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A Perfect Day
2008-04-25 04:39:00
The sun set on my left, a golden orb announcing the end of a perfect day.  The blue gray clouds to my right formed a perfect backdrop for tiny raindrop prisms.  I reflected over the day.  Paper was pushed for hours in the morning.  Appointments were attended in the cleansing warmth of the spring rain.  Calls were completed as I traveled out of St. Paul to "Grandparents' Day" for my grandson.  Road trips are always good times for reflection.  The trip back rewarded me with a full rainbow.  Two pots of gold!  One for family.  One for a productive day.  It doesn't get any better than this.
More About: Perfect , Perfect Day

How Many Houses Does It Take
2008-04-24 18:19:00
We've all heard the jokes, "How many (insert people group name) does it take to change a light bulb?".  A similar question is asked by buyers.  "How many houses does it take before we choose one?"  Like everything else in real estate, the answer is that it depends.  Some of the criteria it depends on include: How clearly the buyers communicate what they want in their house to their real estate agent. How well the real estate agent listens to the buyers. Whether all buyers agree on what they want in a house. Whether buyers who disagree are capable of compromising and coming to an agreement! The number of houses on the market and how that number is perceived by the buyer. The buyer's motivation to buy. The buyer's price range. The buyer's time line. The buyer's fear. The buyer's pickiness. Support of family and friends. Undermining of the process by family and friends. How closely the buyers' desires in a house match what is ...
More About: Houses

National Real Estate Statistics 2008
2008-04-24 06:31:00
First American Core Logic, a leader in residential analytics of mortgage data, released new national statistics on April 22. Using their LoanPerformance Home Price Index criteria, 36 states experienced a housing price decline over the last 3 months ending with...
More About: National , Estate , Real Estate , Statistics , Real

Pregnant Lilacs
2008-04-24 04:45:00
The lilacs in St. Paul are about to give birth!
More About: Pregnant

Agency Disclosure
2008-04-22 06:06:00
Corralling some of today's buyers long enough to go through the agency disclosure isn't always the easiest task. Many times I've been told, "Just show me where to sign." Early in my career it became apparent that agency had to...
More About: Agency , Disclosure

Rozieasaurus
2008-04-20 05:36:00
Rozieasaurus, the Diggin' Dino created for the Rozie Angell Parish family by Jennifer Englin-Gillings, spent the summer of 2007 at the Children's Hospital St. Paul Garden.  If Rozieasaurus was anything like the real Rozie, I think I would have liked her.  Dare I say the dinosaur shows a woman who loved life, flowers, bugs, and was maybe, just a bit eccentric?  I think it's the hat that made me think that.  The real Rozie Parish, a native east sider, was St. Paul's first Miss Grand Avenue and graduated from Johnson High School in 1964.  Rozieasaurus still stands by the parking lot of St. Paul's Children Hospital. Click on the picture for larger detail.

Venetian Carousel at the Maplewood Mall in Minnesota
2008-04-19 04:06:00
The Venetian Carousel located in the Maplewood Mall in Maplewood, Minnesota , provides entertainment and a brief respite from shopping for a nominal fee. Children are drawn to the music and 2000 lights, as are some of us older children as...

Differences Between Buyers and Sellers
2008-04-18 06:55:00
A colleague coined the phrase, "Today's seller was not yesterday's picky buyer." The intent behind her statement rang true. Many home sellers in today's real estate market purchased in the feeding frenzy years. They weren't given the option of choosing...
More About: Differences , Sellers , Buyers

Tax Day 2008
2008-04-16 18:06:00
It was my first experience with delivering taxes in downtown St. Paul. The only other time I've been unfortunate enough to mail taxes after closing time was in Minneapolis. That evening was truly an event as we lined up by...
More About: 2008

Vacant Homes
2008-04-15 00:40:00
Many homes that are currently for sale are vacant. When buying a vacant home, it is important to remember a few things that you might not consider when buying a home that has been continuously occupied. If the home has...
More About: Home Buyers , Homes , Vacant

Hopeasaurus
2008-04-13 06:17:00
This Diggin' Dino spent the summer of 2007 at the Saint Paul YWCA at 375 Selby Avenue. Hopeasaurus, created for the YWCA by friends of the "Y", carries "the hopes of women, children and families" in the spots on her...

St. Paul Real Estate Sales March 2008
2008-04-11 23:02:00
This chart is based on information from the REGIONAL MULTIPLE LISTING SERVICE OF MINNESOTA, INC for the period March 1, 2008, through March 31, 2008. Clicking on the chart will enlarge the image so that it is readable. The change...
More About: Estate , Real Estate , Sales , Paul , Real

Fickle Spring
2008-04-11 06:51:00
It's only 5 days from tax day and it's thundering and lightening and SNOW is falling from the sky!
More About: Spring

How Much Is My Saint Paul House Worth
2008-04-09 07:12:00
Time after time in our recent market, real estate agents have heard the words, ". . . but our house appraised for $$$ last year." Those words are not just a reflection of the decline in property values, but can...
More About: House , Paul , Worth , Saint

Does a Martian Own My St. Paul House
2008-04-06 18:11:00
Most of us sit on our front porches in St. Paul minding our own business. Passersby get a nod. Friends stop and chat. The greeting a "little green man" from Mars might receive is unthinkable. If that "little green man"...
More About: House , St Paul

Stribasaurus
2008-04-06 05:57:00
I write a blog. They say blogs are the nemesis of newspapers. Will I, and my fellow bloggers, be responsible for the extinction of Stribasaurus? Oh, my, I hope not. Such a stately creature to be put by the wayside....

A New (or Is It Old) View on Finances
2008-04-03 07:42:00
There's an entertaining little book being read recently. It's not your ordinary book, but a collection of parable like stories from the richest man in the city of Babylon, at one time the richest city on earth. "The Richest Man...
More About: Finances , View

A Staging Nightmare
2008-04-03 03:35:00
This St. Paul house seemed very normal from the outside. The exterior was a traditional two story with straight lines in good repair and the expectation for the interior was more of the same. The hope was that some of...
More About: Nightmare , Staging

April Fool's Day 2008
2008-04-01 07:01:00
Did you know there's an April Fool's Day Parade every year in New York City? I didn't either, but here's proof positive: a press release for the 23rd Annual April Fool's Day Parade which begins at noon on Fifth Avenue...
More About: 2008

REALTOR® Safety
2008-03-31 22:45:00
When an ex-con kills a 71 year old REALTOR® in Wisconsin just because her innocent question made him mad, it's no wonder St. Paul real estate agents are taking more safety precautions. Read the story here. Safety tips used by...
More About: Realtor

Sunday in Como Park
2008-03-31 06:02:00
It's Sunday and a great day for taking the dogs for a walk. The old Dalmatian and the Lady Bella their stuff this afternoon along with half of St. Paul . St. Paul dwellers know that the best cure for cabin...
More About: Park , Como

Tax Day Is Coming
2008-03-30 01:43:00
It's getting close to tax day and if you haven't been to your accountant yet, this Diggin' Dino would be more than happy to help. Accountantasaurus was created for LarsonAllen, a St. Paul professional service firm, by Kim Cope and...

Condemned Houses II
2008-03-29 07:01:00
With more and more blue signs going up around St. Paul marking homes as registered vacant buildings, it's been hard to ignore the repercussions of a home being condemned. One negative side effect is that mail delivery is ceased within...
More About: Houses , Condemned

Resources for Kids and Adults
2008-03-28 16:07:00
Another one of those circulating e-mails warning of a scam came my way this morning. Normally www.snopes.com is my first resource to verify if these scam warnings are real or not. This e-mail had a note attached that the sender...
More About: Kids , Resources

Short Sale Purchases
2008-03-26 22:06:00
Practically everyone has heard the encouraging news about the upswing in sales in February this year. An increase of 2.9% in number of sales over last year is definitely a positive. The second part of the news story is that...
More About: Sale , Short

Buying Real Estate During a Divorce
2008-03-26 05:23:00
I first published this post in October, 2006, but it's a topic that needs repeating! Divorce is a tough topic for most people. It's hard enough acknowledging that the relationship is not working, but then everything has to be split...
More About: Buying , Estate , Real Estate , Real

State of Hockeyasaurus
2008-03-23 03:23:00
Hockey is quickly wrapping up for the year and this poor Diggin' Dino almost got left in the folder. The Minnesota Wild has only 6 games left so the dino State of Hockeyasaurus is cheering them on. State of Hockeyasaurus...

An Ode to Spring
2008-03-21 23:13:00
The calender says it's spring. The calender says it's Good Friday. The calender says Easter bonnets will abound in two days. Why am I seeing white stuff on the trees? Actually, March is the snowiest month in St. Paul , but...
More About: Spring

Typical Cat Antics
2008-03-20 08:17:00
Thanks to Athol Kay in Connecticut for finding this great cat video. If you've ever had a cat, you recognize the behavior!
More About: Antics

Chopsticks
2008-03-20 02:28:00
Eating with chopsticks is an acquired skill that has absolutely nothing to do with St. Paul real estate! But, it does have a lot to do with many of my favorite St. Paul restaurants which are Asian. Before moving to...