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Elk River, MN Real Estate News

By Lindsey Hasford, Bringing you home...
(Edina Realty)
It only happens every ten years! And, this IS the year. It makes me think about how much harder the process could be...Just think, Mary and Joseph had to travel to their "Hometown" to be counted in their census. If it hadn't been for the government Jesus would never have been born in a manger! Anyways, if you haven't gotten your request in the mail I'm sure that it's on it's way.They are looking for the basics. Who and how many are living in your house. These statistics often do more than just help with government jurisdiction, but aide in business. It's numbers like these that we pull demographics and growth patterns from. In a business where we are intrigued constantly by movement patterns one can see that these statistics eventually come in handy. So, please take a minute and make t...
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By Lindsey Hasford, Bringing you home...
(Edina Realty)
In Minnesota you know that it's often cloudy and whimpery this time of year. The rains come and go as do clouds because the earth is warming up and the plantlife needs the water to green up! In the meantime we suffer with the pain of darkness for a little while longer and the warm moves in and the chill moves out.  We just finished up a two-week stretch of dark dark days... (even had a little lightening and thunder in the mix of clouds). If you are trying to sell your home it can make keeping it bright and cheery a bit daunting. You hardly want to leave the lights on all day because it might just be sunny out. And, you don't want to leave your lights off because the clouds might ruin the natural effects when buyers come floating through. We have a PERFECT opportunity this week to help s...
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By Lindsey Hasford, Bringing you home...
(Edina Realty)
Just passing on a wonderful wish that you might have a great St Patrick's Day!!!!Go green and be green!May life be wonderful to you this week. What a beautiful week for a holiday! To celebrate a man that fought slavery and that brought deliverance to a people. I realized this year how little I know about the little green men, but he is worth a holiday.And, he's worth so much more than than a drink fest!   If you are looking for professional real estate services I am only a ring away! I am looking forward to working with you. Whether you are looking at the options of buying or selling I am here for you! Referrals are always welcome! Lindsey HasfordRealtorColdwell Banker Vision231 Main Street - Elk River - MN 55330763-241-5488 (office)  763-218-1347 (cell)lindseyhasford@coldwellbankervisi...
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By Lindsey Hasford, Bringing you home...
(Edina Realty)
Last Saturday Elk River hosted it's 4th annual Energy Expo. I have to say that I was a little surprised at the attendance that they had - and in a good way! I think that energy efficient and energy conscious is a good thing for us to be. The ECFE had a great area open for kids to enjoy. My little ones got to make "recycled binoculars" from toilet paper rolls and "recycled crayon" pictures and use playdo. They had so much fun at the different areas of play. They REALLY wanted to go play with the big kids that were making tasty treats that replicated compost bins.... but their time will come soon enough. I was on a specific hunt to find out more information about wind and solar energy and walked away with some resources to help start my search. The good thing about this expo is that they ...
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By Lindsey Hasford, Bringing you home...
(Edina Realty)
The weather is changing. The best part about Minnesota is that if you stick around long enough you will find a season that you absolutely love! Me? There is really one season that I'm not fond of. Though I can even find good things about the season of bitter cold and snow! Here's my list of favorites for the coming season: 10. There is something about watching the drip drip of water droplets dripping from the roofs! The absence of rain but ever flowing rivlets of water flowing everywhere. It just means that spring has sprung! 9. That beautiful sunshine that you almost forgot even existed! It's so bright that the kids are praying for it to hide and I love to just sit and bask in it's warmth! 8. The inner urge to throw open the windows in the morning and let everything freshen with the sw...
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By Chuck Carstensen, Minnesota/Wisconsin Real Estate Expert
(RE/MAX Results)
NSP stands for Neighborhood Stabilization Program.  Elk River, MN has a big chunk of money available for down payment assistance for buyers with qualifying income.  I feel there are a lot of buyers out there who could benefit from this money. Right now I don't think many buyers know about it.  Buyers could get $5000-$20,000 to assist in purchasing the home.  Think about finding a home for $100,000 and getting $20,000 in assistance.  This can happen and would be a huge savings. Not all lenders will be able to help you apply for the funds.  If you are looking for the right people to contact on this please get a hold of me! There is also more information on the program here: www.cmhp.net/homeownership.html Or Contact: Chuck Carstensen 612-290-3809 chuck@thediscoveryteam.com RE/MAX Associat...
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By Chuck Carstensen, Minnesota/Wisconsin Real Estate Expert
(RE/MAX Results)
Lindsey Hasford wrote a wonderful summary of this a couple days ago!  See post: Elk River collecting 1,000 random acts of kindess in February! I think what Elk River, MN is doing is a wonderful thing.  It really motivated me to think about ways we can show our kindness to others.  There are so many ways to do this and on the website they share a list if your looking for ideas: http://loveelkriver.org/1000-acts-of-kindness Today I paid for the person behind me in the drive through at McDonalds.  I had never done this before even though I have heard about doing something like this in the past.  It was fun and felt great!  Too bad for them their order was only $2.14...I would have paid whatever the price was. This is something we all could do.  Imagine if each day we made an effort to do a...
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By Lindsey Hasford, Bringing you home...
(Edina Realty)
The city of Elk River is sending out a citywide challenge of showing our love and goodwill to fellow citizens this month! What a better way to show our friendly spirit as well as lending a helping hand this beautiful February. If you head downtown they are tracking our progress with a kind-o-meter! All you have to do is: 1. help someone. 2. and then let them know you did. With the ice and snow that we have covering our roadways it's the perfect time to help elderly cross the parking lots and roads. It's a great time to think outside the box and see how you can bless someone today. This comes along a VERY funny story for my February 1st, 2010. The boys and I always head to the grocery store on Mondays and today was no exception. We were done with our shopping and my boys are such great h...
Comments 6
By Lindsey Hasford, Bringing you home...
(Edina Realty)
Starting this month (January 2010) the city of Elk River has put a new requirement in place for single family rentals to be inspected and licensed. If you've been renting a home for awhile or a new investor to the area, you are included in this requirement. Inspections will take place by the city of Elk River. This new requirement includes townhomes, duplexes and all single family dwellings being rented. There are currently no charges for this inspection and license, but it is expected that fees will follow beginning in 2011. Make sure to contact the city of Elk River to find out how this affects you (if you rent). If you are looking for professional real estate services I am only a ring away! I am looking forward to working with you. Lindsey HasfordRealtorColdwell Banker Vision231 Main...
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By Lindsey Hasford, Bringing you home...
(Edina Realty)
Healing Choices of Elk River is sponsoring a WEIGHT LOSS CHALLENGE starting on February 15th to support the local Caer Food Shelf! If you have a few pounds to lose this could be a great motivator!All proceeds from the challenge are going directly to the food shelf. Click HERE for more information or to sign up.It's gonna be a community effort with some good money at stake to win in the process!The contest runs from February until the middle of May making it the perfect lead in to summer!If you want to support the food shelf and help the community - this is the perfect combination. If you are looking for professional real estate services I am only a ring away! I am looking forward to working with you. Lindsey HasfordRealtorColdwell Banker Vision231 Main Street - Elk River - MN 55330763-2...
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By Chuck Carstensen, Minnesota/Wisconsin Real Estate Expert
(RE/MAX Results)
There are FUNDS available for qualified buyers looking to buy in Elk River, MN. Buyers that meet the qualification can get $10,000 to $15,000 in Downpayment assistance for their home purchase.  The money is available when buying a home in these neighborhoods: Elk River Station, Trout Brook Farms, Country Crossings, Heritage Landing, Twin Lakes Townhomes, Grandview Addition, and Sandpiper Estates. If you have questions about NSP or would like to see if you qualify please call or email me: Chuck Carstensen 612-290-3809 chuck@thediscoveryteam.com  
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By Lindsey Hasford, Bringing you home...
(Edina Realty)
There is something truly fun about a snowman. I'll be posting more as they I find them, but wanted to invite you to post yours in the comment section! Let's see how many snowman we can find!!!!!   Thought this might be fun since I spend all day in my car anyways!What a fun search when house hunting!!!!   If you are looking for professional real estate services I am only a ring away! I am looking forward to working with you. Lindsey HasfordRealtorColdwell Banker Vision231 Main Street - Elk River - MN 55330763-241-5488 (office)  763-218-1347 (cell)lindseyhasford@coldwellbankervision.comhttp://www.hasfordhomes.com
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By Lindsey Hasford, Bringing you home...
(Edina Realty)
Got the winter itches? Kids are climbing the walls and maybe you are too? The house just gets smaller everyday that you are couped up?Here's a few ideas that might brighten everyone's day! 1. Iceskating at Hanke pit! They have the lights running throughout the season along with the warming house... so you can feel good about wrapping up those kiddos throwing on their  ice skates and taking a few pics while they are trying out a new sport. 2. Head to Lion's Park and the massive sledding hill! Get out that tobaggon and take a wild ride! Get a good workout AND a few laughs while trying to avoid treachory on the hill. 3. Take a little detour through Orono Park and head out on the lake. Not only can you have a little fun walking on the water, but you could try your hand at icefishing. There ...
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By Lindsey Hasford, Bringing you home...
(Edina Realty)
In the past 24 hours I've run into a couple of folks that have talked about the history of Elk River. Being a "towny" for 30 years I have certainly seen my share of growth in this community. In many ways I feel like I grew up with this city. It's changed incredibly in the last many years. Walk with me through history and see if you remember any of these changes. * Do you remember when the 101 bridge was one lane each way and very very dangerous? When we were little we would wait during storms for the sirens to blast because something had happened on the bridge. * Do you remember when Dino's Pizza sat atop the hill coming in from Highway 10? We loved to eat there as kids because they had this awesome duck shooting game and it was ever so much fun! * Do you remember when Pamida sat where ...
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By Lindsey Hasford, Bringing you home...
(Edina Realty)
Have you wondered what your home is worth?Have you wondered how much the current market trends have changed the current value of your home?Are you wondering if now is a good time to sell your home?Or, if buying a home would be advantageous to your future? The last ten years have brought many changes to the real estate market.Prices have changed. Housing options have changed.Availability of monies to buy has changed. Resale opportunities have changed as well as first time homebuyer options. In the next few months we are likely to see some great changes to our market once again.Government financing is expected to change this spring.The first time homebuyer and subsequent buyer credits are only availability through the spring.Expectations with bank properties and shortsales are daily chang...
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By Lindsey Hasford, Bringing you home...
(Edina Realty)
I have several clients that are currently trying for loan modifications that would give them the ability to stay in their homes. It's been a long process for most of them - with delays and paperwork and more delays and more paperwork. Some of them are getting to the end of their ropes wondering if the system is broken or if it truly works. I stumbled upon an article from the Associated Press yesterday that was written within the last few days that doesn't sound promising to any of my clients. According to the article only 4% of requested modifications have been accepted to date. Some banks are scoring much higher than others on their report cards, but no matter which way you look at it it isn't very promising. I have since sent out this current information to my clients. Not to scare th...
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By Lindsey Hasford, Bringing you home...
(Edina Realty)
It's SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO easy during the holidays to put on a little bulge around the tummy. Between holiday parties, Christmas cookies, extra yummies at the office... it really is nearly impossible to avoid that winter extra. Mind you - these aren't proven strategies, but they sound good! 10. Go on a baking spree... bake EVERYTHING that you could ever crave this holiday season in one day! When you are done you'll be so sick of Christmas cookies that you won't want to see another one until next year. 9. When you go to a holiday party and bring a 'dish-to-share' splurge a little. Get the "wants" out of the system and then instead of bringing home your leftovers to eat leave them with the host. You can go back to healthy food while they indulge in the extra calories. 8. You ar...
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By Lindsey Hasford, Bringing you home...
(Edina Realty)
For buyers in Minnesota there is more than the tax credit at stake when buying a home! If you find yourself wanting a home, but the tax credit money isn't enough incentive to take the plunge you should check out the possibilities with NSP money. For homes in certain areas and neigbhorhoods this special program will offer up to $12,500 for you to move in. There are certain criteria that have to line up to make the money available, but it possible to take advantage of these extra dollars. In basic, the homes have to be foreclosed homes, appraise for certain percentages of actual value, and you have to apply for the program before writing your offers. In many areas the program has modified the neighborhoods that qualify so it's great to check the sites often to see if there are any changes...
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By Lindsey Hasford, Bringing you home...
(Edina Realty)
Turkey Day is lurking...The offices are emptying out and the grocery stores are beginning to fade amongst the shoppers...Turkeys day is near. May your turkey day be filled with lots of fun!Sunshine and blessings for each and everyone!Starting with the parade and ending with Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving and a piece of pumpkin pie. May your favorite team with the football game...and your home be filled with the warmth of love! May this be your finest Turkey Day! If you are looking for professional real estate services I am only a ring away! I am looking forward to working with you. Lindsey HasfordColdwell Banker Vision231 Main Street - Elk River - MN 55330763-241-5488 (office)  763-218-1347 (cell)lindseyhasford@coldwellbankervision.comhttp://www.hasfordhomes.com
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By Lindsey Hasford, Bringing you home...
(Edina Realty)
... Please don't decorate mine! I know that it's a real big temptation for some who have nothing better to do to try and decorate things that don't belong to them. I understand that chalk is not so messy to clean up as spray paint. But, really, vacant houses aren't an open invitation for you try your artistic talents on my palette. It really just makes my job harder in the long run. Not everyone has your same taste in decorating. Ripped out vanities, dumped over furniture, and smashed fishtanks aren't really tips that I usually give my clients that are about to sell their homes.So, please, won't you please, just leave my homes alone. Yes, I understand that you had nothing better to do at the moment that you decided to break into this home. And, I do understand that you are a talented in...
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