Jason Tangen

Originally posted at www.stcloudedina.com/blog on 04/10/08:

had an issue the other day with one of the local builders not wanting to give lien waivers on their property. With how many builders are suffering right now and not making payments on work completed, I think that this is something more people need to take into serious consideration when purchasing a newly built home. More on that in a later post.

Thanks to an ill-cooperative builder, my home buyers had to change horses mid-stream and close on their new property at a different location than they had originally intended. Their original closing was to have taken place with a friend of the family at a different title company. Anyways, with only two business days left until closing, we changed title companies.

Brenda Roettger of Tri-County Abstract and Title Guaranty in downtown St Cloud, MN was the person tasked with finishing off the paperwork for my home buyers to close on time. Immediately upon hearing the news of the switch she contacted everyone involved in the transaction (myself, the buyers, seller, lender, and the other title company). With some quick moves, she tidied up all loose ends and we closed without any problems.

I have worked with Tri-County Abstract and Title Guaranty in the past and they always seem to do an outstanding job. From their title work for closings to the outstanding customer service they provide, they are definitely one of the top notch title companies in and around the St Cloud, MN area. To put a cherry on top of their heads, Tri-County Abstract and Guaranty is also an active member in the St Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce.

If you have any questions about Tri-County Abstract and Title Guaranty in St Cloud, MN visit their website at http://www.tricountyabstract.com/, or give them a call at (320) 253-2096.

Jason Tangen, GRI - Real Estate Broker Associate with Edina Realty in St Cloud MN

http://www.stcloudedina.com/ - Home of the e-Market Analysis (Free Home Value Estimator)

http://www.jasontangen.edinarealty.com/ - Search homes for sale and real estate in St Cloud MN

Originally posted on www.stcloudedina.com/blog on 04/07/08:

I would like to publicly say congratulations to the St Cloud Times for finally correcting the mistake that was their old Home Times Website. I received a copy of a form letter this weekend regarding how the St Cloud Times will be abandoning its current real estate website and favoring a up to date, broker reciprocity website.

This new website should allow users to view all of the homes that are listed for sale on the St Cloud MLS. I haven't seen the new format yet, but anything is better than the inaccurate data source that they had in the past. It is so nice to see that the St Cloud Times has finally put the needs of its readers as a top priority.

If you are curious to see what the problem was with the old St Cloud Time Home Times Website, visit my prior post at: http://stcloudedina.com/blog/2007/11/searching_homes_for_sale_on_st_cloud_times_website.html

Look for the new St Cloud Times Home Times Website to launch sometime soon.

Once again, I can't say how much it impresses me that the St Cloud Times has finally stepped up and fixed their website concerning real estate for sale in St Cloud MN. Congratulations.

Jason Tangen, GRI - Real Estate Broker Associate with Edina Realty in St Cloud MN

http://http://www.stcloudedina.com/ - Search for open houses in St Cloud and Central Minnesota.

http://jasontangen.edinarealty.com/ - Search real estate in St Cloud MN and surrounding areas.

http://www.stcloudedina.com/blog - REAL ANSWERS for REAL ESTATE in St Cloud MN

Originally posted at www.stcloudedina.com/blog on 04/16/08:

I am seeing a lot of people who want to put the "carriage in front of the horse" recently. What I mean by this phrase is that there are many people who want to start looking at houses before the get pre-approved for a home purchase.

Getting pre-approved before you start looking at real estate is not only a good idea, it is something that most decent REALTORS mandate. Why? To be honest, we don't want to drive you all around town if a) you can't currently make a home purchase and/or b) we might be showing homes outside of your price range for a home purchase.

I can tell you that with the "credit crunch" making the whole real estate world topsy-turvy, there are a lot of good people that I could have gotten into homes a couple of years ago who can no longer purchase. Most of the time it comes with the fact that it seems the vast majority of first time home buyers haven't saved enough money to cover even the closing costs for their new home purchase. With most banks requiring 5% down for conventional loans and 3% down for FHA financing, this is just too much money for people who have none saved.

Don't get me wrong, I think one of the main reasons for the current state of the real estate market is that too many people have nothing at stake in their homes. It's not to hard to understand why a person is willing to walk away from a home if they have none of their own money invested in it. But if you make them have $10,000 or so at stake, all of a sudden they are willing to try a little harder to make their payments. This isn't the only player in the foreclosure world and current real estate market, but it is a good piece of the puzzle.

If you don't want to end up like so many others and potentially lose your home to foreclosure, buy one that you can afford. The best way to know what you can afford is to have a reputable lending institution give you a good pre-approval. If you don't have someone in mind, give me a call or e-mail and I will get you in touch with some of the great lenders in the St Cloud area. Do this before you contact a real estate professional to have them show you homes. You can even ask the lender if they have some good real estate agents that they have worked with in the past. Or better yet, ask them what they think about me:).

Jason Tangen, GRI - Real Estate Broker Associate with Edina Realty in St Cloud MN

http://jasontangen.edinarealty.com/ - Search for open houses in St Cloud, MN and surrounding areas.

http://www.stcloudedinarealty.com/ - Home of the e-Market Analysis (Free home value estimator)

Originally posted at www.stcloudedina.com/blog on December 19th, 2007:

I would like to thank Scott Anderson with Statewide Property Inspections of St Cloud MN for his outstanding customer service, loyalty, and knowledge.

I have done business with Scott for many years now and he consistently gives real estate consumers a wonderful and detailed home inspection at a fair price. Not only will Scott go over the home to look for problems, he also will give great advice on everything from general home maintenance to naming trusted local businesses for different tasks around the home.

Recently, I asked Scott if he still had on file an old home inspection for a potential home seller. This seller had purchased the home with a different agent and wanted to be able to offer to buyers the previous home inspection that was performed. Indeed Scott had the home inspection and we were able to offer it to potential buyers as they viewed the home. This came in very handy and my seller was happy to receive an offer within a month of listing the home for sale.

Another great attribute of Scott Anderson at Statewide Property Inspections is his willingness to come back to a property if the new home owners have a question. I've heard of him coming back to a property for anything from re-testing gas lines for leaks around a stove to checking for proper installation by the new owner of outlets on a wall. Now that's service.

If you'd like to know more about Scott Anderson and Statewide Property Inspections of St Cloud, MN - visit his website http://www.statewidepropertyinspections.com/.

Jason Tangen, GRI - Real Estate Broker Associate with Edina Realty of St Cloud MN

http://www.stcloudedina.com/ - Home of the e-Market Analysis (Free Home Value Estimator)

www.StCloudEdina.com/blog - REAL ANSWERS for REAL ESTATE in St Cloud MN

As many of you know, I came over to Edina Realty from the Coldwell Banker system late last year. I am still trying out some of the great tools that Edina Realty offers to its clients and recently got to see Mark Timpane in action. Mark is the St Cloud area manager for Edina Realty Mortgage.

I recently had a buyer looking into purchasing a foreclosed property. For most of you who haven't gone through the process of buying a foreclosure, there can be a ton of problems getting information and signatures back from the bank handling the foreclosure. In this situation, we were waiting on a signature for a gift letter to the buyers. The gift letter was sent (via fax) a couple of weeks prior to the closing. Mark was instrumental in getting the signature we needed on time. I know, it seems like a couple of weeks is plenty of time to get a signature on a piece of paper. Unfortunately, I've seen where it doesn't happen.

Long story short, after many calls and e-mails Mark received the signature we needed and the loan was closed on time. Because of his efforts, my buyers will be able to move in to their new home within the schedule that they had already prepared around the closing date.

It is for this reason that I say, "Thank you to Mark Timpane at Edina Realty Mortgage in St Cloud."

If you would like more information about Mark Timpane or Edina Realty Mortgage in St Cloud MN, visit his website at http://www.marktimpane.edinarealty.com/.

Mark Timpane has received several awards from Edina Realty Mortgage recently. I think his pride and joy should hang on the fact that he had the highest rated customer satisfaction of any Edina Realty Mortgage professional.

Jason Tangen, GRI - Real Estate Broker Associate with Edina Realty in St Cloud MN