Posts by Guest Writer
Home Prices Reach Record High; Sales Down but Inventory Up
By David Arbit on Tuesday, January 22nd, 2019 2018 Annual Wrap-Up Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Sometimes, so are market statistics. For sellers, the big stories of 2018 were three records: prices, market times and percent of list price received at sale. For buyers, the major themes were increased new listings toward…
Read MoreLong-awaited inventory gains finally arrive
By David Arbit on Tuesday, December 18th, 2018 For the first time since April 2015, there were more homes listed for sale in the Twin Cities metro than the same month the year prior. After years of strong buyer activity and weak seller activity, the tides seem to finally be shifting. Seller activity has been…
Read MoreNew Year, New Homes! 9 Just-Built Houses Waiting for Their First Owners
The new year offers the ideal opportunity for change. Whether it’s a new climate, new job, or new school district you’re after, you also might want to consider one crucial new element—a home’s construction. New homes offer numerous benefits for homeowners—from the latest and greatest in green building techniques to modern amenities and wide-open floor…
Read MoreAdd Some Plaid to Your Holiday Decor
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR(R) Magazine Holiday decor is going gingham style this year. Checkered plaid is one of 2018’s hottest holiday design accessory. Black and white or red and black buffalo prints are popping up in everything from Christmas stockings, ornaments, table runners, and wreaths. The buffalo prints are really a nod to the…
Read MoreSupply tight but flattening, prices still rising, sales fluctuating
By David Arbit on Friday, November 16th, 2018 As sentiments regarding the direction of housing markets have changed, it’s worth remembering two key facts. First, all housing is local—what’s happening in San Francisco, Seattle and Denver is not reflective of the Minneapolis-St. Paul market. Second, the housing market faces fewer risks than in the mid-2000s.…
Read MoreHot Home Trend: Color Block Your Kitchen Cabinets
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine Getting a little mismatchy in kitchen cabinet color designs is no longer being viewed as an unfinished reno job, but instead perfectly stylish in fitting with today’s trends. These “tuxedo kitchens,” as they’re nicknamed, are where the upper cabinets may be in one color—like in all white—and then the…
Read MoreWhere Did All the Homes Go? A Historic Shortage, and Cities It’s Hitting Hardest
Of all the hyperbolic new benchmarks of the American housing market (Highest-ever national home prices! Fewest-ever days on market! Most expensive teardown shack in history!), there’s one key metric that seems to get the least number of blaring headlines: inventory levels. But maybe that should change. The fact is, the number of properties available for…
Read MoreGung-Ho Sellers Post Largest Increase in Nearly Three Years
By David Arbit on Wednesday, September 19th, 2018 More sellers are feeling optimistic about listing their homes just as humidity, cabin weekends and food-on-a-stick give way to rakes, school buses and sweater vests. Compared to last August, Twin Cities sellers listed 7.6 percent more homes on the market. That was the largest increase since late-2015.…
Read MoreFind Out the New, Hot Home Color for 2019
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR(R) Magazine Photo credit: Behr The paint company Behr has named a rich, bluish hue its 2019 Color of the Year. Blueprint is a mid-tone blue that is described as warmer than denim but softer than navy. Behr is predicting that embracing a full range of blue, teal,and gray will be…
Read MoreHow to Understand Home Staging Pricing and Proposals: Do’s and Don’ts
By Audra Slinkey, Home Staging Resource A lot of real estate agents are looking for a good, reliable home stager that can magically transform their listings into the price point their seller is hoping to achieve. The trouble and confusion sometimes comes when the real estate professional asks a few home stagers to “bid” or…
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