Minneapolis St Paul Luxury Real Estate Blog
I have been getting a lot of questions from Minnesota home owners and future buyers about the homestead credit previously available on Minnesota properties. The Minnesota Association of Realtors has recently put forth a helpful explanation about the new Homestead Market Value Exclusion (HMVE) that was created in the 2011 legislative session. The new HMVE is a [...]
If you haven’t had the chance yet to view the Parade of Homes, then today is your last chance to check out the newest trends in luxury new home construction. I was able to check out a few in my spare time this week, and I have to say that some of the homes are simply stunning. My favorite by far was the “Dream Home” located in Edina.
Not only does it sit on a fantastic lot, the design inside and out is classic. Designed by Charles Cudd De Novo, one of the premier luxury home builders in the Twin Cities, the home boasts 8700 square feet.
From this home and others on the market, here are some of the newest trends found in luxury homes in the Twin Cities:
There are tons of additional features highlighted in the newest luxury homes found in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Edina, and Lake Minnetonka, but if you want a first hand glimpse, take a free day and visit some of the local open houses on weekends throughout the area.
Have you ever been driving around Minnesota and passed a lake who’s name you don’t know and wonder what it is? Well now the Minnesota DNR has created a phone application to help you out.
The LakeFinder contains data for more than 4,500 lakes and rivers throughout Minnesota and the application allows you to get the information on demand with an internet connection or save it to your device for off-line access. Have thousands of lake surveys, depth maps, and vegetation reports, plus water quality and clarity data literally in the palm of your hand. You can even save them as favorites.
Check it out on the DNR website, or visit your phone’s app store.
The Beginning of Fall in Minnesota
From Harrison Ford’s Big Apple penthouse to the late Elizabeth Taylor’s Bel Air estate, you can own a piece of A-list real estate as long as you’re able to pay the price.
Celebrity homes are on the market all the time, with plenty to choose from, and compared to the recent rash of billionaire homes, they can be surprisingly affordable. Of course, some are still plenty expensive. Here is a look at some of the homes of the ultra-famous currently on the market, as listed by TopTenRealEstateDeals.com, which posts famous and unique homes weekly.
…..Read more at Forbes.com
If you are a lover of art and looking for something to do next weekend, then make sure to check out three great art festivals happening in Minneapolis.
Getting to all three, if you can make it that long, doesn’t have to be difficult. Metro Transit is offering a free weekend ArtPass on LRT and bus lines, so you can park and ride all day long!
They may not exist in vast numbers, but currently there are 51 condominium units available city wide priced over $1 Million. Here is the top five countdown for most expensive luxury condominiums in the Twin Cities area:
Showing properties
1 - 1 of 1.
See more Most Expensive Condos 2011.
(all data current as of
2/6/2012)
Listing information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Read full disclaimer.
Swamp Milkweed in Minnesota
Recently I was reading an article in the Star Tribune that just makes you shake your head in wonder. The City of Edina and some of its residents seem to dislike the growing natural area around the new Public Works building as it looks too “weedy”. I guess people just can’t appreciate the pink blossoms of Milkweed (which is the only thing Monarch butterflies lay their eggs on), or the beauty of yellow sunflowers swaying in the breeze. The complainants prefer manicured yards to nature and rain gardens, and want the city to start mowing the area.
Now, I really hate to go into how stupid the Mayor and Council member sound in the article, but that’s what happens when you are not educated about a subject. They need to take a class on native wildflowers, grasses, and rain gardens before they go any further on this topic and discover how beneficial this green movement can be to their town.
I first learned about Rain Gardens when I moved to Minnesota through the Blue Thumb program. I attended a class as I was curious about how they work. Simply, instead of rain water going directly off streets into sewers, the rain water first goes through the rain garden and then into the ground, thus helping keep pollutants out of our rivers and lakes. Case in point, the City of Burnsville conducted a study of the benefit of rain gardens by implementing them in a test neighborhood, and the results show how beneficial such gardens are to storm water runoff.
There is a strong push in Minnesota to go native. Prairie planting with native wildflowers is becoming much more common. Instead of bushes, home owners are planting perennial wildflowers and quite frankly, I think yards are looking better. Wildflowers offer fantastic curb appeal, not to mention low maintenance.
Sometimes rain gardens are new to city planners, so you might have to educate your town. I requested putting in a rain garden on our property easement due to the steep slope, as rain just pours down one side of our property line, but the city member I spoke with just looked at me with dumb look on his face and asked what a rain garden was. I was then told that plants could not be put in an easement. When I explained what a rain garden does, he stuck to his guns and said no, I could not get permission to put one in. Maybe he needs to see Burnsville’s case study, and other Minnesota towns success, to get a better idea on the benefits of natural plantings.
Going prairie in Minnesota seems to be the future. The low maintenence reduces city costs while adding natural beauty to the area. If you are interested in learning more about native plantings, the best resource I have found is the Blue Thumb program or your local county website. Here are a few other resources to check out for more information:
The New York Times has a great interactive map which gives insight into population growth and decline, housing trends, and ethnic/racial concentrations. Real estate agents are not allowed to comment on neighborhood/city demographics, so this interactive tool will answer many of the questions you might have. You are even able to zoom into Twin Cities neighborhoods to get a more detailed look on what is going on in your neck of the woods.
"Standing Glass Fish", Frank Gehry, 1986
One of my favorite places to visit in Minneapolis is the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden located just off downtown by Loring Park. I always visit the big fish in the conservatory as he is just really cool to look at. For this image I used HRD photography to catch the full range of light.
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$1,849,000 -
21800 Byron Circle
Greenwood
$1,449,000 -
4496 North Shore Drive
Orono
$1,595,000 -
3826 Budd Lane
Spring Park
$1,595,000 -
2895 Casco Point Road
Orono
$1,095,000 -
3516 Rainbow Drive
Minnetonka
$1,895,000 -
6498 Smithtown Road
Victoria
$1,395,000 -
4175 Trillium Lane E
Minnetrista
$2,549,000 -
4608 Palmer Pointe Road
Minnetrista
$2,545,000 -
6015 Ridge Road
Shorewood
$4,250,000 -
75 Clay Cliffe Drive
Tonka Bay
$1,795,000 -
60 Wildhurst Road
Tonka Bay
$2,095,000 -
205 Black Oaks Lane
Plymouth
$895,000 -
702 Widsten Circle
Wayzata
$1,249,000 -
6945 Lake Harrison Circle
Chanhassen
$825,000 -
21955 Minnetonka Boulevard ,Unit 8
Greenwood
$1,200,000 -
5380 Yellowstone Trail
Minnetrista
$999,000 -
20200 Cottagewood Road
Deephaven
$1,750,000 -
4260 Stonebridge Circle
Minnetrista
$2,950,000 -
16700 Grays Bay Boulevard
Minnetonka
$1,190,000 -
395 Highway 7
Victoria
$2,495,000 -
1485 Green Trees Road
Orono
$1,995,000 -
1580 Locust Hills Circle
Wayzata
$1,295,000 -
201 Mill Street ,Unit W201
Excelsior
$995,000 -
4095 Co Rd 44
Minnetrista
$824,900 -
25635 Maple View Court
Shorewood
This IDX solution is (c) Diverse Solutions 2012.
