Saint Paul Real Estate Blog 
I-94 from Downtown Saint Paul & Downtown Minneapolis to be Repaved
Monday, February 8th, 2010 at 11:59pm. 24 Views, 0 Comments.
The stretch of Interstate 94 between downtown Saint Paul and downtown Minneapolis will get a repaving makeover. The 2-year project will begin this summer.
Crews will complete the $45 million project in two phases, beginning this year with the east section between Hwy. 280 to near John Ireland Boulevard.
The west section, from Hwy. 280 to near 6th Street in downtown Minneapolis, will be done in 2011, said Todd Kramascz, spokesman for the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
Crews will remove the top layer of I-94's pavement and lay down new asphalt, while also making improvements to curbs, gutters and guardrails. The shoulders, often used by buses during rush hours, also will be improved.
The 12-mile stretch of road is one of the busiest in Minnesota. It…
Never Too Old to be a First Time Home Buyer
Thursday, February 4th, 2010 at 10:24pm. 62 Views, 0 Comments.
Fewer than 1% of first-time home buyers in 2009 were more than 75 years old, according to the National Association of Realtors. But as the population ages and life expectancy gets longer, the number of older home buyers will increase.
Hank and Verna Schmiess are not your typical first time home buyers. He was 89 and she was 84 when they bought their first home last year - a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom condo in New Brighton. After thoroughly going over their finances and determining it was cheaper for them to buy than rent, they carefully laid their plans to finally make the plunge into home ownership.
Though they hadn't had many reasons to buy before, they were priced out of the market when they did finally want to buy. Originally from North Dakota, they moved to…
City of Saint Paul is Going Green
Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 at 6:18pm. 49 Views, 0 Comments.
With eyes set to the future, the city of St. Paul is moving forward with green building requirements for new construction projects that receive $200,000 or more in city funding.
An advisory group of architects, designers, contractors, developers, bankers, regulatory agencies, city staff and other industry representatives worked for more than two years to develop the city's new sustainable building policy. Under it, building projects that receive at least $200,000 in city loans, grants or "other funding vehicles" must meet green building standards as defined by one of seven rating systems to satisfy the requirements. A partial list of approved rating systems includes LEED Silver or Green Globes 2 for commercial projects or LEED for Homes or Minnesota…
Woodbury is Looking Toward the Future
Monday, February 1st, 2010 at 11:22pm. 49 Views, 1 Comments.
Plans have been proceeding on the Red Rock Territory in Woodbury: A 580-acre stretch of land along I-94 that will hopefully soon be transformed into a complex of office buildings, manufacturing plants, warehouses, stores, parkland, and around 550 housing units.
The site's developer and city planners say its completion will help Woodbury emergence as a major business and manufacturing hub in the Twin Cities. The first businesses could move in and begin adding jobs to the economy as soon as this fall or early 2011.
Red Rock Territory, a named derived from Woodbury's original territorial days, entails nearly 2.5 million square feet of potential building space, plus parking for thousands of vehicles.
It includes a spot for at least one corporate headquarters, an…
St. Paul vs. The Emerald Ash Borer
Friday, January 29th, 2010 at 6:11pm. 79 Views, 1 Comments.
Next week, forestry crews will start cutting down boulevard ash trees in selected areas of St. Paul as part of a broader strategy to slow the spread of emerald ash borers.
They expect to remove about 355 non-diseased but generally declining ashes over two months in wards 6 and 7 on the East Side. All the trees are on public property. Right now, the concentration will be on boulevard tries and in the future it may move to parks.
The work is being funded through a $722,600 state grant aimed at helping cities cope with invasive emerald ash borers. The insects were found last spring in the St. Anthony Park neighborhood. Ash borers will likely spread to many of Minnesota's estimated 940 million ash trees.
The work will be done away from the infested area on the…
Saint Paul's Admission Possible Program Proving Itself, Expanding
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 at 10:13pm. 46 Views, 0 Comments.
Admission Possible, a St. Paul nonprofit that helps low-income students get into college, plans to expand to as many as 10 cities over the next five years.
The organization, which now only operates in the Twin Cities and in Milwaukee, confirmed last month that it will expand to a third site in 2011.
National statistics show more than 200,000 low-income students every year graduate from high school prepared for college but just don't go. Admission Possible's mission is to identify low-income high school students with the potential and motivation for college and then to provide them with four critical services: ACT and SAT test preparation; guidance in preparing college applications; help in obtaining financial aid; and guidance for the transition to college.
Twin Cities Foreclosure & Short Sales Up in 2009
Monday, January 25th, 2010 at 10:39pm. 71 Views, 0 Comments.
Mortgage foreclosures and short sales accounted for nearly half of all housing sales within the Twin Cities during 2009. They will likely continue to play a major role in the 13-county metro area’s housing activity in 2010.
According to the Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors, foreclosures and short sales to account for about 43% of all housing sales in the Twin Cities. Prior to 2006, foreclosures and short sales accounted for less than 5% of all home sales.
All that activity also had a major impact on the metro area’s median sales price and the area’s housing inventory. The Twin Cities closed out 2009 with a median home price of about $170,000, down from $195,000 in 2008. The Twin Cities median home price has been brought down by the high number of…
Saint Paul Winter Carnival
Wednesday, January 20th, 2010 at 12:28pm. 153 Views, 1 Comments.
The annual St. Paul Winter Carnival begins this week! It is the time of year again to dress warm and enjoy the winter wonder Minnesota has to offer.
Thursday, the festivities begin early with the royal coronation and reception, as well as an ice carving competition. A snow sculpture competition and Moon Glow Pedestrian Parade are highlights of Fridays events. The parade is a new attraction inviting guests to wander up John Ireland Boulevard to the State Capitol. Other events throughout the carnival include hot-air balloon liftoffs, rugby and lacrosse exhibitions, a snowy baseball game, beer dabbler sampling, and the "St. Paul Winter Carnival Has Talent" contest.
Though the Carnival was originally first-held to celebrate the success of railroad expansion in…
Saint Paul Homes for $1 - And a Catch
Monday, January 18th, 2010 at 6:08pm. 61 Views, 1 Comments.
Believe it or not, the City of Saint Paul is having a hard time finding buyers willing to pay as little as $1 to purchase homes in the Dayton's Bluff neighborhood.
The city bought 11 properties on or near East 4th. The most expensive one is $50,000 and the cheapest two are just $1. The catch is that homes need lots of work, and the city is expecting whoever moves in to spend around $100,000, or perhaps more, on renovations and upgrades. All a buyer has to do is be able to prove is that they can rehab the homes to meet city rules and preservation codes.
"This isn't just about providing shelter," City Council President Kathy Lantry said of the renovation project. "This is about people who want to invest in a home, and live there, and become part of a…
Saint Paul's Minnesota Building Getting a Makeover
Wednesday, January 13th, 2010 at 7:15pm. 95 Views, 1 Comments.
The former 3M headquarters, now known as Beacon Bluff, isn't the only Saint Paul location currently being recycled for new purposes. The Minnesota Building in downtown St. Paul is in the early stages of getting a long-awaited makeover.
Interior demolition has begun inside the 13-story building at 46 E. Fourth Street, the first step toward redeveloping the 101,000-square-foot, 80-year-old structure for 137 rental housing units. The plan also calls for 10,000 square feet of commercial and office space.
Overall, the projects will create 252 new housing units and preserve 35 affordable units; the city estimates that the work will provide as many as 300 construction jobs.Sand Companies CEO Jamie Thelen describes the Art Deco Minnesota Building project as a…
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