Season’s Greetings, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas. Pick one.
November 2025 Home Sales
Here are some numbers for home sales by St. Paul neighborhood for November 2025. Home sales are somewhat seasonal. We always see a slowdown at the end of the year. Homes are selling quickly, 37 days on average.
Shopping in St. Paul
We all know that small businesses are the backbone of our economy. A couple of decades ago, there was concern about big-box stores replacing small businesses. In some cases, that happened, but today even the big-box stores have left St. Paul.
I don’t recall ever having a Best Buy in St. Paul. At one point, there were a couple of Radio Shack stores.
The only big-box home store we have is Menards. There are no Lowes or HomeDepots.
There are some large grocery stores. Cub and Aldi, but we have never had a Hy-Vee.
There used to be a Kmart and a Walmart, but now there are none in St. Paul. There is no Penny’s store, and we all remember Dayton’s and Marshalls that used to be here. We had a couple of Powers stores in town and a Donaldson’s store downtown.
I don’t think we ever had a Khol’s store, but maybe we did at some point.
We never had a Joanne Fabrics, but we once had Hancock Fabrics and Minnesota Fabrics.
No Michael’s stores or Hobby Lobby’s in St. Paul, and there aren’t any of the large sporting goods stores, but there are small businesses that carry sporting goods like bikes and golf clubs. Remember “Frank’s Nursery and Crafts”; there were a few in St. Paul, and now there are none since 2004.
The last office supply store burned during the civil unrest following the brutal murder of George Floyd. I go to Eagan or order online when I need paper and toner for my business.
There was a Herberger’s in the midway area. They have been gone for a decade.
There are a couple of Target stores in St. Paul. As far as I know, they are not closing anytime soon. I stopped shopping there when they got rid of their DEI policies. My money, my choice.
These days, I do most of my shopping online and at local small businesses. Much of my clothing comes from a local thrift store. I buy my husband’s clothes at the same thrift store and through a major online retailer.
I have never been to a Costco store, and there aren’t any in St. Paul. There used to be a few shoe stores; now there is one. I have been getting my shoes online for many years. I take a smaller size and they have always been hard to find in stores.
It isn’t at all unusual for me to have to go to a few stores before I find what used to be common household items and cleaning products. There are many big box stores in nearby West St. Paul, which is why property taxes are lower there than in St. Paul.
There are many vacant storefronts in the city. There are plenty of taprooms, bars, and breweries. Many of the fast food restaurants are gone, but I have to say we have many wonderful restaurants.
The current administration in Washington isn’t what I would call small business-friendly. There are tariffs, and a portion of our labor force is being deported or is denied entry into the US. Health insurance premiums are unaffordable for small businesses and workers alike. Our health insurance system and the high cost of health care act as deterrents for entrepreneurs.
Happy Shopping.
- General
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They make it hard to dispose of waste
It has always been difficult for St. Paul residents to dispose of yard waste, hazardous waste, fluorescent bulbs, gasoline, and recyclable electronics. Ramsey County has a new hazardous waste facility where residents can drop stuff off. It replaces the old hazardous waste collection facility, which was kind of hidden under a bridge, on Empire Street, just off of Jackson Street near downtown.
At the old facility, it wasn’t unusual to end up in a line of 3 to 12 cars and to have to wait in line for a short time to drop off waste. At the new facility in Roseville, there is a very long line and wait. I asked about it on my first visit and was told that there isn’t always a long line. On my second visit, several weeks later, there was a long line.
The facility is large and new and modern, but doesn’t appear to be designed to handle the demand. Perhaps it is already obsolete? Maybe in planning, the county did not anticipate the demand.
I try not to buy anything that I may later have to dispose of at the hazardous waste collection site, but some items like batteries and electronics are necessary. For information about disposing of hazardous waste in Ramsey County, just ask Google. I would include a link, but government agencies like to rearrange websites, leaving me with dead links.
There is often a long line at the yard waste drop-off sites. In fact, there have been a couple of times when I have had to turn around and head back home because I did not allow enough time to wait in line. The yard waste sites take fewer items, leaving us to figure out new ways to dispose of tree stumps and brush.
You can’t tell from the picture, but there are actually two lines that merge together near the building. The staff at the collection site are fast and courteous. I think whoever designed the system made a mistake that we will have to live with for a few decades.
I won’t even guess at how much environmental harm is caused by so many cars idling and waiting in lines day after day.
Bracing for bad news . . . .
It is Friday, and Fridays are for fun. We just got our proposed property tax notice. Our proposed taxes are 38 cents lower for 2026 than what we paid in 2025. Apparently, our home has decreased in value. I think the county overvalued it last year.
I expect property taxes to increase every year. I am not sure what to do with the extra 38 cents. Maybe someone made a mistake. I’ll wait until we get a bill before investing any more time in thinking about that 38 cents.
October Home sales October 2025
The number of homes for sale is up, but still low compared to demand, which is why prices remain high and continue to rise. Homes are selling quickly with a slight seasonal slowdown. There are a large number of condos on the market in downtown St. Paul, and prices are lower than in other neighborhoods. Association dues are high due to increases in insurance costs. The national condo market is also being negatively impacted by high insurance costs, leading to higher dues.
The St. Paul neighborhoods with the most affordable housing are seeing the greatest price increases over the last five years or so.