Rochester, MN Real Estate Agents David and Lois Marris of Keller Williams Premier Realty present another new listing.

716 4th Ave NW, Byron, MN Home for Sale

$289,900

View Virtual Tour Here!

This wonderful 2 story home is situated on a quiet street in Byron lined with mature trees. Lovely landscaping enhances the curbside appeal and includes a circular brick patio.  You’ll feel warm and welcome the minute you step into the oversized foyer which provides plenty of room to meet and greet friends and family.  The formal living room and dining room are great for special gatherings but for everyday living you can’t beat the open kitchen/daily dining/family room area.  Your kitchen is spacious with plenty of cabinet and counter space and includes a large snack bar area.  Daily dining is a joy in the sun-filled eating area just off the kitchen.  This dining space opens onto a large, custom deck with beautiful views of the area.  The sunken family room is very spacious and is lined with large windows with a view to the west.  Double doors open from the family room to the deck area.
The lower level of this home is a real treat as it can be used for a variety of needs.  This lower level is completely wheelchair accessible and is set up as a private living area.  There is a chair lift available from the main level to the lower level if you need it but it can easily be removed.  Downstairs is a hobby room, living room, a large bedroom with a fireplace and a large bathroom with roll-in shower.  Upstairs you’ll find four good-sized bedrooms.  The master bedrooms is quite large and includes a private master bathroom.  Laundry is on the main floor. This home has a lot to offer any home buyer so call us for a showing today!

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David and Lois Marris are top producing REALTORs at Keller Williams Premier Realty in Rochester, MN. Keller Williams is the third largest real estate company in the U.S For more information regarding real estate in Rochester MN contact us at http://www.davidandloismarris.com/, DavidMarris@KW.com, LoisMarris@KW.com, 507-398-3251.

Rochester, MN Real Estate Agents David and Lois Marris of Keller Williams Premier Realty present another new listing.

223 7th Ave NW, Rochester, MN Home for Sale

Within walking distance to Mayo Clinic and Downtown Rochester

$154,900

View Virtual Tour Here!

You’ll fall in love with this gorgeous Kutzky Park home which if full of charm and character.  They just don’t build them like this anymore! Your cozy three season porch is a great place to relax and enjoy a cup of coffee. The character of the home greets you immediately with the solid wood, custom front door and the crown molding in the living and dining areas.  While most of the windows have been updated the front windows have been kept to maintain the integrity of the home.  Hardwood floors are found in the dining room and main floor bedrooms.  A beautiful, custom buffet enhances the dining area.  Step into modern convenience with a taste of yesterday every morning as you shower in the updated bathroom complete with a claw-footed bathtub.  The upper level is almost a completely private living space to enjoy as a master bedroom suite or anyway which fits your lifestyle.  You will find on this upper level a bathroom, office knook, reading knook, living space and master bedroom.  Some older homes such as this one have dark and kind of creepy basements BUT NOT THIS ONE! This basement is inviting and polished.  Currently the lower level is used as a play area, laundry and storage.  There is an entrance to the basement from outside.  Speaking of outside…the yard is small and simple to maintain.  There is a great stamped cement patio area and a single car garage.  All of this is in the wonderful Kutzky Park neighborhood near downtown Rochester and within walking distance to Mayo Clinic.  Give us a call for a private showing!

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David and Lois Marris are top producing REALTORs at Keller Williams Premier Realty in Rochester, MN. Keller Williams is the third largest real estate company in the U.S For more information regarding real estate in Rochester MN contact us at http://www.davidandloismarris.com/, DavidMarris@KW.com, LoisMarris@KW.com, 507-398-3251.

Our job situation continues to outshine the rest of the state and country according to the August 25, 2010 jobs report by the MN Department of Employment and Economic Develop (DEED).  The Olmsted county jobless rate for July was posted at 5.4% compared with 6.8% for Minnesota and 9.7% for the country.

 Olmsted County and Rochester have usually posted healthier numbers than the rest of the state which is one reason our housing market has been more robust than others.  We have largely missed the mass of foreclosures seen in other parts of the country though we do have some of our own.  We have also seen a slow and steady decline in the average home sale  price but not the pricing crashes of Florida, California and Arizone. Home prices are also thought to be stabilizing in our area as our unemployment rate improves and solid lending practices allow truly qualified borrowers to obtain mortgages once again.

If you are considering building or buying a home give us a call or visit our web page at www.DavidAndLoisMarris.com for some solid advice from experienced real estate agents. We’ll be happy to get you started on the right path!

Several new housing programs from the Obama Administration are in the works according to Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan.  The Administration is taking quick and hopefully effective action to revive a housing market which posted disappointing numbers at the end of July.   These new programs will focus on helping unemployed homeowners keep their homes and refinancing for home owners who owe more than their home is currently worth.

These programs should help reduce foreclosures.  Banks have been anxious to prevent costly foreclosures and have developed many home owner assistance programs of their own.  Preventing foreclosures is in everyone’s best interest.  A home sold at a discount, such as a foreclosure, brings down the value of the surrounding homes. While similar housing programs have had a limited impact in the past, they have had an impact and thus will be largely welcomed.

If you are having difficulty making your mortgage payments these programs and others may be of assistance to you.  Contact me at 507-398-3251 or LoisMarris@KW.com to find out about your options.  We can direct you to many reliable resources. 

 One final word–be wary of foreclosure prevention scams.  Visit the website www.LookBeforeYouLeap.org to discover information and tools on how to prevent being a victim of some fraudulent programs.

I’ve just sold a Resale - single family property at 1018 Yorkshire Lane NW in Rochester. Come and visit my site to see other properties in that area. If you are interested in looking for or selling your home, please Contact Me.

Rochester, MN Real Estate Agents David and Lois Marris of Edina Realty present another new listing.

330 Sugar Loaf Parkway, Zumbrota, MN

4-7 bedroom/4 baths/3 car garage

$479,900

View Virtual Tour Here!

Located on a lovely and private parkway this Executive home exemplifies peaceful living.  Over 1 acre of private, wooded grounds, the perfect place to hideaway from the busy world.  Located just across the street from the Zumbrota Golf Club,  20 minutes north of Rochester,  45 miles south of Inver Grove Heights.  Zumbrota offers a slower paced lifestyle than the larger surrounding cities, a charming and quaint downtown shopping area and fantastic schools.

This custom home offers a wonderful, contemporary floor plan.  The spacious foyer provides plenty of room to meet and greet guests and family.  A roomy yet cozy living room with fireplace is just to the left of the entry and is a great place for a few friends to gather or a quiet night alone with a book.   Just to the right of the entry area is a 12’x14’ office with Techline cabinets,  canned lighting and an abundance of natural light.  Journey past the foyer into the main living room and be prepared to be awed.  The foyer flows into an absolutely  stunning two story family room.  Natural sunlight and views of nature embrace you every day of every season in this family room.   You’ll feel the joy brought by bright sunny days and the calm brought by nights around a warm fireplace — all in this room.
 Family room flows to dining area flows to kitchen flows to 4 season room which makes this a great home for entertaining.  This is plenty of room for everyone!  Custom built-in maple cabinetry defines your kitchen space which includes a large center island.  Some cabinet doors are solid maple, some frosted glass  and some left open and accented with lighting to show off your dishes or favorite decorating accent piece.   Each cabinet look adds to the elegance and sophistication of the room. Complimenting the maple cabinetry are stainless steel cabinet hardware and appliances which provide a chic, contemporary look. 
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David and Lois Marris are top producing REALTORs at Keller Williams Premier Realty in Rochester, MN. Keller Williams is the third largest real estate company in the U.S For more information regarding real estate in Rochester MN contact us at http://www.davidandloismarris.com/, DavidMarris@KW.com, LoisMarris@KW.com, 507-398-3251.

Low Cost/Big Impact Home Improvement Ideas

These days everyone is looking to save a $$$. Many home owners are opting to stay put and spruce up their homes rather than sell them.  Home owners opting to sell are often stretched financially already and feel improvements to promote the sale of their home will be too costly. Whatever the circumstance, home improvement doesn’t have to be costly to have a BIG IMPACT.  Try some of these affordable home improvement ideas.

1.   INVITE PEOPLE IN -Spruce up the exterior front entry!  Consider a new front door and/or window.  Clean the glass around the entry, polish the doorbell, paint the door a fresh color, sweep the step, remove cobwebs, add a plant to the step and make sure the porch light is functioning, clean and attractive.  Buyers wait on your front door step 30-45 seconds while an agent unlocks the home and THEY NOTICE everything in that time!

DO -Feel free to add a bit of color to the door to make it POP!

DON’T forget to clean up after the dog that uses this area. (I’m begging you!)

2. PAINT - It is amazing what a fresh coat of paint can do.  Try it, you’ll like it.  If you are selling your home choose neutral colors.  The warm grey family is becoming more popular than the beige family. 

DO - Use a variety of paint shades in the home or it looks too boring in your listing photos.

DON’T - Paint everything white.  This produces very bland online photos

3. CLEAN - It is also amazing what a good, completely thorough cleaning job can do for a home.  Polish the brass accents, dust the light fixtures and clean the bugs out, degunk the door knobs, get all of the paint drips off the woodwork, fix all of the painting “oops” on your ceilings.

DO-Make everything SPARKLE!

DON’T- Forget the closets and garage.

4.  UPDATE THE KITCHEN - this is an update that is never wasted.  Some inexpensive updates include adding a backsplash.  One of my favorite backsplashes is a rolled sheet of stainless steel which applies with adhesive.  This is so easy to clean, looks fresh and you can apply magnets to hold your recipes while cooking.  Changing the cabinet faces is another inexpensive update.  Your local home improvement store has many options in stock or to order.  You may also be amazed at thein-stock countertops at the home improvement store.  If you install these yourself the cost may be as low as $300. If you can’t replace the cabinet doors think about updating the cabinet hardware. Clean the cabinetry and use a wood oil to make them shine!

DO-Update your kitchen curtains with something contemporary.

DON’T forget to pour baking soda or lemons down your garbage disposal and clean inside your dishwasher and oven.

5.  REPLACE LIGHT FIXTURES - We forget about our light fixtures so easily but light fixtures, curtains and flooring are the items which date a home quickly and efficiently.  It is nice to have a consistent look in fixtures throughout the entire house.  If you can’t change the fixture, see if you can change just the glass globe.  This works especially well with ceiling fans. 

DO - Make sure all fixtures within your view match.

DON’T forget to make sure the fixtures compliment door hardware and other colors in the home.

These are just a few of the very affordable things you can do to make your home look and feel updated and appealing.  Feel free to share your great ideas with a comment on this post!

Tuesday, Feb. 23rd:

There are currently 783 single family homes available for sale in Rochester. 

 There are an additional 234 townhome and condominiums for sale.

153 Rochester homes have pending contracts.

Average Days On Market (DOM) for these pending properties is 135 days.

Not so long ago a “Short Sale” meant you dashed to the local department store to shop for for the latest summer fashions.  These days you are more likely to hear the term as it relates to real estate sales rather than clothing.

 A short sale in real estate occurs when a home sells for less than the amount owed plus selling expenses.  It is a common occurrence in much of today’s real estate markets.  Edina Realty estimates that approximately 35% of their home sales in 2009 were short sales or foreclosures.  Almost every economist expects this trend toward short sales and foreclosures to continue into 2011.

So what does a seller do when they need to sell their home but can’t sell it for enough to pay off their current mortgage??  This is where an experienced real estate agent such as ourselves can help!  Banks, in general, would much rather negotiate a short sale with the home owner rather than allow the home to go to foreclosure.  We can help with the bank negotiation.

Banks work with sellers to provide several options to the home owner.  Usually we can negotiate a small loan from the bank to make up the difference.  This happens when home owners have wrapped their car and boat payments into their home mortgage or have any other assets.  We can help arrange a car/boat loan thereby reducing the total amount of the home mortgage. 

If you would like to sell you home but feel it will not sell for an amount high enough to pay off your mortgage plus selling expenses AND you’ve suffered one of the following hardships, you are the perfect candidate for a short sale:

•  Mortgage payment increase or adjustment
• Loss of job
• Business failure
• Damage to property
• Death of spouse or family member
• Severe illness
• Inheritance
• Divorce/separation
• Relocation
• Military Service
• Insurance or tax increase
• Reduced Income
• Too much debt
• Incarceration

In a market where the average home in the nation has lost 25% off its peak value short sales may just become the norm for the next few years.  Call us and we’ll help you navigate the maze of today’s real estate market.