Inflation’s Effect on Housing [Note to Readers: please also see the update to this piece, posted Oct. 20] One of the big questions in the (financial) air is whether all the money that’s been pumped into the system (the various TARP’s, the Fed Reserve’s serial loan guarantees, government purchases of bank equity, etc.) the last...Read More
More Buyers Looking Yes, it’s Spring, which is a seasonally busy time of year. And yes, there are a lot of steps in between someone looking at a home, and deciding to buy it. And — one more “yes” — a good chunk of the inventory that prospective Buyers are checking out consists of foreclosures...Read More
State Tax Deductions for Housing: Endangered Species? Is now a good time to make upper bracket housing in Minnesota (or anywhere else) more expensive? The Minnesota state legislature — or at least the House — seems to thinks so. On Saturday, it passed a bill that would make mortgage interest and property taxes non-deductible in...Read More
What Does Tax Assessed Value Say About Market Value? In a Buyer’s market like today’s, more and more listings announce that the home is “selling for less than tax assessed value” — sometimes substantially less. The inference is that the home is a bargain. Is it? Not necessarily. One situation where tax assessed value can...Read More
More Than Meets the Eye (For a Change) Where: 1802 Colfax Ave. South, in Minneapolis’ Lowry Hill neighborhood What: all brick 6BR/5BA; almost 6,400 FSF on a double lot How much: $1.195M When: originally listed 8/08; two, $100k price cuts since then It isn’t often these days that the photos on MLS don’t do justice...Read More
Where: 29XX Quentin (St. Louis Park’s Fern Hill neighborhood)What: 3 BR/3BA; *3,937 FSF. Year built: 1936How much: $379,900On Market: 7/23/08 I originally profiled this home way back in July, when it first came on the market (“Too Good To Be True“). The question I posed — “4,000 FSF by Cedar Lake for $380k? Not So...Read More
