Rochester MN Real Estate Market Blog

Painting your whole house, or even just one room, not only makes your home feel clean and bright, it also gives you the opportunity to declutter, reorganize, and refresh your space. This allows you to enjoy your home even more and makes it that much easier to sell when the time comes.

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With interest rates at a 50+ year low and high levels of housing inventory for sale, it certainly should be a buyer’s market.  Rising unemployment rates and increasingly tighter requirements to get financing are keeping the buyer pool in check, especially as the home buyer tax credit becomes a distant memory.  As more homes compete [...]

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Every book I have read on trying to time the stock market says don’t. Most financial advisors recommend getting in and staying in with the proper asset allocation for your particular risk tolerance. When the market is up you’re in good shape, and when it goes down you have some protection built in through your [...]

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Some buyers balk at working with a buyer’s agent because they are concerned it will cost them money. This is understandable since it is customary to sign an agreement with the buyer’s agent defining their compensation as a percentage of the sale price. Rather than see this as a cost, see it as a protection [...]

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For years now, we’ve been recommending that home sellers pay for a professional home inspection when they list their home for sale so that both parties know the home’s strengths and weaknesses before an offer is ever made.  Savvy home sellers understand that paying for a professional home inspection can help them better position their [...]

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Sellers typically focus on what list price will sell their home quickly and for top dollar.  But when your home isn’t the only one in the neighborhood for sale, your asking price can actually result in selling your neighbor’s home instead. How? If your home is priced too high, it can make your neighbor’s home [...]

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There’s an old real estate adage that the first offer you receive is usually the best one, and my experience in 20+ years as a Realtor supports this.  I’ve encountered several listings where the seller received an offer early on, made a stiff counteroffer back to the buyer and the buyer headed for the hills. In [...]

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It’s February so it’s not too soon for crocuses and “for sale” signs to start popping up in front yards all over town.  New listings were on the upswing in the first month of the year, heralding the beginning of the spring market.   The number of total active listings in January, 2010 was up 44% [...]

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In the current economic climate, foreclosure sales are increasingly common.  Frequently these properties are appealing because they are priced to sell, often well below market value.  However, there are several obstacles and pitfalls that a buyer can expect to encounter.  The savvy buyer knows that forewarned is forearmed and approaches the purchase of a foreclosure [...]

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Amid the economic upheaval, there is good news for first-time home buyers – a tax credit of up to $7,500.  Even better – the definition of first-time home buyers includes those who have not owned a principal residence in the three year period prior to purchasing a qualifying home. The tax credit, established through the [...]

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