May Update

Sales are Blooming!  Have you noticed all the Park Company signs popping up around town?  Has a home caught your eye?  If you’ve been thinking about purchasing a new home and want to know how to get the ball rolling- give me a call!  I will see to it that your next sale is your BEST SALE! 

 

Park Company Realtors was just named one of the top 500 Real Estate Companies in the country in the RISMedia Power Broker Report!  That is a huge accomplishment and we have YOU to thank!  As always, your continued support and referrals helps us do what we do best….provide the best real estate service, bar none!  Thank YOU!

 

Have you ever worried about how your neighbor’s yard looks?  Many homeowners do … as long as yours is the one that has the FOR SALE sign in it! J  To help you on your way to a successful sale, check out the following tips that will have your lawn looking tip top this Summer Season:

·        RAKE:  As soon as your yard appears to be waking up, give it a light once-over with a rake, taking care not to disturb new grass plants by raking too hard.  Clean out all debris left over from the fall and winter.  Look for early signs of pests or disease and address them right away.

·        AERATE:  Removing plugs of sod in the spring- aerating- loosens the soil and lets water, air, and fertilizer get down in to the grass plant’s root structure.  If you have a large yard, consider renting or hiring out a power aerator.

·        TOP DRESS: After you aerate, make sure you spend some time “top dressing” your lawn by spreading a thin layer of peat moss over the grass with a rake.  It helps to gradually condition the lawn by strengthening it to resist disease, weeds and thatch and by reducing the amount of water and fertilizer, it needs.

·        WEED:  Go after those nasty weeds early in the season before they have a chance to go to seed.  Cultivating a healthy lawn is on of the easiest ways to crowd out weeds.  Always pull out dandelions and broadleaf weeds w/ an easy-to-use weeder.  There are some great ergonomic tools available that will save your back!

·        FIX bare spots:  A quick and easy way of improving the look of your yard is to repair the discolored patches (disease or dog urine) in the spring when the cooler temperatures help the grass grow.  Just clear away the dead-looking patches, sprinkle grass seed, add fertilizer, and keep the area moist until it sprouts.

·        TUNE-UP:  Give your tools a spring tune-up.  Spend some time sharpening the blades, replacing oil, spark plugs, etc. to ensure easy, fun yard time!

 

Wondering about Mortgage Rates?  Mostly they are still looking great and fluctuating around 6 and 6.5%.  Call me today for the most up to date rates.  Buying a home is still easy, affordable and a wonderful investment!  Check it out.

 

Summer is coming and our Lakes area is full of beautiful lake homes for sale!  If you have considered taking the lake plunge, give me a buzz.  I can help!

 

How much is your home worth on today’s market?  This is one of the hottest questions in real estate!  If you are interested in getting more information about your home and what price it could fetch…Let me know…I can be over there in 10 minutes!  Have a wonderful month of May and enjoy the weather!

Reality Stories

The Real Estate profession is a mystery to those who are not in it. In casual conversations they wink and say things like, “well, you certainly got into the right profession”…as dollar signs emanate from each wink. They also want my professional assurance that they bought the right house at the right time. And they love to hear stories from the trenches.  I am like their own personal local reality program. I like talking about Real Estate, I have lots of stories and enjoy telling them – at least the ones with the happy endings!

 

But Real Estate is hard sometimes too.  The stories I don’t tell have to do with the daily doses of crumbling deals, offers that come in low, scary home inspections, sellers who die a thousand deaths each day their properties don’t sell, and the mere suggestion that they lower the price spurs the inevitable suggestion from the seller that I adjust my commission.

 

But the cruelest of all is when a homeowner with whom I have a longstanding cordial relationship, chooses to work with another agent out of expedience or financial gain. If I’ve developed a relationship with someone, if they’ve been to my home and I to theirs and, through the years, they’ve thanked me profusely for putting them where they are, then to discover they’ve listed with the competition – it stings!  It doesn’t even lessen the blow much when they eventually confront the issue and tell me that in no way is this decision to be interpreted as a criticism of my very real talents – No, of course not.

 

But I’ve learned that I have to suck it up and move on because there are other clients waiting who don’t need to know that this is a bad day for me. Over and out with that relationship. In with the new. That’s what keeps me going in this business. That, and the loyalty and affection of most clients, through thick and thin.  That’s what makes the happy endings.

 Ever wonder what it would be like to build a place on the top of a small building? That’s exactly what the Loft Cube (From $111,000) was designed for — that, and people on the move. The Cube was designed to be a temporary living structure, which can be placed anywhere from rooftops in Berlin to a prairie in South Dakota. The interiors are customizable by client, as are the window treatments that decide whether you’re living in a glass house or in a glass house with nice blinds. It’s the modern, stylish equivalent of a trailer — and we mean that in the best way possible.

Affordable Houses and Jobs A-plenty

(Excerpted from the MSN Real Estate Article by Melinda Fulmer)

Cities such as New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles might be great places to jump-start your career, but their high cost of living can break the bank for many grads and young families.

Some of the best places to live and work may be smaller so-called flyover cities such as Fayetteville, Ark., Blacksburg, Va., or Logan, Utah, according to Bert Sperling of Sperling’s Best Places.

He has put together a list of the top 10 affordable job powerhouses for MSN Real Estate: places where the cost of living and unemployment are low and the number of jobs is growing steadily.

Here, Sperling says, residents enjoy a good quality of life, including a high level of home ownership, without having to make a fat salary.

These aren’t boomtowns, Sperling cautions, but that’s a good thing, as boomtowns often lead to real estate hangovers and strained city resources and infrastructure. “These are places where people have an opportunity to grow with the town,” he says.

Number 10 on Sperling’s list is our very own Fargo, North Dakota!

More people are saying “you betcha” to Fargo, the largest city in North Dakota. The area is home to North Dakota State University and neighboring Moorhead State University and Concordia College across the Red River from Fargo in Moorhead, Minn. Thus, it’s endowed with many college amenities.

Downtown is classic mid-America with a mix of modern buildings and many well-preserved brick structures. A number of well-kept parks line the waterfront. Fargo is best known as a friendly area with a strong Scandinavian influence (although little ethnic diversity) and a strong, varied economy including farm-equipment manufacturers and food processors.

Unemployment here is the lowest in the country at 2.6%, and its central location is helping to turn it into a leading air-cargo hub. Cost of living is low, with a median January home price of $181,586. Anyone who has seen the Coen brothers’ 1996 movie, “Fargo,” might be put off by the prospect of its harsh winters, but heavy winter snowfall is actually the exception rather than the rule. Its flat terrain is, however, conducive to some legendary blizzards. In Sperling’s view, winter is the only significant negative for this town. And residents here seem to find ways to cope, such as swimming in high-school pools, which are open to the public.

Surprisingly enough, one 21-year-old Fargo resident commenting on Sperling’s Web site said she was looking forward to the action and hustle of Fargo after leaving much-larger Minneapolis.

Fargo, N.D.		U.S. avg.
Area population	181,586	647,500
Median home price	$162,800	$235,000
Cost-of-living index	90.3	100.0
Unemployment rate	2.6%	4.6%
Job growth — 5 years	9.30%	4.90%
Job growth — 1 year	0.80%	1.66%
Median household income	$44,486	$46,326

Support Your Local Artist

Wouldn’t you like to know where a great place to invest in real estate will be five or 10 years from now?   Well, according to Business Week Magazine:  Look at where artists are living now.

 

Art and culture has long been thought of as a cure-all to economically depressed neighborhoods, cities and regions because it has been proved that artists — defined as self-employed visual artists, actors, musicians, writers, etc. — can stimulate local economies in a number of ways.  Artists are often an early sign of neighborhood gentrification, the advance guard of what’s hip and cool.  

 

Because of their typically lower incomes, artists will usually seek out cheaper neighborhoods where they can afford the rent, and because of their creative nature, they are able to improve these areas, attracting hip, and cool galleries, restaurants and stores.  They eventually get tired of scraping by as waiters or bartenders and sometimes apply their abilities in more entrepreneurial ways often influencing innovation on the part of their suppliers.  For example, a painter may need a certain type of frame that is not manufactured, forcing the frame maker to create a design that happens to also work well for other artists.

 

Artists bring more than culture to a community and businesses don’t often understand the extent to which art affects them.  Nonarts businesses also use artist contractors to improve product design, help with marketing or even use dramatic theory to solve employee relationship issues. A strong artistic community also helps local businesses attract employees who want to be able to regularly go to the ballet or the theater, hear authors read from their latest books or attend art-gallery openings.

Cold

60 Degrees Above Zero

• Californians turn on the heat.
• People in North Dakota plant gardens.

50 Degrees Above Zero

• Californians shiver uncontrollably.
• People in Fargo sunbathe.

40 Degrees Above Zero

• Italian and English made cars won’t start.
• People in Minnesota drive with the windows down.

32 Degrees Above Zero

• Distilled water freezes.
• The water in Fargo/Moorhead gets thicker.

20 Degrees Above Zero

• Californians don coats, thermal underwear, gloves, and wool hats.
• People in Minnesota throw on a flannel shirt.

15 Degrees Above Zero

• New York landlords finally turn up the heat.
• People in North Dakota have the last cookout before it gets cold.

Zero

• People in Miami all die.
• Midwesterners close the windows.

5 Degrees BELOW Zero

• Californians fly away to Mexico.
• People in Minnesota get out their winter coats.

10 Degrees BELOW Zero

• Hollywood disintegrates.
• The Girl Scouts in North Dakota are selling cookies door to door.

20 Degrees BELOW Zero

• Washington DC runs out of hot air.
• People in Minnesota let the dogs sleep indoors.

30 Degrees BELOW Zero

• Santa Claus abandons the North Pole.
• People in Fargo get upset because they can’t start the minivan.

40 Degrees BELOW Zero

• Atomic motion slows down.
• People in Fargo/Moorhead start saying “So, is it cold enough for ya?”

50 Degrees BELOW… (Bee FREAKIN’ LOW) ZERO!

• Hell freezes over.
• Fargo Public Schools open 2 hours late. (maybe)

Thinking About Selling?

Unless they are buying a new construction home, I always advise my buyers to write their purchase agreements to be contingent on a home inspection.  A home inspection is a relatively small investment (about $250 – $300) for a huge chunk of peace of mind!  Why not make sure your house is ready for that inspection before you list it?

Here’s a list of the big stuff in your home that should be checked before you put it on the market, like the furnace, air conditioner, roof, plumbing, etc. Of course, you can try to anticipate what will come up in the inspection, but it’s better to prevent surprises — especially when it comes to big-ticket items.

Mechanical Systems

Make sure all of your home’s major mechanical systems are in perfect working condition. This means the heating, air-conditioning, plumbing, and electrical systems. Not only will it impress buyers, but also if they move in and find out that the air conditioning doesn’t actually work, you can expect to hear from them and possibly their lawyer.

Fixtures and Appliances

Replace fixtures that are irreparable or just plain unsightly. A 40-year-old toilet rarely looks good. Replace it. If the sink is so old that it never looks clean, despite hours of scrubbing, get a new one. If your kitchen stove is on its last legs, replace it. New fixtures and appliances don’t have to be top-of-the-line. But they should be decent quality and neutral in style.

Roof, Basement, Attic

Pay close attention to any needed repairs to your roof, basement, or attic. Smart buyers will look to those places for telltale signs of trouble. Since mold is always a possibility here in the Red River Valley, be doubly sure that your bathrooms and basement are mildew and mold-free. Check that your basement isn’t wet or damp. Remember that getting rid of basement moisture may be as simple as fixing a rain gutter or downspout.

Front Entry

Make the front entry inviting. Consider getting a new doorknob or knocker for the front door. Buy a new doormat. If it won’t make the porch or front steps seem too small, set a small potted evergreen or well-arranged large pot of perennials near the front door.

Painting

Paint is cheap and the results are magnificent. There’s nothing like a freshly painted room. Maybe you don’t need new kitchen cabinets so much as painting your dinged-up olive green ones a nice, neutral off-white. Ditto for the walls anywhere in the house. Especially if you have any dark walls in your home, repaint them white. You may think a Bordeaux-colored living room wall is dramatic, but many people find dark colors dreary. Keep the color scheme light and neutral.

The Small Stuff

Repair all the little irritations you’ve lived with for years, including squeaky doors, windows that don’t open, drawers that don’t work smoothly, cracked tiles, missing roof shingles, torn window screens, dripping faucets, sticky latches, and broken porch stairs. Any repairs having to do with safety, such as wobbly deck railings or stairs will be flagged by a building inspector anyway. Make the repairs first and you’ll save yourself time later. 

Its A Great Time To Buy AND Sell!

Did you know that now is a GREAT time to buy or sell a home? The National Association of REALTORS® has recently begun an advertising campaign highlighting some national statistics on why it is a great time to buy or sell. 

Here are some local statistics as well:

• Did you know the local average selling price has increased almost 2% over 2005, and more than 5% since 2004?
• Our local sales volume has increased over 15% since 2004 and we have 10% more local listings available to buy as compared to this same time in 2005.
• Here’s one more important statistic; Cooperative sales, meaning sales where REALTORS® worked together to help people buy and sell their homes, has increased almost 5% over last year.
• Did you know that using a REALTOR® typically nets a 16% higher selling price than doing it yourself?

What this means to you is that more than ever, using my services has become increasingly important, and valuable. If you’re in the market for a home, or know someone who is, check out my webpage look around, create your own search portfolio, I would love to help.

Technorati Tags: real, estate

Real Nice

If you’re a nice guy in real estate – do you have to finish last?  Not by a long shot!  To me, finishing first does not mean having high sales numbers, winning in real estate, means that my client is satisfied.  To accomplish this I need to be tenacious, tireless, educated, experienced and persistent without being pushy… OK, some pushiness is tolerable in negotiations… but most of all I need to establish trust.  To accomplish that, it has always worked for me to be a nice guy – nice to the other agent, to the other homeowners, to the other buyers – because you never know when you might run into them again.   You might argue that this is probably true for most professions, but it is especially true in small town Fargo Moorhead real estate where everybody knows everybody.  At the grocery store, at your child’s school, at the gas station – look around, there is at least one real estate agent within 10 feet of you or at least one real estate related conversation going on.  Don’t you want an agent who can be trusted, not only by you, but by the other guys as well?

Get a REAL Realtor

Here’s an article you may have seen on MSN’s home page…. The rise of the Internet and home-sale discounters is causing real estate agents to accept lower commissions and, in some instances, resort to legally questionable protectionist tactics.

First of all, let me say that here in the Fargo Moorhead market we are insulated from many of the bigger city feuds and battles that are waged over price and pricing and commissions and what the seller has to commit to.

Yes, you will read about the seller who saved “thousands” by selling her home without an agent.  Let me just say that the local market and the local buyers in
Southern California are just plain bigger than here in the ND/MN area.  Plainly put, there are more people looking online to purchase a home in a community like that and therefore she can ‘get away’ with not putting her home on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS)  The article goes on to say that she “saved” $34,000 in commissions.  What it doesn’t say is how much she paid a title company to do the legal search, the attorney to draw up the papers, and the advertising (in dollars and in time spent) she did to close this sale.There is a long list of companies and Web sites that allow consumers to do everything from obtain free estimates of their homes’ worth, to those allowing a customer to buy and sell homes without setting foot in a Realtor’s office.  Case in point, Zillow.com, best known for providing online house-value “zestimates,” began allowing consumers and pros to list homes on its site for free. Because of Zillow and other sites, buyers and sellers can now gamble on negotiating a lower commission with a traditional agent.  And what I tell my customers is in response to that is a flat out DON’T.  Why should a homeowner who is trained in or good at negotiation get a better deal than Joe Neighborhood who just wants to sell his house?  Park Company commands the top 1% of the Fargo/Moorhead Real Estate Market and there are some very specific reasons for that. 

• Because we have a proven track record
• Because we actively and successfully market our listings at our West Acres Mall Kiosk location
• Because we have more than 80 agents with their own personal sphere of influence marketing your listing
• Because we publish a Your Guide To Homes in the Fargo Forum which showcases every ParkCompany listing in a glossy magazine format
• And, if you have even read this far… because I personally care – a lot!

Apparently letting go hasn’t been easy for some real estate agents. In many areas, agents have refused to show their clients properties listed by discount rivals. LET ME BE VERY CLEAR HERE… THIS PRACTICE IS AGAINST OUR REALTOR CODE OF ETHICS.  We, as Realtors, cannot – I repeat – CANNOT refuse to show you a home just because it is listed for SALE BY OWNER, or because the legitimate agent has it listed but is only paying a small percentage to the agent who brings the buyer.  EXCUSE ME!  But I thought it was you – HELLO – the buyer who was buying the house!  Who cares what rigamarole goes on to make that happen?  I’ve found that some consumers try out alternative brokers only to find they value the services of an agent after all. 

I can offer customers good service, and actually many times I’ve been called in when things fall apart or languish.  There’s so many things that can go wrong locally and the local people need so much more information and support than the Internet alone can offer.  Traditional real estate agents are holding their own, and that just illustrates a larger point, that most people will want to continue working with a traditional agent who can help them navigate the complexities of the inspection, title, financing and negotiation process, and fill them in on everything they need to know about the local area.