Twin Cities Real Estate

Why One Should Read the Paper

 

 

This morning as I was eating my English muffin and reading the Minneapolis Star -Tribune I paused for a moment to realize I was a dying breed. Fewer and fewer people have the old rag dropped at their front door and read it to start their day.  I remember as a girl in the 60's my parents would get the Minneapolis Tribune in the morning and the Minneapolis Star in the evening.  They really read two papers a day!  Now my kids read zero newspapers a day.

I know they can get CNN breaking news on their phones. I know they can go on line at any time and scan the news. I realize 24 hours a day they can tune into CNN, Fox, or many of the other channels and learn what is happening in their global world.  Yet, I feel they are not getting the news as I did and continue to do so.  One gets to know their newspaper, the writers, the features, and how to read between the lines.  Journalists are human and perhaps can slant their articles, but for the most part the news is put out there in black and white for one to read and digest.  We don't get a sexy woman delivering us words that might just impact us on how they are delivered to us on the flat screen we sit in front of.

I find it tragic that we are quickly losing the form of communications that our founding fathers found so very important.  The freedom of the press,. The newspaper that would be delivered throughout the community no matter what its size allowed citizens to rally for their causes.  The printing press is most likely one of the most important inventions in civilization to allow the common person to start governing themselves.  People worked hard to learn to read so that they could become informed as to how to control their own destiny. Printing presses have been hidden so that leaders in causes could print the word to rally citizens to their cause. 

Don't tell me that today they would Twitter one another! I know how quickly one can pass information in our society.  Twitter, how many characters is that? Hardly enough to educate and stir one's emotions to a cause.  I would like to see the American Revolution rallied around Twitter.

Call me old fashioned.  Call me out dated.  Still, call me educated and informed.  I reach out to all of you to continue to read the newspaper and be informed.  Talk with others about what you read and form your own conclusions.  The newspapers is so very important.  Plus, how would you train your new puppy if you didn't subscribe to the newspaper?

SO SORRY

Since last December I have worked daily to try to get A short sale through with Bank of America as the first lender.  Just moments ago I learned the title of the property has been returned to the investor and the bank no longer even has it.  It is over.  Before the person from the office of the President of Bank of America hung up she did say, "sorry."

What does sorry mean?  I feel today it means I will get you off my case by saying sorry.  There is no remorse or feeling of sadness by the part of the person who says sorry.  Will that person walk into the office of the President of Bank of America and give him an ear full of how the bank failed these people? No.  Will anyone above this person even be aware of how many times the bank and its awkward systems for short sales have failed people? No.  If we utter the word sorry, then we had better be prepared to do something to right that wrong so we don't have to keep saying, sorry.

I tell all of you who read my blog, the system of short sales is really broken and you need to keep sending the message to all that will listen that American is being failed.  Sorry will not make this issue go away.  Real estate will continue to go down until the system gets going in the right direction.

Fence Sitting

I sell houses in Minneapolis and the seven county area.  I work with buyers and sellers.  Many people know I am a Realtor, so the first thing they say to me when we meet is, "So how is the real estate market?"  My answer is that it is frustrating as there are so many fence sitters.  I want to shout from the mountain, "Do Not Sit On the Fence!"

Sellers get so very frustrated as a buyer will see their house.  Then they will come see it again.  This is called lathering the seller up.  He is ready to bite on an offer.  The offer does not come.  The feedback comes back that the buyer really, really likes the house.  They are going to add it to their "list." 

What is this list?  How many houses can a buyer hold on a list?  I tell my buyer they can keep one house at the end of the day when we are looking at houses.  If they are only going to buy one house, then why having 5 houses on a list and then keep adding to it.   If you have just one house  on a list and then you play the game, "Beat that House," you will meet with success.  A good sales person says A or B.  You will never get closure if you offer A B C D.  The choices are too great.

Buyers will say, "This is a big decision and I have to be sure."  My answer is get serious.  How long do you really think you will live in this house? Is there a perfect house? Even if your budget were higher, would you be able to find all the things you really want in a house?

Realtors stop being a consultant and start being a sales person.  I know that sounds awful.  You will appear pushy.  They might not like you.  Yet again, you might help them really buy a house which is the goal they started out with when they first met the Realtor.  All sellers think the agent is showing their house to sell it.  How upset they would be if they knew they just spent the last 30 minutes getting the house ready, pawning the kids off on neighbors, and then driving around for an hour with the hound dog in the car, to learn you are just exploring the world of houses with them.  Sellers think Realtors select a house that falls into the  profile of what the buyer wants.  They would have their bubble burst if they found out why agents really show their house. 

We can get the real estate market on more solid ground if Realtors showing houses took more control.  They need to stop being tour guides and be the driver of the real estate bus.  You might be surprised how many more referrals you will get from a buyer who lets you  be the Realtor.  They will not be so weary of the whole buying experience if us Realtors go back to our job.

THE NIGHTMARE ON BANK OF AMERICA STREET

Freddy is not in this story.  He could be.  This is a story about myself, a short sale expert.  I have closed on many short sales.  it takes an effort but most banks if you do your job will work with you on getting a short sale closed. Now comes the story of the Nightmare on Bank of America Street.

Last May I took a short sale on a townhouse in Chaska, MN.  The prices have crashed in that community.  Not until December did we get an offer that we sent to Bank of America.  I talked twice a week with their short sale department and the file moved along.  Come March we still had not been assigned a negotiator.  We kept the buyer induced in a coma so they would stay patient.  Three times the short sale department said they had excel orated the loan.  Please do not ask me what that means. In my world, it means they tried to keep me happy.  Now the buyer is waking up from the coma and threatening to pull back on the offer.  I get a bit pushy with Bank of America.  They suggest I put it into their Equator system.  This is an electronic system that is suppose to move the process along.  Using this system is assuming all Realtors have an IT degree.  Still no movement on the part of the Bank of America.  I get a call from a person living in the townhouse that says s sheriff stopped by and told him he had to move out by April 6th because the house was in foreclosure.  That was news to the owner.  A two hour phone call to all different departments at Bank of America (by the way their music when one is on hold is terrible) proved to me the bank did not know what has happed to this property. I speak to an attorney that handles foreclosures for the bank and  he said  the property has been foreclosed.  I go back to the executive office of the V.P of the bank and they say they don't know.  Now I am taking aspirin.  They promise to review the file.  I get an email saying they can do nothing.  The owner is fried and he starts the conversations with the bank.  They say they will review it once again. Meanwhile I have taken the selling agent and her clients to a bar and have left them there with an open tab until Bank of America knows what is up. Yesterday they told me to send them all documents concerning this property.  I suggested they go into Equator as all the docs are there.  This department said they did not know how to use Equator. Naturally, why would they.  I asked them to contact the short sale department as they have all the documents.  They said just send via fax as they don't talk to the short sale department.  They had already proved that point to me.  I did fax them the documents.  In 72 hours I am to hear something.  I have no idea how the bank measures 72 hours!

I have contacted the National Association of Realtors, my two Senators, and have broadcasted this on social networking as I feel this is a nightmare no one should have to go through. The seller has his credit ruined all because he does not have a job and can't pay the mortgage.  The buyer and the agent are out a property that they waited since December to close on.  The community where this property is located has lost value and real estate taxes due to the actions of the bank.  I the listing agent has lost countless hours where I could have been making money and have not gotten so many gray hairs.  Who do I send my hair coloring bill to?

Try to convince me that the government and the banks who once used tax payers money to right themselves, are making the real estate market whole.  Talk to me for ten minutes and I can tell you how to make it okay fast.  That will be another blog.

THE NEW LOOK IN MINNEAPOLIS

It is mid April but in Minneapolis it feels like May.  We have very green grass, the trees are leafing out, and our spring flowers are in bloom.  That also means it is red eye season.  The allergies are the worst I have seen in years.  Rather than a bowl of mints at my desk, I have a bowl of Clarion tablets.  The itchy eyes, the sneezing, and the tender throat is what is happening in our world right now. 

I hear many reasons why it is so bad this year.  Some say it is because everything is happening at once.  Others say it is just a cycle, and then there are those who just don't know.  I think our genes must be getting watered down as this problem occurs in small children till those past 80.  Not that we can't talk about snow, we have to talk about our red eyes.

You don't want to blame your camera if the people in your pictures have red eyes.  It is really the season in Minneapolis.  Once everything gets into full bloom, then I am told we will feel better.

This is a boom for those working behind the counter at the drug store.  They get to sell us tissues, drugs, red eye drops, things to suck on, and they know we'll be back if this does not cure us.

Don't be ashamed of your red eyes.  It is the new look in Minneapolis.  It is how we say hello to spring.

March Went Out Like a Lamb

In Minneapolis we broke a record.  We had no snow the entire month of March.  As a kid this used to be our snowiest month.  We have our tournaments for the high school sports in mid-March, and it seemed like the teams always fought their way to the games through storms.  It would be lots of wet snow that would melt, but it kept pushing spring away.  This month we had warmer weather than parts of Florida.  We are seeing 70 degrees.

The worst part is that those of us living in Minneapolis shed our clothes quickly and you see very white legs and some rolls of fat as the winter months of eating take their toll.  To the many city lakes we go not shy of how we look.  We bike, roller blade, walk, and run around the lakes.  The ice is being blow off by the  March winds and the fisher people are starting to drool thinking about standing on the docks with their lines in the water.  Very soon we will be back in condition.

Now we pray for rain.  It is very dry and grass fires are starting to crop up.  These are dangerous as the wetlands that back up to homes catch fire this time of year.  Until the green growth emerges, the cattails can catch fire.  A spark from the smallest thing can start the blaze.  Last night we saw the firefighters putting out a fire in Andover.  Our gardens need rain to help the plants come back.  We need a strong rain storm to wash away the salt and sand from the winter streets. 

Those of you who do not look favorably on our Minneapolis weather should look again.  We had a nice winter and it appears we will have an early spring.  Get those tulips in bloom and get ready to smell the lilacs.  Sure hope tomorrow, April Fools' Day, we don't get a surprise.

NEW FUN IN MINNEAPOLIS

There is a new sport in Minneapolis and I would love to try it.  It is polo on bikes.  Leave the horses in the barn and get your bike out for this fun. 

McRae Park in south Minneapolis was the site for this polo match.  They use the hockey rink that no longer is in use.  The people playing had to modify mallets, bikes and used street-hockey balls.  The games tests your skills at bike riding and ball handling.  You really have to know how to steer, brake, pedal, keep your balance and still be able to pass the ball.  Get this you are not allowed to put your feet down.  I think I would have to cheat on that point.  You are allowed to use some hockey moves including shoves and body checks.  Bring a big box of band aids in my case. 

You can go to www.mplsbikepolo.com to get more details.

I vote yes to any physical activity that gets you outdoors and enjoying friends.  We are blessed in Minneapolis with many parks and most of us have a group of friends.  I think it is great when you can grab a group and play and not have to be terribly organized.  Afterwards you can head to your favorite pub or to some friend's deck and enjoy some drinks and talk about who really won.

Give it a try.  You might find a new reason to own a bike. Just remember, I am not to be held responsible for your scabs.

Help was just blocks away

 

I am terrible with my vehicle.  I know the gears and how to put it into park and drive and I know full and empty, but that is about it.  I go nuts if someone changes my favorite radio stations.  Changing the time on the clock is a major frustration.  I have a Jeep and not only it is a passenger van but it hauls staging furniture and all my open house signs.

Last Saturday as I am getting ready to show townhouses to one of my buyers, I notice this painful sound every time I go to turn. I call my husband and hold the cell phone so he can hear it.  He says maybe it is steering fluid.  I say okay and go off to meet my buyer.  Ryan is a stud and a real guy.  I figure cars are his middle name.  He listens to the sound and says it might be the steering fluid.  We stop in to nave it topped off and off we go to see properties. 

As I show him properties, the moaning continues.  I try to chat lightly and act as if nothing is happening.  The poor guy most likely thought the car was possessed.  That, or the vehicle would be in pieces soon enough.

The day ends without me getting an answer to the noise.  It is now Sunday so I am once again off being  a Realtor with my strange noise Jeep.  It is not until Tuesday that I can give up my Jeep for the day so the mystery can be solved. 

Right in the Fulton neighborhood ,just steps from my neighborhood in Minneapolis, is Southwest Firestone.  I leave the Jeep in their hands and wonder what kind of bill I will see at the end of the day.  The guy was talking in the hundreds to the thousands depending on what they found.  This puts fear in the heart of a Realtor who wonders when pay day will come. I tell him I need the car at 4:00 (to show more houses) so just get her done.

He calls at 3:00 and says it is done.  I pause to hear the bill.  He says they took the Jeep apart found something that needed greasing, and then they put it back together.  The greasing was $10.00.  The cost was the labor to take it apart and put it back together. 

I can't say enough about this place.  They don't just sell tires, they save lives for cheap.  The Jeep has been running like a dream. The guy told me all the pot holes this year most likely caused the problem.  What an honest groups of men they are.  I mean I thought I was facing a bill of big bucks.  They could have told me anything and I would have been forced to pay the price to get back on the road, quietly.

I feel so fortunate to have such an honest group of people working in my backyard.  They also know vehicles.  In this world we talk about being treated unfairly and how tough the world is.  I had the opposite experience.  Good going guys.

Hungry? Try the Bad Waitress

The other day Charles and I left an appoint in Minneapolis and we were hungry for dinner.  We decided to get a quick bite and head home.  We were tired.  We did the choice of Mc and Don's and in the end said, "boring."  There is nothing wrong with that fast food restaurant, it just gets boring.  There are times I think I could eat the wrapper with the burger and not even notice.

Last night I told Charles we were going to go to a fast place but something a bit more interesting.  We happened on The Bad Waitress.  Don’t get upset with the name or put off.  You enter your own order on an order pad, pay for it, and then wait for the food to be brought to you.  Young, fun people are the staff.  The place is decorated with horror movie and sci-fi posters.  It has a 50's feel or perhaps it is just a garage sale feel.  My dinner of a great hamburger,taco chips and homemade salsa was most satisfying.  It is grass feed beef so I left my guilt at the door.  Charles had a Reuben on rye with a stack of pastrami and sauerkraut.  He went over-board with has brown and a chocolate malt.  There were lots of create grilled baguettes to choose from.

We will have to go back for breakfast as they serve some great egg dishes.  The pancakes are made from scratch and beg to be tested.  I am not a coffee drinker, but it appeared they had a wide selection of coffee drinks that those around us were raving about.  Back to night time you can have wine or beer.

That bad place was really very good.  I would certainly give it a go again.  Minneapolis has so many fun places to try.  You don't always have to do the repeat routine. 

Smelling Dirt

I walked out my Minneapolis home this morning and I smelled dirt.  I don't know how you describe to someone what dirt smells like, but once you smell it, you know the smell of dirt.  As a Gardner smelling dirt is a definite sign of spring.  The snow has melted. Here in Minneapolis we had 88 days straight of 3" or more of snow. The sun is warming up the soil.  A farmer

must feel so hopeful as he smells the dirt.  It means he or she is ready to get to work and see the miracle of the soil bring a seed to life and have a plant grow.

We take dirt for granted.  We should not.  Those who live in the heart of major cities have concrete covering their dirt so they do not experience what I do.  People living in flood zones this spring are watching their dirt being washed downstream.  The benefactor will be those living miles away.  Desserts offer sand not dirt to those living there.  In the corn belt, where I live, our dirt is the best.  Go a bit north of Minneapolis and you lose this fertile soil.  I might live in the metro area, but I do drive out and see the rows and rows of corn and soy beans that are so much a part of the Minnesota economy. 

The prairies in the 1800's ,especially after the Civil War ,brought people to our area  to farm.  We did not have all the trees of the eastern states, so fields of crops were easier to establish.  The glacier built our great lake of Lake Superior, drew the lines for rivers to flow, and dropped lots and lots of rich soil here.  So very many years ago the definition of who we would be in Minneapolis was  created.  People took this gift and made us who we are today.

So, I walk out my door and smell my dirt.  It is in the air.  I don't need to bend down to sniff it.  The odor is everywhere.  It is why my dog raises his nose to the wind and sniffs and sniffs. He has even greater senses and can smell so much more.  It is why when I ride my horse he goes crazy this time of year.  The snow recedes and leaves behinds so many smells to be blown by the winds of March.  Go outside and breathe deeply.  You will be rewarded by the smell of dirt.  Do is soon, as this wonderful sense will soon be gone.