By John March 03, 2018
have only lived here a few months, and i am a easy going person, so as of so far, i have no comment , i think its fine. ...read more
By Evi March 03, 2018
keep safety and security ...read more
By Matthew March 01, 2018
More amenities. It seems like we just don't have that much. ...read more
Housing Starts exceeded expectations and also beat October's reading of 889,000. November housing starts were posted at 1.09 million against a consensus of 963,000. This reading is more in line with the NAHB/Wells Fargo Home builder Market Index, which reached a four month high with December's reading. With that threat resolved and a new federal budget passed, builders can now proceed without worrying about setbacks caused by government shutdowns and legislative gridlock. Building permits issued in November were slightly lower at 1.01 million than October's reading of 1.04 million. Viewed as an indicator of future construction, and ultimately, available homes, it is not unusual for construction and permits to slow during the winter months. FOMC Statement And Chairman Bernanke's Last Press Conference Throughout 2013, strong signs of economic recovery have led to predictions of the Federal Reserve tapering its quantitative easing program. As each FOMC meeting approached, analysts predicted that the Fed would start reducing its $85 billion purchases of Treasury and mortgage-backed securities. The asset purchases are part of the government's quantitative easing program that was implemented to keep long-term interest rates and mortgage rates low. The cut finally came on Wednesday as the FOMC made its customary post-meeting statement. Effective in January 2014, the Fed will reduce its monthly purchases by $10 billion. The QE purchase will be split between $40 billion in Treasury securities and $35 billion in MBS. The Fed expects that the economy will continue recovering at a moderate pace. The FOMC statement noted that the Fed will continue monitoring inflation, which remains below the Fed's target rate of 2.00 percent, and the national unemployment rate, which remains above the Fed's target rate of 6.50 percent. The statement noted that asset purchases are not on a predetermined course, and that the Fed will continue to closely monitor labor market conditions, inflation pressure and economic developments in the U.S. and globally. The Fed did not change its target federal funds rate of 0.00 to 0.25 percent, and would not do so at least until unemployment falls to 6.50 percent. Changes to policy accommodation are made with the Fed's dual goal of achieving an inflation rate of 2.00 percent and achieving maximum national employment goals. Bernanke Press Conference Mr. Bernanke repeated key points of the FOMC statement, and noted that "highly accommodative monetary policy and waning fiscal drag" is helping with the economic recovery, but that the economy has much farther to go before it can be considered fully recovered. Mr. Bernanke said that FOMC members saw the unemployment rate dropping from 7.00 percent in November 2013 to 6.30 to 6.60 percent in the fourth quarter of 2014. Improving labor markets and rising household spending were cited as signs of economic recovery. Mr. Bernanke mentioned concerns about the high unemployment and underemployment rates and said that the Fed's benchmarks for unemployment and inflation would not automatically trigger reductions in its QE asset purchases. He also said that the committee did not expect to adjust the target federal funds rate immediately after the national unemployment rate reaches 6.50 percent. Mr. Bernanke repeated that the Fed's actions regarding monetary policy and QE would be dependent on in-depth review of ongoing financial and economic developments, but said that further tapering of QE purchases is likely if the economy stays on its present course of moderate improvement. ...read more
By BOB ELLIOT - REALTOR® CRS -- RE/MAX Advisors December 19, 2013
The home resales is expected to finish the year with strength.Last month, for the fifth straight month, thePending Home Sales Indexhovered near its benchmark value of 100, registering99.5 in September.he Pending Home Sales Index tracks homes under contract to sell, but not yet sold, and is published by the National Association of REALTORS®. The index is a relative one. It compares today’s housing market activity to the housing market activity of 2001 — the index’s first year of existence.The Pending Home Sales Index has averaged 99.1 this year.Among housing market indicators, the Pending Home Sales Index is unique. It doesn’t report on prior market activity as the Existing Home Sales and New Home Sales reports do. By contrast, the Pending Home Sales Index is a forward-looking indicator.The real estate trade association tell us that80% of U.S. homesunder contract go to closing within 60 days, and many of the rest go within Months 3 and 4. In this way, the monthly Pending Home Sales Index can foreshadow to today’s St Paul home buyers and sellers what’s next for housing.Based on September’s Pending Home Sales Index, then, we should expect to see closed home sales stay strong through November and December. That said, home sales are expected to vary by region.Here is how the Pending Home Sales Index broke down by area last month as compared to one year ago on a seasonally-adjusted, annualized basis :Northeast Region : +26.1% from September 2011Midwest Region : +19.3% from September 2011South Region : +17.6% from September 2011West Region : +0.8% from September 2011Often, the last few months of a year are considered to be a “slow” period for the housing market. Based on regional, annual Pending Home Sales Index improvements, though, 2012 may be different. The market looks poised to finish with momentum that may carry home prices higher into 2013.For today’s home buyers, mortgage rates remain low and home prices have only started to climb.For the week ending Oct, 20 2012Twin Cities Pending Sales increased 33.3% to 1,012. Data CourtesyMinneapolis Area Association of REALTORS. ...read more
By BOB ELLIOT - REALTOR® CRS -- RE/MAX Advisors October 30, 2012
The Federal Open Market Committee voted to leave the Fed Funds Rate unchanged within its current target range of 0.000-0.250 percent Wednesday. For the ninth consecutive meeting, the vote was nearly unanimous. And, also for the ninth consecutive meeting, Richmond Federal Reserve President Jeffrey Lacker was the lone dissenter in the 9-1 vote. The Fed Funds Rate has been near zero percent since December 2008. In its press release, the Federal Reserve noted that, since its last meeting six weeks ago, the U.S. economy has been expanding "at a moderate pace", led by growth in household spending. However, "strains in global financial markets" continue to remain threat to U.S. economic growth, a comment which references to the Eurozone and its economy. The Fed's statement also included the following economic observations : Growth in employment has been slow; unemployment is elevated Inflation pressures remains stable, and below 2% Business spending on equipment and structures has slowed In addition, the Fed addressed the housing market, stating that there have been "further signs" of improvement, "albeit from a depressed level". Finally, the Federal Reserve re-affirmed its commitment to its most recent stimulus program, a bond-buying program known as QE3. Via QE3, the Federal Reserve has been purchasing $40 billion in mortgage-backed bonds monthly, with no defined "end date". QE3 is meant to suppress U.S. mortgage rates. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke has said that QE3 will remain in place until the U.S. economy has recovered in full, at least. It's a plan that may help home buyers in Minnesota and nationwide. Since QE3 launched, mortgage rates have moved to new all-time lows. The Fed also used its meeting to announce that it intends to hold the Fed Funds Rate near its target range of 0.000-0.250 percent until mid-2015, at least. The FOMC's next scheduled meeting is a two-day event and its last of the year,December 11-12, 2012. ForMinnesota Real Estate Properties and Updates ...read more
By BOB ELLIOT - REALTOR® CRS -- RE/MAX Advisors October 25, 2012
Attempting to find the perfect piece of real estate to purchase can be overwhelming. Fortunately, there are a couple of places to look at property listings that take a lot of the legwork out by providing lot size, square footage and other features. ...read more
Marketing is an important aspect of operating as a real estate broker. To become successful, you need to have the right marketing tools at your disposal, and also know how to effectively use those tools. There are many tools available that can help real estate brokers market their services and achieve... ...read more