buying: Buying Homeowners Insurance for your Roseville, MN Home - 07/19/11 05:25 PM
Buying a home in Roseville, Minnesota is an exhilerating, complicated process. One of the many details you need to sort through is homeowners insurance. Where do you find it? How much coverage do you need? What does it cover and not cover? Particularly for a first-time home buyer, these questions can seem daunting. Here is some good information to get you started down the road to getting a good policy:
1. Start with what you already have. It’s quite likely that if you’re happy with the company you use for your auto insurance, you’ve already found your homeowners insurance company. Many … (1 comments)

buying: Removing the Rose Colored Glasses to Buy or Sell in Hugo, MN - 07/18/11 06:54 PM
Whether you’re buying or selling a home in Hugo, MN, you may find yourself wearing a beautiful pair of rose colored glasses. Buying or selling a home can be an emotional process, and sellers and buyers have different blind spots that they are susceptible to in a sale or purchase. This article outlines a few of the ways that you can prepare yourself for a successful transaction by taking off the glasses.
As a seller, you have an emotional attachment to the house you’re selling, particularly if you’ve had it for many years or if you’ve raised a family in it. … (3 comments)

buying: Getting the Money Right to Buy a White Bear Lake, MN Home - 07/07/11 12:52 PM
Looking for a new home in White Bear Lake, MN? Once you've made the decision that it's the right time to buy, it's so tempting to just get out and start looking. But there is some very important financial groundwork that you should lay before even stepping inside a house for sale.
This CNNMoney article gives some very good tips on what you should know and do before you start the process of buying (or even looking at) a house:
Start with your credit It's never been more important to have good credit when buying a home. Lenders are much more … (0 comments)

buying: Tips for Summer House Hunting in Stillwater, MN - 07/07/11 12:50 PM
We're mid-way through the summer, and you may be wondering if you've missed your best chance at finding a home in Stillwater, Minnesota. The answer is "no"! It's true that many home owners list their homes for sale in the spring, because many buyers want to be moved into their new homes well before school begins.
But there are other advantages to finding homes for sale later in the summer!
Good deals on the "leftovers" If you're looking at "old" (i.e. initially listed in April or May) listings, it's very probable that the price on the homes are finally at the … (1 comments)

buying: Ten Tips for Getting a Good Price on a Home in Center City, MN - 07/06/11 10:39 AM
If you're fortunate enough to be looking for a home in Center City, MN, you have many advantages on your side: housing prices are low, mortgage rates are at record lows, and inventory is high. But does that mean that you will automatically get a home for a good price? This article gives good tips on how to evaluate the investment value of any house:
Research Recently Sold, Comparable Properties Your real estate agent is your best ally in helping you determine whether any given house is priced to high or suspiciously too low.
Check Out Comparable Properties Currently on the … (1 comments)

buying: Tips for Buying a Home in Chisago City, MN - 07/05/11 05:06 PM
Looking for a home in Chisago City, MN? Follow the timeless advice of getting your financial paperwork together and finding a good real estate agent who knows the area well, like us! After that, here are five tips to put you on good house-hunting ground: 1. Don’t Take a “Good Location” for Granted You may have a preconceived idea of where the “good” neighborhoods to buy in are located in Chisago City. You might be right…or you might be wrong. Areas that were good five years ago may be currently full of foreclosures, which leads to decreased home values for the … (0 comments)

buying: Why Use a Realtor to Buy a Minneapolis Townhouse? - 07/04/11 08:27 AM
If you want to buy a townhouse in Minneapolis, chances are you’re looking at every possible angle to make sure you’re getting a good deal and making a good investment. Let me take a few moments to tell you why working with a realtor is the smartest way to go. There are over a dozen good reasons given here, but I’d like to highlight four:
Your REALTOR® can assist you in the selection process by providing objective information about each property.Someone who is a trained realtor has knowledge, experience and resources to help you find the right home. The amount of … (0 comments)

buying: Top Things to Know About Buying a Home in St. Paul, MN - 07/02/11 04:22 AM
Ready to buy a home in St. Paul, MN? There are all kinds of things you’re likely thinking about. What kind of house do you want? Which neighborhoods are you most interested in? Before you get really invested in thinking through a lot of these kinds of issues, however, you want to have some fundamentals together. CNNMoney gives a good “Top Things to Know” list for buying a home:
1. Don’t buy if you can’t stay put. I think this is a lesson that most buyers understand these days. Selling is currently much harder than buying, so investing in real estate … (0 comments)

buying: Why It’s Time to Buy a Townhouse in Cottage Grove, MN - 06/27/11 04:18 AM
Looking for a townhouse in Cottage Grove, MN? You might be wondering if it’s a good investment. The past five years of the real estate downward spiral in the United States has been discouraging for some, but surveys show that most Americans still believe that buying a home is a good way to invest their money. And with good cause, per the Wall Street Journal. There are indications that 2011 might be exactly the right time to buy:
Mortgage rates are near 50-year lows ARMs are at record lows  Homes are more affordable than ever  The high number of foreclosures has … (0 comments)

buying: What to Know Before Buying a Maplewood, MN Foreclosure - 06/21/11 10:23 AM
If you’re considering purchasing a foreclosure in Maplewood, MN, you should be prepared for the fact that the process will be very little like a standard home purchase. Even if you’ve purchased a house in the past, this article lists some differences that are helpful to know about buying a foreclosure.
First off, foreclosures have gotten a bad reputation as being the unkempt, run-down homes in the neighborhood. And this reputation is not entirely undeserved – many foreclosures are in less than ideal condition due to their owners leaving them and proper maintenance not being done. However, a large percentage of … (0 comments)

buying: Dos and Don’ts for Buying a House in Roseville, MN - 06/20/11 03:30 AM
Roseville, MN is a great place to buy a house and live! With good schools, good shopping and still a small town feel to many of the neighborhoods, it really has everything. Perhaps you’ve discovered this, and are now looking at homes in the area. If so, this article contains some tips on some “dos” and “don’ts” that can help you narrow your focus down to the perfect home. A few of them:
DO look at several homes before you buy. I like the analogy of marrying the first person you go on a date with. Who knows – that could, … (0 comments)

buying: Buying a Townhouse You Can Afford in White Bear Lake, MN - 06/17/11 10:00 AM
If you’re looking for the perfect townhouse in White Bear Lake, MN, you no doubt have a list – physical or mental – of all the things you’re looking for in your new home. But have you made a list of steps to take to ensure that you find a townhouse that you can really afford? This article gives seven helpful steps to get you down the path to responsible home ownership:
#1 – Get your credit in as good shape as possible Many people have no idea what their credit score is, and while you don’t want to check it … (0 comments)

buying: Cash Needed to Buy a Home (Summary) - 06/15/11 05:41 AM
In this first of 7 videos on the topic, Doug discusses how much cash you'll need to buy a home in the Twin Cities MN area.
(1 comments)

buying: Navigating a Short Sale Purchase of a Lindstrom, MN Townhouse - 06/09/11 10:51 AM
If you’re considering buying a short-sale townhouse in Lindstrom, Minnesota, there are things that will likely be different than the process of a standard home purchase. If you have time on your side (i.e. don’t need to move quickly) and really want the townhouse, short sales can often present great savings to buyers. But they certainly don’t come without their own set of potential hassles.
David Uffington gives some pointers here to potential buyers. First, he says, do what you’d do in any kind of home buying scenario: get approved and get your credit clean. After that, the main thing that … (0 comments)

buying: Common Mistakes When Looking for a Home in Highland Park, MN - 06/06/11 07:37 AM
The Highland Park neighborhood in St. Paul, MN is a great area to live! With beautiful homes, parks, golfing and shopping, it’s no wonder that it’s a very popular area for potential home buyers be looking! Nevertheless, buyers need to be careful to avoid some of the most common mistakes when looking for a house, even in a wonderful area like Highland Park.
In this article, Amy Fontinelle outlines eight of them, a few of which are:
Falling in Love With a House You Can’t Afford We’d all love to live in a home that’s several steps up from the one … (1 comments)

buying: Good Photography Will Help Sell your Maplewood, MN House - 05/23/11 03:00 AM
Selling your Maplewood, Minnesota home? Start with a good price on your good home. Finish with good photography.
The timeless advice is “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” The problem is, we all do exactly that. And nowhere is that more true than with MLS listings of homes for sale. So many home listings are passed over simply because the house is not presented in a visually appealing way. And with the current real estate climate presenting buyers with hundreds of homes to peruse, it has never been more important to make your home stand out. A huge key? Good … (3 comments)

buying: Five Strategies for Finding Condos in Hugo, MN - 05/19/11 07:06 AM
Looking at condos in Hugo, MN? You’ll need some good strategies to sort through what you are really looking for, what you can afford, and where you should start your hunt.
There are some good tips for everyone in this article, Five Strategies For Navigating The Summer Real Estate Market, which likens the current real estate climate to a summer clearance sale! Indeed, prices are low, and the time is perfect for buyers. But that doesn’t mean that you should go crazy and forget about some important common-sense strategies! Namely:
1. Know the lifestyle you want to live. Think through all … (1 comments)

 
Barb Goerss, Helping You With All 14 Moves You'll Make

Barb Goerss

Helping You With All 14 Moves You'll Make

Forest Lake, MN

More about me…

Address: 1398 Lake Street South, Suite 100, Forest Lake, MN, 55025

Office: (651) 464-1179

Fax: (651) 379-1555



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