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Twin Cities Metro taken off UG’s declining housing market list.
January 11, 2010
August 5, 2009
Heritage Village at Dakota County Fair
August 10 – August 16, 2009
Step back in time and experience rural life as it was more than a century ago at Dakota City Heritage Village.
During the fair, Dakota City comes to life with costumed interpreters and activities of 100 years ago. Open to the public at no additional charge, Dakota City is a 1900 era rural village of twenty-two buildings, including a blacksmith shop, newspaper office, schoolhouse and millinery shop, representing the business and social center of a rural community.
You may also enjoy threshing demonstrations, depot or bank robberies, bucket brigade demonstrations, or roving musicians through the village. Visit the Ahlberg Heritage Center to see our new museum exhibits and agricultural displays. You won’t want to miss the Café in the Ahlberg Heritage Center for a selection of very enticing menu items. Check out the Barn Door Store for candy, toys, and gifts. Fun for all ages can be had at Dakota City Heritage Village. Come and see!
- Stop for an ice cream cone or 1919 Root Beer
- Enjoy the sights and smells of cooking in the Harris House
- Vote in the Town Hall
- Read our daily newspaper, the Dakota City Free Press
- Daily Tractor parades
- And more!
This year Dakota City is presenting a Vaudeville show which will be performed daily during the fair in the Dakota City Tent.
August 4, 2009
Dakota County Fair Time
Its that time again! Fair time for Dakota County! This August 10th through the 16th, you can enjoy all the fun and thrills of one of the best fairs in the country, here in our own back yard! Located in Farmington, Minnesota, the Dakota County Fair has attractions for all ages. The 4-H barns will be full of kids and their show animals, projects, crafts and amazing talents.
There are hundreds of amazing food vendors and tasty treats to be enjoyed. The midway is full of crazy fun games and rides.
If you want it, chances are you can find it, in the exhibition halls. Amazing fair deals can be found all week long!
The grandstand has a jam-packed line-up all week long, from motocross to a tractor pull, demolition derbies, to a kids rodeo.
Tuesday is kids day, where children’s admission is only $1.00 when accompanied by an adult. Kids 5 years and under are free! Wednesday the 12th is Military Day, where military personnel and their family receive free parking and free admission with a military ID. Thursday the 13th is Senior Day, fair-goers over the age of 60 get free parking and admission.
My next post will highlight the Heritage Village at The Dakota County Fair, so make sure to watch for it. In the mean time, be sure you schedule some time to enjoy the fair August 10-16, 2009.
August 2, 2009
Scott County Home Buyers Club
| Are you a good home buyer candidate? Find Out NOW! Learn the keys to homeownership by attending the Home buyers Club program offered by the Scott County Community Development Agency. If you plan to buy within the next 5 years this class is for you!!
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FINANCIAL LITERACY KEYS:
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HOME MAINTENANCE KEYS:
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Home buyers Club graduates may be eligible for a grant from the Scott County CDA of up to $7500 for down payment assistance.
To learn more about or to register for, contact Nichole at nichole@mnrealestateteam.com. |
July 29, 2009
$8,000.00 up for grabs! The first time home buyer tax credit.
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With all the buzz about the slumping economy, rebates and incentives, it is hard to believe we need to remind buyers to get started now with their buying process in order to capitalize on the $8,000 first time home buyer tax credit!
If you want to take advantage of the tax credit, you must qualify as a first time home buyer…. this means you must not have been on title on a home within the last 3 years.
I invite you to get started on the process by speaking with the experts at Cornerstone Mortgage Company. The folks at Cornerstone Mortgage are going to be the essential first step in your home buying process. Since home sales are up over 20% from June of 2008, homes that are priced in accordance with the market are going fast. If you find the home you love and are not pre-approved, chances of you getting that home are very slim.
Once you are pre-approved with Cornerstone Mortgage, then we go over your home search criteria and shop for that new home! Most buyers will look for 30-60 days before they find what they are looking for. Once you have the home, it will probably be between 30-60 days before closing.
I anticipate a crazy, busy November with many first time buyers closing on home in order to receive the $8,000 tax credit, so prudent buyers will get started now! This is a wonderful opportunity to cash in big on one of the most important investments you will ever make. Take the necessary steps to insure you give yourself enough time to go about the process.
You can reach Cornerstone Mortgage Company at www.MnHomeLoan.com or through my website at www.NicholeFredrickson.com.
May 22, 2009
Weekend Activities in Elko New Market
During this Memorial Day Weekend, visit the Elko Trader’s Market! The Elko Trader’s Market is located just off I-35 , exit 76. Hundreds of vendors and antiquers will have their treasures available for the public.From 8am to 5pm on Saturday, May 23rd and 10am to 5pm on Sunday and Monday, you could find that perfect piece of furniture, incredible homemade goodies, or the “hard-to-find” antique.
The Elko Trader’s Market will happen rain or shine. Parking is free, admission is $4. Trader’s Market is only open on holiday weekends and allows visitors to find great bargains! You can also shop over the July 4th weekend, July 3,4, and 5th, 2009 or during the Labor Day weekend, September 5, 6 and 7th, 2009.
Another fun family option for this weekend is to attend the Elko 125 featuring the ASA Midwest Tour at Elko Speedway. The touring series hosts the best drivers from the Midwest and races are always exciting to watch. You can visit www.ASAMidwestTour.com for more information on the race that takes place on Saturday evening.
Whatever your plans, I want to wish you a wonderful, safe Memorial Weekend!
May 13, 2009
Buyer Beware!
With the incredible low housing prices in today’s market and the pinch on the economy putting a number of homeowners in a precarious position, gives way to scammers. When you are surfing the web looking for homes to buy, foreclosures, or discounted properties, beware! Last night I had a client call me in complete excitement. He had found a townhome in Lakeville for $6,600.00! I couldn’t believe I hadn’t heard about it! I checked the MLS system where home listings are posted for Realtor use. What I found was that the home in question had been sold in 2006 for $190,000, but was NOT currently listed with a licensed real estate agent.
I called my client to ask more details about where he had found this amazing deal online. Bargain Network. Apparently, for a $10 weekly fee, you can be first to receive the foreclosed listings from this site. WRONG! They will surely take your credit card information, as well as your $10 a week, but the information they are giving you is anything but listed bargains.
After speaking with teammates on The Minnesota Real Estate Team, I discovered that a few other agents had similar situations come up. One agent even had strangers approach her sellers (before any of the listing paperwork had been signed) stating that these strangers had seen the home for sale on bargain.com and they had cash ready to buy it right now! The seller was baffled! The buyers claimed the home was listed for $57,000. The home in question was about to be listed for sale for hundreds of thousands more.
Another team member had actually paid for the service to find out more of what it entailed. So here is the scoop….
The homes on the site are not listed for sale. If a select few of them are, they are not listed with anyone who represents bargain.com. The site is syphoning information from default notices from somewhere. The site shows the list price for what is in arrears, whether it be taxes or past due amounts on the mortgages. What the site does not seem to take into account is the balance on the existing mortgage, OR the fact that nearly all of the homes listed on the site have no knowledge they are there.
Moral of the story is “If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.” Anytime you have to pay a premium or reoccurring fee in order to obtain information from a website, chances are you are being scammed. Check with your Realtor to find the properties that are in foreclosure or being offered at discount prices.
There are great deals to be had out there, but there are also people willing to take advantage of others. Don’t get discouraged, if you are realistic about the deal you are looking for, you will find it with the help of a Realtor.
May 6, 2009
Home Buying Process – Step 5
Negotiations with seller
The seller has 3 options when they are presented with a purchase agreement offer. They can accept the purchase agreement with the exact terms you offered, reject the purchase agreement flat out, or they can counter offer the terms you wrote into the offer. In a counter offer situation, the seller can “counter” any terms, whether it be price, closing date, seller paid closing costs amount, etc. When the seller counter offers and sends the offer back to you, you as the buyer have the same 3 options. You can reject the counter offer and walk away from the deal. You can accept the terms that they changed or you can counter offer back. For more information on Counter Offers, click here http://www.southoftherivernews.com/real-estate-terms/how-does-a-counter-offer-work/
May 4, 2009
Home Buying Process – Step 4
Write an offer on the home you like
Putting together and offer on the home you like is an essential part of the process. You need to know that when you are making an offer, you will be required to put down “earnest money” that will be deposited with the listing broker when your offer is accepted. There are a few main points that need to be decided before writing an offer. First, the price. Second, are you asking for closing costs to be covered by the seller. Third, home inspection or no home inspection. Fourth, closing date. Fifth, arbitration or no arbitration. There are many more points to the purchase agreement but these are the points that the sellers will look at with the greatest weight.
May 2, 2009
Home Buying Process – Step 3
Search for Homes
So you have your criteria set and communicated to your Realtor, you have a preapproval and a clear picture of what your payment will be. Then we look for homes! I would suggest looking at 2 homes the first time you go out looking. Never see more than 6 homes at a time. They will all mesh together and you will start forgetting what the positives and negatives of each home were. During the summer, it is very easy to see the homes in the daylight hours, but during the lovely Minnesota winters, that can be tough. I highly suggest you try and visit the homes in the daylight. You will get a much better feel for the curb appeal, the immediate neighborhood, the exterior of the home (roof, siding, landscaping) and you will have a better idea of how much light is available in the home. Wear your slip-ons, it will make your life easier going in and out of homes. If you are looking at hobby farms, bring a pair of boots to get a good look at the acreage and the area. If you are looking in the winter, don’t forget the snow boots! In today’s market where there are a great percentage of foreclosed and vacant homes, you don’t want to jump through a foot of snow in slip-ons.