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><channel><title>Twin Cities Real Estate Blog &#187; Opinion</title> <atom:link href="http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/category/opinion/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /><link>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com</link> <description>Housing News, Opinion, Statistics and Homes for Sale</description> <lastBuildDate>Fri, 03 Sep 2010 20:57:24 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en</language> <sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency> <generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=abc</generator> <item><title>Can Kevin Costner&#8217;s Centrifuges Save Minnesota Lakes?</title><link>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/can-kevin-costners-centrifuges-save-minnesota-lakes/</link> <comments>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/can-kevin-costners-centrifuges-save-minnesota-lakes/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Mon, 30 Aug 2010 12:50:42 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Aaron Dickinson</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Community Issues]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Lakeshore]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Personal Experiences]]></category><guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/?p=1595</guid> <description><![CDATA[While cleanup in the Gulf is still ongoing, it seems like Kevin Costner &#38; his company have left the public limelight just as quickly as they had come in to it.  In the last month I&#8217;ve been showing a client Minnesota lakeshore homes and it occurred to me that maybe this technology can save more [...]]]></description> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/can-kevin-costners-centrifuges-save-minnesota-lakes/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>8 Predictions for 2010 Twin Cities Housing Market &#8211; August Update</title><link>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/8-predictions-2010-twin-cities-housing-market/</link> <comments>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/8-predictions-2010-twin-cities-housing-market/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Tue, 24 Aug 2010 19:51:38 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Aaron Dickinson</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Community Issues]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Crystal Ball Projections]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Foreclosures and Short Sales]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Info for Buyers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Info for Sellers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Market Stats]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Mortgage Rates]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Personal Experiences]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Short Sales]]></category> <category><![CDATA[special financing]]></category> <category><![CDATA[tax credits]]></category> <category><![CDATA[housing market prediction]]></category><guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/?p=1579</guid> <description><![CDATA[Below you will find my predictions from a January 7, 2010 blog post and my comments on each of those predictions as of August 24, 2010: Foreclosures will continue to come on the market and many will be scooped up quickly with multiple offers. Correct!  This has been the case so far this year, though [...]]]></description> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/8-predictions-2010-twin-cities-housing-market/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>3</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Foreclosures: Doing the Right Thing &#8211; Part II</title><link>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/foreclosures-doing-the-right-thing-ii/</link> <comments>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/foreclosures-doing-the-right-thing-ii/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Fri, 20 Aug 2010 19:46:10 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Aaron Dickinson</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Community Issues]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Foreclosures and Short Sales]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Media]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category><guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/?p=1571</guid> <description><![CDATA[A few days ago I wrote about one couple&#8217;s decision to skip out on their obligations out of convenience, and today I found one that makes the last couple look like saints: Ohio Man Bulldozes Home to Avoid Foreclosure From what I hear, this isn&#8217;t illegal in many areas.  Since the guy owned the home [...]]]></description> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/foreclosures-doing-the-right-thing-ii/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>7</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Foreclosures: Doing the Right Thing</title><link>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/foreclosures-doing-the-right-thing/</link> <comments>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/foreclosures-doing-the-right-thing/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Wed, 18 Aug 2010 14:18:05 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Aaron Dickinson</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Community Issues]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Foreclosures and Short Sales]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Info for Sellers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Media]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Personal Experiences]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Useless Ramblings]]></category><guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/?p=1565</guid> <description><![CDATA[Today there is an article in the Star Tribune discussing options for homeowners that are underwater.  Today this is a commonly discussed topic and one that shouldn&#8217;t be ignored.  The first couple in the article talk about their decision to walk away from their home.  The article discusses their reasoning for walking away and they [...]]]></description> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/foreclosures-doing-the-right-thing/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>4</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>2010 Twin Cities Pre-Foreclosure Notices up 20% vs 2009</title><link>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/twin-cities-pre-foreclosure-notices/</link> <comments>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/twin-cities-pre-foreclosure-notices/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Thu, 05 Aug 2010 16:25:32 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Aaron Dickinson</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Community Issues]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Foreclosures and Short Sales]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Market Stats]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Personal Experiences]]></category> <category><![CDATA[foreclosures]]></category> <category><![CDATA[pre-foreclosures]]></category> <category><![CDATA[short sales]]></category><guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/?p=1479</guid> <description><![CDATA[The Minnesota Home Ownership Center has been tracking pre-foreclosure notices received by foreclosure counseling agencies throughout Minnesota and just posted some updated charts that show 2010 pre-foreclosure notices are consistently higher than the same time frame in 2009.  Through June 2010, notices are up a considerable 20%: I don&#8217;t find these numbers very surprising: the [...]]]></description> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/twin-cities-pre-foreclosure-notices/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Naughty People in Real Estate</title><link>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/naughty-people-in-real-estate/</link> <comments>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/naughty-people-in-real-estate/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Wed, 14 Jul 2010 12:22:12 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Aaron Dickinson</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Community Issues]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Ethics]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Personal Experiences]]></category><guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/?p=1389</guid> <description><![CDATA[The Minnesota Department of Commerce puts out a report of their &#8220;enforcement actions&#8221; against licensees in industries they regulate.  The DOC regulates  MN-chartered banks, debt collectors, notaries, insurance companies, mortgage companies, appraisers, and real estate agents/brokers. I find it interesting to see what people in the real estate field are caught doing and what their [...]]]></description> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/naughty-people-in-real-estate/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>2</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Great Explanation on Trademarks and REALTORS</title><link>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/explaining-trademarks-realtors/</link> <comments>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/explaining-trademarks-realtors/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:44:07 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Aaron Dickinson</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Ethics]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Useless Ramblings]]></category><guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/?p=1387</guid> <description><![CDATA[This isn&#8217;t the typical nerdy stats or opinion piece I normally do but I thought this was a great explanation of trademark law and also what makes a REALTOR different than a real estate agent: I&#8217;m a big fan of what sets REALTORS apart for just licensed real estate agents &#8211; I believe the biggest [...]]]></description> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/explaining-trademarks-realtors/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>4</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Twin Cities: 1 in 6 Homes Purchased With Cash in 1st Half of 2010</title><link>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/twin-cities-1-in-six-homes-purchased-cash-2010/</link> <comments>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/twin-cities-1-in-six-homes-purchased-cash-2010/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Mon, 12 Jul 2010 12:31:59 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Aaron Dickinson</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Foreclosures and Short Sales]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Info for Sellers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Market Stats]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category> <category><![CDATA[cash financing]]></category> <category><![CDATA[foreclosures]]></category> <category><![CDATA[investors]]></category><guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/?p=1370</guid> <description><![CDATA[Based on data from NorthstarMLS, I was able to put together the following chart that shows how home buyers in the first 1/2 of 2010 were financing their purchases.  Fully 1 in every 6 buyers paid in cold hard cash, a huge increase from the 1 in 20 to 1 in 25 ratio more typical [...]]]></description> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/twin-cities-1-in-six-homes-purchased-cash-2010/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>3</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Twin Cities Home Buyer Financing Over The Years</title><link>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/twin-cities-home-buyer-financing/</link> <comments>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/twin-cities-home-buyer-financing/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Thu, 08 Jul 2010 21:49:02 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Aaron Dickinson</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Info for Buyers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Info for Sellers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Market Stats]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Mortgage Rates]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category> <category><![CDATA[special financing]]></category><guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/?p=1336</guid> <description><![CDATA[I took some time today to go over some NorthstarMLS data (the Twin Cities area MLS data service) to see how home buyer financing has changed over the last few years and put together a few pie charts that I thought you might enjoy.  Click on each image for a bigger view: Buyer financing shifted [...]]]></description> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/twin-cities-home-buyer-financing/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>4</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>How Much &#8216;Shadow Inventory&#8217; Is There?</title><link>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/how-much-shadow-inventory-is-there/</link> <comments>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/how-much-shadow-inventory-is-there/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Tue, 29 Jun 2010 18:47:44 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Aaron Dickinson</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Foreclosures and Short Sales]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Info for Buyers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Info for Sellers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Market Stats]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Short Sales]]></category> <category><![CDATA[foreclosure]]></category> <category><![CDATA[lender mediated]]></category> <category><![CDATA[reo]]></category> <category><![CDATA[short sale]]></category> <category><![CDATA[twin cities real estate]]></category><guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/?p=1332</guid> <description><![CDATA[The National Association of REALTORS has put together a video discussing the amount and type of  &#8217;Shadow Inventory&#8217; nationally.  The biggest problem with such figures is that they are still based off of sampling &#38; definitions of what is or is not counted in the definition.  Regardless of what the actual number is, the video [...]]]></description> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/how-much-shadow-inventory-is-there/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>9</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Dangers of Non-MLS Listing Sites</title><link>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/dangers-of-non-mls-listing-sites/</link> <comments>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/dangers-of-non-mls-listing-sites/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Mon, 14 Jun 2010 19:15:16 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Aaron Dickinson</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Ethics]]></category> <category><![CDATA[MLS Compliment & Criticism]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category><guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/?p=1304</guid> <description><![CDATA[Today a great example of one of the biggest issues with real estate web sites that allow the public at large to list properties for sale: the controls to prevent misinformation, misuse or abuse are very limited, making disinformation quite likely. Today&#8217;s example: NBC Washington reports that 1600 Pennsylvania Ave is for sale. Apparently Redfin [...]]]></description> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/dangers-of-non-mls-listing-sites/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>5</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>High Association Dues Affect Resale Value</title><link>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/high-association-dues-affect-resale-value/</link> <comments>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/high-association-dues-affect-resale-value/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Wed, 09 Jun 2010 21:26:24 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Aaron Dickinson</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Community Issues]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Info for Sellers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Neighborhood Info]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category><guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/?p=1300</guid> <description><![CDATA[I sometimes run into condos and townhomes that have higher than average fees &#8211; sometimes the developments have been poorly managed in the past and are trying to make up for past transgressions and other times they are simply not being prudent with their budget.  Not only do high association fees cost each homeowner more [...]]]></description> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/high-association-dues-affect-resale-value/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Are Home Prices In The Twin Cities Rising?</title><link>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/are-home-prices-in-twin-cities-rising/</link> <comments>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/are-home-prices-in-twin-cities-rising/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Tue, 01 Jun 2010 13:19:43 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Aaron Dickinson</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Community Issues]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Foreclosures and Short Sales]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Info for Buyers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Info for Sellers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Market Stats]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category><guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/?p=1165</guid> <description><![CDATA[If you have ever talked to me in person or have read my blog, you know I&#8217;m a bit of a numbers nut.  Ok, I&#8217;m a big numbers nut.  I love hard data and analysis because it can tell you so much about what is really going on. Even though numbers themselves don&#8217;t lie, if [...]]]></description> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/are-home-prices-in-twin-cities-rising/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>1</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Twin Cities Home Sales Have Best Week Since 2005</title><link>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/twin-cities-home-sales-have-best-week-since-2005/</link> <comments>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/twin-cities-home-sales-have-best-week-since-2005/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Mon, 03 May 2010 22:47:51 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Aaron Dickinson</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Foreclosures and Short Sales]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Info for Buyers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Info for Sellers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Market Stats]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Personal Experiences]]></category> <category><![CDATA[tax credits]]></category> <category><![CDATA[accepted offers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[home buyer tax credit]]></category> <category><![CDATA[showings]]></category><guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/?p=1202</guid> <description><![CDATA[Today the Minneapolis Area Association of REALTORS released their weekly update of housing statistics for the Twin Cities and showed that for the week ending 4/24/2010, there were 1184 properties in the 13 county region that went to &#8220;Pending&#8221; status, meaning an offer has been accepted by the seller and the property is no longer available for [...]]]></description> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/twin-cities-home-sales-have-best-week-since-2005/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>$8000 Tax Credit Worth Prison Time?</title><link>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/8000-tax-credit-worth-prison-time/</link> <comments>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/8000-tax-credit-worth-prison-time/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Fri, 30 Apr 2010 19:02:18 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Aaron Dickinson</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Info for Buyers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category> <category><![CDATA[tax credits]]></category> <category><![CDATA[criminal acts]]></category> <category><![CDATA[fraud]]></category> <category><![CDATA[prison]]></category> <category><![CDATA[tax credit]]></category><guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/?p=1199</guid> <description><![CDATA[With the tax credit deadline for signed purchase agreements being today, I know there are a few buyers scurrying around trying their last efforts to find a home to buy in time.  From what attorneys have told me, contracts need to be fully executed (signed) by both Buyer and Seller before 11:59pm today and then close [...]]]></description> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.twincitiesrealestateblog.com/2010/8000-tax-credit-worth-prison-time/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> </channel> </rss>

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