The Duckwall Team of Edina Realty

Renting Out Your House

Kirk_Duckwall — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:15:38 +0000

If you are thinking about selling your home but are concerned that you may be upside down on your mortgage or the current market conditions will not allow you to get as much as you want out of your home you may want to consider the possibility of renting out your house. This can be a concern to many due to the potential of bad renters or wear on the property. These worries can be minimized by having a larger damage deposit and doing the due diligence of a rental history, criminal and credit check on any possible renters. Some benefits of renting your home are: the ability to move on to your new home, paying down your mortgage each month from the rent received, the possibility of extra cash flow income, and the ability to ride out negative swings in the market to allow you to sell your home when real estate values peak.

If you are interested in this option and you own a home in St Paul, Minneapolis or around the Twin Cities we can help. Our home property management fees are about half the cost of others.

Renting Out Your House is a post from: Twin Cities Real Estate Radio

Homes for sale in Roseville MN – 2120 Cleveland Avenue N

Kirk_Duckwall — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:27:21 +0000

Adjacent lot available. Beautiful home across from Midland Hills GC in roseville minnesota, Over 3300 square feet+ full foundation. Fabulous granite kitchen, main-lvl family room, hardwood floors, 3 bedrooms up including spacious mstr suite+ main level BR, Main floor laundry. This is one of the best Homes for Sale in Roseville MN.

Homes for sale in Roseville MN – 2120 Cleveland Avenue N is a post from: Twin Cities Real Estate Radio

Types of Home Sales, Estate Homes, Bank Owned, Short Sales and more

Kirk_Duckwall — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:06:53 +0000

When shopping for homes there are many different types of sellers you may be dealing with. The most common are Traditional,Estate Homes, Bank owned, Short sale and Homes owned by the department of housing and urban development or otherwise known as HUD homes. Each type of sellers is dealing with a different situation and there for when writing an offer you will want to take this in to consideration. A prime example is a bank owned seller who is selling a well-priced property may not be willing to pay deferred taxes, pending assessments, or levied assessments where a traditional seller may. It is important when starting the buying process to find an agent that knows the ins and outs of each type of transaction. This can make the difference of whether your offer gets accepted and could potential change your final purchase price by thousands of dollars.

Types of Home Sales, Estate Homes, Bank Owned, Short Sales and more is a post from: Twin Cities Real Estate Radio

Stop Foreclosure

Kirk_Duckwall — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:45:55 +0000

Do you think that your home’s value maybe upside down?

You may have talked to friends, family or acquaintances about your options. Stop Foreclosure, there is a lot of misinformation circulation about modifications and short sales. Below is a list of options that are available to you if your home’s value is upside down depending on the specifics of you current mortgage.

· Fannie Mae DU Refi Plus

· HARP Refi

· LP Open Access

· FHA 115% Write Down Refi

· FHA Short Refi

· Loan Modification

· Short Sale

· Deed in Lieu of foreclosure

· Foreclosure

· Bankruptcy

If you need to sell your home now for any reason, we would like to help. We along with our Attorneys and our credit management and repair partner are available to meet with you, at no cost, and show you different options. The sooner you act the more options you will have. Stop Foreclosure, don’t wait until it is too late.

If you would like more free information Click Here or feel free to call us today at 651-303-0019.

Stop Foreclosure is a post from: Twin Cities Real Estate Radio

Find a Realtor

Kirk_Duckwall — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 02:43:27 +0000

Whether you are buying or selling a home finding an agent that will be there for you when you need them is important. Choosing an agent can be hard sometimes; it is usually a good idea to interview a few real estate agents to find a realtor that is knowledgeable and is there to work for you and is not just a salesman. You will also want to find out which realtors are full time. Time is of the essence when dealing with real estate transactions and you always want to be able to reach your agent in short order whether it is to see a well-priced new listing or when dealing with an offer on the home you are trying to sell. You will also want to find an agent that has a good team of resources behind them if you need them such as a mortgage broker, title company, contractors, movers just to name a few.

Find a Realtor is a post from: Twin Cities Real Estate Radio

Determining when to list your home

Kirk_Duckwall — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 02:42:33 +0000

When thinking about listing your home and determining when to put it on the market consider Most buyers like to close and be in their home if possible buy summer so they can enjoy the nice weather in their new home and start their project list. It also takes the average buyer 2 to 5 months to find a home. Spring Buyers usually start their search online just after the holidays picking and choosing the homes they will want to go see when they contact there realtor. The most purchase agreements in the twin cities are between April and May. So to have your best chance of taking advantage of the spring market as a seller you should be listing you home in January or Feb so you do not miss the extra online exposure you get at this time of year.

Determining when to list your home is a post from: Twin Cities Real Estate Radio

Do you Have Questions about Real Estate

Kirk_Duckwall — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 22:18:26 +0000

Do you have questions about Real Estate? Have your question answered by a licensed Realtor who serves St Paul, Minneapolis and surrounding areas. Submit your question below.

Question

I have a home for sale in St Paul. It has been on the market with another realtor for 5 months now and it still has not sold. Is there anything else I can do besides drop the price?

Lisa R. – St Paul, Minnesota

Answer

The first thing I would check is to see if you agent did a relist on your home. In most cases you don’t want a listing to show more than 90 days on the market otherwise it looks old. The only exception is if you are getting heavy showing activity. The next thing to check is to see if your agent used professional photography to include wide angel shots and a virtual tour. Also you should check to see what other type of marketing is your agent doing besides just online. For example I like to use radio and TV to market my listings. If you find that your agent has been doing these things, sorry to say but if you want to sell you may need to do a price reduction.

Kirk Duckwall

Question

I am looking to buy a home in South MPLS and there are a lot of short sales. Are short sales just a waste of time?

Jason M. – Minneapolis, Minnesota

Answer

If you are in a hurry to buy a home a short sale house may not be the way to go, however if it is a pre-approved short sale that is a different story. A pre-approved one may be able to close in the same amount of time as a traditional sale. If you have time on your side a short sale purchase can be one of the best deals out there along with estate homes. On average short sales in the Twin Cities are selling for around 16% less than asking price. Traditional and bank owned homes on average are only selling for 8% less that asking price. A short sale can take around 60 to 90 to get approved. Also do not be afraid to write a backup offer on a short sale, there are many short sale homes that have on offer on them but a large percentage of first offers back out due to that the buyer finds another home before the short sale gets approved. This can work out to your advantage because if you are the backup offer that just came in and the other offer drops out, the bank and selling agent may have most of the leg work done already. This may shorten the time it takes to get the approval on your offer.

Kirk Duckwall

Submit Your Question Below

Do you Have Questions about Real Estate is a post from: Twin Cities Real Estate Radio

We Market Homes, We Sell Homes!

Kirk_Duckwall — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 21:02:05 +0000

Most people do not realize that each Realtor is an independent contractor for their brokerage. Each broker does provide some marketing tools, however it is usually up to each Realtor to come up with and pay for most of the marketing for your home. This is why it is so important to talk to each Realtor and see what they are going to do for you.

Below are just a few of the things we do to sell your home.

We provide all of these marketing options at no additional cost over the average listing fee.

TV and Radio Advertising, We advertise our listings on many different networks to reach the greatest number of potential buyers possible. Our listings can be seen advertised on HGTV along with nightly Wild and Twins games. We also use AM 950 to help market our listings on our weekly real-estate radio show along with daily advisements. Our listing advertisements are reaching over a 100,000 people more a week than your average realtor. This is proven to drive more people to your listing online and increase showings.

Below is a Link to example of a TV commerical we would do for your home.

Neighborhood Flyer Campaigns and Open Houses, This will create more buzz about your home.

Top Notch MLS Listing Reaching Over 4000 Websites, Using our experience, professional photography and virtual tours, we create a top notch MLS listing

Below is a Link to an example of one of our Virtual Tours using professional production and photography.

http://www.obeo.com/Public/Viewer/Default.aspx?ID=683317

The better the marketing the greater the number of showings you should receive. With greater activity you should achieve a greater sale price. The quality of marketing you get from the agent you choose can affect the final sale price of your home by up to 10%.

651-303-0019

kirkduckwall@edinarealty.com

Below are just some of our recently SOLD homes

1376 Portland Avenue

980 Manvel Street

1641 Dayton Avenue

1472 Fairmount Avenue

99 Mackubin Street

770 Hague Avenue

26 10th Street W #2007

177 Winifred Street W #2

115 Western Avenue N #1N

3277 Belmar Drive

2009 Rishworth Lane

4740 104th Lane NE

2644 36th Avenue S

4452 3rd Avenue S

3053 Chatsworth Street

5616 Alameda Street

449 8th Avenue S

We Market Homes, We Sell Homes! is a post from: Twin Cities Real Estate Radio

St. Paul Condo For Sale-284 Spring St. #104

Kirk_Duckwall — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 20:56:51 +0000

Spectacular views of the Mississippi! Granite Kitchen w/Stainless Steal Appliances, Cherry Cabs, maple millwork & floors, California closets in utility room, private patio facing courtyard, heated underground parking w/2 adjacent spaces in ideal location, locked storage! 1-level living!


Listing Price: 424,900
Address: 284 Spring St. #104
City: St. Paul
State: MN
ZIP: 55105
MLS # (if any): 4107007
Square Feet: 1644
Bedrooms: 2
Bathrooms: 2
Basement: 
Sale Type:

St. Paul Condo For Sale-284 Spring St. #104 is a post from: Twin Cities Real Estate Radio

3324 Humboldt Ave S, Minneapolis,MN 55408

Kirk_Duckwall — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 20:28:08 +0000

This 2014 square foot single family home has 4 bedrooms and 2.0 bathrooms. A spacious 2 car garage with a 3rd parking space next to it. A Large fenced in backyard for entertaining. Leaded Glass, Built in Buffet, Fabulous Woodwork, 2 blocks to Lake Calhoun, Children’s Playground, Large Garage, Extra Parking Space, Great Neighbors and Neighborhood. Big Front Porch, Kitchen Island, Fenced in Backyard.

Listing Price: 445,900
Address: 3324 Humboldt Ave S
City: Minneapolis
State: MN
ZIP: 55408

MLS # (if any):
Square Feet: 2014
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 2
Basement: Finished
Sale Type:

3324 Humboldt Ave S, Minneapolis,MN 55408 is a post from: Twin Cities Real Estate Radio

691 Manomin Ave. St. Paul MN 55107

Kirk_Duckwall — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 22:37:52 +0000

A beautiful 3 bedroom 2 bathroom home in Saint Paul. This home has many amenities!!! Welcoming home with newer refinished Hardwood Floors, Built in. Buffet, New Roof, Newer Garage, work Shop in basement. Owner is looking for a Short Term Renter w/ option to buy while home is listed forsale. Looking for someone that is clean and can keep the house in neat order and handle having it ready for showings quickly. Terms and Condidtions are as follows:

$850 Month
$850 Security Deposit
Background Check Deposit
Month to Month or 3-6 Month lease.
None Smoking
No Pets
30 day notice of moving out
Option to buy can be included. (Terms and Conditions will Change)


Listing Price: $850 Month or 175,000
Address: 691 Manomin Ave.
City: St. Paul
State: MN
ZIP: 55107
MLS # (if any): 
Square Feet: 1351
Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 2
Basement: Full
Sale Type:

691 Manomin Ave. St. Paul MN 55107 is a post from: Twin Cities Real Estate Radio

3124 43rd Ave. S Mineapolis MN 55406

Kirk_Duckwall — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 22:02:12 +0000

Architect renovated 2 BR + office home. Blocks to river, cafes and restaurants. Open feel, new high-efficiency furnace, Central AC, stainless appliances, quartz counter tops and Maple floors. Huge landscaped lot with deck, fence and stone path.


Listing Price: 199,500
Address: 3124 43rd Ave. S
City: Minneapolis
State: MN
ZIP: 55406
MLS # (if any): 
Square Feet: 925
Bedrooms: 2
Bathrooms: 1
Basement: Partial
Sale Type:

3124 43rd Ave. S Mineapolis MN 55406 is a post from: Twin Cities Real Estate Radio

Help with how to sell a home, Free Home Buyers and Sellers Reference Guide and Coupon Book!

Kirk_Duckwall — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 17:42:38 +0000

Do you want help with how to buy a house or how to sell a home, We have put together a Free Home Buyers and Sellers Reference Guide and Coupon book. This book has coupons from local companies for services that you will find you may need throughout the home buying and home selling process and after. Even if you are not planning to buy or sell this is a great resource. The coupons are for the following services and more:

Home Inspection
Title Services
Mortgage
Insurance
Moving
Painting
Mini Storage
General contracting
Plumbing

We also have some great reference guides such as: house buying tips, the home buyers time line, home marketing information for sellers and more. If you would like this book sent to you at no cost please contact us today by phone, email or below:

To Request a Free Home Buyers and Sellers Reference Guide and Coupon Book!

Help with how to sell a home, Free Home Buyers and Sellers Reference Guide and Coupon Book! is a post from: Twin Cities Real Estate Radio

256 Spring Street #314, St. Paul, MN 55102

Kirk_Duckwall — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 22:59:37 +0000

This 2 bedroom unit has an open feel and with many upgrades. The condo features a large master bedroom and a spacious kitchen with granite countertops and cherry floors. Stay warm by the fireplace in the winter or enjoy our summers on the large balcony.

Property Details:

Listing Price: 243,900
Address: 256 Spring Street #314
City: St. Paul
State: MN
ZIP: 55102

MLS # (if any): 4100352
Square Feet: 1,054
Bedrooms: 2
Bathrooms: 1
Basement: None
Sale Type:

Property Photos:

Below is a Link to the TV commerical for this home.

http://youtu.be/XcNq39I0Z1M

256 Spring Street #314, St. Paul, MN 55102 is a post from: Twin Cities Real Estate Radio

Fannie Mae and Freddie Make Mac Move to NO Loan to Value Limit Loans on HARP

charles — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 21:20:47 +0000

The Federal Housing Finance Agency, with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, has announced a series of changes to the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP). This program was designed to be able to help people who were in a position of negative equity. Now, it someone is upside down on their home, there will be no limit to how far upside down they are in order to qualify for these loans. This program will continue to be available to borrowers with loans sold to the Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac on or before May 31, 2009 with current loan-to-value (LTV) ratios above 80 percent.

Here’s a summary of the most significant changes to the HARP program:

• Eliminating certain risk-based fees for borrowers who refinance into shorter-term mortgages and lowering fees for other borrowers;

• Removing the current 125 percent LTV ceiling for fixed-rate mortgages backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac;

• Waiving certain representations and warranties that lenders commit to in making loans owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac;

• Eliminating the need for a new property appraisal where there is a reliable A VM (automated valuation model) estimate provided by the Enterprises; and

• Extending the end date for HARP until Dec. 31, 2013 for loans originally sold to the Enterprises on or before May 31, 2009.

This change, coupled with serious talk of the Fed doing more quantitative easing involving purchasing mortgage backed securities, could be mean BIG opportunities for people who, while well qualified as borrowers, have been locked out of being able to get today’s more favorable interest rates.

To find out if a loan is owned by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, first find the property’s standardized address by going to the United States Postal Service website, click on “lookup a zip code,” and find the properties “standardized address.” Then, enter that address into these lookups to see if there’s a match:

Does Fannie Mae Own My Loan?

Does Freddie Mac Own My Loan?

FHFA Harp Changes.pdf

Charles Dailey – iLoan – NMLS ID# 79048 – CA DOC, MN DOC & WI DFI – 612.234.7283

The Home Buyers Scouting Report® is provided directly to the buyer by HBM II, a licensed national real estate brokerage service company, not to or through a lender. The FREE home finding service is provided directly to prospective homebuyers by HBM II and its real estate brokers, as part of their ordinary real estate brokerage services. HBM II, Inc. works cooperatively with other real estate agents across the United States in attempting to find ready, willing and able buyers for homes listed for sale. The role of the Preferred Loan Officer is to assist in determining a comfortable home price range for Home Buyers Marketing II, Inc. (HBM II) to use when it is searching for property listings within the buyer’s search criteria.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Make Mac Move to NO Loan to Value Limit Loans on HARP is a post from: Twin Cities Real Estate Radio