Twin Cities Real Estate Blog

Friendly reminder to all, if you’re looking for statistics on the housing market in the Twin Cities, here is all you need:
Foreclosures and Short Sales in the Twin Cities (updated monthly – co-created by me!)
Twin Cities Housing Market Activity Report (updated weekly)
City-Level Housing Market Data (updated monthly)
Twin Cities Monthly Market Activity (updated monthly)
Twin Cities Housing Supply [...]

As part of its plan to stimulate the U.S. housing market and address the economic challenges facing our nation, Congress has passed new legislation that:

Extends the First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit of up to $8,000 to first-time home buyers until April 30, 2010.
Expands the credit to grant up to $6,500 credit to current home owners [...]

In the last 12 months I’ve had a few situations where my client’s offer on a foreclosure was rejected in favor of a cash offer.  In my office, I know of many others that have experienced the same thing.
With the data provided by RMLS that I used yesterday to comment about FHA transactions, I am also able [...]

The IRS released the tax form required for claiming the new version of the home buyer tax credit on January 15th.  If you’re planning on claiming the credit, know that the IRS will require documentation proving you purchased the home in the eligible period.  Since this documentation will not be electronically submittable, you will have [...]

The housing market continues to change and one of the largest changes in 2009 was the resurgence of FHA financing.  As lenders have tighted up financing requirements and increased down payments from 0% a few years ago to predominantly 10% today, FHA’s more forgiving standards and lower 3.5% down payment requirement have made it a very [...]

The housing boom brought us a slew of new community developments including condos, townhomes and retail/condo buildings.  While financing on townhomes is still doable, financing options for condo & mixed-use buildings is becoming very difficult.  The developments with the hardest time getting financing are the ones that have had the highest rates of foreclosure.
So many condos built from 2005-2008 in [...]

As part of its plan to stimulate the U.S. housing market and address the economic challenges facing our nation, Congress has passed new legislation that:

Extends the First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit of up to $8,000 to first-time home buyers until April 30, 2010.
Expands the credit to grant up to $6,500 credit to current home owners [...]