Don’t stress out over how to roast a turkey.

Nothing could be easier than roasting a turkey. Some folks would rather deep fry them but roasting really is better and easier too.

raw turkey
raw turkey

The good news is turkeys are very easy to cook.  You just roast them. Where most people go wrong is by not using a meat thermometer by cooking the bird too long and at too high of a temperature or listening to the talking heads on the morning news.  Use the Betty Crocker roasting chart.  I won’t tell you how many years that has worked for me.  Please don’t overcook your turkey.

They can be cooked rapidly at 450 or so, but the easiest way is to put it in an electronic turkey roaster or in the oven at 325 to 350 and just ignore it as it magically cooks. The roaster frees up the oven too.

Clean-up is simple too.  The only challenge is finding a place to store the electric roaster but as a Realtor, I can help you find a bigger home with more storage space if needed.

The FDA recommends a minimum internal temperature of 165 . . if you don’t want to risk food poisoning.

Have a happy Thanksgiving and don’t stress over the turkey.  Worry about the stuffing, the pies, or the rolls.

The dark time of the year is upon us

It is Friday and Fridays are for fun.  On Sunday we get back that hour that was taken away last Spring when we switched to daylight savings time.  Yes on Sunday we get to set our clocks back an hour.

Changing time every six months or so isn’t good for humans yet the barbaric tradition continues. The truth is we can not change how many hours of daylight there are each day. The days will continue to get shorter until they start to get longer again. Use your extra hour wisely.

Fall Back

500 million birds died

A good day to be a white cat

I recently read an environmental impact study on multi-family housing. Part of the reason the housing isn’t going to be built is because with so many residents there are bound to be cats too. Having many cats roaming free in a small area means more damage to the enviroment as they kill local wild life.

Some folks have “outdoor” cats. The cats have been fixed so they don’t reproduce. Some cat owners believe that having a cat neutered or spayed makes them responsible pet owners. They really don’t care about the environmental damage a cat can cause.

The house cat has long been listed among the 100 most dangerous invasive species. They kill millions of birds and other small animals each year to the point of extinction. A cat is a pet when kept inside but once when outside it is a heartless killer.

Cats are likely killing more than 4 billion animals per year, including at least 500 million birds.

“Cat predation is one of the reasons why one in three American bird species are in decline,” said Dr. George Fenwick, President of American Bird Conservancy [wildlife management institute]

There was a study that shows cats only bring home about 25% of what they kill. They eat some of what they kill and leave the rest.

Being a free-range cat in St. Paul is not good for the cat either. Here are some statistics for St. Paul:

  • 200 cats are killed annually in traffic
  • The life expectancy of a cat allowed to roam is only three to four years
  • Confined cats can live beyond 14 years
  • Over 1,200 cats are picked up each year by animal control
  • Roaming cats may be a nuisance by urinating and defecating in sandboxes and gardens
  • Outdoor cats are susceptible to injury or death from other predatory animals
  • Outdoor cats are predators to wildlife such as birds

It should be noted that it isn’t against the law in St. Paul to let your cat run free.

You are responsible for keeping your cat away from your neighbor’s property and for keeping rabies vaccinations current.

Speaking of cats coming into the yard there are two of them that I see on a regular basis in my yard. One of them likes to hide under the back porch.

When digital transactions are done manually

shreaded paperReal estate transactions happen so differently today than they did a decade ago. Everything is digital. The contract forms are digital and they are signed electronically. Back in the old days, we used to write offers for home buyers on paper forms and fax them to the listing agent.

Sometimes we got to present the offer in person to the sellers. We delivered it directly to the sellers and explained it to them and then go out to our cars and wait while they deliberated.

No, I don’t miss all the paper I used to have to copy, fax, and file. Electronic files are much easier to store and keep track of. I don’t miss driving around to get signatures and initials.

What I miss is sitting down with my clients and going through the contracts line by line and ensuring they understand what they are signing. Sure I still go through the contract but it is much faster and rarely in person. Digital contracts speed everything up.

There are still people who do not use email or cell phones. In order to work with them we have to make the transaction manual. Forms are printed and signed and then scanned and emailed.

Real estate agents should always be equipped to handle a manual type of client including people with low vision or who are blind.

June 2023 home sales

It is hard to believe that we are more than halfway through 2023, but believe it because we are. More houses hit the market in June in St. Paul than we have seen in any month since May 2022. People have not been putting their houses on the market due to higher interest rates.

Today’s home sellers are couples who are getting a divorce, people who own their homes free and clear, who can buy another for cash, and the families of people who have died. We are also getting calls from investors who are selling for a variety of reasons.

Median and average home prices were up from May due to the strong demand. Homes sold in an average of 22 days. Here are the numbers for June 2023 for your neighborhood.

table showing home sales by neighborhood
St. Paul June 2023 home sales

Note that sale prices on average are higher than the asking price. This is an indication that prices are rising.

The home sale numbers were extracted from the Northstar MLS, which is deemed reliable but not guaranteed, and includes a high percentage of the homes sold within the St. Paul city limits in June.

To look at numbers from past months please see Local Market Conditions & home prices  

If you have questions about the value of your own home or would like to buy a house call or write. I am always happy to help.