Barker and Hedges Real Estate Blog

Credit Crunching Potential Home Buyers

It has been all over the news that lenders are tightening their requirements for borrows. Even in the thick of this credit crunch, though, there's plenty of money available for home buyers – if you have good credit and a hefty down-payment. People with less-than sparkling credit and without enough of a down-payment will most likely encounter problems with getting a loan. As the credit crunch drags on and lenders try to stem the flow of additional losses even as the government tries to stimulate the languishing housing market, it can be expected that the mortgage lending landscape could get interesting. Well, more interesting.

It’s not enough to have a higher credit score, there's a good chance your lender will be scrutinizing your debt-to-income-ratio and requiring that it go lower.  Though during the housing boom lenders approved borrowers with debt obligations that surpassed more than 55 percent of...

Two Holidays Down with One to Go

I don’t know about you, but I’m finding it hard to adjust back to “work mode” following this middle-of-the-week Christmas.  Depending on if you celebrate Kwanzaa or Hanukkah, you could very well still be celebrating!  Thanksgiving, with its long hours of cooking and even longer hours with extended family, was just one month ago.  Add in all of the preparation craziness that happens between these two holidays (and even more family time), and I’m sure I’m not alone in being just a little tired of celebrating, but not quite ready to face the “real world.”  It is nice to know that there is at least one more excuse we can give ourselves for not having our heads entirely in the game: New Year’s Eve!

My friends have somewhat of a New Year’s tradition of gathering at a home, bringing lots of tasty finger-foods and “pot...

A Christmas Post (The Riverview Theater)

Perusing the Twitter boards today in Saint Paul and Minneapolis, I see that a lot of people are going to the Riverview Theater tonight to see a presentation of the classic holiday movie, “A Christmas Story.”  It’s playing right now (5:00 PM) and at 7:00 PM tonight, if you haven’t made any plans for this evening yet and you’re looking for something to do.  After all this cold weather we’ve had, it just might be worth it to get out of the house for a while! So, in light of the looming holiday and this great activity that is going on tonight, I thought that I might write a little bit about the Riverview Theater, located at 3800 42nd Avenue South in ...

The Twin Cities makes Forbes top 10 list for long term Real Estate bets

There is no doubt that the Twin Cities real estate market (along with 95% of the US) has taken a significant hit over the last year or two.   I have always believed that our market is less volatile then most larger markets.  We usually don't see values increase as quickly or decrease as quickly as many US cities.  This Forbes Article  explains how much better off we are in Minnesota for the long term....

Good and Green

New around here, I thought it would be a good idea to tell a little more about myself.  Earlier I wrote about how I like weird stories, odd facts, and the like.  Another thing I like to discuss is living a green life, and all the cool ways people can be more friendly to the earth. 

How does this apply to real estate? It has lots to do with real estate!  Green building is an industry that is growing quite quickly.  An increasing number of today’s new home buyers are aware of their impact on the environment and are insisting on the availability of earth-friendly houses.  Twin Cities new home builders are building green homes to satisfy demand.  In fact, earlier in this blog it was reported that green building is making an appearance on a very public stage in Minneapolis as...

Strange-But-True: Rent To Own ?

Just a few days ago, I wrote about how I like odd stories and I highlighted the “Strange-But-True” posts that have appeared on this blog.  Now I get the chance to write my own! 

In this tumultuous and flooded real estate market, sellers are trying like crazy to attract buyers to their home and devising ways to make it stand out from the crowd.  At the same time, troubled banks are unwilling to hand out money very easily and buyers are finding it hard to get loans.  As a result, an unusual prospect is emerging to help buyers and sellers alike: rent to own your home.

Okay, so it’s not all that strange of an idea. Lease to own or rent to own has been around forever, but think of the concept for a minute: I’m a prospective first time home buyer, renting a home already.  The last...

Snow Emergencies in Minneapolis and Saint Paul

The season of Snow Emergencies has finally begun! If you live in Minneapolis or Saint Paul and you park on the street, it would be a good idea to move your car, as the first Snow Emergencies of the winter have been declared in both cities.  You have a little time, though, as Snow Emergency parking regulations begin at 9 p.m. tonight, December 20. 

Minneapolis and St. Paul officials are sticklers when it comes to clearing the roads quickly, usually resulting in hundreds of vehicles landing in the impound lot during heavy snows.  It will cost nearly $300 to bail your car out. So close to the holiday, you know that money could be put to much...

The Weird Factor

Because I’m new around here at the Barker & Hedges blog, I’ll share a little bit about myself.  One thing that important to know about me is that I like weird stuff. Weird news, odd facts, strange structures…  I have particularly liked the Strange-But-True real estate stories that have been highlighted in this blog:

  •  What would you do to sell your house in this market?  Strange-But-True: Home Sale Tactics.
  • If you buy my house, I’ll buy yours!  Because of the glut of houses in the market, there are now social networking sites devoted to House Swapping.
  • Would the idea of owning your own home make you merry?  Then ...

Minnesota First Time Home Buyer Site

A good place for first time home buyers to find information about buying a house in the Twin Cities area is at the Minnesota First Time Home Buyer Website.  Here, you can find information about state, county, city, and even neighborhood home buying programs.  In the coming weeks, even more will be added to the site, including forum where first time home buyers will be able to discuss their experience with the process.  Be sure to check in often to what is new!...

New Writer, New Perspective

Hello there!  I’m new around here at the Barker & Hedges site. I’m not a Realtor or agent in any way nor am I directly involved in the profession. I am actually a professional writer, but beyond that, I have another interest in real estate. And that is, I want to be a first-time home buyer.

As a new contributor to the site, I’ll be talking and writing about concerns about real estate from a consumer point of view.  On my journey through the process of purchasing a home, I will post updates about my own personal experiences.  While researching my future purchase (as any potential home owner should be doing), I’ll share pertinent or interesting information I come across that could be useful for home buyers. I may even find some interesting stuff to tell home sellers, I’ll not get ahead of myself. 

In the posts...