Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Pumpkin Giveaway Follow-Up & Thanks

Big "thanks" to all that attended Jam Realty's 8th Annual Great Pumpkin Giveaway! We hope that you had as much fun as we did. If you were unable to attend, please try to squeeze it into your calendar next year as we enjoy seeing you all. We plan to make next year's party even bigger and better.




Remington Forrester Wirth takes in the festivities.

Minnesota Going Green (Not Black) with Yard Waste

A new state law is banning black plastic bags for leaf gathering. See the full article here.

-Michael

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

New Home Buying Seminar Dates Added

We have added a bunch of Home Buying Seminars for the fall. As always, the seminars will cover the entire home buying process from start to finish. There have been many changes in the buyer process in the past year with an increased amount of foreclosures and "short sales" and the constantly changing loan programs. All of this information will be addressed in the seminar.

We had originally designed this class for first time homebuyers. With so many changes to the market and the buying process in the past couple of years, we recommend everyone that is considering a purchase attend one of these classes as the information is vital for making a good decision in today's market.

Attendees will receive a complete home buying packet and a chance to get a free credit report. The seminar is at no cost and no obligation.

Spread the word - come one, come all!

Here is the link to the Home Buying Education Main Page.

Monday, September 28, 2009

8th Annual Pumpkin Giveaway Coming...


We are excited to invite you back to Pahl's Market for our 8th annual pumpkin giveaway! Invitations should be arriving this week. If you do not receive an invitation, drop us a line and we will get one sent out.

Look forward to seeing you all very soon.

Save the date - October 17th, 12-2pm.

$8,000 Tax Credit Ending Soon!

It's not too late! First time home buyers must close on a property before December 1st to qualify for the $8k credit. If they start the process today, they still have time to take advantage of this great opportunity.

Email or call to schedule a consultation at your convenience.

-michael

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Very Useful Minneapolis-St. Paul Neighborhood Website

Attention home shoppers looking in the confines of either Minneapolis or Saint Paul:

Spend some time here! This site offers a great deal of information on our fair cities including neighborhood incentive programs, school district info, and even gives each area a "walk score" which rates the neighborhood on the amenities located within walking distance.

-michael

Eden Prairie Listing Lowers Price

Our listing at 13976 Wellington Drive in Eden Prairie lowered it's price to $234,900. More information on this exceptional property can be found here.

-michael

Thursday, April 16, 2009

National 1st Quarter Foreclosure Data Released

Yep, another quarter and another new foreclosure record. The foreclosure rate in America rose 9% to start 2009 the New York Times is reporting. We should have local area information soon. Minnesota will certainly have it's fair share of the increase but other ares of the country (So Cal, Florida) have been hit much harder.

See the complete article here.

-michael

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Sales Up/Inventory Down!

Recent data indicates that the last couple of weeks have seen an increase in activity in the market - busiest week for sales in two years. Inventory (the culprit behind the market slowdown) is down substantially from a year ago. This is one small step towards market stability. See the information below from the Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors -

* 1004 sales reported for week ending April 4 - as 28.7 percent increase over the same week last year and the single best week since May of 2007

* There are currently 26,085 homes on the market - 17.5 percent below this time last year.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

First Time Homebuyer Credit, Take 2

Uncle Sam is handing out $8000 tax credits to any and all first time home buyers who purchase before December 1 of 2009. Most government handouts come with the catch - like 2008's $7500 tax credit that amounted in nothing more than an interest-free loan from the IRS. This time around the rules are pretty basic - buyer must have income under $75k for singles ($150k for couples) and not owned a primary residence in the past three years and you are golden.

The $8000 is real money. If you normally get a tax return each year, add $8000 to the total. If you're self-employed and have to pay-in like myself, then subtract $8000 from the total. If you purchase in the first quarter of this year (like say right now), you can even apply the credit to your 2008 taxes. Buy today - get a considerable tax return tomorrow.

Here is the official homepage of the FHTC with FAQs.

Please spread the word - anyone considering a purchase this year but is not sure about timing needs to factor this substantial savings into the equation. We will add a piece on this to all of our upcoming home buying seminars.

Like always, we'd be happy to discuss this issue in more detail. Feel free to email or call. Otherwise, your personal accounts or CPA should be up to speed on the new law.

-Michael

Monday, February 9, 2009

2008 4th Quarter Data Now Available

The Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors has compiled the numbers for the end of year. Of key interest in the report is the fact that lender mitigated listings (fancy pants terminology for properties that are either 1. owned by the bank via foreclosure or 2. sold in preforeclosure by the owner while negotiating a loss with the bank) were down 4.3% for the fourth quarter. This is a ray of hope on a cloudy day (literally, a very cloudy day on this Monday in February). Currently, inventory is the enemy. The glut of inventory coupled with decreasing amounts of buyers is responsible for the depreciation experienced in the last 2 years. For things in the market to stabilize, we will continue to need reports similar to this. Those of you looking to take advantage of buying opportunities this is also something to take note of as less bank owned properties = less "steals" in the future.

Here is the report from the Association. If you would like to discuss the numbers in the report, please don't hesitate to email or call. I would be happy to talk about what the numbers mean for your particular area.

The association puts together a very nice Youtube video of information affectionetly referred to as "The Skinny". It is almost always useful information. Feel free to watch the video here.

-Michael