Minnesota

Q1-11 Pinned anything lately?

03-13-12

The Prescott Group - Virtual Assistance

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Office: (952) 944-1728

Mobile: (952) 212-7598
Secondary: (612) 998-5674

Pinned anything lately?

Pinterest is a Virtual Pinboard.

Pinterest lest you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes.

Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests. To get started, request and invite.

How to use Pinterest for your Business

http://pinterest.com/prescottgroup/

Tuesday's Technology Tip

Need Help Managing Leads?

Step #1 Click Here
Step #2 Enter Your Name
Step #3 Enter Your Lead

We'll do the rest for you!

(Call us with questions - this is a NEW service for our clients!)

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New Listing - 4 BR, 2 BA Home On Nearly 1 Acre - Silver Creek MN (RE/MAX Results)

03-12-12

Chuck Carstensen

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Office: (763) 635-7228

Mobile: (612) 290-3809
Secondary: (763) 441-8833

4146 112th St NW

Maple Lake, MN 55358

Almost 1 Acre Just Outside of Silver Creek

Description

Great home offered by a traditional seller on the edge of Silver Creek. 4 BR, 2 BA and main floor laundry. Good sized living room on the main level and a large lower 12x30 level family room. Downstairs includes a 10x7 den or extra storage area too.

Outside enjoy an almost 1 acre yard, nice deck with a jacuzzi spa hot tub that comes with the home. Quick drive to Monticello for shopping and located in the Annandale school district. Schedule a showing!!

$155,000
Year Built	1972
Sq Footage	1,764
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	2
Lot Size	200x210

Rooms

Bedroom 1	11x13
Bedroom 2	10x13
Bedroom 3	11x13
Bedroom 4	10x10
Den	10x7
Dining Room	9x11
Family Room	12x30
Kitchen	9x11
Living Room	18x14

Property Features
Basement	Basement
Exterior	Fiber Board
Lot Description	Tree Coverage - Light
Assessment Pending	Yes
Appliances	Water Softener - Owned
Parking Characteristics	Driveway - Concrete
Family Room Characts.	Lower Level
Road Frontage	County
Water	Well
Special Search	Main Floor Laundry
Sewer	Private
Roof	Pitched	Asphalt Shingles	Age 8 Years or Less
Existing Financing	Conventional
Parking Characteristics	Attached Garage
Dining Room Description	Kitchen/Dining Room
Bath Description	Main Floor 1/2 Bath
Basement	Full	Finished (Livable)	Egress Windows	Drain Tiled
Other	620
Zoning	Residential-Single
Homestead	Yes
Heating	Forced Air
Parking Characteristics	Garage Door Opener
Fuel	Natural Gas
Air Conditioning	Central
Property Class	Single Family
Construction Status	Previously Owned
Bath Description	Main Floor Full Bath
Appliances	Range	Dishwasher
Other	2011	1144	1144

More Photos

Chuck Carstensen

RE/MAX Results
Direct: 763-635-7228
Cell: 612-290-3809

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Shore Impact Zone Changes Buyers, Sellers, And Realtors Should Be Aware Of.

03-12-12

Jamie Magness-Realtor

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Office: (218) 454-4300

Mobile: (218) 838-4095
Secondary: (218) 454-4300

Important Information for home/cabin owners! If you are considering selling, you need to know this:

(This was taken from a press release from Crow Wing County, February 24, 2012)

50% EXPANSION TO NONCONFORMING STRUCTURES SET TO EXPIRE IN 2012.

Crow Wing County is reminding property owners that this year is the time to complete planned expansions to non-conforming structures without the requirement of obtaining a variance. The County’s current land use regulations allow a one-time 50% expansion of non-conforming structures – structures that do not meet current zoning requirements, such as setbacks from water or other “grandfathered” zoning requirements. Such structures may be expanded once by up to 50% without the need for a variance, but this allowance will expire on December 31, 2012

According to Land Services Department Supervisor Chris Pence, “Landowners who have not yet taken advantage of this one-time 50% expansion opportunity to expand the old cabin or other non-conforming structures should be aware that the window is closing. Permits to perform such expansions must be approved by the County in 2012. After that, a variance will be required to expand a non-conforming structure in Crow Wing County.

Current law allows a legally non-conforming structure to be increased one time by up to 50% of the current footprint as long as the expansion does not encroach any closer to the lake or other appropriate setbacks, is not located in shore impact zone 1, and the structure was built prior to land use regulations (1970). However, this provision sunsets at the end of 2012, and thereafter, expansions of nonconforming structures in Crow Wing County will require a variance. Therefore, property owners have until December 31, 2012 to receive an approved permit from the County for these expansions. The approved permit is then valid for two years, during which the construction must be completed.

The Land Services Department is committed to providing excellent customer service while helping landowners make wise choices that protect Crow Wing County’s extraordinary natural resources. Citizens are encouraged to contact the Environmental Services Office at (218) 824-1125 or environmental.services@co.crow-wing.mn.us to discuss expansions of structures or other land use questions before starting building projects. Information about land use in Crow Wing County can be found at www.co.crow-wing.mn.us.

If this information concerns or confuses you, please feel free to call me at my Keller Williams office and I will be happy to help. Keeping my clients and potential clients informed is a huge part of the value-added service I strive to provide.

I look forward to hearing from you-Jamie

218-838-4095 or 218-454-4300

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Who owns my mortgage loan?

03-12-12

Joseph Metzler MLO MMS NMLS # 274132

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Office: (651) 552-3681

Who owns my loan?

Minneapolis, MN: Until recently, no one really needed to know, and no one really cared who ultimately owns their mortgage loan. Home owners simply receive their monthly statements, and make their monthly payments to their mortgage company or loan servicer.

There are many program to assist homeowners, including the improved HARP 2, the Home Affordable Refinance Program, which require the loan be owned by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, so it is very important to know who, and if they own your mortgage loan.

There are usually a few people involved in your loan process:

The Originator: The company who did the original loan. This could be a broker, bank, or direct mortgage company
The Servicer: The company now providing the statements and accepting the payments is only providing the service of billing, statements, customer service, etc. They also pay your property taxes, home owners insurance, and pass the actual principal and interest to the end owner. This company could also have been your originator.
The Investor: This is usually not the company that provided the funds originally to make the loan, but a company that may hold your loan permanently, or sell it off to someone else, like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Many times this company also becomes your loan servicer.
Actual Owner / End Owner: This could be a bank, mortgage company, or some kind of investor group. For a large number of homeowners, this is Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.

The homeowner would never really know, and again, would never normally care. One company could be everything on your loan, or more likely, your loan could have have multiple parties involved.

Who owns my mortgage loan? – Click to find out

Need a HARP 2.0 Lender in WI and MN

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2011 Minnesota Foreclosure Update

03-12-12

Chuck Carstensen

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Office: (763) 635-7228

Mobile: (612) 290-3809
Secondary: (763) 441-8833

If you pick up the paper and read through the sheriff sales notices you still see several in their in most areas on a weekly basis. According to the Minnesota Foreclosure report there were about 54,000 households are still struggling with their mortgage.

On a positive note Foreclosures were down 17% from their peak in 2007. In 2011 21,298 houses sold at sheriff sale. Overall the percentage of foreclosures dropped in nearly every county with several western Minnesota counties having the fewest.

The Twin Cities metro area with the heaviest population of course suffered the most foreclosures. As a real estate agent I do notice there are less bank owned REO listings available. They are coming on the market and selling fast. We are not in the clear as their are certainly many more yet to hit the market, but the fact that the number of foreclosures are going down, and the number of buyers are going up, means we are heading toward in better Real Estate market overall.

For the full report click here.

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