378 CDOM)
$500,000-$1,000,000~ 20 Active Listings, 4 Pending Listings, 3 Sold Listings, 156 CDOM (New Construction Subgroup 10 Active, 3 Pending, 1 Sold, 47 CDOM)
$1,000,000 and Up ~1 Active Listings, 0 Pending Listings, 0 Sold Listings (No New Construction over $1,000,000)
1st Quarter Blaine residential real estate statistics for townhomes and condos:
Under $200,000~ 115 Active Listings, 40 Pending Listings, 20 Sold Listings, 95 CDOM (New Construction Subgroup 14 Active, 6 Pending, 7 Sold, 40 CDOM)
$200,000-300,000~18 Active Listings, 7 Pending Listings, 0 Sold Listings (New Construction Subgroup 10 Active, 6 Pending, 0 Sold)
$300,000-$400,000 ~ 4 Active Listings, 1 Pending Listings, 2 Sold Listings, 193 CDOM (New Construction Subgroup 3 Active, 1 Pending, 1 Sold, 151 CDOM)
$400,000-$500,000 ~4 Active Listings, 0 Pending Listings, 0 Sold Listings (New Construction Subgroup 1 Active, 0 Pending, 0 Sold)
$500,000-$1,000,000~ 5 Active Listings, 0 Pending Listings, 0 Sold Listings (New Construction Subgroup 1 Active, 0 Pending, 0 Sold)
For additional information on any current Blaine real estate listing or for additional information on buying a home in Blaine contact Teri Eckholm directly at 651-336-7073.
**All Statistical information based on information from the REGIONAL MULTIPLE LISTING SERVICE of MINNESOTA, INC. for the period of 1/1/10 through 3/31/10.
Copyright 2010 Teri Eckholm
