Happy Holidays from The Kris Lindahl Team

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Happy holidays to the Twin City community! I’d like to extend a warm thank you to friends, family, and clients for continual business this year. In 2015, we averaged a home sale every 24 hours! This is incredible, and we couldn’t have done it with you.
We can’t wait to celebrate 2016 with you! Thanks again so much for your endless support.

Elf on the Shelf Contest Fun

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It's the most wonderful time of the year - let’s spread some holiday cheer with a GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY! The holiday season brings many traditions and celebrations. One of the favorites for kids of all ages is The Elf On The Shelf. The joy of waking up each morning to see what their mischievous elf was up to the night before and where he/she was hiding out makes the holiday season even more special. We have seen some really original hiding spots and we can't get enough of it! 


To join in on the fun and get in the holiday spirit we want to see your most creative Elf On The Shelf pictures. Capture a memory of your most playful and imaginative Elf On The Shelf and post it in the comment section of the below Facebook post. We can’t wait to see what you come up with! 

We will choose our two favorites and they will receive tickets to an upcoming Minnesota Wild Game. Pictures are due by December 26th and winners will be announced on December 28th. Join in on the fun!
 

Happy Holidays!

Kris Lindahl Team
Official Partner of the Minnesota Wild
Endorsed by Lori & Julia from myTalk 107.1

 
It's the most wonderful time of the year - let’s spread some holiday cheer with a GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY! The holiday...
Posted by Kris Lindahl Team on Saturday, December 19, 2015

Prepare Your Home for the Holidays with these Decorating Tips!

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The holidays are approaching. Today, we thought we'd do something a little different and share this festive video on holiday decorating tips from HGTV. Designer Angelo Surmelis shares several great ideas to spread holiday cheer throughout the home. Here are some of our favorites.

  1. Pay attention to the mantle. If you don't have some already, buy some kind of garland to drape over the mantle. Next, use leftover ornaments and candles to add light and texture. When choosing ornaments and candles, ensure they are in the same color-palette. This helps make your mantle a great focal point! 
  2. Use smaller Christmas trees. Every house has their main Christmas tree. In addition, you can also purchase smaller, inexpensive, eco-friendly trees to place throughout the home. Decorate these trees with strips of fabric from a T-shirt in holiday colors to save money for the main tree.
  3. Use what you have. Be resourceful. Adding a plate charge and place mat to your everyday dining set adds some jazz to your table. Fresh-cut flowers and candles will help finish the look. You don't need grand, expensive candles -- a little candlelight goes a long way!

As you can see, it doesn't take much to make your home feel more festive. If you have any questions, give us a call or send us an email. We would be happy to help you!

How to Handle Contingent Offers in the Twin Cities


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The market here in the Twin Cities is heating up, and because of this we're seeing more contingent offers pop up. Today I'd like to tell you how to better handle these because they can become tricky. Here are a few different tips for you if you're thinking about accepting a contingent offer.

Make sure you have done the research on the home that the buyers need to sell in order to buy your home. If you wouldn't buy that home, then I'd recommend against it. You could be waiting for them to sell for a while, and that will affect your bottom line.

Look at their online marketing. Try to find their property online. If it's easy to find, that's a good sign. However, if you cannot find it, then you should also think twice about accepting their contingent offer.


In our MLS, we have a contingent status, which means that if you have accepted an offer, it will show up as 'Active Contingent'. This means that the amount of showings you'll have on your property will decrease dramatically. People will see your home online but realize that someone may be trying to buy. This will scare sellers away and you'll be left waiting for your buyer.

Hopefully this can help you to get through a contingency without too much trouble. If you need assistance when making a decision like this, please don't hesitate to contact me. I'm sure my team and I could figure something out for you!

Know the True Value of Your Twin Cities Home

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Today I'm going to address a common question that crops up during listing appointments: Can you trust Zillow to give you an accurate home value?

A lot of times, the Zillow Zestimates are off between 5% and 15%. Sometimes the Zestimates are off by less, and sometimes they're off by more than 15%. The thing is, Zillow uses a computer algorithm. Anytime a computer algorithm is involved, it's awfully tough to determine exactly what your home is worth.


There are a lot of factors that go into determining your home value that an algorithm can't detect. If you're in an area where a home hasn't sold for a couple years, how would the algorithm calculate what your home is worth? What if your home is completely different than the other homes in your area? Those are some circumstances where the Zestimates would be very far off.

Ultimately, the best way to get a true valuation on your home is to talk to a professional real estate agent in your area. If you have any questions, give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you!

Three Mistakes To Avoid When Buying New Construction in the Twin Cities

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Buying a newly-constructed home is a wonderful opportunity. You can get a custom-built home, and you can sell it for a very nice profit. However, there are three common mistakes that I see buyers making all the time, and today I'm going to warn you about them.

Always get representation when you speak to a builder about buying a property. Builders are notorious for preying on buyers who don't have a real estate agent working with them, and they often pay the price for it.

Do your research on the builder and the neighborhood. Also look into the neighborhood that you're moving into and take note of any developments or improvements that may be taking shape.


Read the fine print on the agreement, and then reread it. Don't sign anything until you fully understand it, and I'd also recommend getting a lawyer to read it over. I've seen buyers get themselves into trouble this way.

If you need any help buying new construction in the Twin Cities, please don't hesitate to contact my team. We look forward to speaking with you!

Capture Your Home's Beauty Before It's Too Late


Home sellers sometimes run into a problem when they try to photograph their homes because winter just isn't an ideal time to take photographs. The trees are dead and the snow just covers up all of the nice features of your home.


In lieu of this problem, we want to offer you free photography right now. Taking photos while the weather is nice will significantly increase your chances of luring buyers to your home online. When you compare photos of a home in the winter to a home that's been photographed in the summer or fall, which do you think would be more appealing?

If you would like to take advantage of this amazing offer, please don't hesitate to contact us. We would be very happy to sell your home for top dollar!

Where Can You Find a Great Mortgage Lender?


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 I'm going to cover something a little bit different today. I'm going to talk about how to find a mortgage lender in Minnesota, as I've been getting the question a lot. 

The first thing I would say is that you should lean on a trusted real estate professional. The agents that have been doing business in the areas you are looking in likely have long standing relationships with credible, reliable lenders who can get the job done.


Our team has these lenders, and our clients reap the benefits. If you need a recommendation for a lender at any time, we would be happy to offer you a referral to one of our great lending partners.  If you'd like to get in touch with a lender, or just have a question for us, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to speaking with you!

What Local Twin Cities Celebrities Recently Endorsed Us?


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I am very excited to announce that we have recently been endorsed by the Lori & Julia Show of myTalk 107.1which airs between 3pm and 7pm, Monday-Friday.

We are thrilled that these brilliant and hilarious ladies have chosen to endorse the Kris Lindahl Team, as it's the first real estate team they have backed. It's truly a great honor to have such wonderful people supporting us!


If you want to stay in touch with Twin Cities real estate, we have a few different options for you. 

We hope to hear from you soon!

How Your Listing Price Can Come Back to Hurt You


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 If you didn't already know, you have to be very careful about what you put on the Internet these days. This is true for social media, but it's also true for when you list your home at a certain sale price. 

Search engines will record what price you listed your home at, and how long it sat on the market for. Zillow, Trulia, and other major search engines will reveal the pricing history on your property. 


As if pricing correctly wasn't already important, it is even more crucial now to change your price if you're not getting good responses from buyers. If a price isn't working, you either need to change it quickly or take your home off of the market for the time being. 

If you'd like to talk to us about selling your home at an attractive price for top dollar, please don't hesitate to contact us. We also have a plethora of resources available to you on this website, so please don't hesitate to explore!

How Our Marketing Program Sells 400 Homes Per Year


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A lot of people come to us and ask how we manage to sell so many homes every year. We use a complete marketing strategy to sell our homes, and today we'll be speaking about how you can sell your home quickly and efficiently.

  • High end photography can make a huge difference when you go to sell. Almost everyone buying homes is looking online, so good photography is absolutely essential when you go to sell your home.
  • Feature your home on a fully responsive website. What I mean is that you should be using a website that can be viewed on laptops, desktops, cell phones, and tablets. Mobile traffic has increased, so you want to ensure that everyone can view the website properly.
  • Price your home at a point where everyone can see it. Instead of listing your home at $249,999, list your home right at $250,000 so that it's grouped in the the $250-$300K price points. 
 
If you need assistance selling your home in the Twin Cities, please don't hesitate to contact us. We'd be happy to help you!

How to Make an Offer That a Seller Cannot Resist


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If you've been searching for a home in the Twin Cities lately you've probably noticed that inventory is low, and competition with homes is fierce. This is great for sellers, but a challenge for buyers. Luckily I am going to show you a few ways to improve your standing with sellers.
  1. Know what the home is actually worth. We run an equity evaluation for our buyers to ensure that they never overpay for a home. Paying more for a home than it's really worth is not a good strategy to win an offer on a home.
  2. Put a deadline on the offer. Set a timetable for when the seller has to respond to your offer. This makes you look like a serious buyer and it makes the seller feel as if they have something to lose out on if they don't get back to you.

We have another strategy that has a 100% success rate, but please send us an email if you're interested in learning about it. We're not comfortable sharing it online because it gives you such a competitive advantage over other buyers.

So, if you're looking for a home in the Twin Cities this spring, please be sure to contact us. We have really great strategies that will allow you to beat out the competition.

Welcome to My Real Estate Video Blog


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Hello, and welcome to my real estate video blog. I'll be covering educational topics that will educate you on the Twin Cities real estate market. My goal is to make you an informed consumer so that you can go out and take full advantage of our local market. You can expect two videos from me every month that will be focused on real estate, and other related industries such as finance or construction.

To reward you all for tuning in I am going to be giving away a pair of game-used gloves from Jason Zucker of the Minnesota Wild. 

Our team is an Official Partner of the Minnesota Wild, and now is your chance to win these gloves! All you need to do is like, comment, or post a photo of the commercial on this Facebook post by clicking here, and you will be entered to win Jason Zucker's game gloves. 

I look forward to sending you more informational videos in the future, and if you have any questions for me, please don't hesitate to reach out to me or someone on my team. 

Have a good one!