Holiday Shopping-Turning Buying Into Giving

For those of you who may be looking for that perfect unique Christmas gift, Winter Market 2003 is where you need to do all of your shopping. This event is put on by the Junior League of Minneapolis. All proceeds from Winter Market 2003 support the community service projects of the Junior League of Minneapolis, aimed at enriching the lives of adolescent girls in our community. This event will be held on November 7, 8 and 9 in the Minneapolis Convention Center.

I went to this event for the first time last year and can't wait to attend this years. To give you an idea of what you can expect; the room it is held in will be set up somewhat like a craft show. Each vendor will have their own booth where they will display their merchandise. However, this is anything but your typical craft show. Everyone that is asked to participate in Winter Market is an upscale specialty vendor from across the country who have one-of-a-kind local storefronts. You will be able to find everything from handmade sweaters and scarves, beautiful jewelry and photography, whimsical children's costumes and home accessories, to that just perfect holiday decoration or gift.

Everyday they have a fun event going on so please check out their website at http://www.jlminneapolis.org/Winter%20Market.htm

Please come out and support this organization. I can promise that you won't be disappointed!

Jen

October Newsletter

Hello everybody! Hope you are well! This little blog is picking up some steam, I've found it referenced on other sites lately, that's great. I have a new template under construction which is exciting and then we'll be launching similar sites in Chicago and Atlanta.

Anyways, the team of Wollmering & Elliot have put out their October Newsletter in Adobe PDF format. Next month we hope to have a version in HTML as well.

Here is the URL to download the newsletter:

http://www.minnesotas-real-estate.com/minneapolis_newsletters.htm

There is some good information on home values for all areas of Minneapolis.

Brent

September / October Sales Report!

Thanks to all the folks who visited Great Homes in Minnesota in September and October. The last few months have been very very busy! We have sold a bunch of houses and wanted to use this space to give you an idea how the Internet is impacting our business. The table below shows only sales that have had all the contingencies removed.

Additionally,it only shows business that resulted from leads generated by this website! Keep in mind, it's only October 28th, so there are still quite a few sales that will make it into this table before the year is over!

Month	Transactions	Sales Volume
September	3	$565,000
October	5	$1,021,800
November	8	$1,331,600
December	4	$1,496.988
2003 Totals	20	$4,415,388

20 homes sold directly from the Internet - IN 4 MONTHS!  This speaks volumes about our team and their years of experience selling homes.  If you are searching for a home in Minnesota and have any doubts as to which Realtor to choose for your next purchase or sale, please consider the team of Wolmering & Elliott.  Or if you are looking to sell your house and relocate somewhere else in the United States, check out our national site at www.greathomesusa.com.  Our teams are nationwide and they are helping people find, buy and sell homes!It works!

Brent

Minnesota Viticulture

I know, this really has nothing to do with real estate. But in a way it does, so bear with me. :-)

Viticulture is defined as the "cultivation of the vine; grape growing." In Minnesota it typically has been very dificult to grow grapes that can survive the god awful winters that visit this state each year.

To make a short story long, the University of Minnesota in conjunction with the Minnesota Grapge Growers Assoc. developed some "new" grape varietals that have a much better ability to withstand the cold and snow. Today, grape growing is flourishing in Minnesota!

Anyways, I have an interest in wines and grape growing. Last year, I spent some time in North Carolina looking at a couple of vineyards that were for sale. My knowledge was minimal, my interest relatively small. This year, however, things have changed. My interest in growing grapes and the desire to exchange the office for clean air, no traffic and some dirt -- is very appealing.

To that end, Jen and I headed out to Morgan Creek Vineyards on Saturday. The day was splendid, if not hot! Boy where there a lot of those new beetles out and about, drove me crazy, along with those black, biting knats.

Morgan Creek is located in New Ulm. Basically just hop on 169 going South past Mankato, then go west on 68 about 15-20 miles. If you go into New Ulm you are too far, Morgan Creek Voneyard is about halfway between New Ulm and Mankato. There will be a sign, just take a left off 68 and it's about a mile down the road on your left.

The vineyard is on a 10 acre plot, it is really very quaint. Right now they have 3 acres of grapes planted. They offer a 45 minute tour and tasting. They have a nice tasting room and also an area outside with a firepit, in the event it's a bit chilly.

It's a small operation, but pretty busy and a great way to spend a nice fall afternoon. They contract with a neighbor who has a draft horse named Raleigh, a very amiable Belgian who pulls guests around the vineyard in a cart. That was very nice.

On a sidenote, the guy who has the horse and buggy also offers sleigh rides in the winter. Super, super nice guy, his name is Jim Sutherland and his phone is 507-947-3521. Give him a call if you and your sweetie want your own personal sleigh ride, he even whips up some apple cider and encourages you to bring your own whiskey or whatever you like! Not sure what he charges, I don't think he knows either...I'd probably give him $50 for a 45 minute ride or so...could be a very romantic night. Maybe get a hotel in Mankato or something to cap it off. :-)

Back to Morgan Creek Vineyards, I would suggest trying their Riesling, that's very good. The rest of the whites I was not very impressed with. Jen and I also bought a bottle of Ice Wine or Desert Wine. Ice wine is the perfect way to end a great evening with friends and desert. It's very sweet, and you only sip a small amount of it...but it gives you a great buzz and is a delightful end to the day.

Definitely head on out to Morgan Creek Vineyards, it's about a 100 miles, takes about 1.5 hours driving from Minneapolis, not too bad.

If Jen would ever post, we could all learn about her thoughts on the Morgan's Creek, but she's too busy.
Alrighty then....

Brent

Minneapolis Housing Market Remains Strong

Housing market still brisk
Twin Cities home sales continued to boom in September on the heels of a record 24.5 percent increase in closed sales in August. In September, closed sales in the 13-county metropolitan area were up 22.1 percent to 5,901, compared to 4,833 in the same month last year.

The median sale price in the 13-county metropolitan area was $200,500, a 6.1 percent rise compared to $188,900 in September of last year. That was down from the record $207,500 posted in August of this year.

New listings were at 8,077, an 11.5 percent increase over September 2002.

"Many sellers are motivated to close before the onset of winter weather and the holiday season, giving buyers more room to negotiate on the sale price," said Mike Heinzerling, president of the Southern Twin Cities Association of Realtors.

Counties on the outskirts of the metropolitan area reported the biggest increases in both closed sales and increases in median prices.

Closed sale rose 66.7 percent in Carver County. In St. Croix County, Wis., closed sales were up 52.6 percent and Scott County reported an increase of 35.3 percent.

Some of the biggest median sale price increases were logged in St. Croix County, Wis., up 17.3 percent, to $181,750; Sherburne County, an increase of 10.4 percent, to $196,350; and Chisago County up 9.5 percent to $196,932.

The statistics were provided by the Realtor Public Policy Partnership in St. Paul and were based on existing home sales as reported by the Regional Multiple Listing Service. The numbers included existing single-family homes, condominiums, and townhomes.

The Partnership consists of the North Metro Realtor Association, the Saint Paul Area Association of Realtors and the Southern Twin Cities Association of Realtors.