The 12 Days of Shopping Local

Hats off to the delightfully creative local businesses that choose to call Minneapolis home. And what better time to support our wonderful retail community than the biggest shopping season of the year. Explore these stores and make it a resolution to shop local as much as possible all year long.

I Like You
1955 Johnson St. N.E.
I Like You is a gift shop that gives space to more than 300 artists selling unique cards, jewelry and gifts.

Les Sol
4353 S. Upton Ave. #104
Les Sol is an eclectic Linden Hills boutique offering small, indie brands and locally designed jewelry, women’s clothing and gifts.

D.NOLO
219 N. 2nd St.
This one-stop shopping destination houses three cutting-edge fashion and home décor…

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HOW DO I GET MY Minnesota REAL ESTATE LICENSE?

 

If you’re interested in starting a career in the exciting world of real estate, you’re at least 18 years old and a legal U.S. resident, you can follow these six steps to get your Minnesota real estate license.

Step 1: Register for Course I

There are three 30-hour courses (Course I, II, III) that need to be completed, but only Course I needs to be completed before the exam. Kaplan Real Estate Education offers multiple education options that fulfill the 90-hour requirement.

Go to www.kapre.com/real-estate-courses/minnesota/licensing/salesperson.

Step 2: Pre-Register for Your Real Estate License Exam

There are two ways to register:

· Online registration: Go…

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Win When You Sell (And When You Move)

If you’re trying to decide when to sell your house, there may not be a better time than this winter. Selling this season means you can take advantage of today’s strong sellers’ market when you make a move.

Win When You Sell

Right now, conditions are very favorable for current homeowners looking for a change. If you sell now, here’s what you can expect:

  • Your House Will Stand Out – While recent data shows there are more sellers getting ready to list their homes this winter, there are still more buyers in the market than there are homes for sale. If you sell your house now before more houses are listed, it will get more attention from serious buyers who are eager to find a home.
  • Your House Will…

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Don’t Believe Everything You Read: The Truth Many Headlines Overlook

There are a lot of questions right now regarding the real estate market as we head into 2022. The forbearance program is coming to an end and mortgage rates are beginning to rise.

With all of this uncertainty, anyone with a megaphone – from the mainstream media to a lone blogger – has realized that bad news sells. Unfortunately, we’ll continue to see a rash of troublesome headlines over the next few months. To make sure you aren’t paralyzed by a headline, turn to reliable resources for a look at what to expect from the housing market next year.

There are already alarmist headlines starting to appear. Here are two recent topics you may have seen in the news.

1.…

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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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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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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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Apartment Investments Made Simple

What exactly is apartment syndication and why is it such a fantastic investment vehicle? In today’s episode, we’re taking the complexity out of apartment syndications. By the end, you’re going to understand how a syndication is structured, why it’s…

» CLICK TO Play: 36 min

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