In a post last Fall titled, “2nd Story Coming Soon?“, I speculated that this Dean Parkway rambler (above) just north of the Midtown Greenway would be super-sized. It turns out my timetable was premature, and that the existing home was destined to be scraped, not expanded. But my instincts were right. Here’s what the site...Read More
Hedging One’s Home Energy Bets Will the concept of hybrid cars, powered by dual energy sources, give rise to “hybrid homes?” In a sense, modern homes already are hybrids — at least by one definition. So, at least in the Twin Cities, it’s typical for the appliances and central air to be powered by electricity, while...Read More
New Home Trends 2013 I don’t know about you, but my association with basement wine cellars is vaguely creepy: dark, dungeon-like rooms in tucked-away corners that may (or may not) be shrouded in cobwebs. So, the see-through wine cellar (right) in this new Linden Hills home certainly caught my attention. Just one caveat: I thought...Read More
Back in (snowy) March, I noted the sign (above) heralding a “new construction opportunity” in my post, “Real Estate Euphemisms — New & Improved.” Sure enough, four-plus months later, a new home is going up on the site, just south of Minneapolis’ Lake Calhoun. Or at least the beginnings of one — for now, the builder...Read More
Leading vs. Lagging Real Estate Indicators The headline news about the housing market this week was the latest Case-Shiller numbers: nationally, housing prices are up over 12% the last year. Meanwhile, closer to home (and in the trenches) . . . Twin Cities agents listing upper bracket homes (over $1.2 million) are bemoaning the lack...Read More
1st Home? Try, 2nd (or 4th) According to the developer of 432 Park, there are already signed contracts for nearly $1 billion worth of apartments at the building; total sales are expected to surpass $3 billion. About half the buyers are foreigners; only about a quarter of the units will be occupied at any one time....Read More
