EPHS: One of the Nation’s Best!
Eden Prarie High School is one of the best schools in the nation. We already knew this of course, but now it’s a published fact! Newsweek magazine released a list this week of the top 1500 high schools in the nation and Eden Prairie came in at 1045. Among the Minnesota schools on the list, Eden Prairie ranks at number 16. The 2008 list ranked Eden Prairie High at number 1253 nationwide.
According to Newsweek:
Public schools are ranked according to a ratio devised by Jay Mathews: the number of Advanced Placement, Intl. Baccalaureate and/or Cambridge tests taken by all students at a school in 2008 divided by the number of graduating seniors. All of the schools on the list have an index of at least 1.000; they are in the top 6 percent of public schools measured this way.
The Twin Cities area has many schools appearing on the list. This simply confirms what we have known all along. Minnesotans are a smart bunch!
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If you would like help buying or selling a home in Eden Prairie or elsewhere in the Minneapolis area, contact me, Brace Helgeson, by email or at 952-974-3466.
Begin your home search at BraceHelgeson.com.
1 Penny, 2 Pennies, 3 Pennies…4 Million!
The other day I was searching for some information about a local school and came across this blog post. It made me think about what a great community Eden Prairie is.
One Little Penny…One Big Difference
In a program that gives kids a chance to help other kids, students at Oak Point Intermediate School in Eden Prairie, MN, raised an incredible $42,858.24 through Pennies for Patients, one of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s School & Youth Programs.
That is over 4 million pennies!
Oak Point Intermedia School students in Eden Prairie MN and teacher Mark Wavinak, celebrate being top fundraising school for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Pennies for Patients program.
Not only is Eden Prarie a pleasant place to live, but in the midst of a deep recession, our community came together to raise this record setting amount. I am sure the students at Oak Point are thrilled with their results, but the patients who need the care these funds will provide are the biggest winners.
Overall, more than $700,000 was raised in the Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota areas for the Pennies for Patients program. I hope that many lives will be saved thanks to the wonderful people of this community and region who dug deep into their pockets.
Click here for a news video from WCCO about Oak Point’s successful fundraiser.
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If you would like help buying or selling a home in Eden Prairie or elsewhere in the Minneapolis area, contact me, Brace Helgeson, by email or at 952-974-3466.
Begin your home search at BraceHelgeson.com.
Are first-time home buyers fueling a housing market rally?
Buyers who are still waiting for the residential real estate market to hit bottom may have waited too long. The first week in May is signaling changes and while there will still be bargains to be had, they might become harder to find.
Housing sales were up for the second month and after five months of declines. At the end of March, there were 3.74 million existing homes on the market, taking an average of nearly ten months to sell. But foreclosures, short sales and bank-owned properties are suddenly selling briskly.
At the beginning of 2009, it was not uncommon to see foreclosed homes sit on the market for a year or more. Suddenly, starting at the end of April, real estate agents who specialize in foreclosed and bank-owned homes are reporting getting multiple offers after only a few days. Many of these homes need work. Some need a lot of work. Many of these buyers are investors, bringing in professional crews to fix and resell the homes in a couple of months. But, first-time buyers account for more than half of recent home purchases.
For those planning on living in their newly bought homes, low interest rates and the $8,000 tax credit/rebate for first-time buyers can help pay for needed repairs. Before clinching the deal, buyers need to have an eye for potential and an ability to look beyond bad paint jobs, ugly carpet and dirt. They also need to hire a professional inspector take a look at the house. It’s best to find hidden problems and be able to walk away before the final papers are signed than to discover that the ‘cosmetic only’ fixer-upper needs all new plumbing or major electrical work.
Handymen and women have an advantage, but whether new home buyers plan to do the work themselves or have experts do it for them, they need to factor in the costs of repairs. Real estate experts recommend that buyers come armed with a sharp pencil and knowledge what they can afford. If there are multiple offers, buyers should avoid getting caught up in a bidding war and paying more than the home is worth or more than they can afford. There are always more homes coming on the market from which to choose.
The price of foreclosed properties have also driven down the price of other non-foreclosed homes nearby and sometimes these homes are even better deals. They are usually in good shape and buyers have more bargaining power than with a foreclosure home, when every negotiation has to go through a bank.
The warmer weather and longer days are also a factor bringing out the buyers, especially in colder climates. Will this summer see an end to cheap homes prices? Maybe and maybe not. No one knows for sure, but what is certain is that right now is a good time – especially for first-time buyers – to buy a home.
If you are ready to take the leap into purchasing or selling your home, contact me, Brace Helgeson, at 952-974-3466 or by email.
Begin your home search at BraceHelgeson.com.
How Is The Market in the Minneapolis Area?
According to the Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors, there has been only one week over the last 8 months that we have had fewer pending sales than the same time the previous year. And the week ending January 17th showed 731 pending sales, up 17 percent. However new listings remain sluggish.
Many professionals remain optimistic. Mortgage rates are low and affordability of homes in the Twin Cities has increased. Incentives are in place for first time homebuyers as well. Asking prices on foreclosures and short sales have dropped a staggering amount over the last two years as banks start to price aggressively. It still remains the perfect time to buy.
If you would like to view homes in Chanhassen or homes in Minnetonka, which are suburbs of the Twin Cities, please visit The Brace Helgeson Group.
Housing Supply – What is the Outlook?
According to the Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors, the months supply of inventory continues to decline. The number for February 2009 is 7.7 months, down 13% from last year. Condominium sales are down by nearly 23%. The only area where months supply has increased is in homes for over $500,000.
New listings are also down however pending sales are 25% higher than they were this time last year. This is great news because having fewer listings on the market combined with an increase in sales will reduce the months end supply. If you would like more information please read the full Weekly Activity Market Report.
Please visit my website to perform a free search for Edina real estate, Chaska real estate, Eden Prairie real estate as well as homes in other Twin City areas.
