Mike Carlier's blog

Apple Valley, MN is progressing nicely in its return to housing market stabilization.  According to information provided by the Regional Multiple Listing Service of Minnesota, there are currently 212 homes listed for sale in Apple Valley.  In the first four months, 225 homes have been sold with a...

Lakeville is progressing nicely in its return to housing market stabilization.  According to information provided by the Regional Multiple Listing Service of Minnesota, there are currently 270 homes listed for sale in Lakeville.  In the first four months, 230 homes have been sold with another 109...

Well, existing home sales data for last month is out and the numbers were lower in March than in February.  According to the NAR press release existing home sales were down 2.6%.  Lawrence Yun, the National Association of Realtors Chief Economist, blames the lower sales on the lack of homes for s...

If you live in Burnsville and have been thinking about adding extra space to your present home, the City is offering some help in the form of rebates on the price of building permits and site review fees.  According to a press release from the city, "The rebate program began in early 2012 and is ...

Bonnie Vaughan, a Pennsylvania real estate professional with a reputation for aggressively representing the interests of her clients, has written a revealing post about an organization that uses questionable tactics and claims to skim money from people across the country.  Bonnie makes a plea to ...

I got what my insurance company calls an "Explanation of Benefits" in the mail yesterday.  It was what they consider detail for a charge for a routine annual physical.  The doctor did the usual stuff which took him several minutes, I got a tetanus shot, a flu shot, and had a vial of blood taken f...

Eagan 2012 First Quarter Housing Report Last year we reported that home sales in Eagan, MN were doing well in the first quarter. Compared to last year, inventory is down and sales are up substantially.  According to information supplied by the Regional Multiple Listing Service of Minnesota, at th...

Lakeville doing well in 2012 Last year we reported that home sales in Lakeville, MN were heating up in the first quarter. Compared to last year, inventory is down and sales are up substantially.  On March 31, 2011, total homes for sale in Lakeville totaled 338.  In comparison, there are now 270 h...

2012 Is A Breakout Year For Apple Valley Last year we reported that home sales in Apple Valley, MN were heating up in the first quarter.  Now, although 2011 had a great start, it pales in comparison to 2012.  Compared to last year, inventory is down and sales are up, and not just a little bit. On...

USDA does a great job administering the rural development loan program.  People in the more sparsely populated areas get a chance to own a home with lower startup requirements than most other programs.  Although USDA is already in the housing business of sorts, my focus in asking whether the gove...