Mike Carlier's blog

A prospect contacted me yesterday with a question about a listing I had sent her.  At her request, our previous contacts were only by email.  Our conversation revealed that she had been dealing with a brother of a friend who is a real estate agent and also an investor.  She indicated that the age...

In his recent post, Bill Austin summarized the federal tax credits for home buyers in 2008 and 2009 and the repayment requirements that came along with some of them.  Some folks will be repaying the credits, and many will not. Bill's post got me to thinking about just who was helped and who was n...

Farmington Market Report March 15, 2012 Farmington, MN is one value location that buyers may want to add to their wish lists.  According to data supplied by the Regional Multiple Listing Service of Minnesota,there are 145 active residential listings, and about a third of them are priced at or bel...

Lakeville Market Update March 15, 2012 Lakeville, MN is in the process of a successful spring buying season.  With total residential sold units running well ahead of 2011 and more optimistic employment numbers, demand could have an upward effect on sale prices this spring. According to data suppl...

Apple Valley, MN could face a shortage of available homes for sale during the spring buying season.  With total residential sold units running substantially ahead of 2011 and more optimistic employment numbers, demand could have an upward effect on sale prices this spring. According to data suppl...

Tonight, most of us will need to move our clocks forward an hour, and that means we will lose an hour of our lives, sort of.  While Daylight Saving Time will give us an extra hour to tour homes after work and to do whatever else requires that it be done before sunset, it also takes away an hour o...

The Apple Valley Chamber will again host its annual Home and Garden Expo on March 31.  The event has been well attended in past years with around 5,000 attendees.  Held at that Dakota County Western Service Center, the event is one of the more popular ones of its kind in the area.  Hours are 9AM ...

According to a Gallup report as cited in 24/7 Wall Street Wire, Hawaii is the happiest state, followed by North Dakota and Minnesota.  In aggregate, employment, health, longevity, and education point to these three states as the happiest. The report makes for entertaining reading, but it probably...

My personal resources are split almost equally between real estate and equity investing.  In my research, it's getting progressively more difficult to find any reference among economists and analysts to housing as a significant component of our national economy. It seems that housing and the peop...

The Lakeville Area Chamber of Commerce has announced their ninth annual Landscape Home Expo and Consumer Showcase.  It will take place on March 17, at Lakeville North High School.  This is a great event to research all your needs for home improvement projects and services.  Over 150 exhibitors wi...