Twin Cities Real Estate Podcast with Mark Callender

Selling your Minneapolis home? Get a free Home Value Report Buying a Minneapolis home? Search all Homes for Sale Most people are aware that rents are always rising, but many don't know that renting is currently more expensive than buying a home. That's right -- many renters can afford to purchase a home and don't even know it. Today, I want to offer a few tips to help you avoid getting trapped in the rental market. There are many benefits to owning a home. Home ownership protects you from rising rents in today's economy. When you rent a home, you are paying for someone else's mortgage. If you look at the costs, locking in your mortgage rate is a fixed expense. When you rent, leases are almost guaranteed to rise. It's also important to know your options. There are a lot of misconceptions out there. For example, you don't need 10% or 20% saved for a down payment on a home. You may have enough money for a down payment already, and your credit score may be high enough to buy a home as well. There are many different loan programs out there depending on where you want to buy. The best thing to do is get in touch with your loan officer or real estate agent to review your options. If you're thinking about buying, contact them three months ahead. There are problems with many credit reports today that take time to clean up. Remember, don't hold yourself back! If you have any questions about buying a home in today's market, give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you. One final note: thank you all for your support in 2015! 2016 looks like it will be another great year for real estate although we will be in a seller's market.

.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; height: auto; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Selling your Minneapolis home? Get a free Home Value Report Buying a Minneapolis home? Search all Homes for Sale Today, we want to give you a quick 2015 market wrap up. What market trends have we seen over the last month and what can be expected moving forward? Here are the quick facts: We saw a 29.3% increase in the price range with the strongest sales. In other words, the strongest sales in the 2015 market were priced between $190K-$250K.  Single-family detached homes were the most popular. They had the strongest sales in the past year, for a total increase of 16.5%! Previously owned homes are outpacing new construction properties. This is typical in any market, but they are up 16.2%. We've seen a change in new listings of almost 12%. We also saw a changed in closed sales of 1.3%, which seems small, but only because inventory is so low. The change in the median sales price is up 7.3%. This is great news for homeowners who are looking to sell their home for a great value. Now is a great time to put your home on the market. Inventory is low and prices are rising, so you might be surprised to find that your home has higher equity than you realized. If you have any questions about how to take advantage of these market conditions, or if you need real estate assistance of any kind, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. We would love to hear from you!

.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; height: auto; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Selling your Minneapolis home? Get a free Home Value Report Buying a Minneapolis home? Search all Homes for Sale We’ve been a proud supporter of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals since 1992. Tens of thousands of RE/MAX agents have been involved with this organization for 23 years. Together, we raise money for children with disabilities and these hospitals cater specifically to that demographic. I had the pleasure of touring the Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare, a nonprofit hospital affiliated with this charity, located in St. Paul. I saw what they do behind-the-scenes there and it’s incredible.   There’s something you should know when working with a RE/MAX agent. If they’re involved with this program, part of their commission goes to the Children’s Miracle Network whenever a transaction closes. It’s so important to give back to the community. As always, if you have any questions about the Children’s Miracle Network or real estate, please reach out. Give me a call or send me an email today.

.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; height: auto; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Selling your Minneapolis home? Get a free Home Value Report Buying a Minneapolis home? Search all Homes for Sale When trying to get a home loan, there are many things you need to avoid in order to ensure things go smoothly. Knowing what to expect and how to handle yourself is crucial. Your finances are under a lot of scrutiny when applying for a loan to buy a home, so be sure to avoid these 10 things: 1. Change jobs 2. Charge credit cards 3. Fall behind on payments 4. Spend any money you've set aside for the buying process 5. Omit any information or debts on initial application 6. Purchase furniture or other expensive items 7. Originate any inquiries into your credit 8. Make large deposits into your bank account 9. Change banks 10. Cosign any loans    You're going to get checked a few days before closing and underwriters are going to keep a close eye on your finances throughout the process. If you do any of these things, they will notice, and it could affect your ability to close. If you have any questions about how you can be sure the buying process goes smoothly, give us a call or shoot us a quick email. We would love to hear from you!