Saint Paul Real Estate Blog 
Shoreview to Launch Home Energy Improvement Loan Program
Wednesday, May 5th, 2010 at 6:30pm. 268 Views, 1 Comments.
The city of Shoreview's Economic Development Authority will launch a new home improvement program on Monday that they hope will motivate homeowners to do needed updating and lure new residents who think they can't afford a home in the city.
Shoreview's Home Energy Improvement Loan Program will offer loans from $2,000 to $20,000 to qualifying homeowners seeking to do greener replacements for roofs, heating and cooling systems, insulation, water heaters, windows and doors. The loans are available at 2 points above the prime rate, comparable to the market rate for a second mortgage, and must be repaid within 10 years or upon the sale of the home. Residents who stay in their homes for at least 10 years can have all of the interest reimbursed.
The program comes…
Frank Lloyd Wright Architecture Tour
Friday, April 30th, 2010 at 5:16pm. 287 Views, 1 Comments.
On Saturday, May 1, 2010, eight houses and one church will be featured on an all-day bus tour organized by the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy. Three of the homes were designed by Wright himself. The others are the work of Wright's colleagues, proteges or other prominent mid-century modern architects who were influenced by his style.
"These are all private homes that haven't been open since the tour here 10 years ago," said architect Tim Quigley, of Quigley Architects, who's a member of the conservancy board.
In the early 1930s, Frank Lloyd Wright was one of the most renowned architects in the world. He was the creater of Prairie School architecture.
Dinky Dome Project Wins Top Best in Real Estate Award
Tuesday, April 27th, 2010 at 9:42pm. 276 Views, 1 Comments.
An apartment building and renovation of the historic Dinky Dome near the University of Minnesota has received an award. It was named as the Best Overall project in this year’s Best in Real Estate awards, handed out each year by the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal.
The $38.6 million project being developed in Saint Paul by Kelly Doran, principal of Bloomington-based Doran Cos., also won the award for the Best Multifamily Development and Redevelopment – Market Rate.
The judges liked the Sidney Hall project because it preserved the historic Dinky Dome and enhanced the neighborhood. It also filled a need in the market. The building’s 125 apartments are 80 percent pre-leased and major tenants in the retail space include CVS Pharmacy, Wells Fargo Bank and…
2010 Minneapolis & Saint Paul Home Tour This Weekend
Wednesday, April 21st, 2010 at 7:59pm. 201 Views, 0 Comments.
The Minneapolis & Saint Paul Home Tour happens April 24-25, 2010. The tour showcases real homes, real people, and real ideas for remodeling, redecorating, and restoring.
On the Minneapolis & Saint Paul Home Tour, residents of 53 amazing homes, 35 in Minneapolis and 18 in Saint Paul, will open their doors to show creative and practical ideas for home additions, kitchens, bathrooms and more. Visitors will have the opportunity to talk directly with the homeowners and find out what it’s like to live there. At many homes, their contractors, architects, and other trades people will also be on hand to answer questions.
Homes on the free, self-guided 2010 tour will be open Saturday, April 24, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, April 25, 1-5 p.m. This event will happen,…
Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity Buys 8 Saint Paul Houses for $8
Thursday, April 15th, 2010 at 10:22pm. 209 Views, 0 Comments.
Eight properties in St. Paul were purchased for $8 recently. The deal struck between St. Paul and Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity was for properties in two of the neighborhoods hardest hit by the foreclosure crisis. Seven are in Payne-Phalen, the eighth is in Summit-University.
Five of the Payne-Phalen properties will be part of a program taking place this October when former President Jimmy Carter will visit to help build or fix up 20 homes in struggling Saint Paul and Minneapolis neighborhoods. Two foreclosed houses will be rehabilitated, and three new homes will be built on foreclosed lots. An additional five properties near the ones purchased by Habitat for Humanity will get exterior repairs through the nonprofit's A Brush With Kindness program.
"It's…
The Polar Bears are Back in Town!
Tuesday, April 6th, 2010 at 5:26pm. 167 Views, 1 Comments.
Buzz and Neil, the Como Zoo polar bears who have been in Detroit for 2 years while their new habitat is completed, have returned to St. Paul. The brother bears are taking some time to get used to their spacious new home, Polar Bear Odyssey
About four times bigger than their old abode, the $15 million exhibit is intended to mimic a Hudson Bay ecosystem. In the new exhibit, there is a large indoor complex, two outdoor areas, a saltwater pool, rock outcroppings, and the habitat is planted with native flora. It's the only polar bear exhibit in the U.S. — and the second in the world after Toronto's — to get the Three Diamond Rating by Polar Bears International.
While the bears acclimate to their new surroundings, the exhibit will be closed. Zoo keepers are…
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition - In Blaine?
Friday, April 2nd, 2010 at 9:46pm. 257 Views, 1 Comments.
There was already an "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" that took place in St. Paul. Now the producers of the ABC reality TV show have focused their sights on Blaine. The countdown clock is ticking! The show’s deadline to receive family nominations is next Friday, April 9, 2010.
To be eligible, a family must own their own single-family home and be able to show producers how a makeover will make a huge difference in their lives.
“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” provides home renovations for deserving families. Each episode features a race against time to complete a housing project that would ordinarily take at least four months. The effort involves a team of designers, contractors and several hundred workers. The residential property will be entirely rebuilt in…
Saint Paul's Penfield Development Back on the Table... Again!
Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010 at 5:57pm. 402 Views, 0 Comments.
The Penfield development proposed for the northwest corner of the intersection at E. 10th and Robert streets in downtown St. Paul has been stalled for years. Now, a new proposal calls on the St. Paul Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) to take control of the project and make a scaled-down version of the project happen.
The HRA wants to take advantage of Build America Bonds made available through the federal stimulus program. The HRA would use $48 million of bonding money. HUD would guarantee the bonds. About $3.6 million in proceeds from a special taxing district also would be used, as well as $1.7 million in grants.
Instead of building a 40-story condo and hotel project, the proposed 11-story Penfield tower would hold 216 rental housing units, house…
Rain Garden & Sustainable Gardening Workshops
Saturday, March 13th, 2010 at 12:31am. 284 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. 195 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.
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