Pricing your home, pre-sale renovations and getting a great deal--  we put conventional wisdom to the truth test.  

Unfortunately, fake news is not limited to political posts on social media. Misinformation is rampant elsewhere and too often it is found masquerading as conventional wisdom. No place is this more …

Selecting and purchasing your first home can seem equal parts terrifying and exhilarating. Success in such an environment requires carefully balancing both the emotional and financial sides of the equation.

Understanding and avoiding some common pitfalls can help.

Takeaways:

• The prospect of buying your first home can be intimidating

• Lacking …

After a busy year that saw residential real estate values rise steadily and a flurry of activity, what can we expect from 2017?

Several trends can help us discern the future.

Takeaways:

• Residential real estate had a great run in 2016

• Next year promises more of the same, driven by several …

Technology has made great strides in the past 15 years with impacts to our careers, how we build and maintain friendships and even how we date.

Perhaps the largest impact of technology has been to consumers. How we find, select and purchase goods and services is much different today than …

Recently US News and World Reports conducted an extensive statistical analysis of high schools in Minnesota to determine which did the best job of preparing students for the rigors of secondary education. The west metro fared well with six schools recognized in the top 20. 

Schools were ranked based …

Your neighbor’s garage is swept and ready. Rows of crock pots will soon line borrowed card tables. This can mean only one thing. The familiar late summer ritual known as National Night Out (NNO) is nearly upon us.

Thinking about skipping?  Think again...

Takeaways:

• National Night Out parties are scheduled …

“Higher prices squeezing both renters and would-be homeowners” – MPR

”Hot Housing Market: With Low Inventory, Prices Increase”-- KSTP

Recent reports of residential real estate shortages in the Twin Cities have led some to question whether this summer is a good time for a home search …

When vetting a potential new home, there are often many unknowns.

A buyer’s inspection or home warranty can help mitigate risks related to the property itself, but that is really only a part of the transaction.  Quality of life in your new home is impacted by many additional factors, not the …

It is now official, you didn’t win the lottery.  But all is not lost, for the price of a $2 ticket, you were able to spend a day or two pondering the “what-if” and thinking about how your life may have changed had you leapt a few tax brackets …

A famous axiom in real estate says that the three most important factors are location, location and location.  Albeit oversimplified (as most cliché’s are) it remains mostly true.  

One consideration that gets a lot less press but can be equally important is timing.  While getting the highest possible sale …