Twin Cities Real Estate Blog

In the last two weeks we’ve seen interest rates on 30 year fixed mortgages move from 4.5% to 5.5% (or higher) that’s a big OUCH.  This full interest rate point swing has meant that almost overnight, buyers lost well over 10% of their buying power.  Another way to look at it is housing just got [...]

This is a very common question I get asked by prospective buyers given our current economic situation and the conflicting information they get from news, friends, family and coworkers.
Below is a list of questions to ask yourself as a guide to help you decide if now is a good time to buy for you.
1. How [...]

Today I am pleased to announce the release of the Foreclosures and Short Sales in the Twin Cities Housing Market: Q4 2008 Update.  This is the 4th installment of quarterly reporting of lender mediated sales and their impact in the Greater Minneapolis/St. Paul area, which I co-author with the musically, intellectually, politically and statistically talented Jeff Allen.  2008 reports from quarters [...]

(graphic modified from Minneapolis Area Association of REALTORS report)
Using a little cut-and-paste magic, I wanted to take a look at the impact of the housing market’s shift over the last 4 years.  Comparing total sales volume (in Dollars) in 2008 vs. 2005 shows that we’re down 40% in the 3 years since the market’s peak.  [...]

I hear buyers, sellers, lenders, real estate agents and the community as a whole rhetorically ask when we’ll see the housing market recover.  Unfortunately putting a timeline on a housing recovery is pretty unrealistic as there are simply too many variables to account for.  But all is not lost!  While I cannot predict when the [...]