Author Archive

Saint Paul Condos Prepare for Spring Floods

Up until the 1960’s this part of Saint Paul was called “Little Italy” and was mostly home to poor immigrants. The homes in this area, known as the Upper Levee, flooded almost yearly. In fact history has it that residents would hang their furniture by hooks in the ceilings to prevent water damage!
Fast [...]

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Saint Paul Vacant Buildings

I often get many questions regarding the vacant building program in Saint Paul.  Unfortunately, just about every Saint Paul Home for Sale these days (mostly REO) is a registered vacant building.  Here is a summary of the rules and requirements.
The Department of Safety and Inspections is responsible for managing the vacant building list.  The City [...]

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Saint Paul Fire Department Opens Hiring

The Saint Paul fire department opened the hiring list for the first time since the summer of 2005.  As of February 8, the city had approved 2,360 candidates for  the Firefighter exam.  The application period has ended.  If you missed the application process you will need to wait until the list is open again.
The written [...]

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Saint Paul Real Estate Market Update

The Saint Paul Minnesota housing market has been in a real slump for a few years and the poor condition of the job market has only exacerbated the problem. The housing market in Minnesota has suffered just as every market across the country has but there are some encouraging signs and [...]

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Get Ready For the Big Dig in Saint Paul!

No, we are not going to recreate the multi-billion dollar tunneling project that took a decade to do in Boston.  At least I hope not!  The Met Council finally announced its construction schedules for the Central Corridor light-rail line on Wednesday.  Here is what you can expect:

Downtown Saint Paul will experience road closures, street demo [...]

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The Foreclosure Market’s Affect on Renting Saint Paul Homes

Although we are seeing the following trends in Saint Paul, Minnesota, I suspect this scenario is playing out across the country.
In years past, when an investor was looking to buy a new rental property, they typically would look at multi-family properties.  With the large inventory of single family homes that are currently in foreclosure or [...]

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Income Limits Increase for Minnesota Mortgage Program (MMP)

Minnesota Housing is temporarily (up to 12 months) increasing the MMP income limits to stimulate real estate markets across the state and fully utilize funding enabled by the Federal New Issue Bond Program.  Please note program income limits will change during the 12 month period, when market conditions and funding levels warrant.
The following income limits [...]

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Average US Home Prices Will Fall by 6% More by 9/2011

Despite home prices plunging more than 27% in the last 3 years, a joint report recently issued by Fiserv and Moody’s Economy.com predicts that home prices in the US will continue to slide in 2010. The report contends that home prices will decline during the summer of 2010 with 2011 being the beginning of the [...]

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Saint Paul to Develop Mississippi River Master Plan

The City of Saint Paul has commissioned a master plan to be developed for the 17 mile stretch of the Mississippi River in Saint Paul.  This plan will help guide the City for future developments, both public and private, that are adjacent to the river.  There are currently 3,500 acres of public park lands along [...]

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