Great Vacation Rentals in the North Loop

In the 19th century, the North Loop was a bustling hub of commercial and industrial activity.

Today, the spacious warehouses and turn-of-the-century industrial aesthetic have been preserved, but everything else in this cosmopolitan neighborhood has transformed to suit the modern lifestyles of its residents.

The North Loop has seen more development than any other part of Minneapolis in the past decade as aging industrial buildings have been converted into modern lofts and condos and boutique shops, restaurants, bars and art galleries occupy the renovated storefronts. It’s isolated from the traffic of the freeway but close to downtown, light rail, bike paths, and walking trails along the Mississippi…

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Duck and Cover! Inflation is Coming!

Catchy title, right?

Do I think you should be worried about inflation? Oh, hell yes. But as a real estate investor and agent, I see this as an AMAZING time to get into real estate investing, BECAUSE of inflation.

Let’s take a step back and do a quick review of inflation. I’m no Adam Smith, but I feel I’ve got a decent understanding of the fundamentals of economics. So, what is inflation? Inflation is the general decrease in the value of the dollar compared to its ability to purchase goods and services. Meaning, if a gallon of gas costs $3 today, then tomorrow, that same $3 might only get you three quarters of a gallon of gas. Good example? Ok, here’s another. Say you like to go to Valleyfair (I mean, who…

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One of the major components of the recent mayoral elections in the cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis was a vote for or against rent control. In this article, I’m going to break down what you need to know about rent control broken down by each city, how it could affect the rental real estate market, and opportunities in the investment space given the vote’s outcome.

First, it’s extremely important to note that TWO votes occurred - one for the city of St. Paul and one for the city of Minneapolis. The outcomes of each are similar - in that the rent control vote “passed” - but the outcomes that we’ll see from this vote are very different. Let’s break this out by city, and then discuss the outcome of the vote, the potential short term effects, and…

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Think People are moving out of the city? Thank again.

It’s been a tumultuous year for the U.S. housing market, and the Twin Cities is as prone as any region to increased housing demand, low inventory, higher prices, and competitive sales. According to Minneapolis Area Realtors, the decade-long sellers’ market is continuing as the median sales price of homes in the Twin Cities rose 7.9% to $340,000, and new listings fell 11.5% from October 2020.

Another trend that market watchers are seeing is the steady increase in the percentage of home sales in the Minneapolis/St. Paul urban market. Condo sales were up more than any other property type over the past year, rising 3.8%. And in August, closed sales in Minneapolis reached their highest level since…

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The last few months of selling multi-family apartments throughout the Twin Cities has been crazy! In just the past two months, I’ve sold close to $10M in real estate, which consists exclusively of multi-family apartments located in South Minneapolis. But right now, I’m running into a challenge I haven’t experienced before: finding well-qualified buyers for these multi-family apartments.

I’m of the belief that those who succeed in investing often have a contrarian viewpoint to the rest of the general public. When people are buying, YOU are selling. When people are selling, YOU are buying. And right now, in the Twin Cities market, people are selling. Does that mean that you should be buying? Well, that depends. Below I’m going to highlight three…

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VA Home Loans: Homes for Heroes

This Veterans Day, we honor those who have served and thank them for their continued dedication to our country. A special thanks to our DRG veterans JJ, Brooks, and Tim.

In the United States, there are many valuable benefits available to veterans, including VA home loans. For over 75 years, this program has given millions of veterans and their families the opportunity to purchase their own homes.

As we consider the full impact of VA home loans, it’s important to understand these great options for veterans, active-duty personnel, and surviving spouses and to share them with those who may be able to benefit the most. For a variety of reasons, many qualified applicants don’t take advantage of this valuable…

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Renters Missed Out on $51,500 This Past Year

Rents have increased significantly this year. The latest National Rent Report from Apartmentlist.com shows rents are rising at a rate much higher than the three years leading up to the pandemic:

“Since January of this year, the national median rent has increased by a staggering 16.4 percent. To put that in context, rent growth from January to September averaged just 3.4 percent in the pre-pandemic years from 2017-2019.”

Looking back, we can see rents rising isn’t new. The median rental price has increased consistently over the past 33 years (see graph below):


If you’re thinking of renting for another year, consider that rents will likely be even higher next year. But that alone…

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