The Minnesota Real Estate Team was extemely humbled to learn that we made the Wall Street Journals Top 200 Real Estate Professionals for 2007. The WSJ ranked the top fifty individual agents and teams across the United States according to total volume closed and total number of closed transactions. Our team was fortunate enough to come in the Top 50 Teams in the United States for number of homes sold in 2007. We also were humbled to learn that we were the only real estate team from Minnesota from any company that made this list!

Though our real estate market here in Minneapolis certainly has shifted over the last couple of years, there is still a very high number of closings taking place all across the state. The retail listing market certainly is slower, but inventory levels still fairly high on the MLS, and buyers are getting a great chance to find outstanding “buys.”

The moral of the story: it is not all doom and gloom here in the Minneapolis real estate market. Our team is just a very, very small piece of the “real estate pie” here in Minnesota. But this recent honor received does in fact show, there is alot of great real estate activity happening in Minneapolis and the state as a whole.

If you are a real estate investor, check out our free monthly investment property seminars. And if you enjoy real estate radio, take a listen to our weekly FM radio show, The Minnesota Real Estate Show.

Today we will look at trends in the Longfellow neighborhood of Minneapolis. Comparing September of 2008 to September of 2007, there have been 42.5% more homes put on the market this year, equalling 57 new listings going on this September. Closed sales are up 12.1% this September, with 37 properties closing vs. only 33 last year. The average sales price is down 19.8% from $224,385 to $180,049. Average days on the market in the Longfellow neighborhood are up 53.6%, from 71 days last September to 109 days this September. As far as single family homes that are currently for sale, there were 136 actives in September of 2007, compared to 123 actives in September of 2008, a decrease of 9.6%.

Now we’ll look at January through September 2007 and compare to January through September of 2008. There were 543 new listings put on the market in 2007 and in 2008 there were 504, a decrease of 7.2%. Closed sales are down 14.1%. The average sales price went down 12.7% from $224,897 in 2007 to $196,365 this year. Average days on the market are up 29.6%, from 73 days last year to 95 days this year. This number is low compared to the overall market! The percent of original list price received at the time of sale only decreased 2.3%, from 95.4% last year to 93.2% this year.

The last update on Longfellow we did was real estate numbers and statistics through the end of July. In two months time, closed sales are still increasing. The prices haven’t dropped significantly, but went from a 14.6% drop a couple months ago to only a 12.7% drop now compared to last year. Hopefully these both are lasting trends!

Today we’re going to look at the Camden neighborhood of Minneapolis and real estate trends there. Comparing September of 2008 to the month of September in 2007, there have been 10.2% fewer listings put onto the market, with 115 added to the MLS this September. Closed sales are up 146.2%, from 26 to 64 closings. Of the closed sales, sellers received an average of 86% of their asking price. The average sales price this September was $81,167, down 33.6%. Average days on the market were 150 days, compared to 147 days in 2007. For single family detached listings on the market, there was a decrease of 25.8%, with 405 listings on the MLS this September in the Camden neighborhood. There were 11 townhomes or condos on the market this September, down from 14 the previous year.

Now we’ll compare January through September of 2008 to January through September of 2007. New listings are down 4.2%, with 1,256 listings put onto the market this year. Closed sales increased 52.9%, with 451 properties closing in 2008 vs. 295 in 2007. The average sales price in Camden is down 41.4%, going from $140,669 in 2007 to $82,472 in 2008. Average days on the market increased 13.5%, with homes staying on the market 169 days on average in 2008. The percent of original list price received at the time of sale dropped 6.3%, from 90% to 84.3% in 2008.

In conclusion, the Camden area seems to be doing pretty well. With closed sales up over 50% this year, people are definitely seeing some value and built-in equity opportunities in homes here with the sales prices being down 40%! Another interesting fact is that over 75% of the homes in Camden are owner occupied. Perhaps this number could mean that residents may care more about the long-term future of their neighborhood and could be more involved than more of a transient rental community.

The Nokomis neighborhood of Minneapolis is beautiful and has some amazing homes to choose from! Comparing September of 2008 to the month of September in 2007, there have been 35.4% less listings put onto the market, with 82 hitting the MLS this September. Only 54 properties closed, a drop of 19.4% compared to last September’s 67 closed sales. Of the closed sales, sellers received an average of 95.7% of their asking price. The average sales price this September was $214,801, down 15.4%. Average days on the market were 104 days, compared to 88 days in 2007. For single family detached listings on the market, there was a decrease of 29.5%, with 253 listings on the MLS this September in the Nokomis neighborhood. There were 32 townhomes or condos on the market this September, down from 41 the previous year.

Now we’ll compare January through September of 2008 to January through September of 2007. New listings are down 22.3%, with 1,026 listings put onto the market this year. Closed sales dropped 17.8%, with 480 properties closing in 2008. The average sales price in Nokomis is down 8.5%, coming in at $220,378 from $240,913 in 2007. Average days on the market increased 20.4%, with homes staying on the market 109 days on average in 2008. The percent of original list price received at the time of sale dropped 1.9%, from 96% to 94.2% in 2008.

Lake Nokomis is home to beaches, walking/biking paths and trails, and beautiful landscaping. Also the beautiful Minnehaha falls is located right near here. If you enjoy the outdoors, you would love it here! The stats above are a reflection of the market and even though they are not real impressive now, you can definitely get some great built in equity if you buy in Nokomis now!

Let’s take a look at what is happening for real estate buying and selling near the University of Minnesota. Comparing August of 2008 to August of 2007, there was a decrease of 37% in new listings put on the market (27 last August vs. 17 this August). Closed sales are down 19% this August with 17 listings closing. The average sales price is down 12%, from $224,841 to $197,900. Average days on the market in the University area are up 52.3%, from 60 days last August to 92 days in August of 2008. As far as single family homes that are on the market, there were 30 actives in August of 2008 compared to 38 actives in August of 2007, which is a 21.1% decrease.

When looking at January through August, comparing 2007 to 2008, closed sales are down 29.9%, from 97 sales in 2007 to 68 closings in 2008. The average sales price went from $267,699 in 2007 to $222,316 in 2008. Average days on the market are up 28.4%, from 106 days last year to 136 days in 2008. The percent of original list price received at the time of sale stayed about the same (1.9% decrease), with it being 93.4% of original list price in 2008.

With the University of Minnesota located here, and its 66,000 students and 4,000 full time faculty, the demand for this part of Minneapolis real estate remains high. With the Mississippi River running directly through campus, it is quite beautiful. Because the area is always full of students, there is always plenty of things to do here. The biggest changes in the area as far as real estate, are the days on market going up quite a bit and the number of new listings are down significantly as well. This is the trend in most areas of Minneapolis currently however!

Let’s look at real estate numbers for the Powderhorn area of Minneapolis. This area of Minneapolis has many outstanding homes, condos and townhomes for sale on the MLS. Comparing August of 2008 to August of 2007, there have been 6.3% less homes put on the market, with 60 new listings going on this August. However, closed sales are up 137% this August, with 64 properties closing vs. 27 last year. Wow! The average sales price is down 30% from $180,518 to $126,335. Average days on the market in the Powderhorn neighborhood are up 93.9%, from 71 days last August to 138 days this August. As far as new single family homes that are for sale on the market, there were 201 actives in August of 2008, compared to 171 actives in August of 2007. This is a 17.5% increase.

When looking at January through August, comparing 2007 to 2008, closed sales are up by 11%. The average sales price went down 20.1% from $173,960 in 2007 to $139,080. Average days on the market are up 17.3%, from 111 days last year to 130 days this year. The percent of original list price received at the time of sale went from 94.9% last year to 90% this year, which is a decrease of 5.1%.

The city of Minneapolis took control of the Powderhorn neighborhood in 1887. As a result, most of the housing was completed by the 1920s which means neat architecture of course! You can find a wide variety of single family to multifamily buildings for sale currently. Price ranges are anywhere from a lot for $29,900 all the way to a 14 unit multifamily building for $930,000. Despite the discouraging numbers for sellers, properties here are still moving!

The Phillips area of Minneapolis houses about 20,000 people and is just south of downtown. Comparing August of 2008 to the month of August in 2007, there have been 40.9% less listings put onto the market, with 13 going onto the MLS this August. Only six properties closed, a drop of 33.3% compared to last August’s nine closed sales. Of the closed sales, sellers received an average of 98.7% of their asking price. The average sales price this August was up 13.1%, at $164,400. Average days on the market were 201 days, compared to 132 days in 2007. For single family detached listings on the market, there was an increase of 13.6%, with 50 listings on the MLS this August. There were 50 townhomes or condos on the market this August however, down from 57 the previous year.

The numbers comparing January through August of 2008 to January through August of 2007 are as follows: new listings are up 15.9%, with 233 listings put onto the market this year. Closed sales dropped 40.7% with only 35 properties closing in 2008. The average sales price in the Phillips neighborhood is down 29.4% compared to last year, coming in at $121,953. Average days on the market increased by 9.1% this year. Homes stayed on the market on average 163 days in 2008. The percent of original list price received at the time of sale dropped 8.2%, from 96% to 88.1% in 2008.

Obviously now is not a great time to sell in the Phillips neighborhood. But it is a great time to rent out your property if you need to move. There are plenty of renters looking for places right now in the Phillips neighborhood. Buyers also may be able to buy a home here and gain some possible built in equity.

Let’s dive into some real estate numbers today for the area of North Minneapolis. When comparing August of 2008 to August of 2007, there have been 7.1% more homes put on the market (120 this year vs. 112 last). Closed sales are up 68.4% this August, with 64 properties closing. The average sales price however is down, from $84,316 to $62,856 (25.5%). Average days on the market in North Minneapolis is down 33.1%, from 183 days last August to 123 days in August of 2008. As far as new single family homes that are for sale on the market, there were 365 actives in August of 2008, compared to 443 actives in August of 2007.

When looking at January through August, comparing 2007 to 2008, there are some staggering numbers to share. Closed sales are up by 81.9%, from 237 sales in 2007 to 431 closings in 2008. The average sales price has really taken a huge hit. In 2007, it was $107,826. Now in 2008, it has dropped to $65,385. Average days on the market are down 16.2%, from 178 days last year to 149 days this year. The percent of original list price received at the time of sale stayed pretty level, with it being 84.8% in 2007, and now 85.5% here in 2008.

North Minneapolis continues to be an outstanding location for investors and homeowners to find properties for sale. Our team has worked with a number of clients who have rehabbed properties in this area.

Southwest Minneapolis has continued to be an area of Minneapolis that has had great demand by buyers over the years. Comparing August of 2008 to the month of August in 2007, there have been 23.8% less listings put onto the market, with 93 hitting the MLS this August. Only 65 properties closed, a drop of 16.7% compared to last August’s 78 closed sales. Of the closed sales, sellers received an average of 95.4% of their asking price. The average sales price this August was down 16%, coming in at $301,338. Average days on the market were 109 days, compared to 94 days in 2007. For single family detached listings on the market, there was a decrease of 29.2%, with 259 listings on the MLS this August. There were only 43 townhomes or condos on the market this August however, down from 56 the previous year.

The numbers comparing January through August of 2008 to January through August of 2007 reveal some interesting trends as well. New listings are down 16.6%, with 981 listings put onto the market this year. Closed sales dropped significantly (26.5%), with 429 properties closing in 2008. The average sales price in Southwest Minneapolis did not drop too much. Through August, the price is down 7.1%, coming in at $333,880. The average days on market increased by 10.7%, with homes staying on the market on average, 123 days in 2008. The percent of original list price received at the time of sale dropped 2.3%, from 95.9% to 93.7% in 2008.

With the average sales price continuing to stay fairly constant, things are surely looking up for Southwest Minneapolis. Southwest not only is a great area with great neighborhoods, but it also has some outstanding homes for sale!

Today I would like to take a look at the Northeast neighborhood of Minneapolis. How many homes are selling? What is the average sales price for a home in this area?

First comparing the month of July in 2008 to July of 2007, there was a 13.4% drop in new listings put onto MLS. Closed sales for homes in Northeast dropped by 26.9%, with 38 properties closing this past July. The average sales price for a listing in Northeast dropped from $199,535 to $181,839. The percent of original list price received at the time of sale dropped from 95.3% to 93.6%. Average days on market for a home for sale in Northeast Minneapolis rose from 84 to 125 days. As of July 2008, there were 202 single family homes for sale in Northeast Minneapolis. This is down 15.5% from July of 2007. There were 38 townhomes/condos for sale in July of 2008. This too is down from 69 listings the previous year.

Comparing January through July of 2007 to January through July of 2008, there has been a 17.5% drop in new listings put onto the market this year. Closed sales are down 26.6%, with 182 listings closing in 2008. The average sales price for a home in Northeast Minneapolis dropped 11.2%, going from $198,778 to $176,578. The percent of original list price dropped from 95.7% to 91.1%. Average days on market for a home in Northeast is up to 155 days (from 115 last year.)

In conclusion, this section of Minneapolis has seen a pretty significant year over year price drop. However, this decrease is not nearly as large as other parts of the Minneapolis real estate market. Thankfully, new listings are down significantly this year. However, buyers still have an abundant supply of homes for sale to choose from!