October 2008

Best Halloween Display in Minneapolis!

Posted on October 30, 2008 by Ben Trudeau - Edina Realty

If you live in the Ericsson neighborhood, you've probably already discovered Polly and Gregg Hanson's annual Halloween display. They (okay, mostly just Polly) have been growing and improving their "graveyard," as Polly calls it, for 10 years.

As the owner of Virginia Rose Estate Sales, the Hansons are in the perfect business for finding odd and discarded pieces add to the scenery. Polly says that she tries to avoid store bought items, although with their reputation they often recieve gifts that do have commercial origins. The hard work and commitment to producing something orginal that you can't simply buy at Menard's really shows. Go check it out before the spooky season is over!

The home is located at 4228 30th Ave S. Enjoy the pictures:

Things That Go Bump in the Night

Posted on October 23, 2008 by Ben Trudeau - Edina Realty

Your haunted house is the prefect place for a Halloween party. Other parties have to spend lots of money creating the illusions of ghosts and ghouls. It takes lots of wires, motors, and smoke machines. You, however, were lucky enough to end up with a truly haunted house. Sure the spirits keep you up at night, but all your friends say you have the best Halloween parties. I mean, no one is willing to spend Christmas at your place. But once a year, October 31st, it's all worth it.

But now, you decided to take a job in Salem and you have to sell your home. Do you advertise that it's haunted? Perhaps people will pay a premium for poltergeist. Or do you paint over the bleeding wall and keep it all a secret?

I'm not going to tell you what to do, but you should familiarize yourself with the law. The state of Minnesota requires a nine page disclosure. In which, it is necessary to disclose any material facts that would affect the normal use and enjoyment of the home by any future buyer. But you are in luck. There are a few exceptions to this rule. And one of them is haunted houses.

Page 9, lines 39-42: There is no duty to disclose the fact that the property…was the site of a suicide, accidental death, natural death, or perceived paranormal activity.

But I assure you, after the new owners move in and meet the neighbors, they'll learn all about your paranormal parties. And expect their lawyer to come knocking, regardless of duty to disclose.

Stock Market vs. Real Estate Market

Posted on October 9, 2008 by Ben Trudeau - Edina Realty

Heard any news about the real estate market lately? It’s for real. Prices are lower. Homes are being foreclosed on. The bad mortgages are affecting everything in the financial markets. But are houses really the worst investment you could have made?

Since 2001, the average price of a single-family home in Nokomis has gone from $170,066 to $222,542. In Longfellow, the average price was $155,226 in 2001 and $192,772 today. And that number doesn’t consider that many foreclosed homes in rotten condition are skewing the numbers lower. In the same time, the Dow ended up right where it started. Simply, your investment did better in the housing market than it did in the stock market.

But that’s not the whole picture. How many memories have you made in your home? How many have you made in the stock market? Remember that time that you had your entire family over to your stock portfolio for Thanksgiving? Remember your first Christmas tree in your stock portfolio? Remember watching the snow fall out the window of your stock portfolio? No matter how cold it got, your stock portfolio always kept you warm at night.

You don’t have to invest in the stock market. But you do have to live somewhere. And in the long run, it’s better to own that home than to rent it. That doesn’t mean you should buy a home you can’t afford, or buy any home before you can afford it. But the dream of owning your own home is still a valid one. But if you treat it like the stock market and think that you can buy and sell at will as you try to build your fortune, your dream will return the favor just as reliably as the stock market. But put your dream of family and love into that home, and it rarely disappoints.