In this video, I'll be talking about Minneapolis. It's a lengthy video but there are plenty of things to discover: unique schools, historical flour mills, Eat Street, and much more. I have to take a jump back to Fort Snelling as it plays a part of the history of Minneapolis. Fort Snelling was one of […]

The Twin Cities Why do we call it that? What's included, what's it all about. Stay tuned! The Twin Cities as we affectionately call them refer to the cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul proper. How did we get this name? Back in the 1800's, the two cities were 14 miles apart which meant it […]

It's an often heard concern from first time buyers: "We don't have enough money for a down payment!" While there are down payment assistance programs available, saving money is not as hard as we think it is. Often, there are dollars that we are already spending on something else and all that is needed is […]

Measuring square footage of a home is not as easy as it sounds. Do you measure the outside of the foundation and include it in the finished square footage? In this brief article, I'll cover some of the basics of the various methods of measuring, as well as definitions of how we use square footage […]

Buying a home is expensive. You've got to have money for the down payment, closing costs, mortgage payment, and other ongoing expenses such as utilities, taxes and insurance. If owning a home is so expensive, shouldn't you just keep on renting? Well, even with all these expenses, there are good reasons to buy vs keeping […]

Have you been thinking about buying a home? Are you ready to become a homeowner? In this article, I've answered some questions that you should ask yourself before buying a home. I want you to honestly ask yourself these questions before moving further down the trail to homeownership. Becoming Homeowner Ready Are you financially ready? Home […]

Interest rates /What is interest? Interest is the fee that you pay to borrow money. On a home mortgage you are borrowing money from a bank to buy a house. They charge interest in order to mitigate their risk, and to make money. Interest rates affect buying power. This is especially true on mortgages which are […]

Seller's Property Disclosure Statement In Minnesota, Sellers are required to disclose what they know about a home and the property to potential buyers. This is usually done using a Seller's Property Disclosure Statement. This document is about 12 pages long and covers a range of items. It is intended to "disclose material facts of which […]

Fireplace Inspection A fireplace chimney can be a very expensive item to repair. On South Minneapolis homes, the stucco chimney on the exterior of the home can run $20,000 to rebuild it from the ground up. That is an expensive repair. A fireplace chimney inspector can send a camera up and down the chimney to verify that […]

Low water pressure can be annoying. It may make certain activities frustrating, like washing hands in the bathroom sink. Below you will find 4 main causes of low water pressure and solutions to each one of them. Debris or mineral buildup Debris in the water line is more common that you think. In Minneapolis, the water […]

When purchasing a an association unit (condo or townhouse), you will end up having to deal with the association and its restrictions, as well as increasing association dues. There is a lot of good benefit in doing your due diligence in evaluating the association. You really want to make sure the association is well funded, has […]

Earnest Money Earnest money, also called "good faith" money is money you put down to indicate that you are serious about making an offer on a home. Basically it stops 500 people from just "making an offer" on every house out there. Not just everyone will be willing to write a check for a few […]