Architecture

NSP Program

Posted on by Teresa Boardman

The Neighborhood Stabilization Program is a live and well. There are a few homes available in St. Paul and some more on the way.  Homes are rehabilitated through this program and then resold. They don’t just slap a coat of paint on them either. They are brought up to code and energy efficient improvements are added. It is like getting a new house for the price of an old one.

In each of the last two years I have represented of buyers who have purchased these homes. They living happily ever after in the Dayton’s Bluff neighborhood. The program is a little more complicated than a straight purchase because there are income limits and there is usually some assistance money available to help with closing costs.

The picture is of a home on Maria Avenue that is in the process f being renovated and will be sold to some lucky buyer.

House
House

Brewery is now apartments for artists

Posted on by Teresa Boardman
schmidt brewery
Schmidt Brewery Artists Lofts

Even with my wide angle lens I could not get it all in. The renovation of the Schmidt Brewery is in it’s final stages and many of the apartments are occupied. There are income limits and rents starting at $844 a month for a one bedroom.  There are 247 live/work rental units in the complex. See the Schmidt artists lofts web site for details.

This is a unique project and an exciting one. We don’t always have a way to save historic buildings and this one is a treasure.

I have written a few articles about this over the years. 

Old city new house

Posted on by Teresa Boardman
Construction
New House

There is room for new construction in the older neighborhoods of St. Paul. This home is being constructed in the Mac Groveland neighborhood. There are those who seem to be apposed to anything new. There is already a variety of homes in the city that were built during different periods and they represent many styles. Part of what makes living here so wonderful is that it is hard to find two homes that are the same.

This one fits in with the character of the neighborhood and it is nice to see a new home being built.

Pictures matter

Posted on by Teresa Boardman

Over the weekend I was doing a little research for my favorite home buyers.  I plan on looking at some homes for them later today.  I need to look at them in person because they look so bad in the photographs that the buyers I am working with are not even considering a look.  If the homes turn out to be better than they look in the photographs I’ll recommend them to the buyers and see if they will have a look at them.

I know I have written about this before, but it bears repeating.  Photographs are one of the most effective marketing tools we have in real estate.   Buyers comb the internet looking for that perfect home and they see photographs of parts of rooms, dark photographs, blurry photographs or way to few photos.

Not all real estate agents can take decent photographs but there are plenty of professional photographers who can take amazing photographs and anyone can hire a photographer.

If your home is currently on the market compare the photographs to those found on sites like Houzz.com.  Sure maybe your home doesn’t look like that but look at the lighting in the photographs and how sharp and clear they are and how they show whole rooms instead of just room parts.  If photographed correctly even a modest home can look amazing.

Here is a photo taken in a modestly priced home that was not staged. 

room
room

The entire room is shown, and we made sure to make it absolutely the best it could be with a lot of light and chose an angle designed to make it look large, but not distorted. 

Buyers love pictures and often base their decisions about which homes to look at based on the pictures.  

The Penfield rises up

Posted on by Teresa Boardman

A picture taken in October of 2012 of what will one day be the Penfield apartments and a Lund’s store.  The project is being developed on 10th and Rober street in downtown St. Paul and the pillars from the old police HQ are being integrated into the new buildings. 

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Penfield – 10th street 

Here is a picture I took yesterday just a little more than a year later.

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Penfield – 10th street

The building will offer  ”market rate” studio, alcove, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom units. All will be equipped with stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, and an island in the kitchen.

Property amenities include: an outdoor swimming pool, fire pit, grills, large green roof patio area, sauna, fitness room, club room, dog wash, dog area on the roof, lobby with a drop-off canopy area, and a full-service Lunds grocery store with a bank kiosk and other services (such as dry cleaning drop-off and a pharmacy).

The Penfield is also just one block from light rail transit that will be operating in 2014.

It is supposed to “open” at the end of 2013, December-ish. It looks pretty darn nice and Pedro park will be just across the street. 

3 Comments

Is bigger better?

Posted on by Teresa Boardman

 I have been reading up on small houses.  Some of them are have less than 400 square feet of living space. I can see some advantages:

1.  A small house is generally less expensive than a bigger one which could mean more money for travel and vacations or being able to work fewer hours. 

2.  Heating and cooling would cost less.

3. It costs less to furnish a small house. 

4.  It would be hard to accumulate too much stuff. A person would have to make decisions and only hang onto things that they really need or really love because there wouldn’t be space to store extra stuff.

Most people buy the biggest house that they can afford or even bigger.  Occasionally I meet people who want less but not very often. 

smallhouse
smallhouse