According to Forbes, Minneapolis currently has the second lowest rental vacancy rate in the nation at 3.3%. This is in accordance with what we saw occur over the fall and winter time period where a good amount of our clients were choosing to rent for a short period of time in between selling their home and purchasing another. While this did mean multiple moves, it allowed some of our clients time to breathe when their home sold a [...]]]> According to Forbes, Minneapolis currently has the second lowest rental vacancy rate in the nation at 3.3%. This is in accordance with what we saw occur over the fall and winter time period where a good amount of our clients were choosing to rent for a short period of time in between selling their home and purchasing another. While this did mean multiple moves, it allowed some of our clients time to breathe when their home sold a little quicker than they thought it would and they weren’t quite ready to purchase yet. We also saw nearly all of our short-sale clients end up renting after their sale closed. Buyer activity has definitely been picking up over the past couple weeks, but we’ll see if that becomes a trend instead of a mirage, or if clients continue to choose rentals over purchases.

The Top 10 from Forbes:

1. New York, NY: 2.4% vacancy
2. Minneapolis, MN: 3.3% vacancy
3. San Diego, CA: 3.4% vacancy (tied)
4. San Jose, CA: 3.4% vacancy (tied)
5. Jersey City, NJ: 3.5% vacancy
6. San Francisco, CA: 3.6% vacancy
7. New Haven and Fairfield County, CT: 3.7% vacancy
8. Portland, OR: 3.8% vacancy
9. Philadelphia, PA: 3.9% vacancy
10. Milwaukee, WI: 4% vacancy

The full post is here: 10 Cities Where the Rental Markets are Rebounding (Forbes)

I love visual representations of data. Making vast amounts of data easy to grasp is quite an art and this map, produced by TIP Strategies Inc, really made the current job picture hit home in historical terms. While I like to keep upbeat throughout this blog, I’m of the belief that the job losses aren’t going to get much better anytime soon. Take a look and let me know your thoughts…

The Geography of Jobs

The [...]]]> I love visual representations of data. Making vast amounts of data easy to grasp is quite an art and this map, produced by TIP Strategies Inc, really made the current job picture hit home in historical terms. While I like to keep upbeat throughout this blog, I’m of the belief that the job losses aren’t going to get much better anytime soon. Take a look and let me know your thoughts…

The Geography of Jobs

The Geography of Jobs from TIP Strategies, Inc

Subprime credit woes are one thing, but will sky-high fuel prices spark a migration back to the city? The folks over at Minneapolis St.Paul Magazine did some digging and discovered that “here in the Twin Cities, there is hope.” They tapped into some local experts and rounded up the Twin Cities ”Best Places to Live: 20 Great Neighborhoods That Are Beating the Market” » Read it now

And if you’re looking for the low down on your own neighborhood or contemplating moving to another, check out the [...]]]> Subprime credit woes are one thing, but will sky-high fuel prices spark a migration back to the city? The folks over at Minneapolis St.Paul Magazine did some digging and discovered that “here in the Twin Cities, there is hope.” They tapped into some local experts and rounded up the Twin Cities ”Best Places to Live: 20 Great Neighborhoods That Are Beating the Market” » Read it now

And if you’re looking for the low down on your own neighborhood or contemplating moving to another, check out the Minneapolis Association of Realtors’ “Your Neighborhood At a Glace”  chart for statistics on median prices, property taxes, crime, and more.   » Go there now

Plentiful jobs, excellent schools, affordable housing – according to CNN’s Money Magazine top 100 list of America’s best small cities, 9 Minnesota cities have all that and more. And even better, the report ranked our very own northwest suburb, Plymouth, MN, as the #1 place to live among U.S. cities with populations of 50,000 to 300,000!

The ranking touts Plymouth’s “topnotch” schools, plentiful jobs, affordable housing, low crime rate and active outdoor culture. In addition, the report shows that Plymouth [...]]]> Plentiful jobs, excellent schools, affordable housing – according to CNN’s Money Magazine top 100 list of America’s best small cities, 9 Minnesota cities have all that and more. And even better, the report ranked our very own northwest suburb, Plymouth, MN, as the #1 place to live among U.S. cities with populations of 50,000 to 300,000!

The ranking touts Plymouth’s “topnotch” schools, plentiful jobs, affordable housing, low crime rate and active outdoor culture. In addition, the report shows that Plymouth has a significantly higher-than-average median family income, family purchasing power, math and reading test scores, and percentage of residents with a health plan (91.2%); AND lower-than-average auto insurance premiums, shorter commute times, and lower median home prices. Here are a few other things they say about our little gem of a city…“Home prices are within reason: The typical three-bedroom, two-bath house goes for $350,000. The city’s main school district is ranked among the top three in the state, and for culture, Plymouth’s open-air amphitheater, the Hilde Performance Center, hosts numerous summer concerts. Residents are a quick drive from the Mall of America, the nation’s biggest mall.

And did we mention the outdoors? Plymouth boasts more than half a dozen sizable bodies of water. Of course, this being Minnesota, winter can be brutal: January’s average low temperature is about 13°F. But when the mercury plummets, the locals get busy. In February the city hosts a Fire & Ice Festival that includes mini-golf, bowling and basketball – all right on the ice.”

Money ranks the communities based on financial data, housing, safety, crime rates, weather and similar factors. And while no other Minnesota city made the top 10, the state was well represented, taking 9 of the top 100: Eagan came in at #17, Apple Valley at 24, Lakeville at 26, Eden Prairie at 40, Maple Grove at 41, Burnsville at 43, Rochester at 70 and Blaine at 93.

To read more about why Plymouth is such a fantastic place to live, click here for Money Magazine’s full report on the city. And if you want to get your hands on your own piece of this small city oasis, be sure to check out our latest listing at 18205 County Road 24 in Plymouth or any of our other great properties at www.donedam.com/listings.