A rainy but successful tailgating party!

The weather could have been a bit better but nevertheless we had a very successful tailgating party.

As you can see from the pictures, we had a steady rainfall during the entire event.  Thankfully I have done quite a bit of tailgating during my Vikings season ticket ownership days so I was well prepared for the elements.

Yep, that's the official NewmanSellsHomes.com tailgating tent that I am grilling under in the 2nd photo.

Despite the weather and throwing the event together at the last minute, we had 29 people show up and 52 items were donated to the Scott County CAP Agency food shelf. 

Thank you to everyone for your food donations and for stopping by to share a brat and some football talk. I am already planning the same event for next year but I am going to plan a little more in advance and I am going to order some better weather. My goal is 100 people next year!

On a side note, I am wearing my Favre jersey to antagonize Larry who lives in the house you see in the background of the photo above.  He is a huge Packer fan!

Thanks again to everyone for your support!  Enjoy another Vikings season and Skol Vikings!

Are You Ready For Some Tailgating...

If you know me well (or no me a little) you know that I am a huge Vikings fan. Nothing thrills me more than the fact that we now have Brett Favre on our team and we are playing the Packers this week!

In honor of this big event which includes Favre playing his former team for the first time, I wanted to concoct an idea that would allow me to have some fun in preparation for and in anticipation of the big game while giving back to the community in which I work, live, and play.

Our Coldwell Banker Burnet office recently became an official drop off site for the Scott County CAP agency food shelf so I thought there couldn't be a better way to get people involved then having a tailgating party to benefit the food shelf.

So here is the plan: NewmanSellsHomes.com will sponsor a tailgating event right before the game and provide Brats, hotdogs, chips, and beverages. We are asking that anyone who attends bring a food shelf item that we will donate to the local CAP agency.

For more information on the CAP agency or to check out what type of items are needed for their food shelf, visit their website at www.capagency.org.

If you live in or around the Shakopee area and are interested in attending this coming Monday, text or call me at 612.719.9245 and I will get you more information on our little party.

Let summer begin...

Summer is already flying and it has only just begun! As you can see by my lack of blogging as of late my real estate business has been a bit busy this spring! That is very fun to say after the real estate market was not that great in 2008. 2009 has come in with a bang so much so that it has been hard to keep up with blogging, tweeting, and Facebooking!

Summer is only about a week old but with the 4^th of July approaching fast it feels like it will be over before we know it. We have already had some fun times this year visiting the Taste of Chaska (see the attached photo of the kids listening to live music) and some not so fun times getting swimmers itch (often referred to as “chiggers”) in one of our 10,000 lakes last weekend. I won't show you the picture of that!

Last night we hosted the 3^rd annual NewmanSellsHomes.com basketball team party at our home. We had a great time and had Famous Dave’s cater the event this year which ended up being a wonderful decision. They delivered the food, plates, napkins, sauces, and even the wet naps. All we had to do was recycle a few aluminum pans.

This last week Jessi and I celebrated our 8^th wedding anniversary and we had a fabulous evening out. We tried a restaurant that was new to us called Biella in downtown Excelsior. The food was fantastic by the way. We ended our evening by heading across the street to enjoy a movie at The Dock cinema. In true romantic style we saw The Proposal.

So what does this all have to do with real estate? Well, as important as the actual home you live in is, your community just may be even that much more important. I encourage you to explore what your area (and surrounding areas) has to offer and take part in the many celebrations and events that are happening throughout the summer. What a great way to get to know more about the many different businesses, services, and programs in the area while spending some quality time with family and friends.

In fact, my open house is just ending so I think it might be time to take down my open house signs, put the boat in a local lake, and explore a little nature. Have a great summer from all of us at Newman’s Neighborhood!

Happy Halloween (A Day Late)

For a change, I am not going to tie this entry at all into Real Estate. Except for maybe the fact that a great neighborhood can sure be a bonus. Wow was it fun seeing all the kids out and about last night. It seems like there are more and more ghosts and goblins every year. That probably has something to do with the fact that we are not the only family on the block who has added multiple children to our brood since we moved in!

Well the Newmans were successful at being sick two Halloweens in a row! Tate was sick a year ago and when Avery had a fever earlier this week we thought oh boy, here we go again. Avery was feeling just fine for trick or treating but our fears were realized with both Beckett and Tate battling the fever yesterday. (Notice how I put "the fever" instead of "a fever". Jessi loves when I talk or write like that!**) Tate and Beckett were feeling well enough to go out and collect some goodies from a few neighbors however. Besides, when Jessi goes to the effort of planning a theme, you can't leave behind one of the characters!

As you can see from the photo, Captain Hook, Tinker Bell, and Peter Pan made it out to a few homes before retiring for the night. Avery was especially putzy while we were walking the neighborhood and I kept saying, "Are you coming Tink?" My favorite was when she responded one time, "Dad, I love when you call me Tink."

Jessi started the tradition of carving the kids' names and ages in the pumpkins each year which I know we will appreciate some day when we look back at photos. Now we will have to see if a new tradition of themed costumes for the kids is started. My sources tell me there is already a theme in the works for next year!

I hope you all had a wonderful, safe, healthy, and Happy Halloween!

**Sarcasm was applied here

Fall Clean Up

What a beautiful day it was on Saturday! The fall colors have been some of the best this year mostly I think because we haven't had the wind blowing all the leaves off of the trees. Even though I have really enjoyed taking in all the colors this fall, I seem to have lost track of time and finally realized I better get some outdoor tasks completed before the white stuff starts flying!

Tate helped me out this year as you can see by the "leaf angel" he was making. He was pretty excited that our front maple is finally big enough to produce enough leaves to make a pile!

We took the time to lower the mower deck and scalp the lawn, we planted two new bushes, we drained the hoses and put away the hose carts, and we raked some leaves. I still need to get the hedge trimmer out and give some bushes a haircut, put away sandbox toys, put the patio furniture away, and dare I say hang Christmas lights! But we at least got a start on the chores for fall.

Here is a brief list of some things you may need to do yet before Old Man Winter comes to your neighborhood:

• Winterize Sprinkler System
• Rake Leaves
• Drain Hoses and Put Away Hose Carts
• Lower Mower Deck and Mow Lawn
  
• Store Patio Furniture and Grill
• Trim Bushes
• Fertilize Yard
• Wash Windows
• Change Lawnmower Oil and Store
• Prep Snow Blower
• Hang Christmas Lights
  

Hopefully you have a few more things completed than I do but if not and this blog entry isn't enough to remind you that winter is coming, you probably got the message when you stepped outside yesterday and today! Not to worry, I hear we are in for a nice Halloween weekend this year.

Happy Halloween?

A couple of the agents in my office forwarded this photo onto me which I thought was worth talking about!

The caption in the email below the photo said, "Halloween is going to Suck this Year!"My initial reaction was to chuckle but I also realized with the economic times we are living in there is some seriousness to the intended humor.

So how do foreclosures factor into the market? Each area is a bit different giving some true meaning to the phrase, "Every real estate market is local." In most neighborhoods the photo above does not even come close to representing a common street view. That being said, unfortunately there are some pockets within neighborhoods that are vaguely reminiscent. So do we have a foreclosure problem that is running rampant? No, I do not believe we do. Will we see some more foreclosures over the next year or so due to not only the economy but also questionable and illegal lending practices that have occurred in the recent past? Yes, I believe we will.

These are some interesting and some would even say "scary" (I thought you might like that Halloween reference) times we are living in. On the other hand, there have been some very positive indications lately that the housing market is headed in the right direction and many believe that a re-energized housing market will lead our country out of an economic slump. I was talking with several of the agents in my office the other day and one of them who has been in the business for 30+ years summed up the market like this:

"These have been some of the most unique and challenging times I have ever seen in this industry but at the same time none of us will probably ever see a better time for buyers. Usually if we see low prices we see high interest rates or vice versa. Right now we are seeing a fantastic inventory of homes, great prices, and great rates all at the same time. Investors, first time homebuyers, and move-up buyers should all be taking a careful look at the opportunities in this market."

I couldn't have said it any better myself. What a great time to be a buyer or even a seller who has lived in your home for a while and is looking to improve your quality of life. And as far as mortgage money goes, there are ample programs available to buyers right now.

So how will this trick or treating season turn out? Fortunately I saw a news cast last night talking about a very active Halloween shopping season. Despite a few vacant homes, it sounds like those ghosts and goblins will have a very scary Halloween after all!

A Saturday at Como Zoo

As a Realtor, I am often asked and need to know about all of the things that make Minnesota and the Twin Cities metro area such a great place to live. Jessi and I have lived in the southwestern suburbs for the past six years and I still haven't come close to seeing all the metro area has to offer.

Two Saturdays ago I found myself with a day alone with the kids so I thought what better way to educate myself on the areas attractions than to get out and see one of them first hand. I loaded up the kids and headed to the St. Paul side of the TC to check out the Como Zoo. I hadn't been there since my parents took me when I was young so I didn't really know what to expect.

Wow was I pleasantly surprised! I had recently heard positive reviews about Como but thought the opinions might be a little hyped up. Well I was wrong, the hype was completely justified. Even with no leaves on the trees and the grass still having a tint of brown, the grounds were clean and beautiful.

I was not the only one with the idea of visiting the como park area that day. Vehicles packed the parking lots and streets and took up almost every parking spot available. We ended up parking at a nearby picnic area within the park. The parking situation wasn't even annoying as it was a beautiful day which was great for a short walk to the zoo. The only regret that I had that day was that I didn't pack a picnic to enjoy outdoors.

We hiked to the nearby zoo and encountered families, walkers, runners, bikers, and couples strolling the many paths around the park, zoo, and conservatory. Before we even entered the zoo, we stopped to see Tate's favorite exhibit of the day. "The lady with the spiders!" The staff (which I believe consists of many volunteers) were numerous and very knowledgeable. We stopped to make our donation and headed into the zoo.

Not only is this a wonderful place to spend a day but it is completely free if you choose. They ask for a $2 donation for each adult and $1 for each child but they make it very clear on the signage that everyone is welcome regardless of whether you donate or not. By the way, the donation is well worth it!

Tate and Avery loved the animals including the baby giraffe, gorillas, lions, tigers, zebras, fish, and much much more. They were all easy to see even from the stroller. We stopped to listen to a zoo keeper talk about a barn owl that has lived at the zoo for I believe 16 or 17 years when these owls, which are not native to Minnesota, typically live only about 2 or 3 years at the most in the wild. It was educational and all around a wonderful day. And we didn't even make it into the new tropical rain forest exhibit or the conservatory!

For more information on the zoo, park, and conservatory, I encourage you to explore their website at http://www.comozooconservatory.org/.

I have decided that I can read all I want about local attractions but the best way for me to gain knowledge and to be able to recommend things to see and do is to actually experience them first hand. Minnesota has so many assets and we live in one of the best areas of the country with one of the largest selections of activities, destinations, and events. From the various museums such as the Science Museum of Minnesota and Walker Art Center to the theatrical venues, culture, and arts, I am geared up to take the family to as many places as possible. Look out Minnesota, we are coming to explore!