Saint Paul Real Estate Blog 
Rain Garden & Sustainable Gardening Workshops
Saturday, March 13th, 2010 at 12:31am. 36 Views, 0 Comments.
Early spring is the time to spruce up a home's exterior for the late spring and early summer home selling season. As I write this, the snow is melting away more quickly than expected. That mean's it is almost landscaping and gardening season. Just in time, there are some workshops to get you prepared for the planting season.
With all the rain we've been getting, naturally rain gardens would be a good topic to discuss. Do you have a low lying area in your yard where rain water flows or accumulates? It can be hard to keep plants alive in those areas. Planting a rain garden in that spot can help improve the quality of local lakes, rivers and streams. Metro Blooms is offering a series of low-cost rain garden workshops to help get you started.
For $10, learn how…
Sale at the Mall? No, Mall for Sale!
Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at 6:53pm. 64 Views, 0 Comments.
Woodbury Lakes, an upscale shopping center that opened five years ago but stumbled into foreclosure due to the economy, will go up for sale on March 15. Investors could find a bargain. The Woodbury property along Interstate 94 east of Radio Drive has a lot of potential, despite its recent troubles.
Whoever buys the property might do well to make it over from its high-end "lifestyle center" concept into a shopping area that might draw consumers with more moderate incomes from a broader area, said Jim McComb, a Minneapolis real estate and retail consultant.
There is no set price tag for the 50-acre property in Woodbury. That will be negotiated when a buyer emerges.
Twin Cities Home Construction Up This Winter
Thursday, March 4th, 2010 at 7:10pm. 86 Views, 0 Comments.
Homebuilders in the Twin Cities are keeping busy this winter compared to last year. Builders filed 177 permits to build a total of 202 housing units in February. That was an increase of 65% and 71%, respectively, over February of 2009, when builders filed 107 permits to build 118 units.
Between December through February, builders in the Twin Cities have filed 626 permits to build about $207 million worth of residential housing, according to the Builders Association of the Twin Cities Keystone Report. During those months a year ago, builders filed just 392 permits for less than $147 million in construction.
"Anecdotal reports from builders confirm that there are area families out looking and buying new homes in the past two months," association President Gary…
Spring Parade of Homes(sm) and Remodelers Showcase(sm)
Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010 at 7:00pm. 117 Views, 0 Comments.
Last fall, the Builders Association of the Twin Cities combined its two fall events: the Parade of Homes, which features new construction houses, and the three-day Remodelers Showcase, featuring remodeled kitchens, additions and owner's suites. It was the first time the two shows were linked.
Now, the Builders Association of the Twin Cities is combining the two events again for the Spring Parade of Homes Tour. This year's event features 366 model homes in 83 communities throughout the Twin Cities. Prices range from $129,900 for a home in Elk River to $2.4 million for an estate in Credit River Township. Most of the houses are in the $200,000 to $300,000 range.
That is with purpose, too. Ever since the shaky economy and tighter financing hit the real estate…
St Paul Private School Ends Nearly 120 Years of Educating
Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010 at 6:06pm. 50 Views, 0 Comments.
After more than a century of educating the minds of Saint Paul children, St. Bernard's High School will close at the end of the school year.
School leaders blame financial troubles for the closing. Like many inner-city Catholic schools, St. Bernard's has struggled the past 15 years to stay afloat. It closed its grade school last year.
German and Austrian immigrants who settled in Saint Paul's North End neighborhood founded St. Bernard's parish in 1890. They opened the grade school the next year. By 1957, a growing student body and demand prompted the opening of St. Bernard's High.
The neighborhood changed over the years as families moved to the suburbs. Fewer residents choose Catholic private schools and growing competition from charter schools were also…
Home and Patio Show 2010
Friday, February 19th, 2010 at 4:00pm. 66 Views, 0 Comments.
The Home and Patio Show is back at the Saint Paul RiverCentre! This show features hundreds of exhibitors and has the best and most respected local resources for all home and garden needs. Find what is needed for new spring and summer gardening, home renovation, landscaping, building, decorating, or green projects. There's also a kids' potting table, bulb sale, and opportunities to consult experts through Ask the Gardener!
The show opened Thursday and will be open through Sunday. The cost is $9 for adults and $2.50 for children ages 6 to 12. Younger kids have free admission!
What $169,900 Buys in Saint Paul's Payne-Phalen Neighborhood
Thursday, February 18th, 2010 at 7:50pm. 72 Views, 0 Comments.
Here is MLS # 3881499
This home features beautiful built-in bookcases, gleaming hardwood floords, and a cozy, wood-burning fireplace in the family room.
The updated kitchen is often filled with lots of natural light. The bedrooms are generous and the master bedroom has a walk-in closet a 3/4 bathroom.
This home and it's beautifully landscaped yard could be yours for just $169,900!
Don't forget that time is running out on the first time home buyer $8,000 federal tax credit! It applies…
Are You a Minnesota Snowbird or Do You Know One?
Wednesday, February 17th, 2010 at 10:30pm. 92 Views, 0 Comments.
Calling all snowbirds who have flown the coop to warmer climates for winter: Minnesota needs you to fly back home by April 1 for the 2010 U.S. Census. The reason is that Minnesota residents can't simply fill out the census form they get at their winter home. The forms are geo-coded to each address, meaning that filling out a form in Arizona will count toward that state, not Minnesota. And this year, the state has a lot riding on the census.
"If even a fraction of Minnesotans miss this opportunity, we could easily be left with only seven representatives in the U.S. House of Representatives," State Demographer Tom Gillaspy said in a news release. The State Demographic Center estimates that fewer than 3,000 people could be critical for Minnesota to retain its…
Saint Paul & Minneapolis Among Leaders for Residents' Well-Being
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010 at 9:44am. 85 Views, 0 Comments.
Of the nation's 52 largest metropolitan areas surveyed in 2009, the Twin Cities Metropolitan area ranked 4th best in the nation in terms of well-being, according to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. San Jose, Calif., Washington, D.C., and Raleigh, N.C., were 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. San Francisco was 5th. That's a lot of coastal cities, but we know that one reason the Twin Cities are great is because we experience all of the seasons here in full force without the earthquakes or the hurricanes.
This Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index defines large cities as those with a population size of 1 million or greater. Interviews were conducted with more than 353,000 Americans during 2009, asking individuals to assess their jobs, finances, physical health, emotional…
Saint Paul and Minneapolis CityLiving Program Revived
Friday, February 12th, 2010 at 6:09pm. 90 Views, 1 Comments.
St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak have jointly announced $41 million in new funding for the CityLiving Program. CityLiving helps first time homebuyers purchase homes in either city.
The CityLiving Program offers below-market interest rates on mortgages as well as down payment and closing-cost assistance. In order to quality for the funding, homebuyers’ household income cannot exceed $92,290 and the purchase price for a single-family home can’t be greater than $276,870.
"We have an opportunity for people to invest, to get a good deal on an interest rate, get some assistance with a down payment, and get back into the cities," said Coleman. "It's a win-win for the potential homeowner, first-time homebuyer, and it's certainly a great…
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