Minnesota Real Estate Information- with Free Java and Smiles :)

Little Falls, Minnesota Architecture

Sat, 28 Apr 2007 22:18:39 -0500

I was on a motorcycle trip to Little Falls, Minnesota and on main street was this massive church with a stature about it. I just had to share it with you. Little Falls is the birth place of Charles Lindberg who was the first pilot too fly across the Atlantic solo, the plane was named the Spirit of St. Louis. Who know's maybe he was in this church at one time in history.

Be Pampered...Feel Beautiful...Indulge

Sat, 21 Apr 2007 10:48:19 -0500

Lavish Salon, Located in Champlin Minnesota...There's a new sheriff in town...ah I mean business in town. And boy at Lavish Salon do they "mean business". As an Aveda concept Salon, Lavish Salon upholds a high standard of excellence in the artistry of their craft and there purpose. Aveda products are very earth friendly and very safe for humans and the enviroment. I talked to the owner Lisa Mills and she commented it to be very important to protect our environment for future generations.

I stopped by one day to see what all the commotion was about with this new business and decided to write about my experience at this fabulous new Salon and place it here on Localism. Upon entering I was greeted with a friendly smile by several of the staff. I noticed a very pleasant aroma in the salon of a fragrant burning candle. Now even though they were busy I felt at ease and very relaxed. I was offered a gourmet coffee or a bottled water. I took the bottled water and noticed they had the salon logo on the bottle very classy for something as simple as a bottle of water. This is a very opulent and lavish place hence the name. You will feel as if you fell into the lap of luxury upon entering this salon and you will be treated like royalty!!

At Lavish Salon you are treated to stylists who are highly educated in the fine art of beauty that includes hair design, make-up and fashion. They are available to cut, color and style hair, as well as provide tips on everyday and special occasion styles, and answer questions about current fashion and make-up trends. So if you are ready to "Be Pampered...to Feel Beautiful...and Indulge..." Give them a call at: Lavish Salon, in Champlin Minnesota.

Phone:763-422-1300. Website: www.salonlavish.com

contact@salonlavish.com

4608 109th Avenue North
Suite 102
Champlin, MN 55316

Staff Photo

Written by local REALTOR- Duayne Weir: Buy, Sell, Invest, Everything Real Estate!! www.duayneweir.com

Good Day!! have a cup of java and a smile on me :)

It will make you Rich!! By: Duayne Weir

Thu, 12 Apr 2007 17:37:15 -0500

"Smiling and saying Thank You" will make you rich!! Spread this habit around your office, your sales room, your business, the restaurant where you dine, and the stores where you shop. Oh for Gods sake, just Smile say Thank You and be Happy!!

If you run a real estate business, are a lender, have a staging company, work with builders and contractors, eat food, buy gas, Say "Thank You and Smile" spread it around the neighborhood. It will catch on like wild fire and the next thing you know everybody is returning it to you. Thats what happens when you take the time to say Thank You with a Smile :)

A cheerful "thank you and a smile" touches people's hearts. "A Thank You and a Smile" properly spoken will make you rich!!

Try these "thank you's" today and smile :)

"Thank you" to your children for doing anything it starts the habit early in them:)
"Thank you" to your server at the restraurant or your favorite coffee shop:)
"Thank you" to your wife when she reminds you not to forget your briefcase:)
"Thank you" to your husband when he takes you out for a fine dinner:)
"Thank you" to your real estate agent for finding your dream home:)
"Thank you" to the person that held the door open for you:)
"Thank you" to your doctor, your lawyer, and your children's teacher's:)

"Thank you" to your fellow bloggers for sharing there lives and hearts with you:)

Make thanking people and smiling a daily habit, its pays great rewards to your attitude and your paycheck, It will make you Rich!!

Good Day!! have a cup of java and a smile on me :)

Author: Duayne Weir - www.gr8wealthsecrets.com "The Perfect Wealth Formula"

The Real Estate Agent, The Loan Officer, and The Builder

Wed, 28 Mar 2007 20:55:34 -0500

Did you hear about the loan officer and real estate agent that fell victim to the crashing real estate market? They were forced to get jobs as a sandwich maker and cashier at the local Subway. One night, last week, 25 minutes before closing time, a builder walked into the store to order some food. This was a builder they could never get any deals done with.

The builder came up to the sandwich maker, and asked for four 12" sub sandwiches. He started to make the sandwiches, adding condiments and ingredients down the line, the sandwich maker really took his time and was very slow, this made the builder quite mad. The builder walked up to the register to pay for his 4 sandwiches. He asked the cashier if it was ok to just write the check for $15 over. The cashier said "I guess so, but let me run the check through the machine."

He ran it through the machine then called the bank that was printed on the builders check to verify the check was valid. Meanwhile, while all of this was taking so long and the builder was becoming more angry....the manager in the back yelled out to his employee to go grab that piece of barbwire from the back so they could use that with the padlock for the front door. It was 11:55pm and the manager had to call it a night in a few minutes. The manager yelled at the employee, "hurry up and get that barbwire piece for that padlock, and before you leave, just set it on the table next to the door , when you walk out."

The builder went to fill up his soda pop cup, "blahh, Yuck, the pop is flat", he yelled out to the manager. While the builder was paying he said, "I brought this coupon offer, I'd like to use it and get the discount." The cashier said "sorry I no longer can honor that coupon." The employee was in a hurry out the door, and threw the barbwire on the floor when the manager wasn't looking. The builder said to the manager, "who is your main boss?" The manager replied "Ed, he is the Chief Operator around here, we call him the big C.O. and he really inspects this place daily and has the "so called final word around here."

Next, the cashier approved the builders check, gave him back only $14, and only 3 sandwiches instead of 4. At this point it was 11:59pm and the builder saw the manager, ready to leave, but the manager could only find the padlock, but no barbwire. The builder now was really mad, and said to the manager, "I have been waiting for 25 minutes, I've had bad service, stale pop, have you seen all the problems I've had."

The Manager said to the builder, yes I have, it looks like we served BELOW GRADE soda pop, it is FLAT, so next time LOOK OUT or even better to just WALK OUT. You came in with the OFFER and we didn't honor our DISCOUNT, you tried to write a check for MORE THAN THE PURCHASE PRICE and get CASH BACK, so we had to call the BANK FOR APPROVAL, and then you got SHORT CHANGED, and YA' SUBS GOT SHORTED. What do you want me to do, call in the big C/O for his "so called FINAL INSPECTION." Well Mr. Builder, I got my own problems here, my employee couldn't get the WIRE TO THE TABLE, and because my LOCK is no good, here I am at the 11^th HOUR and I CAN'T CLOSE. Without a way to lockup every night, until it's fixed, let's face it, I am out of COMMISSION!

Good Day!! have a cup of java and a smile on me :)

The Beautiful City of Blaine, Minnesota, 55449

Sun, 25 Mar 2007 13:03:20 -0500

Hi my name is Duayne Weir I am a local Real Estate Professional.This post is about Blaine, Minnesota the history the demographics and information on this beautiful growing city. If you are interested in buying or selling your home or want more information http://www.duayneweir.com/ or give me a call: 612-363-2739 and we can get together for a cup of java and a smile :)

History:

Phillip Laddy was the first settler from Ireland to call Blaine his home. He lived near a lake at the time and now that lake bears his name Laddie Lake, that was in 1862. In 1877 that was when Blaine became an official township until then it was considered a part of Anoka. Moses Ripley was elected the first Chairman of the board of supervisors. Ripley who was from Maine had convinced fellow board members to name the new town in honer of James G. Blaine, a senator and three time presidential canidate from Maine.

Blaine had a population of 128 people in 1880 an didn't really grow until after World War II mainly because the land was sandy and mostly wetland. It was good hunting land but discouraged farmers from moving in.

Blaine had a large growth from 1950 to 1970 where it grew from 1,694 to 20,640 residents. Many people were attracted to the area once Minneapolis and St.Paul started to grow because it gave them wide open space to live in and it was only a short distance to downtown.Then by 2005 the population was estimated to be over 54,000 and growing with many new housing projects and business' in the area.

Demographics:

Population (year 2000): 44,942. Estimated population in July 2005: 54,084 (+20.3% change)
Males: 22,494 (50.1%), Females: 22,448 (49.9%)

Median resident age: 32.7 years
Median household income: $59,219 (year 2000)
Median house value: $125,600 (year 2000)

Races in Blaine:

White Non-Hispanic (92.6%)
Two or more races (1.7%)
Hispanic (1.7%)
American Indian (1.3%)
Black (0.9%)
Other race (0.7%)
Vietnamese (0.7%)
Other Asian (0.7%)

Ancestries: German (38.3%), Norwegian (17.6%), Irish (12.6%), Swedish (12.5%), Polish (6.6%), English (5.9%).

Elevation: 900 feet

Land area: 33.9 square miles

Links to Blaine:

Local Weather in Blaine

City of Blaine Website

Blaine Parks

Coordinates: 45°09′39″N, 93°14′0
Blaine, Minnesota
Location in Anoka County and Ramsey County

Copyright - 2007 For all your Real Estate needs Buy, Sell, Invest, Everything Real Estate!! Duayne Weir REALTOR in Ham Lake, Minnesota

http://www.duayneweir.com/ REALTOR in Ham Lake, Minnesota

The Beautiful City of Andover, Minnesota 55304

Wed, 21 Mar 2007 17:51:34 -0500

Hi, My name is Duayne Weir I am a local REALTOR I reside in Ham Lake.I decided to write on the beautiful city of Andover because I know they have a history together and currently share the same zip code. Please check out the great city of Andover, included on this post are some links for more information. Also check out my website: www.duayneweir.com for listings in this area if you are looking for a new home. If you have any questions regarding Andover please feel free to email me : duayne@investmentrealities.com . Also if you are in the area drop me a line and we will get together for a cup of java and a smile on me :) Good Day!!

History:

First off I want to clear up a myth about how Andover got its name. The myth goes a train tipped over in a swamp, and as a eyewitness, told the story, said it "went over and over", thereby naming the city "Andover". Further research indicates that the name Andover first appeared in an article dated March 14,1899 in the Anoka County Union Newspaper. This was written before train tracks were ever built into the city.

The city was first organized in 1857 under the name: "Round Lake Township". Then in 1860 it was changed to "Grow Township" To honor Senator Galusha A. Grow from Pennsylvania he was a political figure who was a strong advocate of the Union, who spoke in a campaign in Anoka that year. In 1860 the population was 330 people and included the area of "Ham Lake" until 1871. Moving forward to 1972 the town was growing rapidly and they town board change the name to "Andover Village" and then became incorporated. That name was chosen because of the historical interest in the Andover train station.

The Great Northern Railway was in the process of building the railway thru the township in the late 1890's and on July 4th, 1899 the first train passed through the Andover station. This railway connected Coon Creek, Andover, Cedar, Bethel, Isanti, Cambridge, Stanchfield, Braham, Grasston, Cornell, and Brook Park to the north. And to this day where the railway came up with Andover remains a mystery.

In 1974 the city of Andover Village, became the City of Andover.

Demograghics:

Population (year 2000): 26,588. Estimated population in July 2005: 29,745 (+11.9% change) Males: 13,519 (50.8%), Females: 13,069 (49.2%)

Median resident age: 31.9 years Median household income: $76,241 (year 2000) Median house value: $158,400 (year 2000)

Races in Andover: White Non-Hispanic (95.8%) Two or more races (1.2%) Hispanic (1.0%) American Indian (0.8%) Black (0.5%)

Ancestries: German (36.5%), Norwegian (17.5%), Swedish (13.6%), Irish (12.9%), Polish (8.4%), English (6.4%). Elevation: 891 feet Land area: 34.1 square miles

Andover, Minnesota
Location in Anoka County and the state of Minnesota
Coordinates: 45°14′00″N, 93°17′29″W

Andover, Minnesota

Location in Anoka County and the state of Minnesota

Coordinates: 45°14′00″N, 93°17′29″W

Links:

Andover Local News

Andover Local Weather

Copyright - 2007 For all your Real Estate needs Buy, Sell, Invest, Everything Real Estate!! Duayne Weir REALTOR in Ham Lake, Minnesota

http://www.duayneweir.com/ REALTOR in Ham Lake, Minnesota

The Beautiful City of Ham Lake, Minnesota 55304

Mon, 19 Mar 2007 13:37:09 -0500

I moved to Ham Lake, Minnesota 20 minutes north of Minneapolis off 35W in 2001 when I built a new home off of Lexington Avenue. Since then I have been getting familiar with the area and the things "my home town" has to offer. I hope this post will be of benefit too all who view it. Please come back often I will be adding to it as I gather more and more information. Thank You for stopping by and if you are ever in the area lets get together and "have a cup of java and a smile on me" Duayne Weir - REALTOR in Ham Lake, Minnesota. website: www.duayneweir.com

The History of Ham Lake:

Settlers came here in 1855 and started a town in 1856 near a lake the shape of a Ham. Originally the town was named "Glen Cary" a scottish name meaning "Beautiful Valley". The town burned down in 1857 because of a prairie fire. The town was not inhabited again until 1866 when a Norwegian man settled in. Other Scandinavians moved in and found it hard to pronouce the name Glen Cary? So they renamed the town "Ham Lake" after the nearby lake of the same name on account of the lake being shaped like a ham, including an island as the ham bone.

The early Scandinavians found the land very suitable for farming. And through the years, dairy farming and potato farming was the industry of choice through the early 1900's till the 1930's. Then things went from dairy and potato's to sod farming which is still popular in this area today.

By 1894 the population had grown to over 400 people and the local farmers started a Co-op creamery to sell the local milk and produce. Several other stores were built after that including "Soderquist's" the main store in town which is still a grocery store till this day. It was built on land owned by the "Olson" family who owned alot of land in the area that later would become Highway 65. In 1903 telephone service was available for only $6.In 1922 an auto garage was opened in the northern part of town. In the late 1930's electricity was added, and having light by the flick of a switch was the talk of the community.

The early days Ham Lake had no mail delivery, so one farmer named "Jesperson" voluntered to pick up everyone's mail in the nearby town of "Anoka" since all mail was picked up by him the post office addressed all mail to:Jesperson, Minnesota. In 1985 the United States Postal Service consolidated service to Ham Lake through the Anoka and Andover Post Office.

In 1969 a Fire Department was added to serve the area and"Eldon Hentges" was our first Fire Chief. In Jan. 1974 Ham Lake was incorporated as a city and Eldon Hentges was our first mayor.

Some Informative Links to the City:

Ham Lake City Parks

Ham Lake Camber of Commerce

Weather in Ham Lake, Minnesota

Ham Lake Community profile

Demographics:

Population (year 2000): 12,710. Estimated population in July 2005: 14,774 (+16.2% change)
Males: 6,636 (52.2%), Females: 6,074 (47.8%)

Median resident age: 34.0 years
Median household income: $67,750 (year 2000)
Median house value: $150,300 (year 2000)

Races in Ham Lake:

White Non-Hispanic (96.1%)
Two or more races (1.3%)
Hispanic (1.1%)
American Indian (0.9%)
Black (0.5%)

Ancestries: German (37.5%), Norwegian (20.4%), Swedish (16.1%), Irish (13.5%), Polish (8.3%), French (5.1%).

Elevation: 911 feet

Land area: 34.5 square miles

Copyright - 2007 For all your Real Estate needs Buy, Sell, Invest, Everything Real Estate!! Duayne Weir REALTOR in Ham Lake, Minnesota

www.duayneweir.com REALTOR in Ham Lake, Minnesota

Friends,Family and Active Rain

Thu, 15 Mar 2007 21:19:12 -0500

How many of us have a friend that we can trust, a friend we can confide in?

Most of my life I have never had trouble with making friends, it is said that if you want a friend be friendly. What is true friendship? To everyone it is different. Some say it is someone that is always there for you no matter what. Maybe others would say it is someone that listens to you. And then still others would say someone they could trust with their life. We all have someone that we are close too, think about it and ask yourself why is it they are your friend? Did they reach out to you for friendship or did you reach out to them?

So what does this all mean? Active Rain is a place where new friends are made. We have common ground and we think alike overall. Then there are other more specific areas of interest, that we become apart of, and we start communicating back and forth, we see purpose and personality. We see love and laughter, we joke we poke and we prod. And it all brings out the best in us. I like this place, it is everything that you make it to be and much more, its a place where you can let your guard down, relax. kick your feet up and stay awhile. You are welcomed here!!

I hope this is encouraging for the newbies and the oldies. We are Friends and We are Family. God Bless You all. And Thank You, Active Rain.

Good Day!! everyone enjoy a cup of java and a smile on me :)

www.duayneweir.com REALTOR in Minneapolis Minnesota

Let's be Real!!

Wed, 14 Mar 2007 14:51:59 -0500

This is a blog making myself real as inspired by: (Sarah Cooper -Blogging makes us real).

Let me introduce myself. My name is Duayne Weir, I grew up in a small town in Sauk Centre, Minnesota on a farm. My parents instilled in me a good work ethic, and to do things right the first time. Boy the do things right the first time has not always worked for me for I have made many mistakes and learned from everyone of them. Now the work ethic on the other hand I did get this from a young age Thank You mom and dad.

My father taught me humor as a way to not sweat the small stuff. He was always cracking jokes and making fun of life.And he always taught me quality was better than quanity. Do things the best you can always, a little different from doing things right the first time.

I have done many things in my life that I cherish and some things I regret. Some of the things I've done that I cherish include working in youth ministry for 9 years teaching drama. I had a lot of fun doing that and learned alot from the teenagers I worked with. I'm still involved with Go Ministries I'm a senior advisor with them. I've just helped them with a purchase of a Motel in Mora Minnesota to use as housing for their yearly interns, that travel all over the U.S. and Canada ministering music and drama. The regrets I won't mention.

I Love Real Estate and investing I have been doing investing since 1985 when I was 22 years old, and interesting enough real estate investing has always been good to me unlike the stock market, which I have lost a little too much in but its does help me when I'm with a client wanting to invest in real estate. I became a licensed REALTOR in 2002. And before that I was in construction sales so it was a good fit and most of my first investors were my co-workers from that industry.

My style of working with clients is straight forward and honest, I like to have fun when showing houses my clients will attest to this, Its always good to laugh sometimes as to what you see out there and to laugh at ourselves as well. I like it to be a pleasent experience for everyone involved.

So now you all know a little more about me, Thanks to Sarah Cooper because blogging does make us more real!! Now tell me more about you!!

Good Day!! Have a cup of java and a smile on me :)

www.duayneweir.com REALTOR in Minneapolis Minnesota

Debt, Credit, and Money

Wed, 14 Mar 2007 01:08:52 -0500

This is to expound on a reply I made to cyber cafe Molly speaks her mind ( Her friend got foreclosed). Now I'm no expert when it comes to money. But I do know this our dollar stretchs farther when we don't have high interest debt ( credit cards). Debt, Debt, and more Debt. Lets get rid of it.

Now I'm going to be transparent here I've been in debt up to my eyeballs and I have been debt free 2 times in my life. I've never filed bankruptcy and I've worked hard to pay back all debtors even after several business failures and a divorce. (Is this too much information?).

I say this for this reason we need to be wise and help our clients make a wise choice when it comes to making the largest purchase of their lives. I am not an advocate of credit card debt or any debt for that matter!! And I think I have a responsibilty to my clients when it comes to this, and I have actually turned clients away from a purchase if they are not ready to buy. And this has come back to me in many referrals. When investors work with me I give them Robert Kiosaki's book "Rich Dad Poor Dad" And in the future if people have any credit issues I will recommend the Dave Ramsey book below.

"Buying a home is an emotional purchase thats why they went through with it, and society in general has groomed us to spend way more than we make. Just look at the credit card industry. And the fact America as a country is trillions of dollars in debt. So lets not be quite so quick to blame just one individual we are all to blame. I recommend a book by: David Ramsey "The Total Money Makeover" We need to all think differently about debt and money!!" (Taken from my reply to cyber cafe).

Good Day!! Have a cup of java and a smile on me :)

www.duayneweir.com REALTOR in Minneapolis Minnesota

Dear Diary: Day 16 as a Blogger...

Tue, 13 Mar 2007 14:31:24 -0500

Dear Diary,

My entry today concerns 16 days into active rain. I ask myslf what have I learned? To give is better than to recieve, and I see so many givers out there. Giving of their time and their knowledge helping us all to grow in a very unique way. We as a human race need people and community and this is an awesome way to acheive that. Active Rain and the world wide web accomplishes this by creating a place for people that think alike to be apart of something much larger than ourselves. To come together as a united force to the betterment of our industry and maybe in some cases all mankind.

Today I write to say that it is not what we take from active rain but what we can give. And its not just about Real Estate its about people, people in our lives that make an impact, its about relationships that we make along the way on this journey of life. And its about the legacy we leave behind.

What else have I learned in five days, is that we do this because we really want to have that voice, our own little soapbox to say the things and write the things that we do love in our personal and business lives.

So I leave you with this, this is the place where we can be transparent and let people see into our lives publicly or members only. Ask yourself who am I, and let your character shine!! This is the place to do so.

Good Day!! Have a cup of java and a smile on me :)

www.duayneweir.com REALTOR in Minneapolis Minnesota

The Blogger... A Poem

Sun, 11 Mar 2007 21:54:07 -0500

This was written as an inspiration to all of us. I'm new here and I thought it would be a good way to say Hi. So hello all my fellow friends, I hope your having a super groovey awesome day!!

The Blogger...

This Fine blog post start's with a rhyme and a reason,

Oh you say is this a good real estate season?

Today I write to all of you out there in blogger land.

I cry for help, would someone please just give me a hand.

Yes, I too want to be a blogger a yeah I am a learning.

For something much greater I am yearning!!

To be like the greats in Active Rain,

Oh please we must understand the newbies pain.

So lets all come together like friends to feature,

And take turns being the teacher.

Yes all of you great and old, young and new.

Lets put pen to paper or better yet finger to keyboard and write a post or two.

I feel the same way, Oh but a sea of blogs how does one get featured you may... ask!

Then the blog gods shine upon you one fine day.

And serve you up a great cup of java and a smile, and you start your day a running.

Oh it will happen for me, and it will happen for you, Oh our day is a coming!

Good Day!! Have a cup of java and a smile on me :)