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Ham Lake, MN

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PATTI ANN KASPER, Blaine MN & North  Metro Minneapolis Real Estate Expert: Real Estate Agent in Blaine, MN

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Snapshot of 2009 Year End Columbus MN Market Statistics

Teri Eckholm, REALTOR®  Anoka County Acreage & Lakeshore Homes: Real Estate Agent in Ham Lake, MN

Snapshot Columbus, MN by Teri Eckholm REALTOR

Home sales are up in Columbus, Minnesota which is well known for its acreage properties but like most neighboring communities, prices are not. In this Anoka County community, just west of Forest Lake, home sales rose over 37% from 2008 to 2009. The average price of a home dropped nearly 11% and fewer homes were listed on the market. Decreased inventory helped sellers to keep more dollars in their pockets during negotiations than in some neighboring communities although the ratio of percentage of list to sale price did go down. With average days on the market also down considerably for the first time in two years, it appears that buyers are making decisions quickly on acreage homes in Columbus, Minnesota. Snapshot Columbus, MN by Teri Eckholm REALTOR

Snapshot of 2009 Year End Ham Lake, MN Market Statistics

Teri Eckholm, REALTOR®  Anoka County Acreage & Lakeshore Homes: Real Estate Agent in Ham Lake, MN
Snapshot of Ham Lake MN by Teri Eckholm Realtor

This past year homes sold in higher numbers but at lower prices in Ham Lake, Minnesota a community synonymous with acreage properties. In this eastern Anoka County city home sales were up a whopping 36.8% in 2009. No doubt the first time home buyer credit got things moving after 2 years of lackluster sales activity. New listings were down pretty significantly at 12.7% less than in the previous year showing progressive movement toward a balanced market. The average days on the market dropped a few days to just below from 184 to 176, which is not significant. The average price of a home sold did drop quite a bit again this year. It is 15.8% lower than in 2008, combine that with an 11.7% drop in 2007, Ham Lake values have decreased over 25% in two years. Sellers need to be aware that buyers are looking for and buying acreage homes but don’t want to pay 2003-2007 prices.

Looking for a breakdown of Ham Lake 2009 home sales by price point? CLICK HERE for Detailed Ham Lake StatisticsReal Estate Statistics for Ham Lake MN by Teri Eckholm Realtor

Ham Lake, MN Real Estate Market Statistics Year End 2009

Teri Eckholm, REALTOR®  Anoka County Acreage & Lakeshore Homes: Real Estate Agent in Ham Lake, MN

Winter in Ham Lake MN by Teri Eckholm RealtorThe City of Ham Lake has a rich history. Incorporated in 1974, Ham Lake became a city after over a hundred years of humble but steady growth. The area was first settled in 1855 by a group of Scottish men on the southwest side of Ham Lake. Though, I can only assume that the lake itself got its name due to its unusual "ham hock" shape, the community started out with a different name. The original name of the community was Glen Carey, which is the Scottish translation of "beautiful valley". Following a prairie fire in 1857, the first settlers moved but the community was resettled again. The new Scandinavian settlers had a hard time with the pronunciation of Glen Carey and soon the fledging community was known as Ham Lake. Anoka County officially was recognized it as a township in 1871. In the early 1900's Central Avenue (Highway 65) was a slow commute as it was a wagon trail through the sand and swampland. And we think going through stop light after stop light slows traffic. Though it was graveled and paved at some point, it 1954 before was expanded to four lanes.

Those four lanes are in full use now as more and more people look to buying home on acreage in the Ham Lake area. Though the sluggish real estate market has affected Ham Lake, MN and Anoka County in 2008, homes did sell. Homes are stayed on the market longer with an average Cumulative Days-on-Market (CDOM) of 180 days for homes during 2009 versus 158 CDOM in 2008. Note that CDOM for homes over $500,000 are the only homes with extremely long market times, selling with an average CDOM of 261. The average price of a home sold in Ham Lake in 2009 was $248,424.

While there are 20% fewer homes on the market in Ham Lake now compared to January 2008 (88 versus 110 active listings), homes are continuing to taking a bit longer to sell and even with the $8000 tax incentive for first time home buyers that boosted last year's market, there continues to be more homes on the market than buyers. But we are making progress. Homeowners considering selling a home in the Ham Lake area must consider the average time to sell a home in the area is approximately 6 months but inventory levels indicate a more complex story depending on the home's list price.

Inventory levels are manageable for homes under $300,000 with about 6 months of inventory. But inventory levels rise to approximately 12 months in prices between $300,000 and $500,000. While over $500,000 there is about 18 months of inventory in the Ham Lake area. This is much better than how Ham Lake real estate started 2009 where there was upwards of 5 YEARS of inventory in the half million plus properties. Seller have seem to have gotten the message that having a home properly priced and prepared for showings was essential to sell a home in this Anoka County community in 2009.

Year End 2009 Ham Lake residential real estate statistics for single family homes:

Under $200,000~ 26 Active Listings, 7 Pending Listings, 59 Sold Listings, CDOM 175 (New Construction Subgroup ~ 0 Active, 0 Pending, 1 Sold)

$200,000-300,000 ~ 20 Active Listings, 6 Pending Listings, 45 Sold Listings, CDOM 173 (New Construction Subgroup ~ 1 Active, 0 Pending, 3 Sold)

$300,000-400,000 ~ 24 Active Listings, 1 Pending Listings, 31 Sold Listings, CDOM 186 (New Construction Subgroup ~ 5 Active, 1 Pending, 2 Sold)

$400,000-$500,000 ~ 6 Active Listings, 1 Pending Listings, 9 Sold Listings, CDOM 209 (New Construction Subgroup ~ 1 Active, 0 Pending, 0 Sold)

$500,000 and Up~ 11 Active Listings, 1 Pending Listings, 8 Sold Listings, CDOM 261 (New Construction Subgroup ~ 2 Active, 0 Pending, 4 Sold)

Lakeshore available in the City of Ham LakeHam Lake Dock Photo by Teri Eckholm Realtor

7 Active Listings

Ham Lake lakeshore price range: $135,000-$804,000

  • 4 Homes on Coon Lake
  • 1 Home on Lake Netta
  • 2 Home on Little Coon Lake

Acreage Listings in the City of Ham Lake

  • 38 Properties listed on 1-2 Acres Priced from $67,900-$599,800
  • 16 Properties listed on 2-3 Acres Priced from $113,000-$980,000
  • 7 Properties listed on 3-5 Acres Priced from $145,000-$778,000
  • 3 Properties listed on 5-10 Acres Priced from $249,900-$805,000
  • 2 Properties listed on 1-2 Acres Priced from $241,000-$499,900

**All Statistical information based on information from the REGIONAL MULTIPLE LISTING SERVICE of MINNESOTA, INC. for the period of 1/1/09 through 12/31/09.

Featured Acreage Listing in Anoka County: 22201 Holly St NW, Oak Grove MN 55011

Articles on Ham Lake, Lakeshore and Minnesota that might be of interest:

Friday Fotos--Merry Christmas LOLCat

Teri Eckholm, REALTOR®  Anoka County Acreage & Lakeshore Homes: Real Estate Agent in Ham Lake, MN

The morning of Christmas eve, Muffin decided it would be a great time to sit on the new dining room table. It had been up for a couple of weeks and he never put a paw on it but there he was. So I removed him with a thump and swat...Moments later he returned with a very smug look. He was mocking me...So I bought him a gift...Merry Christmas!

Angry LOL Christmas Cat by Teri Eckholm

LOLCat Christmas by Teri Eckholm