Wednesday, March 30, 2011

2011 Home & Garden Expo- Apple Valley

Saturday, April 2nd is the annual Home & Garden Expo at the Dakota County Western Service Center in Apple Valley. Check it out between 9 AM and 3 PM; there is free admission and parking. With over 100 local vendors on hand, seminars to attend and activities for kids, it is a fun family event. You can find out more from the Apple Valley Chamber of Commerce. Jacqueline Knauf, RE/MAX Results

Friday, March 25, 2011

Twin Cities Real Estate Outlook

In a report out from The Minneapolis Association of Realtors covering the Twin Cities 13 county metro area, February figures appear dismal but is the market as dire as the numbers indicate? Pending sales were down 12% and the median sales price was down $17,000 from February 2010. It is important to note that last February buyers were driven by the tax credit so the comparison is not really an "apples to apples" comparison. I see the increase of 8.6% in pending sales from January 2011 to February 2011 as a positive sign. The commentary in the report also points out short sale inventory with offers on it are not counted in the pending sales statistics. It will be interesting to see how March numbers play out. For detailed information about your area and price range, contact me.

Jacqueline A. Knauf, RE/MAX Results

Friday, March 18, 2011

Interested in Free Admission to the Minnesota Zoo?

Recycle your old cell phone and receive free admission to the Minnesota Zoo! The zoo is holding this promotion now until the end of March to support Recycle for Rainforests. Make sure to visit the new Russia's Grizzly Coast exhibit to see the brown bears while you are there. If you have little legs with you, I recommend the monorail for a birds-eye view of many animal exhibits and the conductors typically give a very informative commentary.

The Minnesota Zoo is located in Apple Valley and is about 10 minutes south of the Mall of America. Look for scenes of my visit to the zoo in my video blog tour of Apple Valley coming this spring.

Jacqueline Knauf, RE/MAX Results

Thursday, March 17, 2011

City of Apple Valley Tree Sale

Are you a resident of Apple Valley and looking to do some landscaping this spring? The city is accepting orders for the 2011 Tree and Shrub Sale. Several varieites of shrubs are available for $6 each and trees range from $20 to $29 each. Here is the order form; orders are due by April 15th. Take advantage of this opportunity to increase your home's curb appeal!

Jacqueline Knauf, RE/MAX Results

Monday, March 14, 2011

Casting for Sweat Equity on the DIY Network

The show Sweat Equity on DIY Network is casting for homeowners in Minneapolis/St Paul area for their new season. I love this show! The host, Amy Matthews, is a Minnesota native and she really knows renovation. I enjoy seeing the homeowners on the show go through the renovation process and see how much value they add to their home by doing as much of the work as possible themselves.

Here are the details if you want to apply and get help on your next renovation. If you haven't watched the show, check out full episodes on-line.

-Jacqueline Knauf, RE/MAX Results

Monthly Skinny: February 2011

Spring Update From Jacqueline

Since there is still a good 10 inches on snow on the ground, it is hard to believe it is the middle of March already. The Spring Parade of Homes is underway offering 340 new homes to tour throughout the Twin Cities through April 3rd. It is going to warm up this week and is the perfect time to get out and about. If you like Million Dollar Listing on BRAVO, you might want to check out one of Minnesota's million dollar homes by touring this Dream Home in Edina.

I have been going to the Parade of Homes every year for the past twelve years. I am excited to see that energy efficiency is a focus of many of the builders this year across all price ranges. I will give you my reviews after my tour.

Jacqueline Knauf, RE/MAX Results