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 of bed rest for most of us. It's considered by most to be a reasonable trade off.

Time is a commodity that is irreplaceable, almost. The almost part exists in the one hour that we will lose tonight and actually get back in a half year. It is the only time that will eventually be replaced in like kind.

When we have children, we have them for eighteen years, more or less. After that, they are gone forever, not as individuals who we will love forever, but as children. Their childhood has expired, along with our opportunity to do whatever we had planned for our children. Did we spend enough time with them? Maybe, but probably never quite enough. Did we give them the best home in the best neighborhood with the best schools possible? Maybe.

Whatever your wants and needs, wishes and goals, the most precious obstacle is time. Although we have to make adequate plans and proper decisions, delaying a good decision degrades the one component that cannot be replaced. Other than the hour we'll get back in the fall, time passes and never returns.

If you're pondering a lifestyle upgrade that will affect you and your family, delay will only diminish its benefits. Go for it.

Ready To Buy Eagan Foreclosures?

So you want to buy one of the foreclosures in Eagan? Whether you own a home now or are a Minnesota first time home buyer, you will want to learn the basics before going out to buy. While there are many great values in Eagan foreclosures you should be prepared for how to negotiate your offer.

City of Eagan Info

If you are planning a move to the southern metro you should really consider looking into Eagan foreclosuresCITY. With convenient access to the Twin Cities, the City of Eagan has grown rapidly over the years. As recently as the 1960's, Eagan had only about 3,000 residents, but as of the 2010 census now has over 64,000. This means that most of the housing stock is in newer, well-planned communities. Because Eagan is in Dakota County, qualifying first time buyers might want to check out the Dakota County First Time Home Buyers program. For a taste of what's happening in Eagan, go to their Community Events page.

Foreclosures are Bank-Owned

A bank-owned foreclosure can be a great deal sometimes because the bank owns it and is paying for the maintenance of it. As opposed to a property offered as a short sale, the selling bank has a distinct motivation to get the home off of their books. At the same time, banks who are selling their Eagan foreclosures want to maximize the amount they get out of the property. In the lower price ranges it has turned into a sellers market meaning that many foreclosures sell for well above the listing price! Knowing what to offer for the foreclosure is critical in terms of being successful with your purchase.

Factors in Foreclosure Buying

There are two big factors to consider when determining how much to offer. The first is how long the property has been on the market and the second is the general property condition. A foreclosure that has just been listed is likely to sell for near the listing price (or even higher), while a bank that has a house that has been on the market a long time might be willing to negotiate for deeper discounts. Also, a listing that is in poor overall condition may not be able to be financed so the bank may reduce the price far enough to attract cash buyers. I can help you determine these factors as we search for foreclosures.

Financing Foreclosures

If you are going to be financing the purchase of a foreclosure there are some important things to know as well. First, the listing must be in acceptable condition to the lender n order to qualify for most mortgage loans. Properties that are in poor condition will either require a cash offer or special mortgage financing such as the FHA 203k program. The selling banks will also usually limit the amount seller paid concessions towards the closing costs of your home loan. In most of these cases the selling bank will limit their contribution to three per cent of the selling price. Finally a selling bank will never look at your offer if it includes a financing contingency and never if you do not provide a letter of financing preapproval along with your offer.

First Step: Get Preapproved

The first step in the home buying process s to get preapproved for your home loan. This means that you meet with a local mortgage lender who will review your financial situation. In this discussion they can tell you what types of MN first time buyer programs you might be qualified for. This critical first part can be done over the phone and most lenders will even do this with you when you are off from work.

Ready to Find A Foreclosed Home?

If you are thinking of buying a foreclosure please send me an email or give me a call. There are many great foreclosure values out there but knowing which one to buy will take some time and expertise. I would very much like to help you in your search for the ideal house!

Casey Anderson
Sales Executive, Licensed Realtor in Minnesota
IBR Realty
caseyanderson@ibrrealty.com
Cell 651-245-1820
Woodbury, MN 55125
With a focus on Woodbury real estate and surrounding communities.

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 to 3PM, and parking and admission are free. Over 100 exhibitors will be present, along with gardening seminars, Minnesota Zoo animals, fire trucks and free children's arts and crafts. Dakota County Western Service Center is located at 14955 Galaxie at the intersection of Highway 42. Put this one on your calendar.

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 does little to enrich the status of the folks who live in the top rated states. Pondering the effects of this data on the average citizen, it's not likely to make anyone happier or less happy, except during the time they are reading the report. We seem to be presented with more and more data in the form of ranked lists almost daily. Fact is that a low unemployment rate is almost meaningless to someone who can't find a job. A low poverty rate and high average income mean little to persons living in poverty.

The report is not necessarily flawed, it's just a report. Similar to the Gallup report, there are housing reports showing that a high percentage of homeowners are underwater, there are a pile of homes that have been or are soon to be repossessed by lenders, prices are dropping/increasing/remaining the same.

When you look at a ranking of states with the highest or lowest housing misery, it should only affect your every day life for the few minutes you are reading the report. It's not much more than entertaining reading, more or less. Your decision to buy or sell a home should depend on only a couple criteria. If you have the financial resources, and if you want to change from one place of residence to another, you should probably do it.

Life is short (a little longer in HI, ND, and MN), and the best time for a lifestyle upgrade is when you are able to make it happen. Considerations about possible later economic gains and losses have to be tempered with considerations about the perishable nature of children who have a "shelf life" of around eighteen years start to finish, and your own life cycle which needs to be enjoyed and appreciated to its fullest.

The Inventory Plunge in Rosemount keeps looking bigger and bigger.

The Absorption Rate in Rosemount for February 2012 was 3.77 Months of Inventory and has trended into a Seller's Market at 4.9 Months of Inventory.

The Median Sale Price did trend up in January and has remained flat going into February.

Even the monthly numbers are showing improvement over the previous year. It's becoming more and more obvious several communities in the Twin Cities Area will enter a Seller's Market this year.