Twin Cities, MN Real Estate Podcastwith David Vanneste

We're very excited to show you this gorgeous home on Lake Josephine. Looking to sell your home? Click here to use our home evaluation tool. Looking to buy a home? Click here to search all local homes for sale. Today we’d like to take you on a quick tour of one of the most gorgeous homes we have on the market. This property is located in on Lake Josephine and its westward-facing view is second-to-none. The home features three bedrooms, two full bathrooms, two three-quarter bathrooms, and one half-bathroom with a finished basement. The house features a stunning sun room overlooking the pool and lake. The jetted hot tub and pool are very close to the water as well. This is a picturesque lake home. In addition to the two garages, there are also two large decks that overlook the pool and lake. The master suite in the home includes a separate shower and Whirlpool tub. This is a picturesque lake home that you need to see in person to fully appreciate. If you have any questions about this property or would like to schedule a showing, don’t hesitate to reach out and give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you.

If you’re looking to buy a home, these are five things that you will need. Looking to sell your home? Click here to use our home evaluation tool. Looking to buy a home? Click here to search all local homes for sale. If you’re looking to buy a home, these are five things that you will need:  1. A mortgage pre-approval: You should rely on your real estate professional to give you some advice on who might be a good lender to use, but most Realtors like myself won’t show buyers homes until we have a pre-approval from a good lender. 2. Earnest money: This will sit in an escrow account to be applied to a down payment. Typical earnest money will run between 1% to 2% of the purchase price of the home you’re looking at. 3. Money for a down payment: Unless you’re a qualified veteran, down payments will range anywhere from 3.5% to 20% of the sale price of the home you’re looking at. Most Realtors won’t show buyers homes until we have a pre-approval from a good lender. 4. Money for closing costs: In some situations, we’re able to get the seller to pick up the closing costs for the buyer, but that will also increase the price you pay for the home. Typical closing costs for a mortgage will be about 3% of the purchase price.  5. Money for the home inspection: Typical home inspections today will cost between $350 to $500, depending on whether or not you choose to have a radon inspection. The inspector will expect to get paid at the time he does the home inspection. If you have any questions about what you need to buy a house, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I’d be happy to assist you.

What's going on in the Twin Cities market? We're seeing some interesting trends, so I wanted to give you a quick update. Looking to sell your home? Click here to use our home evaluation tool. Looking to buy a home? Click here to search all local homes for sale. A lot's going on here in the Twin Cities market, so I wanted to give you a quick update. New listings are down about 8% from last year to roughly 8,000 homes for sale on the market. The number of active listings stands at about 11,000 right now, which is a decrease of about 20% compared to this time last year. Pending units—homes that have gone under contract but have not yet closed—stand at about 6,000, which is an 8% decrease from this time last year. Inventory is down and home values are up. This is all probably due to the lack of inventory on the market. The median home price has jumped up to $246,000, which is a 6% increase from where we were at this time last year. The average days on market, or the average amount of time it takes a home to sell, is at 58 days currently. That's also an improvement from last year. The final and perhaps most interesting recent statistic from our market is that in the last 30 days, 22% of properties in the marketplace had some kind of price adjustment. If you have any questions about our market or any specific neighborhoods, don't hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I'd be glad to help however I can!

Our newest team member has some important advice on the home buying process and how you can move into your dream home. Looking to sell your home? Click here to use our home evaluation tool. Looking to buy a home? Click here to search all local homes for sale. Today I’m joined by JJ, one of our buyer’s agents and our newest team member, so he can introduce himself and tell you what you need to know about the home buying process. As a buyer’s agent, JJ meets with clients who are seeking their dream home and consults with them to understand all their expectations and desires so they can hit the ground running to start their home search. Once you’ve found a home you like, your first step is to present a strong offer. According to JJ, a strong offer starts with being pre-approved. If you don’t have a pre-approval in place or a pre-approval letter ready to present, your offer won’t be seriously considered. Make sure you’re working with a lender and you have a pre-approval letter that you can attach to any offer you make. We’ll help walk you through the process. After your offer is accepted, next comes the home inspection process. This will give you a feel for the home, from the foundation to the roof to everything in between. Keep in mind that you have to have your inspection completed within a certain amount of days, though. In a typical contract JJ writes up, his clients’ inspections happen within 10 to 14 days. In addition to the inspection, you must also present amendments to the sellers if there are things about the home you need to have fixed. To that point, JJ has many people at his disposal that will work on your behalf to ensure your new home is deemed safe and healthy. Lastly, you need to beware of radon. Radon is a colorless, odorless gas that emanates from the soil and has been proven to cause cancer. If the house you want to buy has high radon readings, you want to properly address that with an amendment to the seller after the inspection process. In this situation, JJ will fight for his buyers to make sure a mitigation system is installed properly. We want you to be a client not just for this home, but for future homes as well. If you have any other questions about the home buying process, feel free to give us a call. We’d be happy to help you. 

You should have received your property taxes statement in the mail. Here’s what to do if you feel the valuation of your home is out of line. Looking to sell your home? Click here to use our home evaluation tool. Looking to buy a home? Click here to search all local homes for sale. By now, you should have received a copy of your proposed property tax statement. On the back of this statement, you’ll find a process you can follow if you feel that your property valuation is out of line. We’ll help walk you through the process. If you’d like some help with that, give us a call and we’ll help walk you through the process. The county will recommend that you have a Realtor give you a market analysis on the value of your property. Keep an eye on the deadlines because they’ll be coming up before you know it. The first half of home taxes are due May 15th. If you’d like us to help you with your property taxes or you have any other questions we can help with, give us a call or send us an email. We’d love to be of service to you.

Homes actually sell faster and for more money during the winter months. Follow these tips to pull off a successful winter home sale. Looking to sell your home? Click here to use our home evaluation tool. Looking to buy a home? Click here to search all local homes for sale. Winter is traditionally thought of as not the best time to sell a property, but statistics actually tell us that homes sell faster and for more money during the colder months, even in cities like Minneapolis. For example, we recently put two properties on the market and both sold in less than a week. If you’re thinking about selling this winter, follow these tips: Make sure your sidewalks and driveway are perfectly cleared of snow to keep your home open and inviting. Turn up the thermostat a little bit and make sure your fireplace is on. You also want to be sure all the lights in your home are on, including the closets. This is especially important this time of year when it gets dark so early. Statistics actually tell us that homes sell faster and for more money during the colder months. Staging your home is another key component. If you list with us, we’ll spend hours with you helping your home get ready for sale because this is a critical step. You can even check out some staging tips in advance on our website. Winter is a great time to sell your house, so why wait for spring when all the competition comes out on the market? If you’re thinking about selling your house this winter, give us a call or send us an email today. We’d love to hear from you!

2016 was a great year! We’ll go over a quick market recap for you and explain why 2017 is off to such a great start. Looking to sell your home? Click here to use our home evaluation tool. Looking to buy a home? Click here to search all local homes for sale. 2016 was a great year! Once again, we were voted one of the top 100 most influential real estate agents in Minnesota. We had a fun year working with past clients, helping their children buy their first homes, and helping their parents transition into a smaller home. At the Vanneste Group, we are here to help people at all stages of life. We had a fun year working with past clients and their families! 2017 is off to a great start. Interest rates are historically low, and the market itself is extremely healthy. If you are thinking of buying or selling a home this year or if you have any real estate questions, give us a call. We look forward to hearing from you.

Selling a home? Get a free home value report Buying a home? Search all homes for sale The holiday season has officially begun! We hope you are as excited as we are. We’d like to take a moment to express our gratitude to all of you this Thanksgiving. Over the years, we have met some truly wonderful people, and we wouldn’t be where we are today without all of your support. Enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner with all of your family and friends—that’s what we plan to do!

For Realtors, the ability to adapt is just as important as years of experience.  Let me explain how we offer you the best of both worlds.   Looking to sell your home? Click here to use our home evaluation tool. Looking to buy a home? Click here to search all local homes for sale. Let me take a moment to say thank you for giving us the opportunity to help you your real estate needs. I've been in this business for more than three decades, and as a team, we sell more than 75 homes year in and year out. Our experience is something that you can count on. We're constantly adapting to stay ahead of the curve, too. We leverage new technology and social media to get buyers from their smartphones, tablets, and computers into your front door. That's what you need in a successful Realtor today. If we can be of service to you in any way, don't hesitate to call or email us. We'd be honored to help you!

This beautiful home at 5083 Alameda Street in Shoreview must be seen to be believed. Sitting on a rare half-acre lot on the hard sand beach of Turtle Lake, this 4,621 square foot walkout rambler is a spectacular place to call home. Sunset views, a lakeside gazebo, plus five bedrooms, an office, and a main floor family room with a gas fireplace make this property stunning inside and out. This home is stunning inside and out. This home has been exceptionally maintained, yet includes just enough room to add your own personal touches. At $970,000, this gorgeous Shoreview home won’t be on the market for long, so don’t miss your chance to tour it this weekend. For more information on this home or any other homes in our area, please don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I’d be more than happy to help you.

  Want to sell a Twin Cities Home?  Click here to perform a full home search  Want to buy a Twin Cities Home?  Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation  Call us at (651) 481-6711 to answer any of your real estate questions.   Before working with our team, Rich and Carol worked with another broker who wasn’t able to sell their home. However, our superior advertising and marketing systems came to the rescue, especially in the way that we managed to stage their home. We did an initial walkthrough of the home and then sent in our professional stagers to make the home feel more appealing to buyers. Staging can set the stage for a buyer to fall in love with your home. The staging set the framework for the photographer to come in and take some fabulous pictures of the home that helped it stand out to online buyers. At first, Rich and Carol were a bit defensive about the idea of staging their home, but they warmed up to the idea when they saw what our professionals managed to do. Our home stagers were very diplomatic in the process, and also listened to what Rich and Carol had to say. In the end, they didn’t do anything that Carol didn’t want, and they politely explained their recommendations. Staging may seem like a small issue during a home sale, but it can really set the stage for buyers to fall in love with your home. If you’re interested in learning more, please don’t hesitate to contact me!

  Want to sell a Twin Cities Home?  Click here to perform a full home search  Want to buy a Twin Cities Home?  Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation  Call us at (651) 481-6711 to answer any of your real estate questions.   We recently sold several properties that had previously languished on the market with other agents. With a few changes, we were able to do some staging and decluttering, and get those homes sold within two to three weeks. We average about one of these a month. Just by doing simple things like rearranging furniture and opening up the space in the home by decluttering, we are able to see some great results. We love going into these properties because we are able to generate some great photos, good feedback for the seller, a quick sale, and a happy customer. If you have any questions for us about home staging or how it can help sell your home for the most money possible, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We would love to hear from you.

  Want to sell a Twin Cities Home?  Click here to perform a full home search  Want to buy a Twin Cities Home?  Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation  Call us at (651) 481-6711 to answer any of your real estate questions.   Barb Larsen, our professional home stager, is here today to tell you exactly how the home staging process works. First, Barb will sit down with you and go through what staging will accomplish. Remember, staging is not about decorating your home; it’s about showcasing the home’s selling features. The buyer is not purchasing your furniture or accessories, so remove your personal items, like family photos or your baseball card collection, so the buyer doesn’t get distracted. You want them to see the beautiful granite in the kitchen and your gleaming hardwood floors. We will go through each room and pick out the selling features of that room. Then, we will figure out how to showcase those features to the buyer. Keep in mind that we’re not just staging for the buyer’s eyes - we’re also staging for the camera lens. Professional photos are key to getting buyers into your home. Barb works closely with your home photography to make sure everyone is on the same page. Your first photo is crucial because you want potential buyers to click on it and look at the rest of the pictures of your home. If you have any questions about the home staging process, give us a call or send us an email. We would be happy to help you!

Want to sell a Twin Cities Home?  Click here to perform a full home search  Want to buy a Twin Cities Home?  Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation  Call us at (651) 481-6711 to answer any of your real estate questions. Staging your property can bring in a ton of traffic. Barb is here to answer a few questions about staging. How can we bring accessories into the property? Why do accessories help? Oftentimes, we’ll bring accessories into the property in order to neutralize the decor. Let’s say you have a modern style. We want to broaden the appeal to a wide range of buyers, not just those who like modern accessories. Rather than the seller investing in what they won’t use, we recently acquired a storage facility for accessories. That way, we can bring them in free of charge. Consider these items as props until the house closes. Why are paint and carpet so important? Paint and carpet are two of the biggest areas where sellers can recapture their value. We like to get there ahead of time to help you choose the right carpet and paint colors. Remember, it’s important to think neutral. We work with a couple of different vendors that can help update your home. We trust them not to oversell. We want buyers to see that the carpet is fresh, because that helps raise the value of the property. What other small updates do you recommend? We want to make the process as stress-free as possible for our sellers. We will help with simple upgrades like switching out a light fixture or mirror. Sometimes, that’s all it takes to give a space a whole new look. We will pick up a mirror on occasion, but we are not trying to spend your money. We are just looking to maximize your return. If you have any other questions for us, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

Want to sell a Twin Cities Home?  Click here to perform a full home search  Want to buy a Twin Cities Home?  Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation  Call us at (651) 481-6711 to answer any of your real estate questions. I always tell sellers that how you live in a home day-to-day and how we set it up to sell are always a little bit different.  We recommend early packing. Sellers can find this part challenging, but afterward, they find that it's the thing that they most appreciate when they get that offer on their home. We'll come in and consult with you on which pieces are best to pack early, like furniture, art, or accessories. “ Since you're moving, you're going to have to pack anyway. ” Since you're moving, you're going to have to pack anyway, so we simply help decide which pieces are better to pack early. Then, we can work with what you have left to maximize the space and direct the eye to the home’s selling features. We want potential buyers focused on those aspects of the property. If you have any questions about early packing, give us a call and we can help you out!

Want to sell a Twin Cities Home?  Click here to perform a full home search  Want to buy a Twin Cities Home?  Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation  Call us at (651) 481-6711 to answer any of your real estate questions. I'm joined today by my assistant Barb Larsen to talk a bit about staging. She's been staging for almost 10 years. It's been a passion of hers for a decade. “ Staging your home gets fantastic results. ” We recognized early that there are two things that impact the sale of a home: price and condition. To address the condition part, we started using staging as part of our free service, and we've had just fantastic results from it. If you have questions about staging or are considering buying or selling a home, please feel free to reach out to us. We'd love to help!

Looking to sell your home? Click here to use our home evaluation tool. Looking to buy a home? Click here to search all local homes for sale. Buying a lakeshore property is more about buying a lifestyle. You can own or buy a big property anywhere in the Twin Cities, but you won’t get the lifestyle that comes with owning a lakeshore property. Most lakeshore buyers grew up on the water or had a family cabin growing up, so they understand the inherent lifestyle of living on a lake.   Live the lakeshore lifestyle. If you are in the market for a lakeshore property or have a lake home you need to sell, give us a call. We are the leaders in lakeshore property sales in the northern suburbs, with over 350 properties sold in our career.  If you have any questions, just give us a call. We would be happy to help you!

Want to sell a Twin Cities Home?  Click here to perform a full home search  Want to buy a Twin Cities Home?  Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation  Call us at (651) 481-6711 to answer any of your real estate questions. Today, we want to show you our latest listing, 15660 Ramsey Boulevard. This beautiful home is set on five pristine acres of property. Additionally, the home features over 5,000 square feet of high-end finishes. What’s more, this home is priced several thousand dollars under its new construction cost. This home has all the amenities current buyers are looking for right now. Gleaming hardwood floors, an open floor plan, and granite countertops make this a can’t miss property. The home also features soaring ceilings and beautiful windows to capture the wetlands behind the property. Don’t miss out! If you would like to schedule a showing, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!