I am an American living in France. I have one daughter who completed the incredibly rigorous French education system and is now attending one of America’s most prestigious Ivy League universities. My younger daughter currently attends an international-French school; she endures a 9 hour school plus two hours of homework every day 10 months out of the year.Apparently, I am not alone. I talk to many parents in the States and across the world with school age children who tell similar tales.We submit our children to grueling school schedules, ridiculous pressure to get them into ‘good’ schools. Once they are in university, the undue strain just continues. The cost to the children and society are tragic. Cornell University, for example, recently suffered the shocking heartbreak of several un... 05/06/2010

South Knoll Road between View Lane and Blake Road will be closed on May 5, 2010 for utility work.　 The work is anticipated to be completed by the end of the day.　 Please contact Aaron Kuznia at the City of Edina Engineering Deparmtent at 952-826-0444 for additional information. 05/04/2010

Rule #1: Don’t go back and forth between a buyer and seller more than twice. At and after the third round, your chance of making the sale drops dramatically. Rule #2: Don’t let the buyer and seller come to dislike each other. If you notice your client or yourself beginning to disparage the other client, redirect your focus to putting together the sale and gaining a positive outcome. Rule #3: Stay focused on the goal of completing the sale. Stay calm, listen and empathize, but do not get involved in conversations about the party’s personalities. It is your job as the professional to remain objective. Rule #4: People believe what’s in writing. Provide copies of all relevant CMAs, comparables and reports, and always make sure to put your offer in writing. Don’t negotiate verbally; put eve... 05/04/2010

Transportation into downtown Minneapolis and to some of the other suburbs surrounding Edina will be easier and better for the environment starting in 2017. That’s when the SouthWest Corridor light rail transit line should be operational. The line will run from downtown Minneapolis into Eden Prairie. Along the way, there will be three stops in St. Louis Park—Beltline, Wooddale and Louisiana—and three stops in Hopkins—Blake, Hopkins and Shady Oak. While not actually stopping in Edina, some of the stations will be conveniently located to Edina residents. Once it’s up and running, hopefully by 2017, an estimated 30,000 people will ride the LRT daily, comparable to the Hiawatha line’s current ridership. When riders transfer lines they will be able to travel on to the airport, the Mall of Ame... 04/17/2010

Price: $399,900 FIZBER.com ID 15545583 Single Family with 5 bed, 4.0 bath, in 7108 Valley View Rd Edina, MN, 55439 http://www.fizber.com/15545583/ 7108 Valley View Rd - For Sale By Owner Property Details: Type: Single Family Address: 7108 Valley View Rd, Edina, MN, 55439 Sq footage: 3000.0 Floors: n/a Bathrooms: 4.0 Bedrooms: 5 Year built: 1968 View full property details and seller's contacts. View more Minnesota homes for sale. Homes for Sale by Owner. Description: Short-Sale!! REDUCED $699.900 to $399,900!!! Stunning, Impeccable Appointments, Pristine Condition, Immaculate Interior, Spacious, Decorators Dream, Move-In-Condition. An Amazing Value! Steep drive to a wooded sanctuary, secluded and private enclave; atop Indian Hills Bluff. A destination for a respite, relaxation and commu... 04/14/2010

APRIL 12, 2010 How to Fight the IRS By TOM HERMAN Get ready for increased scrutiny by the Internal Revenue Service.With Washington searching for ways to cut the budget deficit, IRS officials face intense pressure to collect more revenue. The agency plans more audits, especially of taxpayers in high brackets or those who are self-employed and deal in large amounts of cash. The IRS also has turned up the heat in such areas as offshore tax evasion, including undisclosed foreign bank accounts.More Americans may be audited by the IRS this year, thanks to new pressure on the agency to collect from laggard taxpayers. The Wall Street Journal's former tax columnist Tom Herman explains to Kelsey Hubbard some smart -- and not-so-smart -- ways to fight back.If you become an IRS target, what should ... 04/14/2010

http://www.edina.k12.mn.us/images/Neighbors.pdf 04/06/2010

  Top Kitchen Trends for 2010 March 15, 2010 by Melissa Tracey ·  By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR Magazine So what’s cooking in the kitchen this year? The National Kitchen & Bath Association surveyed designers to reveal the top design trends for 2010. Among the trends gaining popularity this year: Hide your appliances in kitchen drawers, whether dishwashers-in-a-drawer or undercounter refrigeration (drawers being used as refrigerators). More home owners are opting to tuck their appliances away so they don’t interfere with the design. Also part of the appeal to dishwashers-in-a-drawer is their convenience with the capability of washing small loads of dishes in each drawer, which saves water and electricity.Here are some of the other top kitchen trends for 2010: Color: Shades of white... 03/30/2010

The one home inspection item that consistently causes home buyers to 'freak out' more than anything else is a gas leak. Gas explosions like the ones that recently happened in Edina and Saint Paul are probably the main causes of all the paranoia about natural gas.  Believe it or not, small gas leaks are actually quite common at old houses, and they're usually simple for a plumber to fix.  Today I'll share the most common locations for gas leaks, and I'll share my home inspection techniques for finding gas leaks in old Minneapolis and Saint Paul homes. The most common place for me to find gas leaks is at gas valves.  Older style gas valves that aren't allowed any more today are often referred to as lube valves or plug valves.   These valves are easily identified by a nut or spring on the... 03/15/2010

http://www.edina.k12.mn.us/news/take4.html 03/05/2010

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS What is the status of the aftermath of the explosion? CenterPoint Energy completed repairs of gas lines in the area on March 1. Because there is frost in the ground, some street and yard repairs are temporary in nature. Permanent repairs will be made in the spring. As a precaution, a "Sniffer Truck" may be seen driving through the area over the next few days monitoring gas levels. CenterPoint Energy is monitoring streets other than Arden Avenue. Residents who live on other streets should not be alarmed if they see the utility company working near their homes. The Edina Fire Department is gathering information and will meet later this week with representatives of other public safety agencies involved in the incident to complete a Post Incident Analysis (PIA) o... 03/01/2010

DISTRICT AND EDUCATION MINNESOTA/EDINA REACH TENTATIVE AGREEMENT:On Wednesday, February 24th, representatives from the school district and Education Minnesota/ Edina (Union) met in mediation to seek resolution to the Union’s work agreement.  A tentative agreement was reached during the session.  This tentative agreement is now moving forward to seek ratification by the Union membership and approval by the school board.  These actions will be moving forward through the first weeks in March. 02/26/2010

5 HOT TIPS TO KEEP YOU ON TOP OF YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA GAME 1. Don’t try to do too much. The people/companies that have the best success in social media are using a maximum of three tools. You don’t need to use every single social media tool known to mankind. What you need to figure out is which tools match your strategy. For example, if you are trying to establish yourself as a thought leader in your field, the best social media tool you can use is a blog. If you are trying to build up a community around your industry, idea or cause, select Facebook or LinkedIn. 2. Create editorial calendars. Editorial calendars on a monthly basis are a great way of keeping your social media program on track. Otherwise, your social media engine is just run on disorganized spontaneity and you will eventual... 02/18/2010

HOMEBUYER TAX CREDIT FAQ #9   Q:  Does a married couple qualify for any home buyer tax credit in the following situation? Spouse A has lived in and owned the same principal residence for at least five years. Spouse B has lived in and owned the same principal residence for less than five years.   A: In this situation, the couple does not qualify for any home buyer tax credit. Because the couple is married, the law tests the ownership history of both spouses. Spouse A clearly does not qualify for the $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit, so neither does Spouse B.   Spouse A does appear to qualify for the $6,500 repeat buyer credit, but because Spouse B has not owned and lived in the same principal residence for at least five years, neither of them can claim the repeat home buyer tax cr... 02/01/2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEEdina Mayor and School Superintendent to present ‘State of the Community’Edina, Minn., Jan. 22, 2010 – Edina Mayor James B. Hovland and Edina Public Schools Superintendent Ric Dressen will present the “2010 State of the Community” in February. The mayor will speak about the new Public Works Facility, the process to determine the future of the existing Public Works site, property value trends and development activity in the community. Dressen will speak about educational successes recently achieved within the District, personalized learning, the 2010-2011 budget and staffing plans.The State of the Community will be held 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 17, at Edinborough Park, 7700 York Ave. S. Registration begins at 11 a.m. Hovland and Dressen will speak at approximately ... 02/01/2010

REALTOR NEWS UPATE- RE FANNIE MAE HOME PATH PROPERTIESJust a note so that you know, Fannie Mae recently announced that it will pay 3.5% seller concessions that can be used toward closing costs or the buyers choice of appliances.  The offer is available to any owner-occupant who closes on the purchase of a property listed on HomePath.com before May 1, 2010.   If you are unaware of these properties you can view a complete listing of all qualifying properties at www.homepath.com, in addition to this benefit, home path properties qualify for special financing through Fannie Mae that has NO MONTHY MI, and NO APPRIASAL.  Which means that if Fannie and the Lender approve it you don’t need to worry about a MI company turning it down.  It does follow all other Fannie Guidelines, and very few len... 02/01/2010

http://frankdrake.edinarealty.com/Content/Content.aspx?ContentID=440550&CategoryID=441110 01/27/2010

Home design is where her heart is Anh-Minh Le, Special to The Chronicle Sunday, November 29, 2009                 As an English major at UC Berkeley, Laura Martin Bovard wrote her senior thesis on the home. In retrospect, she recently said, "it was a precursor of what was to come." After working in the restaurant industry for years, she enrolled in the interior design program offered by UC Berkeley Extension. While still in school, she landed a number of clients and established her own practice, Laura Martin Bovard Interiors (lmbinteriors.com). In the eight years since, she has worked on residences of varying scope all over the Bay Area. She also consulted on the interior for popular Oakland restaurant Wood Tavern, which is owned by her sister and brother-in-law. "I love the connection... 01/27/2010

Kim Melin | Edina Realty | 952-927-2888 5309 Blake Road, Edina, MN Amazing 2008 construction. Over 6,000 FSF on almost 1/2 acre lot. No detail left undone... 5BR/4BA Single Family House offered at $1,599,900 Year Built 2008 Sq Footage 6,467 Bedrooms 5 Bathrooms 4 full, 0 partial Floors 2 Parking Unspecified Lot Size 18,979 sqft HOA/Maint $0 per month DESCRIPTION Exceptional built home by Traditional by Donnay. Large entertaining spaces,cozy gathering rooms. Top of the line materials, modern colors, and finishes. see additional photos below PROPERTY FEATURES - Central A/C - Central heat - Fireplace - High/Vaulted ceiling - Walk-in closet - Hardwood floor - Tile floor - Family room - Bonus/Rec room - Office/Den - Dining room - Breakfast nook - Dishwasher - Refrigerator - Stove/Oven - Mic... 01/22/2010

Do you know that a shock is in store for those recent home buyers who are hoping to bring home a hefty tax return in the next few weeks? Many of them are happily heading to their tax preparers office as soon as they get all their W2’s only to discover that it will be several weeks before they will get their refunds. Yep, that’s because the IRS has had it with the tax fraud that several people committed for the sake of getting a tax credit that they were not due. So now everyone claiming the first time home buyer credit or the expanded credit for previous home-owners will have to paper file their return. Those who are not due a refund, or due very little, will not find this to be of much of an annoyance. However for those who are expecting a refund of perhaps $10,000 or more, due to the ... 01/22/2010