We Build Rochester

Interesting article from Fox News…

click here

Different twist, this may surprise you….  Modular homes making a comeback …. high end ones even!

Thanks for Adam D for the heads up on this one.

Good news on the local economic status from the Post Bulletin!

Recession is over in Rochester.

Single-family home sales

Number of new listings and closed sales in 9-county southeastern Minnesota area, for two-week periods.

1-11 to 1-25, 274 new lestings, 65 closed sales

12-28 to 1-11, 159 new listings, 80 closed sales

12-14 to 12-28, 149 new listings, 87 closed sales

11-30 to 12-14, 196 new listings, 136 closed sales

11-16 to 11-30, 203 new listings, 282 closed sales

11-2 to 11-16, 221 new listings, 151 closed sales

10-19 to 11-2, 200 new listings, 237 closed sales

10-5 to 10-19, 265 new listings, 151 closed sales

9-21 to 10-5: 301 new listings, 241 closed sales

9-8 to 9-21: 288 new listings, 123 closed sales.

8-24 to 9-7: 285 new listings, 210 closed sales.

8-10 to 8-24: 372 new listings, 128 closed sales.

Taken from the Post Bulletin on Mon Feb 15th.

This site is provided by the National Association of Realtors.  Its a free site that has a TON of great information for home owners of all types of homes.

House Logic

Ok, I have been showing a new client a lot of houses over the last couple weeks and it seems that some people still don’t really get it.   If you are selling your home it needs to appeal to the person that is potentially going to buy your home and doesn’t have to be your perfect oasis anymore.  The point is that you are looking to move out anyway right?  There are a few simple rules for staging,

1.  No clutter around the house – rent a storage unit if you have to,  if you can’t find a place to put your stuff away, then its too small for my client.

2.  With the possible exception of a small childs room, the decor should be pretty neutral, don’t make my clients think that they will have to paint the entire house before they move in.   Thats TOO MUCH work on top of moving.

3. Do the basic cleaning and maintenance BEFORE listing your home, honestly your Realtor should point this out to you unless they are too afraid of hurting your feelings.  Simple fixes, like loose or ill fitting cabinet doors,  cleaning the carpets, painting the front door etc.. this is too easy not to do before you have people come through your home.

For more ideas you can check out this link to the HGTV webpage on staging tips.

This will show rebates that are available starting in 2010 for replacing older appliances with Energy Star Appliances.

Energy Savings Opportunities

Well Done – Great Ad. Click Here .

This is a great resource if you or someone you know is worried about foreclosure.  Feel free to call me to discuss any questions that you might have on this information.   If I don’t know the answer I can find it no strings attached and completely confidential.

http://portal.hud.gov/portal/page/portal/HUD/topics/avoiding_foreclosure

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to EVERYBODY!  Thanks for stopping by my new site, please leave some feedback, If there is something that would be helpful for your home search please let me know I will do my best to add it.

Be Safe and Enjoy the Holiday Season!