The Social Room at this large apartment complex in a suburb of Minneapolis, MN is done! Do you think we can rent it for a party?? Oh, I guess we have to be a tenant. I was hired to Redesign a new social room for one of the properties of a large management company. After gutting and redesigning their model apartment unit, then their offices, then another social room at a different complex....we finally got started on this one. We took out one of the sliding glass doors to close off traffic flow through the sitting area. We also put in new smaller windows along the wall overlooking the pool area to make room for a fireplace. I think the tenants of this wonderful apartment complex are lucky to have this great social room!           If you need assistance with the Redesign of any of your Ho... 11/10/2010

Credit Repair in Minnesota National Credit Fixers: 330 Roberts Street Suite 402 East Hartford CT 06108 phone: 860-282-6181. National Credit Fixers boasts of 14 years experience repairing low FICO scores. Whether your credit has been damaged by a foreclosure, bankruptcy, slow credit, collections, judgments, repossessions, etc. we can help. We are the experts in credit restoration and credit repair. We have helped numerous residents of Minnesota and are experts in Minnesota credit repair. Tough times usually mean people and companies coming out of the woodwork to take advantage of desperate people. Many credit repair companies are part of that group. But there are also a number of credit repair services services that are really in it to help out a client (and if they make a few bucks alon... 10/31/2010

Great Roseville location  http Find homes for sale in the twin cities. Click, call or email when you'd like more information or a showing of any twin cities home for sale. Suburban Bank Owned Properties Give us a call when you're ready to move up Featured listings     Powderhorn http://www.realty.tc/3220_3rd.htm   $249,900 Many recent updates make this four unit building a good opportunity to immediately generate income. Each unit rented for $850/month. Newer roof, furnaces, gas lines, water heaters.... Not a short sale or foreclosure. Could be a good opportunity for an owner/occupant.   More Minneapolis MN Homes For Sale   Roseville MN Homes For Sale Maplewood MN Homes For Sale Falcon Heights MN Homes For Sale Como Area MN Homes For Sale Shoreview MN Homes For Sale Oakdale MN Homes Fo... 10/26/2010

Listen to the feedback you are receiving on your home or listing and do something about the negative feedback whenever possible. A professional Home Staging Expert can be a huge help. I was called to stage this vacant property that had almost been sold when first listed but the buyer walked away because they loved to entertain and they didn't know if they could fit a dining room table in the area right outside the kitchen. Months went by with no more interest so the owner wanted my opinion on whether or not the area could be a dining room. I took a look and made the decision that is was a perfect spot for a dining room. There was even a light right above the center of the area for a chandelier to be added. The previous owner did not use it as a dining room and the MLS photos reflected t... 10/25/2010

I had an open house in the Armatage neighborhood of southwest Minneapolis yesterday and a neighbor from across the street came over to tell me how much she loves living there. She moved to the neighborhood a couple years ago from Linden Hills, one of the most enviable Minneapolis neighborhoods, and although she misses some of her old neighbors she has fully embraced her new neighborhood. She said she loves living near the Armatage Park ballfields and loves the neighborhood sense of community!  Named after Maude Armatage, a longtime Minneapolis Park Board Commissioner and the first woman elected to a Minneapolis municipal office, Armatage is a quiet residential neighborhood in the far southwest corner of Minneapolis. Most of the homes in the neighborhood were built in the 1950's and 1960... 10/17/2010

I have blogged before about the importance of knowing your market on the hyper-local level. Understanding the intrinsic value of a neighborhood puts you ahead of those who would only assign value to a property based on bedrooms and bathrooms. I have cited access to local trails and natural features, and proximity to parkland and festivals. Sunday  September 26th was a beautiful Autumn day in South Minneapolis, and we took a walk through around Hiawatha Golf Course. We were fortunate to see wildlife that normally are only reserved for more remote locations, but the preponderance of green space in Minneapolis provides healthy habitat for many critters. This spectacular pileated woodpecker was easily 18 inches tall, and pecking away at a neighbor's tree. The homeowner didn't even notice it... 10/05/2010

Fox Spotted in Minnehaha Park... by Twin Cities Homes for Sale I was waiting for a client yesterday by Minnehaha Parkway, I saw a fox come close to the road.  I scrambled getting my camera out  before he ran away.           Contact Marzena M. Melby, GRI, CDPE, Keller Williams Integrity Realty. Licensed REALTOR® in the state of Minnesota  Visit my website to search homes for sale in the Twin Cities and surrounding areas. Disclaimer: The information provided herein is supplied by several sources and is subject to change without notice. Twin Cities Homes 4 Sale Blog does not guarantee, or is any way responsible for its accuracy, and provides said information without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. Entries on Twin Cities Homes 4 Sale Blog represent the opinions and ideas ... 10/03/2010

Rooms With Style was recently called to complete a vacant home staging in this newly refurbished and updated home in Golden Valley, MN. The home is stunning with beautiful detailing. The problem was the buyer could not differentiate between the living area and the dining area. Although the wiring had been completed, the builder chose to not add a dining room light fixture so the new home owner could place it exactly where they wanted it. Great idea but it did leave some confusion. The dining space is small but appears so much smaller when it is vacant. The living area is also small making it difficult for the buyer to imagine how the furniture will be place in this open room floor plan. In addition, the room echoed and was cold and sterile.  The rooms are now well defined and cozy. Home... 09/22/2010

One of the Twin Cities' real treasures is the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, home of the famous Spoonbridge and Cherry designed by husband and wife team Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen. A unique collaboration of Walker Art Center and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, this 11-acre urban garden is one of the largest in the country and has more than 40 works of art on permanent display... and it is totally free for anyone to enjoy! The garden is next to the Walker Art Center, and is joined to Loring Park by the  Irene Hixon Whitney pedestrian bridge designed by Siah Armajani spanning 16 lanes of traffic. Don't miss looking up to read the poem by John Ashbery commissioned for the work as you cross from either side.  On the other side of the park is the conservatory with the g... 09/12/2010

Don't you love before and after pictures? I do. That must be why I watch so my HGTV and am a Designer and Home Stager. I got the prevledge to stage this vacant home a few days ago that is an incredible house. It is only a few blocks from Lake Nokomis and has so many upgrades. The full potential of the home was being missed when it was vacant. Although good bones, there were a few spots that could leave a buyer bored. The buyer was originally greeted by a dark living room. No overheads lights and the blinds were shut so it was very difficult to see the stunning fireplace. After, the living room is full of light, very cozy and brings a smile to your face.                                                       The dining area seemed extremely small when it was empty. Now with a table it sho... 08/30/2010

A couple days ago I got the opportunity to do a Vacant Home Staging at this great home in South Minneapolis, MN. A wonderful older two story with tons of charm and character. Rooms With Style has it's own warehouse of furniture and accessories. We pick out each furniture piece down to the smallest accessory specifically for your home to suit the style, size of room as well as the targeted buyer. No two homes are the same and your staging shouldn't be either. Living Room Before and After:                                                     Dining Room Before and After:                                        08/24/2010

Here are some guidelines for the "City Living" Program available for First-time Home Buyer: (A first-time home buyer is defined as someone who has not owned, or been included on a title to a property in the last three years.) • Income: 1-2 person taxpayers with adjusted gross income of less than $83,900 - $92,290 or 3 - more persons of less than $92,290 • Purchase Price: The purchase price of a new or existing single family house, townhome or condominium is less than $369,160 (Certain adjustments apply to owner-occupied duplexes, tri-plexes and four-plexes) • Qualify for a mortgage: Loan must be a fixed rate conventional, FHA, VA or RHS mortgage product and not financed by a Mortgage Revenue Bond program. This program is available in the city of Minneapolis or Saint Paul. Contact me and... 08/23/2010

Attract More Tenants - First Impressions are key. If you are a property manager of an apartment complex the most important thing is keeping the apartments full. 100% occupancy is your goal. What if your property is in a very young and hip area but what the potential tenant sees upon entry is this:   A tired and worn out entry may not set the tone of who your target market is for the area which is young professionals. The first impression is important so this may attract more tenants to your property:   Here are more before and after pictures of the apartment entryway and sitting area:   08/19/2010

In Minneapolis sales have been down the past few weeks vs the same time last year anywhere from 30-45%, mostly as a result of the expiration of the tax credit.  At the same time the rental market has been heating up and properties are receiving multiple offers with high qualified applicants running out of inventory to choose from.  Working with some of these clients who would rent and pay top dollar for the right place I contacted numerous agents who have active listings that have been on the market for at least 90 days to see if there clients would consider listing.  Several times I received emails back within minutes very clearly saying "no."  A surprisingly number of the email responses were downright rude, which is fine, as there is plenty of that anyways in this business, unfortuna... 08/08/2010

NOTE: see the bottom of Sunday's Site posts for homes for sale in the area Idyllically situated at the southwest corner of downtown Minneapolis, Loring Park was created on 35 acres of land purchased by the city in 1883 to become what has been called "the best-located, best-financed, best-designed, and best-maintained public open space in America." The park's name honors Charles Loring, the first president of the Minneapolis Park Board and the initial force behind creating one of the most magnificent park systems in the country. It is interesting that Loring had earlier considered building his own home across from the lake in this park but decided it was too far from the city!  Today Loring Park is a green hub laced with trails connecting downtown with the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden an... 08/08/2010

If you've sold real estate for at least the past few years then you have very likely represented a buyer who submitted an offer on a short sale and eventually backed out at some point in the process.  We do our best to moderate expectations and let the buyer know the process is going to take a while and to just be patient.  When submitting offers on a buyers behalf you, of course, are looking to negotiate the best possible terms for them.  Although I think it depends on the situation, but I'm curious to know what others think about the seller having the buyer pay for the inspection before the offer is accepted by the third party? Not only do buyer's bail on short sale offers, but it's not that uncommon for sellers who have virtually no financial incentive to fail to perform as well.  So... 08/02/2010

Interest rates are at historic low's everyone should buy, buy, buy!  This seems to be the consensus from the real estate community right now, but there are dangers when dealing with artificially low interest rates.  Don't get me wrong, low rates can spur economic growth, but there are a number of factors that lead us to believe the current rates are artificially low.  Which begs the question, what's going to happen when rates rise and they eventually will.  Here's a scenario to consider: You purchase a home in today's market at $200,000 at an interest rate of 4.5% and you put 3.5% down so you carry a mortgage of $193,000.  Property taxes are equal, for this example, 1%.  Add another $100/month for insurance your PITI would be $1,239. Now consider, in two years interest rates climb to 6%... 07/29/2010

Recent heavy rains in Minneapolis found us walking along lower Minnehaha Creek to Minnehaha Falls to see the raging torrent. Minneahaha Falls Park was packed on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, as it has been for decades. Normally the falls are a trickle in mid-summer, and not nearly this dramatic. In a 1967 visit from President Lyndon Johnson during a severe drought, city officials ordered local fire hydrants opened up fully to create a more scenic waterfall via the storm drains that lead to the creek. Certainly it was nothing like this. But the falls weren't the only attraction. The park happened to be hosting Swedish Heritage Day. Tabitha's maiden name is Nord, so she felt right at home in the Svergie blue and gold. We ate Swedish meatballs and lingenberries; normally we'd have to trek... 07/29/2010

Minnesota Homeowner Short Sale * New Government Short Sale Program Lenders Pay Real Estate Commission * MN Homeowners! Sometimes Bad Things Happen To Good People Are you struggling due to your mortgage increasing or adjusted? Has your income reduced? Are you unemployed? These are only a few reasons seller's choose a short sale. A Short Sale means you sell your home for less than you owe. A Short Sale can help limit bad marks on your credit. New MHA Government Program Lenders pay the real estate commission on your Short Sale. Click Short Sales for MN Homeowners Click Attorney General MN Homeowners Facing Foreclosure Click IRS 2007 Mortgage Debt Relief Act Click Free Reports I have over 2 decades of lender experience - upper management and staff. My Comfort Level is HIGH! I'm a real esta... 07/27/2010

Monday, July 26th 2010 I was fortunate enough today to get a tour of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), but it was more than a casual tour.  I spent a couple hours with traders and specialists on the floor, seeing what they do and getting a sense of the market from them.  What did I learn?  Well, nothing new, really beyond what the traders individual job functions were.  What was reinforced was the economy is still struggling, everything is harder than it used to be.  The sense on the floor was until jobs recover, nothing recovers.  That's not to say we are in a free fall declince, but holding even is relatively optimistic.  If the traders are worried about jobs then so should the real estate market.  With the tax credit expiring the incentive is mostly gone for new buyers and until un... 07/26/2010