Real Estate Information

It is that time of year again when agents & visitors will be donning their slip in shoes and loading up on snacks for their 6 hour long stays during the Builders Association of The Twin Cities, Spring Preview.  The Parade of Homes starts on Saturday March 5th and runs through Sunday April 3. 

For the past few years, the Parade of Homes has seen a drop off in the number of houses and builders participating in the preview.  This year one builder is taking a leap of faith that the market has now officially "bounced off the bottom".  Gorham Companies will unveil 3 brand new models at 3 different price points.  Gorham has seen a steady uptick in traffic and home sales throughout the past year.  They have built/sold nearly 20 homes in The Lakes of Radisson/Blaine in the past year. 

According to Mike Gorham, Gorham Companies will actually unveil 4 new completed models this Spring, with 2 of the model homes located on the shores of Sunrise Lake.  They will be priced anywhere from $345K to $625K.  Gorham feels that the market has definitely turned around and that with the low interest rates, people feel inclined to get back into thinking of building new homes.  At a time when most builders are cutting back and not producing as many models and homes, Gorham has continually been coming up with new plans/designs/ and model homes.  "We feel the market is ready to go back up.  In the last year, we have seen a steady turnaround of home buyers purchasing with us in The Lakes."

Be sure to check out Gorham Companies in the 2011 Spring Preview this year.

Gorham Companies can be reached at 763-755-1717.   

Travis Sabby Re/Max Results- 612.600.6000

I have lived in the Twin Cities all of my life, and have never seen a coyote in the wild until the last few years.  On Martin Luther King day 2011, a coyote ran right in front of my vehicle as I left my Shoreview Re/max office.  I don't know who was suprised more, the coyote or myself.  Luckily I had brought along my wife's new Nikon D7000 and had it next to me as I drove along.  I was able to get some great shots of the coyote before he bounded off into the snowy wonderland.  Let's be honest, he probably just went and hid under someone's deck! 

I did check with the DNR, and they stated that coyote populations in Minnesota are growing.  The coyote is Minnesota's most abundant large predator.  Most coyotes live to be only 2 years old, but some have been known to live as long as 13 years.  Coyotes do not like humans, and mostly keep to themselves.  Their main food is small rodents, rabbits, some birds, and some deer.  Most of the deer is road kill or just small fawns.  According to Ohio State University, less than 1% of coyotes diet are cats or domesticated animals.  The DNR encourages homeowners to keep pets close by to avoid interactions with Coyotes. 

The DNR states that as the urban sprawl keeps spreading, we are uprooting the homes of wildlife including the coyote.  Coyotes become very good at adapting to the new neighbors and settings, and are just like deer.  They live amongst us.  North Oaks is known to have a decent sized coyote population as is Lino Lakes.  Coyotes tend to live in areas like golf courses and wooded areas along ponds,lakes, and streams. 

The latest coyote sighting occured in Harbor Place in Shoreview.  I have also spotted many coyotes in The Lakes development in Blaine. 

The moral of this story is that yes, there are coyotes living next to you!  Whether you live in the Lakes of Blaine, North Oaks, Shoreview, or Harbor Place, you just need to be aware of it and realize that the coyotes are there to stay. 

Here is a link to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources for information on coyotes. 

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/mammals/coyote.html

Travis Sabby can be reached at 612.600.6000 or travis@sabby.com

For more information about The Lakes, Shoreview, North Oaks, or  any real estate question go to www.sabby.com

Travis Sabby-Re/Max Results

612.600.6000 or travis@sabby.com

www.sabby.com

Blaine, MN A Market Turnaround in 2010!

April 15, 2010 ReoMac Convention, Palm Desert California.

The weather is beautiful in Palm Springs this time of year.  Unfortunately for me, I didn't have a chance to bring my golf clubs on this trip as it is all business.  This conference is flooded with economists and guest speakers that are passionate about the US real estate market.  The headliners Ben Stein and Christopher Thornberg of Beacon Economics, delivered two complimentary speeches on the state of the economy and housing market in the United States. Here are some thoughts on Ben Stein's views of our country. 

Mr. Stein had some great jokes and a philosophical view of the history of the United States since his birth.  He stated that, "Since 1944 the United States of America has undergone one of the greatest social transformations in the history of the world."  I couldn't agree more.  The racial boundaries in America are gone.  Opportunity abounds for all people in the US.  American's problems are very small compared to what people faced in the 30's and 40's. 

Mr. Stein has bought and sold some 20 houses in his lifetime, and currently owns 10 homes!  He says the IRS / Govt / etc. cannot take away the emotional impact that is felt by owning the home of your dreams.  Life is too short, and being in a home that you love has a tremendous impact on your emotional attitude.  Again, I couldn't agree more. 

Ben, also talked about who the real stars are in America.  Someone once told him that he lived by all of the stars in the world.  From Barbara Streisand to Charlie Sheen.  Ben said, "They are not stars at all.  They are just people like you and I that are making a living.  The real stars in America are the people who put their lives on the line defending our country.  It is the police officers that protect our communities, and the firefighters who keep us safe.  The stars are the teachers who are moulding our future leader's minds."  

I know that we all agree with those comments.  For Americans the future is bright. 

I'm often asked if this is a good time to buy a home. Some clients are concerned that home prices may fall further than they have already. They are assuming that the best course of action is to wait for the bottom in the market and then buy. The problem with this approach is that you don't know where the bottom is until you see it in the rear view mirror, meaning until you've missed it!

Home prices are one factor in determining your cost of ownership, but so are interest rates and financing availability. Even though interest rates have gone up in the last six months, they are still near historic lows. Since your monthly mortgage payment is a combination of paying down your principal and paying the interest owed, if home prices come down a little further but interest rates up, it could cost you even more to service a mortgage on an identical home!

While a home is a major investment, it is also the center of your personal life. It's important to live in a home that reflects your taste and values, yet is within your financial "comfort zone." To that end, it may be more important to lock in today's relatively low interest rates and low home prices, rather than to hope for a further break in prices in the future.

Please give me a call if I can be of any assistance in determining how much home you can afford in today's market.